Is THE KEY on Royal Caribbean A WASTE OF MONEY? (My Experience & Review)
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- I tried The Key on my recent Royal Caribbean cruise and in this review, I will tell you about my experience and if I think The Key is worth it or not - is it just a waste of money?
I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship and on this Royal Caribbean cruise I had The Key Program. The Key is the priority access and benefits program for Royal Caribbean. The Key allows its guests to receive priority boarding at the cruise terminal, exclusive dining opportunities onboard, priority seating and special access to tender ports, and a VOOM Surf & Stream Internet Package per person.
However, is The Key on Royal Caribbean worth it?
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00:00 Introduction - What Is The Key?
01:16 The Cost
04:00 The Benefits
05:45 The Experience
12:20 The Worth
Thanks Zach! We definitely apprerciate and value your honest reviews!
Thank you so much! Appreciate your support. 😊
Congratulations on 10K. Thanks as always for the good information!
Thank you so much! 😊 Appreciate your support, Yvette.
I think The Key is worth it if you can get it around $23 a day and if you were going to get the Surf and Stream package anyway. Had it on Wonder and the lunch and bfast were both in Chops Grille which was fantastic. Priority boarding is great. Fresh fruit in the room. It may just carry more bang for your buck on the larger ships where there are bigger crowds.
Thanks, Jennifer! The part about the bigger ships was the conclusion I came to as well.
I will try it in the future. Thank you again for all of this information before I go. Amen
Thank you for watching!
Well hello again. This a nice touch for me as a single traveller as well as being a senior citizen. Thank you for this information. Amen
Thank you, Katrina. Appreciate you watching. Have a great week!
Congratulations on 10K. I feel the same about The Key. I bought it because I was going to purchase internet anyway and it was not that much more. It was freezing on embarkation day so it was nice to board quickly. The lunch was good and I did drop my bags off and I did not do the breakfast on debarkation day. Probably will pass and just purchase internet on my next Royal cruise
Thank you so much! Glad the program benefited you some. At least we’ve tried it now and know better for next time.
Thanks Zach!
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for a great review of The Key! I have been on the fence about whether to buy it or not, and it seems all in all like a good deal considering we get the internet package (Starlink).
Glad you posted this. Was about to start checking out The Key, now I know I won't do it. I cruise to unplug so I won't need the internet. I can't climb stairs let alone Rock Walls. Our flight to the port doesn't get in till 3 and the Rhapsody leaves at 10pm so all that embarkation stuff won't matter. I really don't do shows anymore so VIP aka Nosebleed seats in the theater don't appeal to me. FTTF covered everyone in the cabin, but didn't have all those extras. Thanks for saving me the research!
Thanks for watching! Super glad you found this helpful and saved some money. Sounds like you definitely wouldn’t have benefitted from many of the perks!
Hi, Zach! My husband and I used the Key Program on the Symphony of the Seas a couple of years ago. It was well worth it being on a large ship! It was nice to sit down to a nice lunch on embarkation day without the noise and busyness at the Windjammer. We enjoyed the final breakfast on departure day, It was quick and easy to exit the ship!
Thanks for watching!
Don't forget that if you purchase the unlimited dining package, you get access to one of the specialty dining restaurants for lunch on embarkation day as well as during at sea days. We ate at The Mason Jar on those days on Wonder and it was very nice.
Very nice! Unfortunately my ship only had Chops Grille so not many options. The Mason Jar looks incredible.
When the Key is discounted heavily so it is very close to the internet surf & stream package cost, which you were planning on buying anyway, then it becomes a no brainier. Pleasant welcome lunch away from the scrum at the Windjammer, early boarding and lovely goodbye breakfast for about $30.
Valid review. We were lucky again at getting The Key for $14 a day which was cheaper to get the deluxe drink package and The Key instead of the deluxe with the vroom. The special times for flow and Rockwall were on cococay day or really inconvenient times.
Wow that’s an insanely low price. And I thought I got a good deal on it! 😂 I don’t blame you at all for getting it at that discount.
Here’s the thing - everybody in our group needs high speed Vroom, not optional. So Key on sale doesn’t cost that much more. If the only extra I got was the carry-on bag check and a calm lunch I’d be happy - we live close and like to board early with carry-on only and don’t want to schlep bags around all day. Add priority checkin, I’m definitely interested. VIP seating for shows is a nice perk. Again, we live close so with no planes to catch we can enjoy the debarkation day breakfast. Not all that interested in private hours for activities.
