New Program called "The Key"

[cloggedDrain]

Posting update while waiting for “the fine line” show in aqua theater to start, on Harmony. 
 
Check in was awesome.  Was able to skip a long security line. Essentially no waits to get on board. 
 
Chops lunch was also great. Nice not having to mess with the mad house in windjammer. 
 
Vip seating for our first show was not so great. That’s where I’m at now. We got here 20 minutes early and are told there are no vip seats left. They did not ask if we had reservations. There were 3 rows saved and it was completely full. They did do their best to find us some seats though. 
 
Hopefully this was a fluke and the “key” seating experience gets better. 

Thank you for the live review! Hopefully the other shows will work better.

I’m anxious to hear about the priority port debarkation experiences

[pootie316]

5 minutes ago, cloggedDrain said:

 

Thank you for the live review! Hopefully the other shows will work better.

I’m anxious to hear about the priority port debarkation experiences

 

In the end, today’s experience didn’t matter. They cancelled the show because the ship was rocking too much. Rescheduled for day 6. 

[cre8tiv]

49 minutes ago, cloggedDrain said:

 

Thank you for the live review! Hopefully the other shows will work better.

I’m anxious to hear about the priority port debarkation experiences

 

So a Key holder, made reservations n still no availability in key area. Not what I wanted to hear. 

Hope ir Upgraded experience for other shows better. 

Thx for taking the time to post while vacationing! Have a Great Cruise! 

( oops quoted wrong post.. oh well)

Edited February 5, 2019 by cre8tiv

[zooma]

For those who've already sailed and had the Key, are they asking for any feedback on the new program toward the end of (or after) your cruise?

[psternklar]

7 hours ago, zooma said:

For those who've already sailed and had the Key, are they asking for any feedback on the new program toward the end of (or after) your cruise?

Not for my group.

[pootie316]

Day 3 update

 

did flowrider in the morning. Had 2-3 other guests using it at same time. 

 

After that we took the kids to the ice skating rink. We were the only key guests in there. Actually felt a little weird. Had the whole place to ourselves. 

 

Right now im sitting in the aqua theater again to watch “the fine line”. Our show was cancelled yesterday so we thought we would try today since we had some free time, even though we were rescheduled for day 6. Walked up. Showed them we were key and they took us right down to the reserved section. No reservations needed, it seems. 

 

For the the people who wonder if reservations are required, I would personally still make reservations with my best guess and use the “no reservations required” as plan B. 

[cloggedDrain]

I’m glad to hear today is going better!

[BeeGeeCee]

 We were on the 1/20 Oasis sailing, and had pre-signed up for the Key. Our experience was awesome!   Embarkation was a breeze - once we got through security we followed the signs to the priority lines to check in with suite members. Then we walked right onto the ship, didn’t have to wait for our group to be called. The Opal theater was immediately to our left as soon as we got on the ship, and we dropped our carry-on bags there – we were especially thankful for that since we had 2 6 packs of water and 2 6 packs of soda tucked in them, so we didn’t have to drag them around. They gave us a claim check, and the bags were delivered inside of our stateroom by the time the rooms were ready.

 

We went right down to Chops for lunch, and were seated at one of the outdoor tables, which was really nice. They had a limited menu, which included a petite fillet, and assortment of sides. It was really nice to sit and enjoy the breeze and the sights without the mob scene at Windjammer!

 

We went to three shows: the ice show, the aqua theater show, and the main theater headliner show.   Each time we joined the line of folks who had reservations, they scanned our Seapass cards, and directed us to the section for Key members – which was also the section for suite members. We easily found seats and enjoyed the shows. I don’t believe we ever arrived more than 20 minutes in advance, and it was so nice to make up our mind at the last minute if we were going to a show, then just stroll up and sit down and enjoy what we called “pimp” seats. Made it really really worth it!  I’ve attached a view from our seats for each of the three shows, along with the menu for the debarkation breakfast.

