New Program called "The Key"

[not-enough-cruising]

14 hours ago, cccult said:

 

Im going in May on liberty,  they are offering this still, guess it’s making them “Royal” money.... but if interferes in my $$$$$ vacation, this will be my last royal cruise. 

What cruise line do you intend to patronize that doesn’t have the same sort of enhanced offerings?

[cccult]

@not-enough-cruising I'm not sure. When we sailed princess and celebrity they didn't have this type of program at the time. Outside of higher tier rooms.

We might just make the switch to an all inclusive luxury brand. Maybe start checking out river cruises. I don't mind spending, I just hate feeling nickled and dimed. I was really looking forward to sailing again with royal in May but now with all the new fees (like room service) and this new program, i feel kind of bummed. It's the little things, free today; fee tomorrow....

We'll have a great time, we always have fun no matter what we do. Plus, looking into the time slots they allow for key people at the skating rink and flow rider, it's only an hr here an hr there. so no biggie.

 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

3 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

More special hours for attractions are coming as well beyond rockwall and flowrider.  

Very interesting!

So far the hours offered for the key are nothing to write home about - at very inconvienient hours that would be empty anyways....

[lw2151]

Be kind and don't quote a whole long post - those who have to scroll a lot will appreciate it.

 

BTW, Key won't really help you make an early flight - just join the self-debarkation line early.

 

 

 

I apologize I actually didn't know how to post.   Figured it out.  Thank you!  Sorry about that!

[tcmagnum]

I know there is a long post going about the key. I am not try to get an earful about how 'big company' is trying to nickel/dime us.  Just trying to get opinions from people who have recently been on the Jewel and used Key. I knkwmthe Jewel is a smaller ship, but just curious.  June 2019 Greek cruise. 

 

Worth it? Not?

Embarkment? Any noticeable difference?

How did the lunch go? 

Very interested in priority port disembarkment.  How did this work?

Boom surf and stream.  Like? Not like?  We were getting for the week anyways, so....

Breakfast on last day?

Last day disembarkment?  Can you out out bags night before, eat breakfast, and then ship any time you want with out waiting for your group to be called?

 

Thank you for any and all helpful comments. 

  

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, cccult said:

We might just make the switch to an all inclusive luxury brand.

Virgin has no grats and promises to have very few optional purchases.

[xpcdoojk]

3 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Very interesting!

So far the hours offered for the key are nothing to write home about - at very inconvienient hours that would be empty anyways....

Yes but they are not normally open at those inconvenient hours.

 

jc

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Just now, xpcdoojk said:

Yes but they are not normally open at those inconvenient hours.

 

jc

Agreed - but who wants to go at that time anyway?

[xpcdoojk]

I have skipped dinner many times.  Not to mention breakfast in the morning.

 

jc

[cre8tiv]

20 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Agreed - but who wants to go at that time anyway?

There are people out there that .. while on vacation, have no set schedule, could care less about an alleged Inconvenient time. Any time is a good time when you go with the flow, lol. It’s a no/minimal line situation, so it ll work for those people. 

 

Seems like there’s a lot of energy spent on this thread about how.. wrong, bad, wasteful, expensive Key is. 

I guess it’s like everything else, what works for one, may not work for all. To each his/her own. 

I certainly appreciate all the feedback/experiences from Actual Purchasers/users of the Key to date. 

 

[Orsino]

The Key on Oasis 10 Feb 2019

We ended up going to the port a bit late and did not take Gquie’s excellent advice. Bad move generally, but Animal Kingdom was calling for a quick morning hit. 

 

When we arrived at port canaveral, we were directed to the regular security line (nothing special for the Key, which makes sense since they have no way of distinguishing Key from nonKey here). So that part was quite slow and there were so many people. ( this is our first time on oasis class)

 

Once through security we were directed to a an empty line and checked in super quick. By that time it was general boarding so we got on the ship as is usual. Small key benefit, but mainly because of our own lateness. (Flight of passage is totally worth it though.)

 

We opted to carry on all our luggage. We each only had two small bags, so self carry onto the ship and dropping off at the theater was easy. Navigating the promenade was not so easy, but once we made it through we were bag-free. 

