The Key

[RoyalCaribbeanLover]

Do you think the Key is worth the price if you are Diamond?

[soremekun]

Which aspects of the Key are the most important to you?

[livingonthebeach]

20 minutes ago, RoyalCaribbeanLover said:

Do you think the Key is worth the price if you are Diamond?

 

If the price is over a few dollars more than surf and stream then yes.  If not, no. 

[rudeney]

Even then the price of The Key seems to be just a few dollars more than Voom Surf & Stream, it may be more than that.  First, it's only a few dollars more than buying a SINGLE Voom S&S.  If you buy a multi-device Voom S&S, then the price difference to step up to The Key is even more.  On top of that, Surf is fine for social media, wifi calling and texting and email.  You may not need Stream, so now price difference between a multi-device Voom Surf and The Key is even greater.  

[cruisetorelax44]

I would only do it for Oasis class... the early boarding is 100% worth it alone.  And the reserved show seating is a bonus. 

[renza]

5 hours ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

I would only do it for Oasis class... the early boarding is 100% worth it alone.  And the reserved show seating is a bonus. 

 

5 hours ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

I would only do it for Oasis class... the early boarding is 100% worth it alone.  And the reserved show seating is a bonus. 

Not worth it at all on Oasis class unless traveling solo. I am usually from car to on board in 30 min if that. You all book the shows at same time. You still have to arrive early for shows and I am sitting right next to a key seat. Complete waste of money 

[renza]

Not worth it at all unless you are solo cruiser 

[Mapleleafforever]

Many people like to pay a little extra to feel extra special/important, up to you to figure that out for yourself. 

 

We have never purchased it but I always come back to early disembarkation off Harmony a few years ago and being ahead of people who had the Key and were......very frustrated to say the least..

[Mim Lloyd]

I was just going to buy Surf & Stream for my B2B Explorer cruise. When I logged into my cruise planner I found that The Key was actually nearly £6 per day cheaper than just the Surf & Stream!

[jerseyjjs]

The price for the Key on my Oct Oasis sailing is $34.99/day.   LOL  .....uh, no.

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, Mim Lloyd said:

I was just going to buy Surf & Stream for my B2B Explorer cruise. When I logged into my cruise planner I found that The Key was actually nearly £6 per day cheaper than just the Surf & Stream!

 

I've had that happen before, too.  It works for me as a solo cruiser.  

But if dealing with more than one passenger, it's cheaper to buy a multi-device internet package and share it instead of paying for The Key for each person.

[notscb]

22 hours ago, rudeney said:

Surf is fine for social media, wifi calling and texting and email

 

I have to disagree. I had surf+stream on Freedom (pre-Starlink) and I could barely load social media, let alone make a photo post. There were times I could be in just the right area of the ship and make a duo call, but often would only be able to do (choppy) audio. Emails would load in (apps running in the background at all times) but would take a long time to send.

 

YMMV, but if Surf+Stream had trouble on a good day, Surf is not going to cut it.

[notscb]

4 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

The price for the Key on my Oct Oasis sailing is $34.99/day.   LOL  .....uh, no.

 

As others have mentioned, the Key is often on sale for only a couple of bucks more per day (I paid $3 more/day and includes Surf+Stream (plus I was one of the first three on the ship). If it works for you and your situation, I'd keep an eye on it.

[fsufancc]

The Key is a "your mileage may vary" kind of thing. To me, not worth $35/pp/day.  But in the $25 range to me is worth it and meets our needs.  Mrs Fan gets anxious around large crowds such as standing in line for boarding. I would gladly pay a fixed fee, if it was offered, just to board early and not stand in long lines for her sake.

 

I bought it for a trip to NE/Canada in October ($25/pp/day). If it goes lower, I will cancel and rebuy at the lower rate. For a trip we have planned to Alaska in June 2023 it is priced out at $29 (down from $35) - so not at a price point where I will buy yet. Fingers crossed for a "Black Friday" sale. If it hits the $25 dollar range, I will buy it.

