New Program called "The Key"

[Thorben-Hendrik]

5 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

This lack of accurate, timely communications thoughout the corporation has been a recurring theme with Royal for as long as we have been them.

👍 👍 👍

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Fuzzy math on the Flowrider...you’re lucky to get 1 session or extremely lucky at 2...and its not worth $200.

 

As for priority seating - unless the Beatles are making some form of Lazarus comeback at a show...that too isn’t worth $200.

Again, you're not understanding what I was saying.  

I was proposing a hypothetical system where people could purchase only the part(s) of The Key that they wanted.  In my hypothetical situation, the Flowrider perk would have included one hour per day, every day of the cruise.  

If you had bothered to read my post, which you obviously didn't do, you'd see that I had said:  Semi-private Flowrider session every day -- $200pp.

That "every day" part means every day, so your "you’re lucky to get 1 session or extremely lucky at 2" comment is totally irrelevant unless it's only a 1-day or 2-day cruise.  

But how about we just forget my post altogether, since nobody here bothered to actually read what I wrote and didn't even try to respond with a meaningful comment.  

Sheesh.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

But how about we just forget my post altogether, since nobody here bothered to actually read what I wrote and didn't even try to respond with a meaningful comment.  

OK. That's easy enough.

 

Any way one slices it...the math you presented only reinforces the bad financial value for the money The Key program provides.

[happymanitee]

On 5/23/2019 at 11:06 PM, robntawn said:

 

 

Hello Rob, 

Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of Royal Caribbean International. Your correspondence to Mr. Bayley was forwarded to my attention and I appreciate the opportunity to respond on their behalf.

I’m sorry to hear about all the misconceptions you have been seeing regarding the Key program.  Please note that there is only one version of The Key program, however there are certain restrictions depending on where the ships sail out of. 

During your specific sailing, there will be less than 200 guests that have purchased The Key amenities. As far as the private hours on marquee activities, like the FlowRider, Rock Climbing wall, and Ripcord by iFly, Key guests receive one peak hour per attraction between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, please understand that if the weather and/or itinerary does not enable us to offer this, the crew will find the best alternative time to offer the private hour. The Oasis and Quantum class ships now have VIP lanes installed for quicker access to these activities. 

Also, carry-on luggage and priority boarding is available on all Key ships but it is not offered in Vancouver, Canada or any ports in Australia. 

Rob, we trust the information provided has been helpful and will assist you with resolving this matter. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach me via email or directly at 1-800-256-6649 ext. 11756. We truly look forward to the opportunity to welcome you on the Symphony of the Seas and demonstrate our commitment to service.

Sincerely,




Daniella Cardenas
Executive Office
Royal Guest Experience Management

 

 

 

I did send a follow up email requesting information on what the VIP line is and what benefits are conferred.  I will post response when I get it.

 

Has anyone seen these'VIP' lanes on Oasis or Quantum class ships?

 

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, happymanitee said:

 

Has anyone seen these'VIP' lanes on Oasis or Quantum class ships?

 

I saw a separate line for Key for the Zipline on Oasis. I don’t think every ship has this for every activity. 

[archchic]

Finished our online check-in through the app.  Peeked at our digital Set Sail passes & saw that Key symbol plain as day right under our names. I’m excited. I know lots of mixed...mostly negative comments here but I like trying new things. We’re only Gold C &A, so the bennies are very intriguing. Thirteen days to go! I’ll be sure to post updates daily with that hi-speed internet to which I’ll have access. 

[blueridgemama]

6 minutes ago, irzero said:

I can't see this lasting

Feedback from staff is that it's a disaster. Disadvantaging other cruisers is a political nightmare for sports staff. Rest of the benefits are hit and miss at best. No Internet all night doesn't help.