 

The departure breakfast was also really nice – it was in one of the dining rooms, we ordered off the menu, and after breakfast the representative walked a group of us to the departure door, we went down the gangway, through immigration, and claimed our bags and were out the door. It was literally five minutes from when we walked off the ship until when we were in the parking lot.

 

We purchased the Key on sale – we were already planning to purchase the Internet for $15.99, and we found the Key/Internet bundle for $19.99 per person. $4 extra per day was an absolute steal of a bargain for the benefits, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. 

 

Beth

[Ralphinsc]

Awesome review! Thanks!

[CARALOU20]

15 hours ago, BeeGeeCee said:

 We were on the 1/20 Oasis sailing, and had pre-signed up for the Key. Our experience was awesome!   Embarkation was a breeze - once we got through security we followed the signs to the priority lines to check in with suite members. Then we walked right onto the ship, didn’t have to wait for our group to be called. The Opal theater was immediately to our left as soon as we got on the ship, and we dropped our carry-on bags there – we were especially thankful for that since we had 2 6 packs of water and 2 6 packs of soda tucked in them, so we didn’t have to drag them around. They gave us a claim check, and the bags were delivered inside of our stateroom by the time the rooms were ready.

 

2

 

Yes, Thanks for the updates. We'll be using The Key on the Oasis in May and it's good to hear that it works well. As we will be in Europe for that sailing one of the main features we purchased The Key for was Priority port of call debarkation. Did you use that feature at all?

[TTraub1250]

"The Key" is a new program Royal is trying and it seems from some reports that people were taken back when they found out the benefits were not "First Class".  Seems they are not even "Business Class", just "Economy Plus".  Well the certain levels of C&A, suites, and high rollers, will all come first in the seating at shows. 

Question: 

1.  We still have to book the main shows online and early to get our best times, can anyone that purchased "The Key" tell us what seating they had with this program ?

2. It states that there are "private" times for other onboard special activities like iFly and Surf Rider... has anyone done these and when were the "private" times ?

3. What other benefits did you use with "The Key" and did you think they were worth it ? 

 

Thank you all !   

[Biker19]

 

 

[xpcdoojk]

So if you flowride, my take away is unless your name is jc, never ever book the key.  Other than that it is a complete and total ripoff.....  they ousht to lock the RCI people who invented it.  No wait then I couldn’t book it for a few no lines hours of the flowrider. I am very confused.....

 

jc

[Gquie]

Currently on the Oasis and have Key.  So far the experience has been great. Loved the ease of check-in. When we got to the terminal all we had to do was tell the person manning the lines that we were Key and she told us that because we had Key we would be considered Diamond and could use the suites line. Breezed through the line which was essentially no line but felt really bad for everyone else in the huge lines to check in.

 

We were boarded right after Pinnacles and headed straight to chops for our lunch which was great. The ship staffed extra at chops to handle the increased traffic from Key and the wait for the food to come was a bit long but not unreasonable.

 

It seems the staff are now very aware of the Key program and it is enforced rigorously. Flowrider/Zipline Key sessions have a sign that is posted visibly that say "exclusively for Key guests". We love the flowrider but previously having to line up with 20 people deep really dampened the experience for us but this time there were 4 Key guests using flowrider and the hour that we had the session was way more than enough for us to get our fill.  The instructor staff were great as well since there were only 4 guests they actually spent a lot of time with each of us to teach us the proper techniques and would encourage us to go again and again.  

 

When we got access to our room a printout of all the special Key reserved times was waiting for us on the bed which outlines the specified times and dates for all Key reserved activities. 

 

Whenever a non-Key guest tried to line up they were politely advised that the sessions were for Key guests only and that they could use the starboard side Flowrider but of course there were line ups of around 10-15 people each. Guests who tried to sneak into the Key session were directed back to the other Flowrider.  Key guests will be given the standard blue bracelet plus an orange bracelet to signify to the staff that you have Key.

