Tiffany Hannah, Executive Writer
This review The Key Program on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas
Even after reading over thirty pages of reviews, commentary and opinions about the newest program introduced by Royal Caribbean, “The Key,” there was no way to truly know if it was worth the money until we actually used it. Since everyone finds value in different things, would priority boarding, reserved seating and the other features be worth the extra money? Only one way to find out! Just returning from our 7-day Western Caribbean cruise, I wanted to share our real experiences (and not just opinions) about whether The Key would be added to our Must-Have List on future RCCL cruises.
I happened to stumble across The Key in our cruise planner back in January when checking out the features offered for purchase pre-cruise. Never having cruised on Royal Caribbean in the past meant that I wanted to look at every inch of the cruise planner to see what it was all about. I hadn’t noticed The Key before so I can’t be sure how far in advance it became available. When reading the benefits of The Key program, it looked to be exactly what we wanted; suite perks without the suite price. At the time we purchased it, it was $19.99/person/day. It helped to know that if the price decreased, or I changed my mind, I could either cancel it or cancel and rebook at a lower price before departing for our cruise.
In reading the reviews, it seemed like the program may have evolved from RCCL’s initial introduction, which sounds to have been around Fall 2018. The program benefits remained constant for us from time of purchase (January 2019) through our cruise (July 2019). The most significant deciding factor for us was that we were going on a cruise at the peak of the summer season and most importantly, we were going without our kids and hoping to make it as romantic as possible. So the perks being offered were appealing since it made it feel like we were getting some VIP treatment while still enjoying a mid-ship balcony cabin price.
We learned our lesson with previous cruises and ignored our “arrival time” at the port, which was 12:00pm, instead getting there as early as possible. We arrived at Terminal A (Miami) at 10:37am, dropped off our luggage with the curbside porter, retaining our carry-ons and headed inside. I was mindful of reviews I read indicating signage about The Key had been lacking at the terminal in the past and was pleased to see that RCCL must have taken that feedback to heart and increased the presence of The Key program throughout the terminal. While the signs were sometimes hard to see, it wasn’t from a lack of them being there but more about the crowds of people masking their visibility. The staff at the terminal were well versed in the program, and the mere mention of The Key prompted help and assistance that made us feel…well, quite royal! Our boarding passes included a symbol of a key, which verified our purchase. This also seems to have been a new feature since I had read a lot of reviews about their boarding documents not indicating anywhere that they had purchased The Key.
The crew at the terminal were prepared with handouts that included “TIPS FOR BOARDING” and directed us to the exclusive designated security/boarding line for The Key guests. Since we arrived really early, the non-Key line wasn’t too bad at that time, but I am reasonably sure that it grew exponentially as the morning progressed. We were able to walk right up to our kiosk (no line whatsoever) to have our travel documents verified and then ushered through the security check and luggage screening machines. In preparation for this review, I was timing this entire onboarding experience and was mortified when my backpack triggered a search. It ended up being Paul’s camera equipment that necessitated the search and slowed down my time, but we were quickly on our way once I unpacked and repacked to the satisfaction of the security screener.
Once on board, we immediately took advantage of the ability to drop our bags at the Main Dining Room on Deck 4, where they attached a luggage tag with our stateroom number and invited us in to take advantage of The Key lunch, which was being served from 11:30am – 1:30pm. This is one area that was different from the reviews I had read, where they indicated that the bag drop was located in the Royal Theater, and lunch was actually in the specialty restaurant. I am guessing that since they increased the number of Keys sold on this cruise, they needed to accommodate a larger crowd for lunch since the specialty dining venues are not very large. When checking our bag, I noticed that they had a list of passengers that had purchased The Key and I was able to find out that they had sold only 160 for this cruise, which was not very many in light of there being almost 6,000 passengers on this itinerary.
We ventured out to capture more pictures and video while the ship was empty and returned to the Main Dining Room at about 1:00pm to enjoy our special lunch. We were not provided a choice between Jamie’s and Chops like prior reviews had noted, only had a modified Chops lunch menu. The food was decent and the service was superb. Had we not had The Key, I am sure we would have been content with the buffet, provided we arrived early enough to avoid the sheer chaos that is guaranteed to ensue on embarkation day.
We finished our lunch and our bags were already waiting for us, which was awesome. Our SeaPass Cards were also waiting and included the special “Key” sticker, which surprise, surprise…was shaped like a key. Additional paperwork was in our stateroom, outlining the benefits of The Key program and instructing us how to log on to the Voom internet access. As most people realized and discussed in the reviews I read, the price we paid for The Key was a steal when you compare it to the daily cost of Zoom for one device ($14.99). Doing the math, we got all of the extra Key perks for a mere $5/day or $35 total per person for our cruise. Now, I completely get it if you have no interest in having internet access, but if you do, this is an incredible deal.
