The Key - "fast lane" for activities?

[skaberriecake]

Hi all,

 

I'm waffling on the key for my family in March. There's 5 of us ($$$) but also it's not a vacation for mom if there's lines and complaining (autistic 15 year old, 12 and 10 that are just high energy). Getting on board early and a calm lunch would be a huge plus with our oldest.

 

Has anyone sailed recently and noticed a "fast lane" for things? I haven't heard anything about it, just the scheduled times for key holders. That would be more appealing than scheduled hours that might not work out for us. 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, skaberriecake said:

Hi all,

 

I'm waffling on the key for my family in March. There's 5 of us ($$$) but also it's not a vacation for mom if there's lines and complaining (autistic 15 year old, 12 and 10 that are just high energy). Getting on board early and a calm lunch would be a huge plus with our oldest.

 

Has anyone sailed recently and noticed a "fast lane" for things? I haven't heard anything about it, just the scheduled times for key holders. That would be more appealing than scheduled hours that might not work out for us. 

 

Haven't seen the fast lane but have seen dedicated times for keyholders

[Jimbo]

Can be pricey depending on your sailing.

[skaberriecake]

Just now, Jimbo said:

Can be pricey depending on your sailing.

 Most definitely pricey! Going to wait for Black Friday deals before making a decision either way. Right now it's full price at $49.99/day. Who the heck pays that 😂😳

[skaberriecake]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Haven't seen the fast lane but have seen dedicated times for keyholders

 

Thank you!!

[Jimbo]

Just now, skaberriecake said:

 Most definitely pricey! Going to wait for Black Friday deals before making a decision either way. Right now it's full price at $49.99/day. Who the heck pays that 😂😳

I would hope no one pays that but some do. We bought it for $19.99 on our sailing on Jewel, 14 nights. Almost the price we would have had to purchase Voom for so it was worth it for us. Plus we had 2 tender ports on our sailing, so that helped us get off the ship faster then people without the KEY.

[skaberriecake]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I would hope no one pays that but some do. We bought it for $19.99 on our sailing on Jewel, 14 nights. Almost the price we would have had to purchase Voom for so it was worth it for us. Plus we had 2 tender ports on our sailing, so that helped us get off the ship faster then people without the KEY.

Great price!! I doubt ours will get that low (7 day Harmony during the spring break rush)

 

I think we only have 1 tender port, need to double check.

[Mum2Mercury]

I would not pay for this.  Specific thoughts: 

- Admittedly, I sail in the slow season.  You're going in March -- will this be near Easter?  If so, the ship may be crowded, and you may encounter more lines than usual.  

- Are you familiar with the idea of signing up for a boarding pass?  45 days out from your cruise you'll sign up for a time to board.  Everyone wants the earliest time.  You might purposefully want to choose an early afternoon time, which might be less crowded. 

- Alternately, you might call and see if you're able to request an early /before everyone else boarding time for medical reasons.  I have no idea whether they do this. 

- Regardless, getting on /off the ship is not the most pleasant part of a cruise.  Maybe talk to the kids about this and let them know it's just going to be something to endure.  

- Lunch is crowded in the Windjammer on the first day, but we've never had any trouble finding a seat.  You can take your plates outside, if you wish.  

- The fast-lane times may or may not work out for you.  

- The departure perks aren't really perks at all.  Anyone can have breakfast in the Windjammer, then leave when they want through Self-Disembarkation.  

[skaberriecake]

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I would not pay for this.  Specific thoughts: 

- Admittedly, I sail in the slow season.  You're going in March -- will this be near Easter?  If so, the ship may be crowded, and you may encounter more lines than usual.  

- Are you familiar with the idea of signing up for a boarding pass?  45 days out from your cruise you'll sign up for a time to board.  Everyone wants the earliest time.  You might purposefully want to choose an early afternoon time, which might be less crowded. 

- Alternately, you might call and see if you're able to request an early /before everyone else boarding time for medical reasons.  I have no idea whether they do this. 

- Regardless, getting on /off the ship is not the most pleasant part of a cruise.  Maybe talk to the kids about this and let them know it's just going to be something to endure.  

- Lunch is crowded in the Windjammer on the first day, but we've never had any trouble finding a seat.  You can take your plates outside, if you wish.  

