whitsmom

I would like to start by saying I got The Key for about $5 more than the internet package and we were going to buy the internet package anyways. 
Boarding:
Boarding was so simple and easy. We entered at The Key sign and went though security and were sent to a dedicated seating area. We weren't there long before we were sent to the ship. 
Key Lunch:
The lunch was served in the MDR and had three options in Appetizer, Entrees and Dessert. I opted for the shrimp, steak and cheesecake and I do not regret that decision. The room was quite and it was relaxing compared to the WindJammer. 
Carryon:
We did not opt to use this service as our carryon had bathing suites and we wanted to change into them later. 
On Board Lines:
We didn't really do anything that had a line like the surfing so I can't really speak to this perk
Reserved Seating:
After reading some reviews on here I was a little worried about where the seating would be but we really enjoyed this perk. We took advantage of this perk the most and found the seats to be well placed on Oasis of the Seas.
Internet:
The internet is a must for me due to our jobs and having this perk built in made the purchase well worth it. 
Debarkation Day:
We received tags the night before for our luggage and placed it outside the room like normal. When we got up we went to the designated MDR room and had a nice quite breakfast. I recommend the steak and eggs, but there was other options.  After breakfast we got a notification we could leave the ship and we were in the terminal within minutes and our luggage was next to the suite guest. 
Overall we really enjoyed the perks of The Key and if the price was right we would do it again. If you are Pinnacle or are in a Star Class Suite it wouldn't be worth it as you get most of these benefits already but for someone who is new the RC and was getting the internet anyways it was worth it.

 

I just cancelled our 2 internet package purchase ($175.95 total) and then re-purchased two internet packages for one person for a $73 savings ($103.96 total).  It looks like I will end up with two internet packages for the 4 days.  Ends up being about $13/day per internet package.   Might be worth checking out.  The current deal is buy one get 30% of next one.  Just put both of them in just one passenger name.

For the record.  On SY today (JS) and our balcony chairs are zip tied in the half-reclining position.  I haven’t sat down in one yet so I have no idea if it’s an issue or not.  

Same!  I will set the chair up in the correct sitting position and re-zip it!  I always pack a pair of scissors too. 

We were on the Odyssey in July of this year and they were NOT zip tied then.

We were on the Odyssey in July of this year and they were NOT zip tied then.

Same!  I will set the chair up in the correct sitting position and re-zip it!  I always pack a pair of scissors too. 

Same!  I will set the chair up in the correct sitting position and re-zip it!  I always pack a pair of scissors too. 

My transatlantic cruise isn't until March 2026 so nothing is available for this sale except a couple of excursions (which I am not even ready to book yet).  Oh well, I will jut keep checking....

Same!  I will set the chair up in the correct sitting position and re-zip it!  I always pack a pair of scissors too. 

So basically, add zip ties to the cruise go-bag.

My transatlantic cruise isn't until March 2026 so nothing is available for this sale except a couple of excursions (which I am not even ready to book yet).  Oh well, I will jut keep checking....

So I ended up with over 50 cancellation/rebookings last night !  Everything, with the exception of 1, 3 night package, was cheaper than the price at which I had previously purchased.  I seem to have gotten all of the confirmations but I quit trying to track them all after a while....it was just too much.  The most important thing is that everything I cancelled and repurchased is showing in my order history correctly.  Beyond that I don't really care.
I did have a couple of minor glitches.  A couple of times the website did not seem to know my CC number (can't imagine that !!) but I found that if I did a "refresh" (F5), the problem was rectified and my CC number appeared correctly.  Actually, I found that if I refreshed after I cancelled and before I repurchased, it helped.  So I learned something....now just praying that the nonsense from last year doesn't re-emerge.

