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"The Key" yes or no? Your experience with it?


LeeReads

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Very new to Royal Caribbean.  Who has purchased the key?  What was your experience?  Dh wants to get it-- but there are 6 of us.  Also question--- when it says one device, that means each person that purchases gets internet for one of their devices-- meaning all 6 of us may have 1 device each with Voom?  I know that seems like a weird question--- but something was mentioned on another forum-- so just checking.  Thank you! 

So from RC-- here is what is listed for the Key

Summary of your benefits:
• Priority access into the terminal (within booked arrival time) on Day 1.
• Carry-on bag drop off and delivery to stateroom. Drop-off your carry-on bags in the Main Dining Room until 1:30pm.
• Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille Lunch menu.
• Private time at onboard activities including Rock Climbing, FlowRider and more.
• Priority departure at tender ports of call from ship-to-shore.
• Seats in the exclusive VIP seating section at shows in the Main Theatre, Aqua Theater, Studio B and Two70 (reservation is needed).
• VOOM ® Surf & Stream 1 Device high speed internet.
• On debarkation day, enjoy an exclusive à la carte breakfast and choice departure.

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we always buy the key, but its not for everyone. My take is if you are buying wifi you may as well spend the extra $10/day and get the key (make sure you wait for a cruise planner sale). 1) Priority embarkation is great, you basically board with the suite guests. 2) Chops grill lunch is usually great (Oasis class yes, freedom class/voyager class iffy), 3) my teenage son got the uses of the private times at the flowrider. 4)reserved seating at the shows is a good perk but you need to get there early. 5) Priority Debarkation is one of the best perks. 

As for the wifi, each person gets 1 device at a time. You can log in and out of multiple devices during your cruise. 

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I just purchased the Key, but have not yet used it. Check out the prices, it may actually be less expensive to buy the Key than the internet package. I bought it for less during the Labor Day sale. If you see that you buy it and price drops, you can cancel and purchase it again with new price. … Happy Anniversary!

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I purchased the Key on our last cruise and enjoyed the benefits. I hate waiting in lines, so I really appreciated the priority boarding and reserved seating at shows. Embarkation lunch was great. We were on a Mediterranean sailing and the flowrider lines for the Key time wasn’t much different from regular times. It’s probably different on other ships or sailings. They also had Key times for iFly and North Star on sea days that normally would have cost extra, so that was a nice benefit. Though I have no regrets buying it on the last cruise, I haven’t for our next one on Allure. Might change if the price goes down, but right now it’s $30 per day. 

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I've looked at the key, currently $26.50/day/person = $371 for the week for my next cruise.  Wi-fi is about $20/day for one device which can be shared i.e, $140/week.  We don't need wi-fi since our next cruise is port intensive and we can connect in port, besides I go on a cruise to disconnect.   We're diamonds so there is some overlap in perks.

Never had a problem getting good seats at the shows, the first day Chops lunch is a nice perk but you can buy the lunch a lot cheaper than $26/day.

Can't remember the last time we tendered at a port on a RCL ship.

You can check any luggage including carry ons at the curb to be taken to your cabin, just put a luggage tag on them and they will be delivered. Makes it easy to walk off the ship at the end as well. Don't really do the climbing wall or flow rider anymore but if I did, for the limited private hours available it's not worth it.  Never had a problem getting a 11:30 am check in time. And have noticed that's when everybody shows up anyway. We prefer a 2 or 2:30 check in time when there is no one/lines. Everyone has to weigh the cost vs. the value you get. It's not worth it to us when you consider what you get for the money.  Your mileage may vary.

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I totally agree with Matt's The Key Full Review. I have only gone once on a RC cruise but I took Matt's suggestions on how to save money.  I was able to get a 10:30 boarding time - that is for a balcony room!! The lines were not bad at all.  I purchased a 5 meal dining package - which I used one as my Chop lunch on embarkation day.  My husband purchased the VOOM internet, which I was able to use when he was not using it.  Since I only wanted to check emails, this was perfect for me.  We almost never ate in our room so the room service was never used. It was so easy to run out to grab a bit and bring it back to our room when we did eat in.  We all had a small backpack (with our bathing suits in it) so it was easy to just carry it around.  Having that bathing suit handy meant we could get into the pool early.  Our 6 night Western Caribbean cruise never used tenders.  Never had problems finding good seats at shows - and we arrived just as the shows were starting.  Finally, debarkation day - since I don't usually eat breakfast, just grabbing a quick bite and walking off as self service - the breakfast would be a waste. 

Good luck with your planning and enjoy your cruise!

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3 hours ago, Xaa said:

I have a question n the debarkation breakfast.  Is the MDR not open on debarkation day?  If it is, is the only difference then a few items availability?  Just trying to understand that benefit better.

Bill

You get a different key breakfast menu.

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Having tried it about 4 times now.  2x as a couple and 2x solo.  I don't think it's worth it unless you're either solo or going for your first cruise as a couple with no loyalty or suite benefits.

100% worth it as a solo cruiser if you plan on taking advantage of the key benefits and you must have internet.

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19 minutes ago, Xaa said:

And that's it, you're next to others in the MDR eating the Express Breakfast?

No, you are in a special dedicated section with only key people.

To be fair the debarkation breakfast isn't as good as the embarkation chops lunch which isn't as good as a real chops lunch in my opinion but it's nice having the relaxed lunch.

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52 minutes ago, Blur said:

No, you are in a special dedicated section with only key people.