I used it once and it was totally worth it, a few weeks ago I didn’t get it and I got to the terminal at 11:30am late 30 minutes and the guy told me you need to go to the end of the line which was a mile long, I saw the “Key” entrance and it was wide open, I was like Damn I should of got the Key!!! The onboard Lunch was also great when I first used it a few months back, plus adding the internet package which is great. I’m going to Navigator in April so right now I am waiting for a sale to get the Key.
Thanks for sharing your experience! The super fast boarding with The Key despite there being a super long line was really a nice perk! I hope you catch a good sale for it before your trip. Either way, have a great time!
Greetings Zach! I am about to try RCL for the first time and I am doing 2 back to back cruises on Enchantment. I discovered your channel by searching Enchantment and what a plethora of useful information! Immediately after viewing your video on the meals, I went to my Planner and added the Taste of Royal. It had already sold out for my first week but I was able to get it for my second week.
Similar experience with The Key. I had been wondering about its worth/value. You explained it very well, the pros and cons. Since I am traveling solo...and the key is on sale for Black Friday, I decided to add it to my options as I was not going to purchase the internet package, but for 18.99 a day, I will use the key as my internet package with benefits! LOL! I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I am certain the information you shared in your reviews will be totally helpful!
Now, tell us about your Pro Tips for the Casino! LOL! Thanks again and Safe Travels! ~Smitty
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you found the content helpful. And no casino tips unfortunately but good luck! 😂
I can see this being GREAT for tender heavy itineraries though, where you don't want to get the cruise excursions. On those big ships, I've heard that waiting for a tender can cut hours into your day at port.
That’s a great point. Thanks for watching.
I'm hoping it comes down in price. For 2 people on Navigator is 40.99 a day with a total of 573 for a 7 day cruise with 2 tender ports
Your video is a great review. I dont think the KEY is a good deal but I did book it for a 14 day solo trip for all the reasons you stated. Mainly, it was only $1 a day more than purchasing the internet package alone. I will keep an eye on the price of the internet package. If it drops, I will cancel the Key. The 2nd reason was my trip has a lot of tinder stops, so I like the priority access to get off. The meals were a nice bonus, dont care about the priority seating and I am too old to Flowride!
Thank you for watching and sharing this!
Thank you for this. My next RCI cruise is on Freedom of the Seas, Jan. 2023. From your information, I'll not be buying THE TICKET. Excellent information!
Thank you for watching - enjoy your cruise!
Thank you for telling us the truth about things on the ship. We can make an informed decision. I think the cruise lines are just making up reasons to take out money.
Definitely a lot of add on options at an up charge for those who want them. But not necessary for most.
Currently for our 7 day WOS cruise it is $38 per day per person including the 18%. We do not see the value considering were already have the unlimited dinning package and one of the early boarding times. Also as to early boarding, read this statement carefully: Priority access into the terminal (within booked arrival time) on Day 1. So if your booked arrival time is 2 PM then even with The Key, you still have to wait until 2 PM to board. Show up early and The Key does not help getting one on early.
Thanks so much for al the information and videos. Agree that Celebrity has the best food.
Thanks for watching, Sam!
I got it on Enchantment for $17/day. Was only slightly more than internet package. Thought it was worth it except for the chop steak burger for my complimentary lunch. I love a good burger but this was awful and should have sent it back. Was anything different from what was served in the other dining areas. Other than that, I thought it was worth it. Signed up again on the Jewel for $21/day. Will try the filet on my next lunch!
I was on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago and bought the Key. About a week out I checked the price and it was cheaper than the highest internet package so I reordered it. I will agree with you. It’s not really worth it and I was a single traveler.
That’s about the only way it’s worth it. Hope you had a great cruise!
Priority Access on NCL was $90/person
The key would be worth it for me, just for the internet, everything else is a "bonus" if they actually follow through on their promises
Exactly! Thanks for watching.
Sorry, I'm new to cruising in general so can someone tell me what a tinder/tender is? Maybe you could do a vid on excursions and what might be worth doing and what not? Thanks! Enjoying your channel. 🙂
Great suggestion! So glad you’re enjoying the content. A tender is a smaller boat that takes you from the ship to shore. This happens in ports where there is no pier so the ship drops anchor and tender boats take you to the actual port area.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan Thank you! I'm really enjoying your channel.