[rudeney]

15 hours ago, notscb said:

 

I have to disagree. I had surf+stream on Freedom (pre-Starlink) and I could barely load social media, let alone make a photo post. There were times I could be in just the right area of the ship and make a duo call, but often would only be able to do (choppy) audio. Emails would load in (apps running in the background at all times) but would take a long time to send.

 

YMMV, but if Surf+Stream had trouble on a good day, Surf is not going to cut it.

 

My understanding is that Surf is capped at about 0.5Mbps and Stream is 4Mbps.  If Surf is so slow you can't read email or browse social media, then it's likely that the entire system is slow due to clouds blocking the satellite signal, a large number of Internet users, or weak wifi where you are on the ship.  And in those cases, it will be slow for everyone - even those who paid for Stream.  Upload speeds on satellite Internet service are always very slow, so sending pics and email is going to be an issue regardless of your speed level.  

 

One trick I have heard people use is when you move within the ship, shut wifi off and back on so you get a new connection.  Apparently, the wifi routers on the ships do not do a good job of "handing off" to each other.  

[cruisegirl1]

Yesterday, here was the boarding order for Harmony/Port Canaveral  

 

Suites/pinnacles

diamond plus

diamond

key.

 

I thought I recalled key sometimes going before diamond plus and diamond, but yesterday out of port Canaveral, it was definitely after. 
 

m

[exm]

Key for my sailing is $33/day, so that's $165 a day for a family of 5. $1,155 for 7 days. Internet is $272 (S+S for 4 devices), so $900? I would like to get this for the tender priority but besides that - lot's of money.

[time4u2go]

Nope.  But then I don't need internet while on board, so I'm sure that would be a factor.

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by time4u2go

[notscb]

8 hours ago, exm said:

tender priority

 

That's a nice perk if you're doing a lot of tender ports.

 

I'd say for $250 you get early access to the ship, a calm and delicious lunch on embarkation, your carry on luggage delivered to your room and some peace of mind on debarkation day when your luggage also gets priority off of the ship while you enjoy a nice final breakfast in the MDR, too.

 

But that's just me.

[exm]

11 hours ago, notscb said:

 

That's a nice perk if you're doing a lot of tender ports.

 

I'd say for $250 you get early access to the ship, a calm and delicious lunch on embarkation, your carry on luggage delivered to your room and some peace of mind on debarkation day when your luggage also gets priority off of the ship while you enjoy a nice final breakfast in the MDR, too.

 

But that's just me.

 

If you read my math above, The Key would cost me $900 after deducting the internet package. $900 is a bit different compared to $250.

[notscb]

50 minutes ago, exm said:

 

If you read my math above, The Key would cost me $900 after deducting the internet package. $900 is a bit different compared to $250.

 

Sorry i must have misread it. It read like the S+S for your family of 4 for 7 days was 900, versus the key being 1155 (which includes S+S).

 

That being said, keep an eye out for it, oftentimes their sales have the key very competitively priced with S+S.

[rudeney]

22 hours ago, exm said:

Key for my sailing is $33/day, so that's $165 a day for a family of 5. $1,155 for 7 days. Internet is $272 (S+S for 4 devices), so $900? I would like to get this for the tender priority but besides that - lot's of money.

 

That's a deal on the 4-device Voom S+S - on our next cruise (Voyager CAN/NE in Oct), it's $70.29/day x 7 so $492.  The Key is $29.99/day x 4 x 7 = $840, so almost $350 more for its benefits for 4 people.  

[notscb]

 

10 minutes ago, rudeney said:

The Key is $29.99/day

 

I think when I got it on sale it was $23/day for the Key, which brings that discrepancy down and might make it worth it depending on how many folks are sailing with you and how much you value a Chops lunch at.

[lindacat]

Is the Chops lunch still included.  I thought it was when I booked the Key, but now it is not listed as a benefit.  Instead it is 25% on board dining and free room service?

[notscb]

According to their FAQ it still is, but not for Singapore sailings.

 

I think the value of the key lies in what kind of discount you can find on it and what your travel situation is.