Access to the fast lane at onboard activities (activities vary by ship)and private time at the Flowrider. There are a number of posts from the past 6 months discussing benefits of The Key. During our most recent trip, it was just the two of us, so we were seated with other Key Program guests for the meal. Lunch on Day 2 for ships sailing from Seward or Vancouver. Does this extra cost amenity make sense to get for your family? The food is scrumptious and included in the price of The Key. If you dont see it, ask your Stateroom Attendant or go to Guest Services to apply the icon. Keep in mind that this benefit usually only applies to larger venues and their productions. VOOM Surf & Stream 1 of Device high speed internet per person who purchases the package. For more info, please read myDisclosure Policy. Paste as plain text instead, As a Key Guest, you will enjoy your choice of the best seats. Of course, this benefit lasts just 2 hours on the first day of the cruise, so the value is quite limited. The Key on Royal Caribbean is a for-a-fee program offering priority boarding, private hours at onboard activities, preferred theater seating, and more. Nobody likes lugging their carry-on luggage around the ship after they board while waiting on their state room to be ready. Its best to scope out the entrance to see if there is a dedicated Key line. Please Note: The Key may not be available during all sailings, and some amenities/benefits may vary by ship and destination, and may be subject to change without notice. If youre already a suite guests or a member of the loyalty program, these perks might not be up your alley since you already get so many. Here you can sit and relax while the cruise ship employees attend to your final check-in procedures. Since we were all going to purchase the surf + stream internet packages, my parents purchased everyone The Key. This terminology was super vague to us when we first came across it in the description of the Key Program. Toward the end of your cruise, keep an eye out for a letter in your stateroom detailing the disembarkation process (it usually arrives with your daily Cruise Compass). Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille menu (open from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM). Perk number eight! Guests need to purchase The Key before the cruise begins on Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner website. That is why this is our first stop). If anyone knows, let me know. 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. VOOM Surf & Stream package, now including high speed internet, for one device (1 package per guest). Henderson Nv. These extra benefits generally fall into the categories of saving money or time, exclusive access, or to create a sense of VIP status. If Royal Caribbean cancels it for any reason, of course you can expect to get your money back. You will each get one account. Im Carrie Ann, the writer behind Should Be Cruising. Carrie Ann is the founder of Should Be Cruising and a lifelong travel fanatic. You get lots of great perks throughout your cruise for the cost of one, inexpensive excursion. But on an RCI cruise, theres a way to get these perks without spending lots of cash on a suite or waiting years to build up your loyalty status: The Key! The Key - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Critic Community Now, the welcome lunch is in a main dining room with a menu featuring items from Chops Grille. In the past she said they had a line just . We never found this experience to be very a la carte, since a specific menu was given to us each time. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_9',602,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Although the menu offerings for the new exclusive lunch are elevated compared to complimentary lunch menus, RCI no longer offers the chance for Key members to enjoy the ambiance of lunch at Chops (a benefit that normally costs $22.95 per person). This benefit doesnt apply to docked ports, or for tendering back to the ship. The search will resume at first light on Friday morning local time. Janespup, March 6, 2022 in Royal Caribbean International. What to Know Before Your Cruise | Royal Caribbean Cruises Dedicated seating at shows in the Main Theater, Aqua Theater, Studio B, and Two70.****. We are sailing out of Galveston so I wonder if anyone knows how they do it there. you would have to share a device throughout the cruise. How Carnival and Royal Caribbean Handle Marijuana Onboard Some feel that offering many perks (that used to be exclusive to them) to anyone willing to pay a bit extra is essentially selling loyalty status. Or is the only benefit: priority embarkation mean you have your own line to enter terminal as opposed to the masses. Cruise terminals, as we learned during the pandemic, are . I tried it for my last cruise which was a 4 day cruise. We even had an entire Key Program booking canceled and our money refunded to us before sailing with no explanation. Weve got your full review of these purchased perks so you can decide for yourself if this extra is worth it on your next cruise. 