 

Reserved seating at the shows including the Aqua Theater were great. Key guests are provided the same reserved section as Suites guests and it was enforced each time.  Reservations are still required but once you're in we felt like they had blocked off the best 3 rows for Key and Suites.  We did get a few glares from other guests who saw that our seapasses were the regular non-suites one but at checkin they put a black "Key" sticker on our seapass above the Coca Cola logo to show that you have Key to the staff.

 

 

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase Key again. The experience was great and really elevated the last few days for us. Since we were going to purchase the VOOM surf & stream the incremental cost was acceptable for us. We don't have kids which made our choice a bit easier.

 

Happy to answer any questions if there are any.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Gquie

[cre8tiv]

11 minutes ago, Gquie said:

Currently on the Oasis and have Key.  So far the experience has been great. Loved the ease of check-in. When we got to the terminal all we had to do was tell the person manning the lines that we were Key and she told us that because we had Key we would be considered Diamond and could use the suites line. Breezed through the line which was essentially no line but felt really bad for everyone else in the huge lines to check in.

 

We were boarded right after Pinnacles and headed straight to chops for our lunch which was great. The ship staffed extra at chops to handle the increased traffic from Key and the wait for the food to come was a bit long but not unreasonable.

 

It seems the staff are now very aware of the Key program and it is enforced rigorously. Flowrider/Zipline Key sessions have a sign that is posted visibly that say "exclusively for Key guests". We love the flowrider but previously having to line up with 20 people deep really dampened the experience for us but this time there were 4 Key guests using flowrider and the hour that we had the session was way more than enough for us to get our fill.  The instructor staff were great as well since there were only 4 guests they actually spent a lot of time with each of us to teach us the proper techniques and would encourage us to go again and again.  

 

When we got access to our room a printout of all the special Key reserved times was waiting for us on the bed which outlines the specified times and dates for all Key reserved activities. 

 

Whenever a non-Key guest tried to line up they were politely advised that the sessions were for Key guests only and that they could use the starboard side Flowrider but of course there were line ups of around 10-15 people each. Guests who tried to sneak into the Key session were directed back to the other Flowrider.  Key guests will be given the standard blue bracelet plus an orange bracelet to signify to the staff that you have Key.

 

Reserved seating at the shows including the Aqua Theater were great. Key guests are provided the same reserved section as Suites guests and it was enforced each time.  Reservations are still required but once you're in we felt like they had blocked off the best 3 rows for Key and Suites.  We did get a few glares from other guests who saw that our seapasses were the regular non-suites one but at checkin they put a black "Key" sticker on our seapass above the Coca Cola logo to show that you have Key to the staff.

 

 

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase Key again. The experience was great and really elevated the last few days for us. Since we were going to purchase the VOOM surf & stream the incremental cost was acceptable for us. We don't have kids which made our choice a bit easier.

 

Happy to answer any questions if there are any.

Thanks for sharing your Actual Onboard

Experiences with the Key. Like you... it was incremental for us to UPgrade and we re looking forward to it all! 

[Ralphinsc]

Awesome review, Gquie! Thanks!

[Gquie]

1 hour ago, cre8tiv said:

Thanks for sharing your Actual Onboard

Experiences with the Key. Like you... it was incremental for us to UPgrade and we re looking forward to it all! 

 

9 minutes ago, Ralphinsc said:

Awesome review, Gquie! Thanks!

Happy to review/help! 

[Twinado]

Hello! I know the Chops lunch for key members is a limited menu. Does anyone know if kids options are available? Traveling with two 5 year olds. Thanks!

[zooma]

3 hours ago, Gquie said:

Currently on the Oasis and have Key.  So far the experience has been great. Loved the ease of check-in. When we got to the terminal all we had to do was tell the person manning the lines that we were Key and she told us that because we had Key we would be considered Diamond and could use the suites line. Breezed through the line which was essentially no line but felt really bad for everyone else in the huge lines to check in.

