jpw77

So I just got back from the Anthem sailing Feb 23rd. Here is my comments from the key program:

Priority Boarding

We boarded in Bayonne and there didn't seem to be any Key specific boarding to be seen. After security, staff simply directed us to sit in the suites/pinnacle area which has comfier round seating than the regular seating in the yellow chairs at the opposite end of the building. There was a coffee/tea station but it ran out quickly as it wasn't cordoned off. Once boarding started behind the large door with the words "Suite Access" above, we were already seated in that area, so we just joined the line once the door opened. Not sure if there was a slower regular boarding line elsewhere.

Drop Off
This was a very nice perk. We had 2 carry-ons, and we took them to the royal theater and dropped them off. It was organized and sorted by deck. It was great not having to lug around any luggage. Once in our stateroom, it was parked in one of the closets. We also got our temporary key wristbands here to get us into Chops as we didn't have our seapass cards yet. We also got our voom access codes (one per key guest). For some reason the codes took many tries to work the first time and gave us an -999 error. I just kept trying again and again and eventually they worked and never had an issue again.

Chop Grille

The restaurant was busy, but we got seated relatively quickly and not having luggage to deal with was great. By the time lunch was done, rooms were just about ready. Windjammer gets a little long in the tooth by the last day, so a boarding lunch with our 3 dining package was great to get a nice change of pace in meals throughout our vacation.

Port of Call Priority Tender/etc.

We got a letter in our stateroom mentioning that we get priority debarkation in both Nassau/Coco Cay. Didn't really seem we needed to utilize this because the line itself in Nassau was almost non-existent and since we had a shore excursion in Coco Cay, we were the second tender off anyways (we just missed the first one) and there wasn't much of a line to speak of. If the line was longer, I would have probably approached staff and I assume would be taken to the front of the line.

Private Hours To Onboard Activities

Neither myself or my wife prefer rock climbing or flowriding. We had already pre-booked north star and ifly, so we did those once. There was a block of time for ifly for key guests at 5:00pm, but we were so beat after the shore excursion, snorkeling and running around the island that we caught some Zzzz back on board instead with our "sleeping off the vacation" door magnet.

Seating For Shows

We showed up 15-20 mins prior to all shows and were seated in the second floor balcony in the front along with the suites/pinnacle guests. It was actively managed by staff at each show and others were directed elsewhere. You still have to have reservations, and the reserved seating area opens up in the last 10-15mins or so to all guests.

Debarkation Breakfast

We had to adjust our vacation and fly home early on the Sunday unexpectedly instead of spending a few extra days in NYC, so we decided to skip the breakfast. We had planned to take advantage this otherwise since we really enjoyed the Chops lunch.

Priority Final Debarkation

Although boarding didn't seem all that different as a key guest, the final debarkation was phenomenal. When we decided to leave, there was a long line of people circling all the way towards Cafe270 and back around. We asked staff where key guests should go and were told to go to the Shore Excursion desk. Staff there were being trained on-the-spot on what to do as some have never done the key guest debarkation before. The trainer was instructing that key guests groups should have a staff in front and in back and be guided to the final exit. Boy, she wasn't kidding, they took us past absolutely everyone right to the final exit clearance checkpoint. Starting from the ship, that line must have been an hour+ long.

Other Stuff

During our cruise we would get frequent mail periodically detailing key guest benefits, etc. and we got a plate of chocolate strawberries on the second night with some key correspondence. Key guests also get special luggage tags prior to debarkation.

5 minutes ago, ZandZ said:

Why is this making no sense to me?  I just played with this on my cruise planner - me and the two kids it comes out to 299 and change for the Key... Um, that's actually less than the Voom package for 3 people.... Granted this is for the Brilliance which does not even have the Flow Rider, but I could care less about that anyway...  

It can't be. Don't forget, when you pick a 3 device package, you only need 1 of them. Not three.

So at least in Canada for my cruise:

Key for 3 people = $26.19 * 3 people * 8 nights = $628.56

Voom Surf and Stream 3 Device = $37.98 * 8 nights = $303.84

Voom Surf Only 3 Device = $32.74 * 8 nights = $261.92

4 minutes ago, ZandZ said:

I have read through half of this discussion and am still unable to figure out of the internet is 1 per cabin or one per person.  Can someone please confirm?  This would actually make this somewhat worth it for me personally.

 

Thanks!

1 per person per key. If you buy 2 keys, you can connect 2 devices.

2 hours ago, RCFirstTimer said:

2 hours ago, RCFirstTimer said:

I may be in the minority based on the response on this topic, but I'm not seeing the cost/benefit ratio that you all are seeing.  Right now, for our Feb 18 sailing on Enchantment, I already purchased internet for 1 device when it was on sale for a total of $48 (reg pre-cruise price is $68) for the cruise.  If I dropped that and purchased the Key for 2 people, it would cost $160.

 

Between the two of us, we don't really need more than 1 device connected (for emergency contact with home) and we certainly don't spend our vacation online as we can do that at home.

 

There's no Flow Rider on Enchantment, right? (not sure we would use that anyway).  We already booked a 3-night package and since there is only one specialty dining restaurant (Chops), we will have our fill of that.

 

I know there is priority seating at shows, but for the difference in cost?  I suppose that if you were to get 1 device for each person at the regular, pre-cruise price (2 x $68 = $136), the difference might be worth the extra $.

 

The way I looked at it was a 2 device surf+stream package was $199 CAD. The key was $419 CAD so a $220 CAD difference. Chops grille lunch is $59 CAD for two. So the real difference is $161 CAD or $80 CAD/each for me and my wife. 

So for $80 CAD each, these are the remaining benefits.

Priority check-in/boarding
Private flow-rider/rockclimbing (I don't know if that extends to NorthStar/Seaplex/iFly)
Priority tender at CocoCay 
Front row no reservation seating at shows
Choice debarkation with exclusive breakfast.

For us, that is a small price to pay for a large reduction in travel stress. We are not staying in a suite and are not diamond/pinnacle members, so it made sense for us to maximize our vacation enjoyment.

In terms of why I chose a 2 device package instead of just a 1 device package, my wife wakes up quite a bit later than me, so after a morning run at 6am, I can explore the ship or sit somewhere and have her whatsapp me when she wakes up and decide a meet up point. In the evening, when I have downtime, I can also catch up with work without disconnecting her back and forth and without lugging around a travel router either.

9 minutes ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

Looking forward to reviews on the Key too..we just bought it for our Brilliance sailing end of February b/c we were going to do the 2 device internet anyway so for a few more dollars we get the reserved seats and lunch at chops but I have been reading conflicting info on whether it is one device per cabin or one device per person..so for those of you who have a Key reservation before our sailing on 2/28 could you please update on the internet offering!! TIA!

I called the cruise planner support line and it is "1 device per key" and not per stateroom. So if 3 people bought a key, there would be 3 devices that could connect concurrently. It would be nice if someone could confirm that that's already sailed.

Just now, Abr155 said:

Will let you know!  On the 8 night Bahamas on Anthem leaving Jan. 26 & purchased the Key!

Thanks. Let me know how the cruise goes. I'm booked for Feb 23 with my wife. I've been on 5 RCCL cruises in the past, but I haven't sailed in 10 years, so I feel like I'm doing it for the first time again. 

Has anyone sailed on a Bahamas 8 night yet with the Key? Curious about how it went? Tender to CocoCay, any priority hours for iFly/NorthStar, etc. Thanks!