- The fast-lane times may or may not work out for you.  

- The departure perks aren't really perks at all.  Anyone can have breakfast in the Windjammer, then leave when they want through Self-Disembarkation.  

Great points 😊 thank you!!

 

We haven't cruised in a long time, 6 or 7 years!

[TravelinTess]

Not worth it unless you are only paying a few dollars more than the internet package. I've never paid more than $24 per person. No fast lane and the reserved times are terrible, IMO. I have two teens and we never could make the reserved times work because we were in port or there were other activities they would rather do in the Seaplex.

 

The real benefit is expedited boarding, early tenders, reserved seating for some shows, and the Chops lunch. In Civitavecchia they didn't have expedited boarding on our cruise that day and I've read here it is a crap shoot in some other ports. 

 

We are sailing on Allure in March and will not purchase the Key at the rate they are currently asking, but I will keep any eye out for a Black Friday deal 😎 

[travelberlin]

Apparently they do not offer the Key on all sailings. I wonder why…

[jean87510]

21 hours ago, skaberriecake said:

Hi all,

 

I'm waffling on the key for my family in March. There's 5 of us ($$$) but also it's not a vacation for mom if there's lines and complaining (autistic 15 year old, 12 and 10 that are just high energy). Getting on board early and a calm lunch would be a huge plus with our oldest.

 

Has anyone sailed recently and noticed a "fast lane" for things? I haven't heard anything about it, just the scheduled times for key holders. That would be more appealing than scheduled hours that might not work out for us. 

 

you haven't mentioned the ship you are sailing which makes a huge difference.  We had booked the Key for the Allure last year October 2022 and it worked for us just because at that time we were in a balcony and it was $16.99 pp.  If in a suite and you don't care about anything but the priority boarding, then don't get it as that comes with the suites.  Honestly it just depends on why you want it and if the price is right.  With kids, I'd consider it because I think it's geared more for families then couples.  But at the right price which only you can answer.

[Pomc99]

I used the Key once because the price was only $2 more per day than the internet package it included.

 

I love the Flowrider and spend all my free time there. The fastpass thing for the Key is usually good for one hour, on ONE day of the cruise, for "Key members only" flow riding session. It was only me and a kid the entire hour (I think it was real early too, 8AM?). So it was worth that open hour to me since it only cost $14 ($2 per day x 7 days). 

 

We didn't need reserved areas for shows since there were always good seats available. 

 

Early on/off the ship is nice and the included lunch is nice as well.

 

You need to decide on the benefits and if you'll take advantage of them and then decide if the cost is worth it.

[DoraDee622]

I didn't get the Key on our recent sailing on the Wonder for my family of 4, but considered it due to some of the things you mentioned - mostly avoiding chaos and line with high energy kids. But I couldn't justify the price.

 

Boarding was a breeze at 11:00 AM. There were lines, but they moved fast. 

I really really dislike the Windjammer on embarkation , so we booked Giovanni's for lunch and it was the perfect way to start the cruise and saved us a ton of money vs The Key. This will probably be a go-to move for me on future cruises as well. 

 

Regarding the activities - for everything but the Flowrider (my kids aren't tall enough yet), we always found a time of the day where the lines weren't bad at all. If the line was long, we'd just come back at another time. 

[DoraDee622]

I actually didn't answer your question at all though. 

For the Zipline and Ultimate Abyss, I did see a "fast line" for VIPs (on Wonder) that was separate from the general line.

[laura85]

I’m curious about this as well! We are going on the Harmony sailing over Christmas this year. We bought the key around 30pp. We figured it will be worth a try as the shipped will be packed since it’s a holiday sailing. I have been trying to find out more about the “fast lane” but can’t find many documented details. I’ll definitely relay my experience after we sail! 

[Daghis]

On 10/24/2023 at 9:30 AM, skaberriecake said:

Right now it's full price at $49.99/day. Who the heck pays that 😂😳

 

I was shocked to see that our 14-night transatlantic coming up on Sunday is offering The Key for $49.99/day. Other than the daily internet benefit, it seems to me that the majority of value of The Key comes from the beginning and end of the cruise, I figure I must be missing something that The Key offers if this price is perceived as fair.

