Water709 Posted January 15, 2020 #1 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Hi, my DH and I are returning to RCI in May (traveling on the Empress of the Seas in May to Bermuda) after several cruises on Celebrity. I see now RCI is offering something called "The Key" which essentially buys a passenger a higher level of service than a typical passenger would get, such as lunch in the MDR upon embarkation, reserved seats at some shows, etc. My question is, because we are already "Diamond" level and also will be traveling in a Junior Suite, is it worth it for us to purchase "The Key?" Advice is appreciated. I believe Diamond and Suite guests have Priority boarding but does the Key offer additional amenities? I was thinking of getting it just for the MDR lunch after boarding as we normally do not enjoy fighting the crowds at the Windjammer on the first day boarding. But it seems like a lot of $$ for us if many of the amenities are already included for us since we are Diamond and traveling in a suite. Hope someone can shed some light on this for us. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeil7 Posted January 15, 2020 #2 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Keep in mind the price is per day. Just for lunch is not worth it. If you want to avoid the crowds, go to lunch on shore and then board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulsacoker Posted January 15, 2020 #3 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Junior Suites do not get you the full benefits as being in the Grand Suite or higher. Reserved seating for some shows are for Suites, Pinnacles or Keys only Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulsacoker Posted January 15, 2020 #4 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Priority Boarding (not that big of a deal really) goes as follows Suites Pinnacles Key Diamond + Diamond Its really not much time difference and they seem to let groups combine ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogbay Posted January 15, 2020 #5 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Go to the key review thread , for us it is a total waste of money . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted January 15, 2020 #6 Share Posted January 15, 2020 23 minutes ago, Water709 said: Hi, my DH and I are returning to RCI in May (traveling on the Empress of the Seas in May to Bermuda) after several cruises on Celebrity. I see now RCI is offering something called "The Key" which essentially buys a passenger a higher level of service than a typical passenger would get, such as lunch in the MDR upon embarkation, reserved seats at some shows, etc. My question is, because we are already "Diamond" level and also will be traveling in a Junior Suite, is it worth it for us to purchase "The Key?" Advice is appreciated. I believe Diamond and Suite guests have Priority boarding but does the Key offer additional amenities? I was thinking of getting it just for the MDR lunch after boarding as we normally do not enjoy fighting the crowds at the Windjammer on the first day boarding. But it seems like a lot of $$ for us if many of the amenities are already included for us since we are Diamond and traveling in a suite. Hope someone can shed some light on this for us. Thanks in advance. We can present reasons for the Key, pro and con, but the bottom line is this: On the Empress, it is basically worthless. PLEASE save your money for some nice dinners in Chops, internet, or something else. You won't regret that choice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookwife Posted January 15, 2020 #7 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Total waste of money for most people. The lunch is nothing special at all , let alone at the price point Key is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail n Snow Posted January 16, 2020 #8 Share Posted January 16, 2020 We’ve used Key twice. Everyone is different, since we are not diamond and have 2 kids it was worth it. The early boarding and then priority disembarkation,for the reserved seating and key only times for activities as well as for the Internet. The lunch is a nice extra as well as the private breakfast on disembarkation day. its even better when it’s on sale 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coralc Posted January 16, 2020 #9 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Worth it on Empress? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted January 16, 2020 #10 Share Posted January 16, 2020 51 minutes ago, Sail n Snow said: We’ve used Key twice. Everyone is different, since we are not diamond and have 2 kids it was worth it. The early boarding and then priority disembarkation,for the reserved seating and key only times for activities as well as for the Internet. The lunch is a nice extra as well as the private breakfast on disembarkation day. its even better when it’s on sale 🙂 On which two ships? Quantum and Voyager? No comparison to Empress. The number of CREW on Quantum is about the same as the number of PASSENGERS on the Empress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted January 16, 2020 #11 Share Posted January 16, 2020 It can also depend on the price. For my upcoming solo cruise, it is $16.99. VOOM is running $11.99 or $12.99. So for $4-$5 per day ($32 - $40 for 8 nights), I will probably do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compman9 Posted January 16, 2020 #12 Share Posted January 16, 2020 The Key is a Chops lunch and internet on one device for the whole cruise Everything else is pointless fluff The best way to work it out is - would you pay for internet every day? If so, work out the difference and consider whether that's worth a steak at lunchtime on the first day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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