I managed to complain my way to 5 private sessions in 2 weeks which is a far cry from 10 originally but a long way from the 2 promised now

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 

 

Easy fix. Get rid of all the private hours on all the activities. Keep the rest of the perks. Reduce the price. The majority of complaints (not all) are about the flow rider issues and the other sport activities. There is absolutely no way that they can offer private hours and/or priority lines without inconvenience to other cruisers and frustration to the sports staff. The majority of the others perks should be easy to implement with little to no inconvenience to other passengers

[cre8tiv]

12 minutes ago, archchic said:

Finished our online check-in through the app.  Peeked at our digital Set Sail passes & saw that Key symbol plain as day right under our names. I’m excited. I know lots of mixed...mostly negative comments here but I like trying new things. We’re only Gold C &A, so the bennies are very intriguing. Thirteen days to go! I’ll be sure to post updates daily with that hi-speed internet to which I’ll have access. 

Our sea passes do NOT have the key there.  So disappointing with all this hit or miss, just no consistency. 

Originally given 2 pm, and expedited (whatever that meant), which clearly could not work with Chops lunch....got that changed to 11 am and ...expedited disappeared.  Then heard we should just show up. Still no Key showing. TA says no problem. 

Since we re set with all the shows/reservations, have no interest in any ... rock wall etc etc, and now hearing about sketchy internet, Ugh!  the no reservations  needed .. which disappeared was the original reason ... I am Very on the fence to just ditch. Have specialty dine ... 3 maybe? Can’t recall. 

Allure of the Seas, when school is out and that’s the Only reason for the hold out at this point.. 5-6 ships at some ports... 

Hmmmmm... guess I’ll decide this week. 

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

59 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

 

Easy fix. Get rid of all the private hours on all the activities. Keep the rest of the perks. Reduce the price. The majority of complaints (not all) are about the flow rider issues and the other sport activities. There is absolutely no way that they can offer private hours and/or priority lines without inconvenience to other cruisers and frustration to the sports staff. The majority of the others perks should be easy to implement with little to no inconvenience to other passengers

Agree with this.

 

Doing this would also make the benefits comparable on all ships as not all ships have some or all of the activities.  

[Hmonster]

On 5/23/2019 at 11:06 PM, robntawn said:

Lots of conflicting information regarding Key offerings on different ships, which is quite frustrating.  The program has been around long enough now and staff should be consistent with implementation.  I voiced my concerns about the program to management, specifically asking about private hours, early embarkation, luggage drop-off, and number of Keys sold per sailing.  My upcoming sailing is aboard Symphony on 11/2/2019. Here is the reply that I received from management.

 

Hello Rob, 

Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of Royal Caribbean International. Your correspondence to Mr. Bayley was forwarded to my attention and I appreciate the opportunity to respond on their behalf.

I’m sorry to hear about all the misconceptions you have been seeing regarding the Key program.  Please note that there is only one version of The Key program, however there are certain restrictions depending on where the ships sail out of. 

During your specific sailing, there will be less than 200 guests that have purchased The Key amenities. As far as the private hours on marquee activities, like the FlowRider, Rock Climbing wall, and Ripcord by iFly, Key guests receive one peak hour per attraction between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, please understand that if the weather and/or itinerary does not enable us to offer this, the crew will find the best alternative time to offer the private hour. The Oasis and Quantum class ships now have VIP lanes installed for quicker access to these activities. 

Also, carry-on luggage and priority boarding is available on all Key ships but it is not offered in Vancouver, Canada or any ports in Australia. 

Rob, we trust the information provided has been helpful and will assist you with resolving this matter. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach me via email or directly at 1-800-256-6649 ext. 11756. We truly look forward to the opportunity to welcome you on the Symphony of the Seas and demonstrate our commitment to service.

Sincerely,




Daniella Cardenas
Executive Office
Royal Guest Experience Management

 

 

 

I did send a follow up email requesting information on what the VIP line is and what benefits are conferred.  I will post response when I get it.

 

Could you post or message me Ms. Cardenas' email address?  Thank you.  I would like to communicate with her, but would rather email than call.

 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Somebody said a while ago that this was a "guinea pig" experimental program, with plenty of imperfections, issues, and needs for improvement. Thousands of posts later...that person was clearly right. 🤔

[robntawn]

On 6/15/2019 at 6:46 AM, Hmonster said:

 

Could you post or message me Ms. Cardenas' email address?  Thank you.  I would like to communicate with her, but would rather email than call.