Thank you so much!
I think the Key is a great deal just because if the internet.
I don’t think of The Key as cost per day. We need the best possible internet package for each of us so I subtract the cost of that from the cost of The Key. That difference is what we’re paying for the Key benefits. For us it’s worth it. We live 45 minutes from the port and want to board as early as possible. We do carry-on only so drop off is great. Having a CALM lunch environment on embarkation day is like adding half a day to our vacation. Breakfast on debarkation day is a nice bookend. VIP seating for shows is gravy but nice. Not likely to ever use any of the other perks but for us (5 adults) The Key is worth the money. Probably wouldn’t be if we didn’t need the internet so much.
I agree. For the most part, it’s not worth it. I bought it on Wonder of the Seas because, at the time it wasn’t much more than just buying the Voom pkg as a single cruiser. I missed the Chops lunch, but was able to use it at Giovanni’s in the middle of the week, which on Wonder…was amazing! Having Diamond Loyalty points, I already had most of the perks. Having it for boarding day, and a special place to easily find your luggage in port on the last day, was very nice, but that was the only thing I used. I would get it again if the price was right, but ONLY on an Oasis Class ship just to beat some of the crowds.
Thanks, Michael! Appreciate that perspective from the Oasis class. Was curious how the experience might be on one of those ships. Also cool that they let you use the lunch at a specialty venue. Wish they’d have done that for me. 😂
We made the mistake of not getting two instead of one on our last cruise. The internet alone makes it worth it. Even though I didn't have the Key my husband did and let me go right on the ship with him.
If the price is comparable it absolutely is! Thanks for watching and sharing.
If there are two people in the cabin do they each get surf and stream with the key?
They both have to purchase The Key and will then both receive Surf and Stream.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan Thanks! That might be a game changer!
How was the internet? Can you watch youtube videos without any interruptions/buffering?
The internet was blazing fast! The fastest I’ve ever had on any cruise before. I could watch movies or videos with no interruptions.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan thank you. 😊
Any idea how much was the internet per day? I dont need it for first 4 days. Maybe only when the ship is in Bahamas, and during sea days and that also for maybe 10-15 mins just to catch up on some emails and stuff. So i guess the voom package would be expensive for only 4 days of usage and paying for 8 nights.
It’ll probably run you $18-22 per day, depending on the sales they are running.
The Key seems more worth it on the larger ships. Not so much on the smaller ships.
So, this is really a slap in the face to us regular guests that are standing in line at embarkation and it costs US more time standing there waiting and get "cut-in-line" by the people with the Key program and now we have to wait even longer for them to get through ahead of us, even though we got there first. Yea, thanks, just like at Disney World with their Fastpass thing or whatever they call it.
So you paid $30 for the Key over the cost of getting the internet service you would pay for anyway and gave it a negative recommendation. You had an excellent arrival experience, a $35 welcome lunch in the main dining room, and a superb debarkation day breakfast. It sounds like for you it was way worth it for you and would be for just about everyone getting the internet package.
Must admit I had the exact same reaction to the video. Seems like Zach got a bit detoured into thinking about whether The Key "feels" VIP-ish enough to be given that title, whether it could have been cooler, and whether every perk paid off individually, rather than assessing the actual value he received for the price he paid above what he already expected to pay without The Key. The repeated references to $150 didn't make sense given that he already was going to sink $110-120 into the internet package. His actual costs to get The Key were $30-40, total. That's all that should have mattered to him. Putting aside all other perks that he found not to add value, $30-40 for (1) bypassing a huge line at embarkation, (2) getting an expensive free lunch that he enjoyed, even if not as much as he had hoped, and (3) getting a killer disembarkation breakfast is, without anything more, still very good value-for-money by any reasonable measure. I know Zach came away thinking he didn't get good value from The Key, but I genuinely don't understand how he got to that conclusion. It doesn't feel objective. It feels emotional. Like, he had expected even more, so that somehow reduced the inherent value of the good stuff he received for an extremely low additional cost.