To be fair the debarkation breakfast isn't as good as the embarkation chops lunch which isn't as good as a real chops lunch in my opinion but it's nice having the relaxed lunch.

Thanks Blur.  I'll get the steak and eggs so there will be some benefit for me.

On the disembarkation piece, do they escort you past any line, is there a special line?  How does that go?

Thanks

Bill

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5 hours ago, Xaa said:

I have a question n the debarkation breakfast.  Is the MDR not open on debarkation day?  If it is, is the only difference then a few items availability?  Just trying to understand that benefit better.

Bill

Actually we eat in the MDR on disembarkation morning and it has always been great.  Nice way to end each cruise!  And No We do not purchase the Key.

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4 hours ago, Xaa said:

Thanks Blur.  I'll get the steak and eggs so there will be some benefit for me.

On the disembarkation piece, do they escort you past any line, is there a special line?  How does that go?

Thanks

Bill

I've never used it but you get special luggage key tags and can leave right after suite and Pinnacle guests who are called first.  I don't think they escort you any more but there may be a key line out.

We tend to leave later after breakfast at a more relaxed pace so usually no lines.  Trying to get off the ship first... There's usually a line and potentially grumpy people.

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So Mrs Fan and I are sailing out of Boston, October 23, on the Voyager OTS.  We are a 10-minute walk to the pier from our hotel.

I bought The Key (at $26) and as I mentioned in an earlier post, just checked in and got a 10:30-11:00 am time slot.  At the end of the cruise, our departure flight is at 12:30p.

I will use the internet quite a bit, Mrs Fan, not so much.  Now I am torn about whether to keep The Key or just drop it and pick up Voom Surf+Stream.

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I think the value of the "Key" has to do with what benefits you would want otherwise.  For example, for our upcoming 4-night Navigator cruise (out of LA), the Key (from the recent sale) was only $12 more than 2-device internet (which we probably would have purchased).  So, for that extra $12, the benefits we will get (and will take advantage of) are: stow carry-ons, embarkation-day Chops lunch, disembarkation-day breakfast and good seating in Studio B.  The other benefits we are not interested in are the reserve seating in the theatre (because it's usually in the balcony) and the special hours for flo-rider and rock-climbing.  

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4 hours ago, FSUFAN said:

So Mrs Fan and I are sailing out of Boston, October 23, on the Voyager OTS.  We are a 10-minute walk to the pier from our hotel.

I bought The Key (at $26) and as I mentioned in an earlier post, just checked in and got a 10:30-11:00 am time slot.  At the end of the cruise, our departure flight is at 12:30p.

I will use the internet quite a bit, Mrs Fan, not so much.  Now I am torn about whether to keep The Key or just drop it and pick up Voom Surf+Stream.

If it's your first time I'd keep the key to try it.  If you're an experienced cruiser I'd cancel and just get a single voom stream to share.  Do you really need a separate internet connection?  It just means you can't be online at the same exact time and can share the account over any device you want.

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19 minutes ago, Blur said:

If it's your first time I'd keep the key to try it.  If you're an experienced cruiser I'd cancel and just get a single voom stream to share.  Do you really need a separate internet connection?  It just means you can't be online at the same exact time and can share the account over any device you want.

I agree with @Blur about the wifi.  We had only gotten 1 Voom Surf +Stream to be shared between my husband and I.  We had 3 devices (2 phones and 1 computer).  I did not miss the fact that I could not connect to wifi at anytime - I just had to coordinate with my hubby. 

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I am trying it for the first time in October.  I usually travel in suites, but we are in a regular balcony on this trip.  I decided that the Key would replace some of my favorite suite perks-priority boarding with a sit down lunch, reserved seating for shows and easier disembarkation.  I will see how it goes.  

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@Fairlynew, please come back to this thread and give a vision of the current experience and whether there were specific pathways for Key cruisers even if on your cruise those pathways weren't of value (ie special line but nobody was in the primary line etc)

Some of this is about insurance to me.  If there is a separate path, I can feel like if there does happen to be a long line, Key provides protection and that protection has value even if it turns out to not be needed (like flood insurance).  Hope that makes sense.

Bill

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22 hours ago, Fairlynew said:

I am trying it for the first time in October.  I usually travel in suites, but we are in a regular balcony on this trip.  I decided that the Key would replace some of my favorite suite perks-priority boarding with a sit down lunch, reserved seating for shows and easier disembarkation.  I will see how it goes.  

Another perk to the Key is the disembarkation.  You get Key tags for your luggage and it will be in an area only for Key luggage making it easier/faster to find your bags if you don't want to carry them off.

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On 9/8/2022 at 12:42 PM, Fairlynew said:

I am trying it for the first time in October.  I usually travel in suites, but we are in a regular balcony on this trip.  I decided that the Key would replace some of my favorite suite perks-priority boarding with a sit down lunch, reserved seating for shows and easier disembarkation.  I will see how it goes.  

That was what we did as well - we have only sailed in suites, but had a balcony through the casino so we bought the key to provide the priority boarding and a few of the benefits that overlapped with the suite benefits. It was worth it at the price point at which we purchased it, but I can’t see paying a ton for it. Since we did a B2B with a suite on the second leg, some of the debarkation day benefits were definitely wasted.

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We purchased the key on our last cruise and I was pleased with it.  I will say that some of the activities they block time off for Key members was kind of a joke.  7 night cruise and only 3 hours total blocked off if I remember right.  Having the internet, priority embarkation and disembarkation and reserved seating for shows was a huge plus for us.  I would buy it again at the right price.

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