Price The cost of The Key can vary from ship to ship, as well as itinerary. New to Royal Caribbean. You will have no priority boarding for transportation back to the ship. My experience has mostly been the my luggage checked with The Key is already inside my room by the time the rooms are ready between 1pm & 1:30pm. If youre thinking about purchasing the program, its a good idea to check around this time because it does tend to sell out. Thank you so much for taking the time to share. Royal Caribbean Key Guests get to avoid the crowds and the waiting, and experience these attractions during hours reserved exclusively for the program. Private time at some of our onboard activities such as rock climbing, FlowRider, etc. You will get an email with instructions, usually anyone with the Key can arrive between 11:00-11:30 no matter what your boarding time is. The Key is an optional add-on anyone can purchase for their Royal Caribbean cruise that includes special access and perks. One of the perks is lunch but if we go that late, we would miss that. Just by flashing your SeaPass, Key members can take advantage of lots of benefits that the vast majority of RCI cruisers dont have. However, some recent passengers report up to 200 passes sold on their cruises. Clear editor. The steepest discounts come closer to sailing IF bookings are soft and they want to fill space. Join Sean and S. Recent RCI cruisers report that most sailings now only offer one private hour per week for each activity for Key members. Royal Caribbean offered The Key for a few years, but then suspended it as cruise ships began restart in 2021. Let me know in the comments below! You should also know that the Royal Caribbean Key program can ONLY be booked BEFORE your cruise. This Key decal is how the ships crew knows that a guest is part of the program, so its important to have it on your SeaPass card. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. For this reason, you should buy it early since they can sell out for any given itinerary. The Key allows you to board at that time, but only if you have a time that is before it. definitely. Most cruise ships require all passengers to be on board no fewer than one to two hours before the scheduled departure time, which is almost always in the late afternoon or evening. For example, if VOOM by itself is around $20/day (for one device for one person) and The Key is $25/day (for the same) and you definitely need WiFi, then you are getting all the other Key perks for only $5/day in our example. You still have to do online check in, I get that part, but if I wanted to arrive early and my check in time is later, does the key (or say suite access) allow me arrive early because of the benefit? you still select a boarding time at check in but a couple weeks before the cruise you will get an email that tells you you can board with the Key at (usually 11:30 after suite guests) or keep your scheduled time. For a prepaid fee, guest can access benefits that are usually reserved for suite guests or member of Royal Caribbean's loyalty program. RCI actually claims that its six times faster than any other WiFi at sea! Lines for this mode of transport can get extremely long, and wait times can be extremely frustrating. The food is scrumptious and included in the price of The Key. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_18',609,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0');Royal Caribbean hasnt announced a current policy for how many passes theyre now offering on any given sailing. How Long Does It Take to Get Off a Cruise Ship? Our assigned boarding time is listed as 3:30, With the Key can we go earlier? This is how you can get priority access to the cruise terminal on boarding day, priority access to the theatre shows, private time slots for rock-climbing or Flowrider , VOOM Surf & Stream 1 device and more benefits. Erin103 A 9am Flowrider time and a 4pm rock wall session are both times of the day where competition for these venues is less to begin with. Priority departure at ports where a tender is required ship-to-shore, A la carte breakfast and choice departure time on debarkation day. That is why this is our first stop). Youll be able to stream or download movies and music, or make FaceTime or Skype calls on the ship and on RCIs private island CocoCay. I think that price is bat-poo crazy. But it was a one and done for us. I just don't think you're going to get the bang for your buck that you think you will. But Carnival Cruise Line, whose Faster To The Fun program is very similar, determines how many passes they sell per cruise based on those figures. It can be purchased online or via the app when you book your cruise (or added later). Apparently on ships that require reservations for show, guests are allowed access early to pick their seats. Display as a link instead, Agreed, I enjoyed it at $19.99, and now would only look if it was close to pricing for internet. Tip: Be sure to still make reservations for shows in advance and arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime. On the Cruise Critic boards, people have reported paying between $19.99 to $29.99 and even up to $37 per day for each. But, ever since RCI cut back on those times, the value of this perk is less than it used to be. That is, you cannot cancel it, but the cruise line can. I sailed the first time with Royal Caribbean on the Oasis of the Seas this past March. I used the Key a few years ago and liked it. But I wouldn't pay any more than that the value just isn't there for me. Ultimately, the value of this program is subjective. Heres what The Key is (and why some cruisers like it), Royal Caribbean testing VIP guest access program. don't know what your cabin category is but if in a suite, you really don't need key if you want to board early. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? In my experiencethe Key has always had a boarding time of 11:30 or earlier. By You will get an email with instructions, usually anyone with the Key can arrive between 11:00-11:30 no matter what your boarding time is. The experience is really all over the place. No, I bought it, mainly to cut the time I will spend on lines, for back and knees. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_19',676,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0');Boarding for Key members usually begins around 10:30 AM, so if you want to be among the first to get on board the ship, plan to arrive a bit before this time to check in. 