My understanding of the VIP seating is that it is in the middle of the balcony seating. If you go to a theater for plays and musicals and such you'll find that many theaters have reserverd/specialty (more expensive) seating at the front of the balcony level because it provides a greater overall and unobstructed view down to the stage. If you much prefer being closer to the action, so to speak, then those seats might not be what you would consider VIP seating, so that's certainly worth considering (and, frankly, like the limited Chops Grill menu it's something I think RCCL should better state in their list of benefits for The Key). All of that being said, like any add-on, the value is probably going to be pretty subjective. I've seen other folks going out of, I believe, Miami, for example, where having The Key for embarkation seemed pretty much useless because the regular embarkation process is so smooth so it may not be useful for some ports where it may be really valuable at others. As you noted it would also have more value for itineraries with tender ports (although I think it is noted it's for priority boarding to shore, but not on the return from shore to ship). If you definitely are getting VOOM anyway, that should also be a big consideration to the value provided, as you also noted. I also think the reserved times benefit needs to be more clearly noted that they are generally for off-peak times and for smaller ships that have fewer specialty activities (say, only a rock climb wall but not Flow Rider, and things like that) the value is likely further reduced since it may not be something you'd use.
So I think it may not be correct to suggest that it's largely a waste of money, per se, but rather that it's a value proposition that has multiple factors to weigh. Are you paying for VOOM anyway? If so then the extra cost of The Key beyond that is really all you need to think about for if that's valuable enough for the other benefits it provides and then determine of those benefits will be something that will apply for your specific port, ship, destinations, etc. Sure, I would redice the value of the lunch from the normal cost of a full Chops Grill lunch, but it's not the Wind Jammer on embarkation day, so not waiting for a buffet (although usually there are other spots, like Park Cafe or the like, where you can get a less-crowded lunch as well, that's worth adding into the equation). Ditto for the breakfast, although I think Wind Jammer is open for breakfast on debarkation days and usually not too crowded, so I think it's not necessarily a huge value for the served breakfast in that sense. VIP seating is very personally dependent, but worth noting that if you like central balcony seating I've heard those seats stay reserved for Key and Suite guests only until about 10-15 minutes before the show so it's it's not too crowded then anyone will be able to sit in those seats starting then. And it looks like if you are high enough in the rewards tiers for Crown & Anchor then you may be getting some of the benefits of The Key already, so that may also reduce it's value. So multiple factors to weigh before really figuring that value, I think.
The only other thing I would add to this is that, at least among UA-camrs and many of the cruising blogs I've seen, most of them have had much the same complaints about The Key and most didn't feel it was enough of a value add (although several really liked it or at least qualified when it might be worth it fairly well). I think Royal probably needs to improve it or, at the very least, better qualify what it is you are really getting with it.
Thanks for sharing these very valid points. Appreciate your perspective and agree that it should be better advertised. Feel like it’s a catch all now when really it could be very valuable for some and others would be better off just buying the internet and saving the rest of the cost.
I’m on Independence of the Seas right now traveling solo. I got The Key because I was going to get high speed internet anyway. I paid $25 per day for 4 days.
The ship had a last minute change of terminal on embarkation day. The scene outside terminal 6 was chaotic. There was no priority boarding except for suite guests and Pinnacle members. I asked about Key access and I as told there wasn’t any. Embarkation took 2.5 hours. Exactly what I had paid to avoid.
The lunch food was terribly disappointing but the atmosphere and service were great. It was nice to have my bags delivered to my room while I was eating.
Was it worth it? Heck no. But I’m still having a good time anyway. Coco Cay today.
Thanks for making this video.
Thanks for watching. Sorry to hear about your experience but jealous you’re at Coco Cay!
For those of us that don’t need internet, it’s a lot of money. He needs internet for his work. I sail to get away from my phone.
Is this only on all Royal Caribbean Ships? Amen
Yes The Key is exclusive to Royal Caribbean!
@@ZachtheTravelingMan Okay, Thank you so much for answering all of my question. Take care of your self and I will be waiting to see what you will have next. Amen
How much would you have paid for the high speed internet package by itself?
Just $40 or so less than what I paid for The Key.
@@ZachtheTravelingMan seems like it's definitely worth it for a solo traveller, then. But I could never bring myself to hand over my carry-on luggage, which is where all valuables, medications and other critical items are.
Yeah I definitely had a hard time doing that!
Just another Gimmick called add-0ns...Sort of what restaurants do, charge you an arm and a leg for coffee and dessert.
sad people can't be without internet for a week!
You don’t know the reasons why someone might need internet for the week so that’s not really your call, now is it?
I needed it on my last cruise to check in on a family member who was ill so you never know the reasons people have.