I Tried Royal Caribbean’s The Key to See If It’s Worth It
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Royal Caribbean’s The Key promises priority boarding, exclusive dining, and other tempting perks. So, on my latest Symphony of the Seas cruise, I decided to give it a shot and see if it was worth the cost.
I’ll explain The Key’s benefits, share my personal experience, and explain why I don’t recommend spending the extra money on The Key.
What is Royal Caribbean’s The Key?
Royal Caribbean’s The Key is an add-on designed to give you a more exclusive and hassle-free cruise experience. The program enhances your embarkation, onboard activities, entertainment, WiFi, and WiFimbarkation with exclusive perks.
Here are the benefits I received on my Symphony of the Seas cruise:
- Priority embarkation
- Carry-on bag delivery to your stateroom (limited to two pieces per guest weighing less than 25 pounds per carry-on bag)
- Exclusive welcome lunch in the main dining room (between 12:00 – 1:30 pm)
- Private time slots for some onboard activities.
- Priority departure at tender ports
- Dedicated seating at shows in the Main Theater, Aqua Theater, Studio B, and Two70 (reservations were required)
- One Royal Caribbean VOOM Surf & Stream package
- Private a la carte breakfast and choice departure on disembarkation day
On my sailing, The Key cost $39 per person per day. However, the price varies depending on the ship, itinerary, destination, and how far in advance you book. My cousin paid $35 per day when she sailed on Serenade of the Seas in 2022.
From talking with other cruisers, you can expect to pay around $30 to $40 per person per day.
It’s important to remember that The Key includes Voom Internet service. On my cruise, the WiFi package costs $18 per person per day. Because I would’ve purchased the internet package separately if I had not bought The Key, the real price was $21 per person per day when we subtracted the WiFi price.
My Experience
I was intrigued when I first heard about Royal Caribbean’s The Key. The promise of priority boarding, exclusive dining options, and other perks sounded too good to pass up. So, on my latest cruise, I decided to give it a shot.
I was assigned a noon boarding time slot when I checked into my cruise the week before sailing. When I arrived at the port, I noticed the long lines and felt relieved, knowing I had The Key. The dedicated check-in line was quick and efficient, and I was on the ship in less than 20 minutes.
I couldn’t board early, but the expedited boarding process was about twice as fast as the regular boarding. Other passengers told me their regular boarding experience took 40 minutes to an hour.
The Key didn’t save me a lot of time, but there’s nothing worse than waiting in line as your first-day cruise excitement builds. So, I was thrilled with my priority boarding experience.
After boarding the ship, Key members are offered a complimentary breakfast in the main dining room. This was one perk I happily skipped.
The lunch menu on my sailing consisted of a limited menu from the ship’s Chops Grille Steakhouse.
While I’m sure the welcome lunch was delicious, I prefer to hit the Windjammer buffet and explore the ship.
I also didn’t take advantage of the carry-on drop-off service. If you’re a fan of my blog, you know I like to pack a light carry-on bag to provide me with the essentials to last from boarding until the cabin door unlocks around 2:00 pm.
I did not need to use the service because I followed my carry-on bag packing guide. Even if I did arrange for my carry-on bag to be dropped off at my cabin, I don’t think it’s worth paying for The Key.
I did take full advantage of the complimentary Voom internet package. Every Royal Caribbean cruise ship uses Starlink internet service for fast WiFi speeds. I could message, video chat, stream, and browse the web without hiccups.
However, I could have purchased the WiFi plan for $18 per day. So, when reviewing The Key, I’m going to discount the internet package from its cost and see if the other perks make this plan worth it.
Throughout the cruise, Royal Caribbean’s The Key offered priority access to shows and activities.
This perk was a mixed bag for me.
While it was nice to have dedicated seating for the popular shows, I didn’t always feel it was necessary. I noticed plenty of empty seats on a couple of occasions, so there wasn’t much of a need to book priority seating.
One perk I loved was the reserved activity times. My Symphony of the Seas cruise offered reserved activity times for The Key passengers for the FlowRider Surf Simulator, skating rink, Ultimate Abyss slide, Zip Line, and rock climbing walls.
At full capacity, there are often lines for these signature activities. The reserved time slots offered short lines, allowing me to pack a lot of activities in a short amount of time without waiting long for my turn.
On the last day, The Key promised an easy debarkation process.
The debarkation breakfast is similar to the regular Main Dining Room breakfast, but the quiet atmosphere provided a peaceful start to a hectic day of travel.
Passengers with The Key also have a reserved luggage area in the cruise terminal, making it easier to retrieve your luggage after debarking the ship.
But I packed light and took my luggage with me, so I didn’t need the dedicated luggage area.
Note: The Key also includes priority tender at tender ports. However, I never had a chance to use this perk as my sailing didn’t have any tender ports.
Is It Worth the Money?
While I enjoyed many aspects of Royal Caribbean’s The Key, I kept weighing the cost against the perks. The smooth embarkation, Voom WiFi package, and reserved activity times were definite positives. However, the priority access to shows, special breakfasts, and carry-on bag delivery weren’t worth the cost.
Ultimately, I decided that while The Key offers some great perks, it’s not something I’d purchase again. The extra cost didn’t quite match the overall value for me. The only perk I really felt I needed was Voom WiFi. And I could’ve purchased the internet package separately at almost half the cost.
I can see how others might find it worthwhile, especially if they prioritize a stress-free boarding and debarkation process or need reliable internet throughout their trip. For me, though, I think I’ll skip The Key next time and put that money towards something else, like an upgraded cabin or shore excursions.