'The Key' laminated pass will allow you to use the special queue to access the check-in area. I couldnt imagine why anyone would carry on a bag, only to check it soon after boarding! It's important to note that these times that you choose during online check-in are only port arrival times. Playing the "waiting game" for a price drop can be dangerous if you really want The Key. A much better value as I get 11:00am priority boarding. If youre cruising with kids age six and up, youll need to also buy a Key package for them at the same price charged for adults. The Key certainly sounds like a good investment for a lot of cruises, especially those new to Royal Caribbean, because it offers benefits and access that might not otherwise be available to them at all. (Keep in mind that there will likely be another window of time to deposit your luggage. Or, in the alternative, Royal Caribbean may offer free room service for the entirety of your cruise along with a percentage off the cost of all onboard dining. The VOOM family plans come with a significant discount if youre purchasing for three or more devices, so it may be cheaper to just buy the WiFi. Some are ship or itinerary specific; and others are specific to the port of embarkation. when I got it I wasnt thinking about capacity numbers. You can! Does this mean that it doesn't matter what our boarding time we get when we check in? Is it worth it to buy The Key on a RCI cruise? This option which is available 24 hours a day, every day has been recently offered in lieu of the complimentary embarkation lunch. Planning to arrive at the cruise terminal a bit later in the day? This is just my own personal theory! You aren't cheating the system, you are the earliest boarding time. According to one R&M Manager (that's the person on board responsible for overseeing The Key Program) being personally escorted to the front of the disembarkation line --literally to the Security Officer who scans the SeaPass-- was never a benefit. If your a Key guest that ends up with a later boarding window, we recommend contacting Royal Caribbean to confirm what time Key guests should arrive. I just bought is for $22.99. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. The first stop you will make is to a designated drop-off room for your carry-on luggage (usually in the Main Dining Room). On our sailing, Key guests needed to show up no later than 15 minutes before the start of the show, where they were allowed to sit in a reserved section with great views of the action. Cruise terminals, as we learned during the pandemic, are . Rock climbing was also at 9am. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. HomeBlogCruise Tips Cruise News Cruise DestinationsAboutContactResourcesFeatured PressPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyDisclosure PolicyTerms of Use. Learn about these types of VIP benefits for your specific ship in the welcome letter, which you will receive when boarding. Read more, Copyright 2023 Chaotically Yours | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine. This benefit allows Key Guests to skip the long lines for the dinghys that ferry cruisers from ship to shore in ports that dont have docks appropriate for cruise ships. All other benefits are either exclusive to the Key Program or only available to suite and loyalty program guests. The benefits package known as Royal Caribbean The Key is structured to address an element of each of these ideas. Or is the only benefit: priority embarkation mean you have your own line to enter terminal as opposed to the masses. During our first experience with the Key program, we were with a large group and had a table to ourselves. ill try it again when things get full again. This is so Key customers can take advantage of the Key lunch. If you want to get your vacation started ASAP, this is an amazing perk. Key guests are then called to get on the ship quite early in the boarding process, with just two or three VIP groups called first. I don't think it means you can show up at 10:30 am. In the past she said they had a line just . You could book the cheapest inside guarantee stateroom, but have access to lots of the benefits that suite and high-level loyalty members enjoy. So, it's important to know that Carnival won't serve any passenger more than 15 alcoholic drinks in a single day. Does this extra cost amenity make sense to get for your family? Everyone is packing and trying to figure out how to disembark in the quickest way possible. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. During our most recent trip, it was just the two of us, so we were seated with other Key Program guests for the meal. The Key program is Royal Caribbean's initiative to give guests access to premier and exclusive cruise services and activities while on board for a small additional fee. The system will time out after 30 minutes, so double check that you have everything below for each guest in your group before starting. madoris, Thursday at 02:15 PM in Royal Caribbean International. While not quite on par with a dining experience youll get in one of the specialty restaurants on board the ship, the food was definitely better than anything we found at the buffet or in the main dining room during our cruise. There are only a certain number of days and many fun things to do on board the ship and, standing in line is certainly not one of them! We can overlook the few miscommunications at the beginning of our cruise and say that overall, we really enjoyed being Key Guests during our sailings. Passengers can drop off up to two pieces per person, and items cant weigh more than 25 pounds. Purchasing the extras that come with this program can be added to any number of other add-ons to create just the right cruising experience for you and your family. Once you've done these things, sit back and enjoy your cruise! Boarded Wonder of the Seas almost a year after our first sailing on her. The Key Guests will enjoy the following exclusive benefits during their cruise vacation: When you receive your SeaPass card, it will have an icon confirming your purchase of The Key. Cruisers who have reached Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club status in RCIs Crown & Anchor Society also already get many of these perks as well. By Embarkation day is here, and you arrived early at the terminal port, excited to set sail on your cruise vacation. I really hope you didn't buy The Key just for the earlier boarding time it's really not worth the money, IMO, unless the price for The Key was within a dollar or two of the price for Voom. Henderson Nv. On our first sailing with the Royal Caribbean Key Program, there was a designated area for Key guests to wait in the terminal for their turn to board. An important point to know is that you must buy it prior to sailing. So, check for overlaps to ensure you are not buying a perk twice! Weve always enjoyed this luncheon. Select from a menu of (typically three) appetizers, entres, sides and desserts. So if we get an