 

I believe it is ex-co@rccl.com.

 

Perhaps a better bet is to send concerns regarding the program and it's implementation directly to Mr Bayley, and your concerns will be forwarded to appropriate party.

 

What appears to be the problem (to most people) is the lack of uniformity regarding perks and poor training of staff regarding the program.

 

 

[archchic]

On 6/9/2019 at 6:29 PM, cre8tiv said:

Our sea passes do NOT have the key there.  So disappointing with all this hit or miss, just no consistency. 

Originally given 2 pm, and expedited (whatever that meant), which clearly could not work with Chops lunch....got that changed to 11 am and ...expedited disappeared.  Then heard we should just show up. Still no Key showing. TA says no problem. 

Since we re set with all the shows/reservations, have no interest in any ... rock wall etc etc, and now hearing about sketchy internet, Ugh!  the no reservations  needed .. which disappeared was the original reason ... I am Very on the fence to just ditch. Have specialty dine ... 3 maybe? Can’t recall. 

Allure of the Seas, when school is out and that’s the Only reason for the hold out at this point.. 5-6 ships at some ports... 

Hmmmmm... guess I’ll decide this week. 

 

 

So what did you decide? Going for it still or canceling?

[Hmonster]

On 6/18/2019 at 3:01 PM, robntawn said:

I believe it is ex-co@rccl.com.

 

Perhaps a better bet is to send concerns regarding the program and it's implementation directly to Mr Bayley, and your concerns will be forwarded to appropriate party.

 

What appears to be the problem (to most people) is the lack of uniformity regarding perks and poor training of staff regarding the program.

 

 

Who is Mr. Bayley? Do you have an email address?  We are new to RC. Thank you!

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, Hmonster said:

Who is Mr. Bayley? Do you have an email address?  We are new to RC. Thank you!

 

President of the cruise line: mbayley@rccl.com.

[Hmonster]

Thank you!

[TheRisleyFamily2021]

Currently on the Harmony, filling out our Key Program satisfaction survey. Question for the group here:  WHAT is "Priority Access" to activities? They are obviously not referring to  Key Only hour on Flowrider, ultimate abyss, etc.   We were not, however, told anything about Priority Access. There is nothing in our paperwork, no special lines, no instructions.  Thanks! 

[holiday-shrek]

They did away with it but forgot to ammend the paperwork!

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, LiamsMommy2008 said:

 Question for the group here:  WHAT is "Priority Access" to activities? 

On some ships, they put a sign up at the activity letting you cut the line, similar to star class - zipline on Oasis had that, Ovation had that for bumper cars. Probably very hit and miss.

[Hmonster]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

On some ships, they put a sign up at the activity letting you cut the line, similar to star class - zipline on Oasis had that, Ovation had that for bumper cars. Probably very hit and miss.

  
This is the first I have read about priority lines on Ovation.  Was it just for bumper cars?

[Biker19]

4 hours ago, Hmonster said:

  
This is the first I have read about priority lines on Ovation.  Was it just for bumper cars?

I didn’t notice it elsewhere. That (availability of line) is so variable, you can’t really count on it anywhere. You can ask at GS or each venue if they have some priority line - look for Star class signs, usually Key get the same privileges. 

[Mushroomgav69]

I have just spotted this on another thread. The key is still morphing but I kind of like this last one. 

 

The Key is starting to look good again.

 

Now they just have to work out the shows a bit more.

[cre8tiv]

On 6/20/2019 at 7:43 PM, archchic said:

So what did you decide? Going for it still or canceling?

Our group decision ..going for it. Will post after cruise. 

[95south]

LOL, RCI is very creative at weaseling into your wallet.

[blueridgemama]

4 hours ago, 95south said:

LOL, RCI is very creative at weaseling into your wallet.

 

Only if you want it to. You don't have to do any thing you don't want to😊