 

We were boarded right after Pinnacles and headed straight to chops for our lunch which was great. The ship staffed extra at chops to handle the increased traffic from Key and the wait for the food to come was a bit long but not unreasonable..

 

Thanks so much for your review. Would you mind elaborating on about how long you spent at Chops for lunch?

[Gquie]

21 minutes ago, zooma said:

 

Thanks so much for your review. Would you mind elaborating on about how long you spent at Chops for lunch?

Happy to help! We boarded at around 11:45 and got to chops at around 12 after a bit of walking around. Because the service was a bit slower than normal with all the key members we were there until about 1:30. It was a nice relaxing paced lunch and we didnt feel rushed to get to our room but we did notice a few couples beside us that left earlier than we did by about 10 minutes give or take. 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:03 PM, BeeGeeCee said:

We purchased the Key on sale – we were already planning to purchase the Internet for $15.99, and we found the Key/Internet bundle for $19.99 per person. $4 extra per day was an absolute steal of a bargain for the benefits, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.  

Your math is totally wrong.... 2 devices are not 2*$15,99👎

But then their CEO says their customers do not get how much they actually spend... 🙄 

 

🙄

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Thorben-Hendrik

[ZoeyVictoria]

7 hours ago, Gquie said:

Happy to help! We boarded at around 11:45 and got to chops at around 12 after a bit of walking around. Because the service was a bit slower than normal with all the key members we were there until about 1:30. It was a nice relaxing paced lunch and we didnt feel rushed to get to our room but we did notice a few couples beside us that left earlier than we did by about 10 minutes give or take. 

 

I had Chops lunch on the Brilliance last week, a sailing that did not offer the key.  Our appointment was for 12:30, but we boarded early and checked to see if we could be accommodated at 12:00.  We were the only people there for quite a while, eventually joined by 3-4 other parties.  We left at 1:15 and were able to go directly to our cabin (which was my plan).  So, 1 hour 15 minutes with very few guests on the Brilliance.  I would count on at least 1.5 hours on a sailing with key members.

[Biker19]

11 hours ago, Gquie said:

We love the flowrider but previously having to line up with 20 people deep really dampened the experience for us but this time there were 4 Key guests using flowrider and the hour that we had the session was way more than enough for us to get our fill. 

Good to know that the avg of 4 people at the Key Flowrider session is holding.

[Orsino]

11 hours ago, Gquie said:

Currently on the Oasis and have Key.  So far the experience has been great. Loved the ease of check-in. When we got to the terminal all we had to do was tell the person manning the lines that we were Key and she told us that because we had Key we would be considered Diamond and could use the suites line. Breezed through the line which was essentially no line but felt really bad for everyone else in the huge lines to check in.

 

We were boarded right after Pinnacles and headed straight to chops for our lunch which was great.  

 

Thanks for the great info. What time would you recommend getting to the cruise terminal for people who have The Key? We board on Sunday. 

 

Thanks

[Gquie]

25 minutes ago, Orsino said:

 

Thanks for the great info. What time would you recommend getting to the cruise terminal for people who have The Key? We board on Sunday. 

 

Thanks

So you're on the sailing right after we get off. Lucky!

 

We arrived at around 10:45am. With Key you're directed to the suites "line" which is basically no line and then once you clear security you're brought up to checkin and then the suites waiting lounge. The whole process took less than 15 mins. When you get to the checkin lines make sure to tell them you're key as there was no sign telling us which line we should use. The agent then directed us to the diamond checkin line which also basically had no line up. We waited until about 11:30ish before they started boarding pinnacles and then suites, diamonds, key all boarded at the same time. There are some refreshments you can have while you wait but if you don't want to sit in the lounge for too long then I'd say go at around 11am which will give you time to clear security, checkin and get your sea pass cards, and then you should probably only need to wait about 15-20 mins before boarding.