THEN I just went back and added the cocoa beach shuttle just because it's pretty damn cheap and probably just easier than worrying about a cab or bus. We haven't been there yet, so again-figured why not. I got the refreshment package back in July for 30% off, so that's still the same price.   
I had a nice chunk of OBC for this cruise, so between the Refreshment package purchased earlier, and the Chops lunch and Cocoa beach shuttle, I still haven't spent any of my own money- so that's a win for me! 

We we get it every time.  We just tell them we want a can (at a bar); however, at dinner it is in a glass.

We are Diamond so we just add the refreshment package for bottled water, fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast, specialty coffees, and Diet Coke in the can.  This way our 4 drinks a day each is enough for us 99% of the time. 

This is true ... but ... can we still say we "completed" a Pacific crossing if we start in Hawaii?  We have the Vancouver to Hawaii cruise booked refundable so we can change it.
We will probably begin in Hawaii.  The cruise from Vancouver goes to Seattle for an overnight.  If the cruise did an overnight in Honolulu maybe we would consider it.  The Napali Coast and International Dateline are listed on our itinerary but those are deceiving because we don't actually stop anywhere. Not counting the overnight in Seattle at the start, we only have 5 port stops in 25 days if we did the entire Pacific crossing. Sidney, Australia better be good for 20 sea days!  Where can we go after we arrive in Sidney?
By comparison, our Atlantic crossing had more ports stops in 14 days!  After we arrived in Barcelona, we tacked on a Mediterranean cruise that had 9 additional port stops.

We we finally booked our first Transatlantic cruise for March 2026 on the Harmony OTS going from Galveston to Spain.  Our friends that are going too live in Houston, so we will go stay a couple of days with them before heading to the cruise port.  We will both be retired by then so we will be able to relax and enjoy without the worry of work stuff.  We are also staying a few days at the end in Barcelona.  Checking off some of our Bucket Lists!

We we finally booked our first Transatlantic cruise for March 2026 on the Harmony OTS going from Galveston to Spain.  Our friends that are going too live in Houston, so we will go stay a couple of days with them before heading to the cruise port.  We will both be retired by then so we will be able to relax and enjoy without the worry of work stuff.  We are also staying a few days at the end in Barcelona.  Checking off some of our Bucket Lists!

We do a crossing every year. Next week we cruise from Florida to Lisbon, then cruise back from Barcelona to Florida. That’s a bucket list item for us. 

We we finally booked our first Transatlantic cruise for March 2026 on the Harmony OTS going from Galveston to Spain.  Our friends that are going too live in Houston, so we will go stay a couple of days with them before heading to the cruise port.  We will both be retired by then so we will be able to relax and enjoy without the worry of work stuff.  We are also staying a few days at the end in Barcelona.  Checking off some of our Bucket Lists!

Same for us.  We like having Diet Coke in the can so the refreshment package allows for that.  I just tell them that I am using the Refreshment package and when I am using the Diamond vouchers - that way everyone is one the same page.  Only once did they mess it up and they corrected it when I saw it on our account.

also - since we have the 4 diamond voucher - we get the refreshment package (drink a lot of coffee, bottled water & soda) but don't bother with the DBP - waste of money. If we bring wine, we won't go over 4 alcoholic beverages each, and if we do, it's cheaper to pay for one that pay for the DBP.

We checked the TransAtlantic cruise eastbound to Barcelona off our bucket list this past April.  We hope to complete a TransPacific cruise to Sidney, Australia next year. 
Our TransAtlantic was fantastic. We might add a second TransAtlantic cruise westbound onto our bucket list after the TransPacific.  We also spent a few days in Barcelona.  I highly recommend a Mediterranean cruise to Anthens to get a few more port stops that my wife wanted.  It only took a month in total from Miami to Athens. We are retired too so a month wasn't very long.
I wonder if it is feasible to fly from Sidney to Barcelona and return to the USA in November next year? 
Addendum: My wife says no if it will be cold. I think it will probably be warmer than Iowa.

We use Harr Travel for our cruises. They set up an itinerary with Project Expedition. We use them to book transportation and tours. It keeps all our stuff in one place.