[Mum2Mercury]

17 hours ago, TravelinTess said:

Not worth it unless you are only paying a few dollars more than the internet package.

Now that's a good point.  We don't get the internet package, but IF you were already going to do that, The Key might only be a few dollars more.  This is a situation where you have to do the math.  

7 hours ago, Pomc99 said:

I love the Flowrider and spend all my free time there. The fastpass thing for the Key is usually good for one hour, on ONE day of the cruise, for "Key members only" flow riding session.

Yeah, that's the point I was making upthread, but you -- giving a concrete example -- did it better.  You have no way to know whether the hours available will be useful to you or not. 

 

Something else you might consider, OP:  They offer FlowRider lessons -- I can see the option on the app for my next-week cruise.  It's not cheap, but I think I'd rather do that than The Key.  I'd know exactly when I was signing up /how much time I'd have.  

1 hour ago, Daghis said:

I was shocked to see that our 14-night transatlantic coming up on Sunday is offering The Key for $49.99/day. Other than the daily internet benefit, it seems to me that the majority of value of The Key comes from the beginning and end of the cruise, I figure I must be missing something that The Key offers if this price is perceived as fair.

$49.99 x every person in your cabin x 14 days.  That'd be a hard no for me.  I've taken whole cruises that cost less than that.  

[Daghis]

7 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

$49.99 x every person in your cabin x 14 days.  That'd be a hard no for me.  I've taken whole cruises that cost less than that.  

 

Ouch... I did forget it would have to be purchased for each. There are four of us in our cabin, so $2,800 for The Key for us? OUCH!

[travelberlin]

On 10/24/2023 at 9:33 AM, Jimbo said:

I would hope no one pays that but some do. We bought it for $19.99 on our sailing on Jewel, 14 nights. Almost the price we would have had to purchase Voom for so it was worth it for us. Plus we had 2 tender ports on our sailing, so that helped us get off the ship faster then people without the KEY.

I hope they offer it for my sailing for the same price. Otherwise not buying. The only benefits of interest would be a speedy check in and the lunch on embarkation day. 

[LeeW]

Not sure what ship you are on but on ships with ice shows you get special seating.  But we prefer the regular seating.  Same for diving show.  Same for theater.  So what we would get is internet for each of us.  But we split one internet login, so that isn't worth it.  And a lunch when you get onboard.

 

Have never seen fast lines for things like Abyss, but that line is generally only a few people long.  Same for zip line (Oasis class).  Normal line on flowrider is 6 or 7 people if they are busy.

 

As others have said, it only really works if it is a few dollars over the internet prices AND you want internet for each person in your group.  Remember that you can buy 4 logins cheaper than buying 4 separate single login packages.  Do your research on this board about the Key and you will likely find out it doesn't make much sense.

[Jimbo]

28 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

I hope they offer it for my sailing for the same price. Otherwise not buying. The only benefits of interest would be a speedy check in and the lunch on embarkation day. 

Don't forget , free internet is also included if that interest you.

[travelberlin]

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

Don't forget , free internet is also included if that interest you.

I am hesitant about buying an Internet package. It is also possible to buy it for one or two days? I will be on a transatlantic and I have noticed that on some days internet is not available due to the ship’s location. So I have ended up paying more than I have used.

[Mum2Mercury]

7 hours ago, Daghis said:

 

Ouch... I did forget it would have to be purchased for each. There are four of us in our cabin, so $2,800 for The Key for us? OUCH!

Like I said, I've taken whole cruises for less than that! 

3 hours ago, LeeW said:

Not sure what ship you are on but on ships with ice shows you get special seating.

My husband doesn't like the Ice Show, so I go alone.  I LOVE the Ice Show.  Being alone, I have always been able to score a front-row seat.  Believe me, the Ice Show is BEST from the front row!  

3 hours ago, LeeW said:

Do your research on this board about the Key and you will likely find out it doesn't make much sense.

I really think that's true for most people. 

[skaberriecake]

Thanks y'all so much! Great advice 😊

 

We're sailing Harmony on 3/17 out of Galveston.

 

I'll keep an eye on the black Friday deals but I think we're going to skip it. I booked Jamie's for embarkation lunch today because it was on sale today ($16/adult, $9/child)