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. We are planning to purchase the key for our Allure cruise next year. Matt recently did an updated review of The Key, in our post-Covid cruising world. Full suite guests already receive many of the benefits of The Key program as part of their booking. We also purchase. First time with Royal Caribbean "Key" question - Cruise Critic 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. The latter is the only circumstance where you will receive a full refund. They may need something from it between porter drop off and Key drop off. On my canceled October 2020 repositioning cruise aboard Brilliance of the Seas, RCI was running a 45% off sale. At some ports of call, a small boat (or tender) will carry passengers to and from the port. On debarkation day, enjoy an exclusive la carte breakfast and choice departure. Enjoy! Being able to drop those off would be super-convenient. Let me know in the comments below! You aren't cheating the system, you are the earliest boarding time. On disembarkation day, Key members can enjoy an exclusive breakfast in the main dining room before leaving the ship. There will be food options when you board. I've seen it lower, and purchased once even lower than I've seen it. A former flight attendant, she now prefers cruise ships over airplanes and spends several months each year cruising and exploring cruise ports. Since the cruise line requires that this program be purchased ahead of time, this can be a real money saver. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. October 07, 2021. (Keep in mind that there will likely be another window of time to deposit your luggage. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Early seating at all entertainment venues. I haven't seen the Key on sale in months for any of the sailings. The cruise line has brought back The Key for sailings, albeit with some notable changes. One note about this perk: It only applies in one direction from the ship to the shore. 1 hour ago, madoris said: I have a 4 day cruise booked for nov. , the price for the key $36.99 per day. Does this mean that it doesn't matter what our boarding time we get when we check in? Is Royal Caribbean's "priority access" package worth the price? TPG Swimsuit, acceptable dinner clothes for a few nights, acceptable day wear for a few days, and dop kit. What it actually means is that youll get to board the ship early. But, (and this is an important one!) Reserved private hours at onboard activities including the FlowRider, Rock Climbing and more. Since I'd purchase a one device internet package otherwise, it's really about the price differential. Reservations for shows can be made on your own via the Royal Caribbean app. Why would someone want to drop their carry-on luggage off at The Key location? It is built around the. Complimentary room service for your entire cruise, along with 25% off all onboard dining purchases. * Carry-on bag drop off with delivery to your stateroom. 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. 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. So I cancelled the Voom and purchased The Key. Royal Caribbean The Key solves this challenge. Arriving after 11:30 you would have priority in your scheduled arrival time window. While Royal Caribbeans Key Program doesnt give you access to any kind of upgraded WiFi or internet experience, the daily price of the VOOM package alone is well more than three quarters of what you pay for the Key program. You wont even have to hunt it down in the hallway like you usually have to do with your checked baggage. With that in mind, if WiFi is the main and only reason for interest in this program, it would be more economical to buy one of the singly priced Internet option packages. For the FloRider, only about five or six Key Guests were taking advantage of the reserved hours, our son got to experience it over and over again with very little wait time. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. You can read more about me and about Should Be Cruising here. I take that to mean if you have a 12 pm boarding time, you'll "jump ahead" of others with a 12 pm boarding time. If one person in a stateroom buys The Key, all other passengers in that stateroom age six and over need to also purchase the program. Hi! Booking of the Key Program is non-refundable if YOU want to cancel it. Key guests still have to make their way to the port terminal and through security just like everyone else. If so, what kind? Other benefits may apply at specific ports. Scoring an Early Boarding Time on Royal Caribbean Guests could choose an appetizer, an entree, a side, and a dessert. Is it worth it to buy The Key on a RCI cruise? Rather than queuing for (possibly) hours, you will be taken to an exclusive area reserved for Key Guests, loyalty program members and those who booked suites. Traditional continental breakfast items are also on the menu, like cereal, yogurt, pastries and fruit. 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. Although the internet quality isnt fantastic, its super helpful for communicating with people at home and other people on board the ship. All this and more. Breakfast room service is likely the most beneficial time to use room service, but there are so many easy grab and go breakfast options that I think in general, the idea of having room service is better than the actual thing.
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