earlier check-in time through the app we can opt to use that or we can use the key if it's the earlier of the two? The reserved seating area was in the center of first balcony in the main theater, and in the front of the balcony area in the ice rink theater. I would also argue both attractions on Odyssey of the Seas with special times for guests with The Key have a limited appeal than other activities where it would be far more useful. Each of you can use however many devices you wish, but you can each only be logged into one device at a time (hopefully that makes sense). you would have to share a device throughout the cruise. Many benefits can be obtained in a different way, but without having to spend extra for it. We then headed to The Key waiting area. But there are a few considerations you should make that can help justify the cost of the Royal Caribbean Key Program. Early seating at all entertainment venues. Keep in mind that this benefit usually only applies to larger venues and their productions. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Rockaway NY,Sonoma County,Ca. Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille menu (open from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM). Perk number seven! Have you ever wished you could have many of the perks that suite guests enjoy on Royal Caribbean without having to pay for a suite? This benefit does not apply to smaller venues or activities like nightclubs or karaoke. Drop off your carry-on luggage in the Main Dining Room on Deck 3 by 2:00 PM - your carry-on luggage will be hand delivered to your stateroom. Unfortunately, the private times at attractions were limited and at inconvenient times. Members who have a high-status level in Royal Caribbeans Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program automatically enjoy many VIP benefits. Hiya! On debarkation day, enjoy a private la carte breakfast and choice departure. 1 hour ago, madoris said: I have a 4 day cruise booked for nov. , the price for the key $36.99 per day. You can read more about me and about Should Be Cruising here. Since you have carefully chosen your favorite vessel, you may already know the details. Crew often opens up the VIP seating area to all passengers a few minutes before the show begins. Perk number five is also a continuous benefit throughout your whole itinerary special sections of reserved seating. Held in a specialty venue for Key holders (usually the main dining room), you can either take your luggage with you or leave it safely to be picked up on your way off the ship. (asking about suite too because we may upgrade to a suite and drop the key). Royal Caribbean's internet service, known as VOOM, is well-known for being very fast. Enchanted with cruising from my first voyage in the Bahamas on the SS Emerald Seas to Alaskas Inside Passage. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'shouldbecruising_com-leader-2','ezslot_12',605,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-leader-2-0');Cruisers who purchase The Key can enjoy unlimited high-speed internet throughout the voyage. The reason behind this benefit is to lessen the hassle baked right into every cruise standing in line. Then, you can enjoy a private embarkation day welcome lunch rather than bustling around with the throngs of people learning their way around the ship. Our next VIP perk is another time saver. We always like to start our reviews by reminding you that we were not compensated in any way to write this piece. Yes, you can select either time to enter I had The key for my Anthem sailing last week out of Bayonne. I thought it was a little pricey but for a first time experience I felt it was worth it. ** Carryon has the things I absolutely need to survive just in case my other portered luggage goes swimming, or on a different ship than me for some reason. Do you already have perks? You could book a full suite, which is way out of the price range of the average cruiser. I could see the benefit of stuff arriving at room open rather than say 7 pm. However, if you check the cost which is calculated by the number of devices and which package the price of just buying VOOM as a stand-alone option is often close to the price of the entire Key package per day. I tried it for my last cruise which was a 4 day cruise. RCI actually claims that it's six times faster than any other WiFi at sea! Cruisers looking to skip the long lines, especially for tender ports, might get a lot of value out of the package. Final Notes on Royal Caribbean - The Key The Basics of Royal Caribbean - The Key This cruise line's optional add-on called The Key is a relatively new program. Basically, it's your chance to get to the fun faster and receive VIP access to certain activities. i always try to get the earliest boarding. Perk number four! Carry-on luggage drop-off with items delivered inside room usually prior to guest access. On most cruise lines, there are only two ways to get priority status that lets you skip all of those long lines, enjoy exclusive dining, and generally be treated like the VIP you know you are. Since we were all going to purchase the surf + stream internet packages, my parents purchased everyone The Key. Ah, I see. We'll send you a weekly newsletter to your inbox. To help us break down the real cost of the Key, for simple math lets pretend youre a party of two going on a four day/three night cruise. We found they were never more than a handful of other guests participating in these reserved hours, and our kids got to spend a ton of time doing their favorite activities with little or no wait time in between. If your Key says that then take screenshots. If you decide that Royal Caribbean The Key is something you would like to add to your next cruise vacation, keep in mind that it is non-refundable. ** Carry-on luggage drop-off service is limited to two pieces per guest and can weigh no more than 25 pounds per carry-on. Royal Caribbean ships (especially the Oasis-class ships, like the Wonder of the Seas) are so packed with activities, restaurants, and more. But when youre actually on the ship, they all really do make a difference. Probably not a terrific idea when traveling with children. One complaint we had about the program was that not all the information on this letter was accurate. We were surprised that Royal Caribbean didnt take the time to avoid this confusion by simply updating this letter for their Key guests. But, cruisers who buy The Key dont have access to lots of perks that elite loyalty members have. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. One of the nicest benefits of the Royal Caribbean Key Program is early access or reserved seating at these shows.
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