The paperwork included the calendar of private hours for the ship activities, including the Flowrider, The Abyss, rock climbing, and zipline. (see image 4) I was sorely disappointed in the schedule and felt that this perk was definitely lacking. On the bright side, with the exception of the Flowrider on sea days, the lines at each of these attractions weren’t long at all and Paul rode The Abyss and zipline on non-exclusive times and had a minimal wait. I was expecting the lines to be enormous due to the cruise being so busy, but they were not. If avoiding lines is the sole reason for you buying The Key, I think you can save your money or use it somewhere else in the Cruise Planner.
The Key was absolutely worth it to us was in the reserved seating at the shows held in the Main Theater, Aqua Theater and Studio B. Since the ship was never in any port past 5:00pm, the dining venues and shows attracted a TON of passengers. There was some confusion with The Key program revising its terms after initial launch relating to show reservations, but I would HIGHLY recommend you book reservations pre-cruise for your evening entertainment regardless of whether you purchase The Key or not. Every single show we attended was at full capacity. Each of the venues had a “reservation line” and a “I didn’t make reservations but hope I can get a seat line.” As we passed both lines (another Key perk), we realized that those that didn’t make a reservation were likely going to be disappointed and turned away; it was like Walmart on Black Friday. The seats at each of the shows were excellent, with seating at the Aqua Theater being the best.
The seats reserved at Studio B were to the left as you entered and weren’t center, but there really wasn’t a bad seat in the house. The reserved seating I was most disappointed in was the location of the seats in the Main Theater. They had them located in the balcony and due to the upper railing, your visibility wasn’t the best and wished they would have had center seating in the lower level. Not having to show up an hour early to wait in line for a decent seat meant we could have a relaxing coffee while listening to the live music at one of the lounges and arrive 20 minutes before showtime. Keep in mind, they do release any open seats in the reserved seating area about 15 minutes before show time so be sure you don’t wait too long to arrive.
Another perk with The Key was the priority debarkation at ports of call. There were no ports on this itinerary that required tender service, which is where this may have been super helpful. We chose this cruise more for the ship than the itinerary and actually didn’t get off the ship in every port, and when we did, it was usually much later in the day when we were able to just walk off without any lines. We felt there was a slight advantage getting back on the ship as they had re-boarding for suite and Key guests at the first gangway back onto the ship, and made all other guests continue to walk to the farther re-entry point. This may not seem like much, but after a long and hot day in port, saving a few hundred steps was a nice perk!
We did use the priority debarkation for CocoCay to ensure we got our pick of lounge chairs in the best spot on the beach. Since this was the first time using the priority debarkation, and the last port on the itinerary, we had to ask Guest Services where to go since there was no communication in advance on how to actually use the priority disembarkation feature; no signs anywhere. We were initially told to meet at Guest Services at 8am, but when we showed up and no one was there, we asked again and were redirected to the Boleros lounge. Waiting for us with a Key sign was our crew chaperone who then escorted us to the front of the line at the gangway. Unfortunately, the aft gangway allowed people off at the same time, so there really wasn’t any advantage and the passengers departing from the aft gangway had a head start to the island based on the position of the boat at the dock.
And finally, being a Key guest allowed for a special a’ la carte’ breakfast in the main dining room on disembarkation day from 6:30am – 9:00am. On previous cruises, we have ventured into the buffet to fill up our tummy before traveling home and it is always a zoo; massive lines and no seats anywhere. This was a nice feature to end our vacation on a relaxing note and not to feel like we were being rushed off the ship. This was a feature that was widely utilized as there were a large number of passengers enjoying breakfast when we arrived. However, the service was lacking, and patience was wearing thin on the wait staff. If you are looking to relax with your morning coffee while you check and respond to your emails, you have another thing coming. They wanted you in and out as soon as possible, and it made me feel like I was an inconvenience to their day. Bottom line is this is a great option to avoid the crowds and to fill up before heading home but don’t expect it to be without the constant prodding of the wait staff to hurry up and eat so they can prep the dining room for the next set of cruise passengers waiting to board.
The Sum Up
All in all, The Key program was an excellent benefit for us, and I have no regrets buying it for this cruise. Seeing that it was just the two of us, and we got it for a reduced price of $19.99/day, the overall cost was not unreasonable and well worth the perks we received. I can understand how this could be cost-prohibitive for families traveling with kids since they require you to purchase it for anyone over the age of 6 assigned to the same stateroom. I saw the price fluctuate after we bought it, anywhere from $24.99 to $32.99. At that price, I may not have been so willing to purchase. I never saw it come back down to the $19.99 price so if you are interested in The Key and see it at $19.99, I would highly recommend that you grab your credit card and buy it as fast as you can!
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