 

In the theater the man in charge said something about chops being full and we could go to Giovanni instead. We asked if we could wait for chops, and he said of course. Everyone there was super nice. The woman helping us even came up to chops to double check that we had our key sticker(we did, apparently last week they put the sticker on in the theater —this  week they put them on in advance. )

 

Wait at chops was no problem. We were seated pretty fast(around 1pm) so I don’t really know what the Giovanni business was about. Chops was very busy when we were seated, but by the time we were served our main the restaurant had cleared out to less than half full. We weren’t planning on a late lunch, but it worked out great for us. 

 

Flowrider was scheduled for 2:15-3:15 today. Would have been a great time, but today is cold so we did not partake. 

 

The schedule, which I will post once I figure out how.  6 Flowrider sessions which is one more than I was expecting so Yay. Will find out how busy Flowrider is tomorrow. 

 

Tonight’s show is comedy which requires reservation regardless of key or no key so no data on reservations until tomorrow. I have reservations for all my shows, but I will try to get in without it just to see what is what. 

[tcmagnum]

9 minutes ago, Orsino said:

The Key on Oasis 10 Feb 2019

We ended up going to the port a bit late and did not take Gquie’s excellent advice. Bad move generally, but Animal Kingdom was calling for a quick morning hit. 

 

When we arrived at port canaveral, we were directed to the regular security line (nothing special for the Key, which makes sense since they have no way of distinguishing Key from nonKey here). So that part was quite slow and there were so many people. ( this is our first time on oasis class)

 

Once through security we were directed to a an empty line and checked in super quick. By that time it was general boarding so we got on the ship as is usual. Small key benefit, but mainly because of our own lateness. (Flight of passage is totally worth it though.)

 

We opted to carry on all our luggage. We each only had two small bags, so self carry onto the ship and dropping off at the theater was easy. Navigating the promenade was not so easy, but once we made it through we were bag-free. 

 

In the theater the man in charge said something about chops being full and we could go to Giovanni instead. We asked if we could wait for chops, and he said of course. Everyone there was super nice. The woman helping us even came up to chops to double check that we had our key sticker(we did, apparently last week they put the sticker on in the theater —this  week they put them on in advance. )

 

Wait at chops was no problem. We were seated pretty fast(around 1pm) so I don’t really know what the Giovanni business was about. Chops was very busy when we were seated, but by the time we were served our main the restaurant had cleared out to less than half full. We weren’t planning on a late lunch, but it worked out great for us. 

 

Flowrider was scheduled for 2:15-3:15 today. Would have been a great time, but today is cold so we did not partake. 

 

The schedule, which I will post once I figure out how.  6 Flowrider sessions which is one more than I was expecting so Yay. Will find out how busy Flowrider is tomorrow. 

 

Tonight’s show is comedy which requires reservation regardless of key or no key so no data on reservations until tomorrow. I have reservations for all my shows, but I will try to get in without it just to see what is what. 

Thank you for your real time feedback. 

Especially interested in port days/priority disembarking.  

And explain the Voom surf/stream.  

 

Have an amazing trip!!!!

[firemanswife2]

38 minutes ago, Orsino said:

The Key on Oasis 10 Feb 2019

We ended up going to the port a bit late and did not take Gquie’s excellent advice. Bad move generally, but Animal Kingdom was calling for a quick morning hit. 

 

When we arrived at port canaveral, we were directed to the regular security line (nothing special for the Key, which makes sense since they have no way of distinguishing Key from nonKey here). So that part was quite slow and there were so many people. ( this is our first time on oasis class)

 

Once through security we were directed to a an empty line and checked in super quick. By that time it was general boarding so we got on the ship as is usual. Small key benefit, but mainly because of our own lateness. (Flight of passage is totally worth it though.)

 

We opted to carry on all our luggage. We each only had two small bags, so self carry onto the ship and dropping off at the theater was easy. Navigating the promenade was not so easy, but once we made it through we were bag-free. 

 

In the theater the man in charge said something about chops being full and we could go to Giovanni instead. We asked if we could wait for chops, and he said of course. Everyone there was super nice. The woman helping us even came up to chops to double check that we had our key sticker(we did, apparently last week they put the sticker on in the theater —this  week they put them on in advance. )

 

Wait at chops was no problem. We were seated pretty fast(around 1pm) so I don’t really know what the Giovanni business was about. Chops was very busy when we were seated, but by the time we were served our main the restaurant had cleared out to less than half full. We weren’t planning on a late lunch, but it worked out great for us. 

 

Flowrider was scheduled for 2:15-3:15 today. Would have been a great time, but today is cold so we did not partake. 

 

The schedule, which I will post once I figure out how.  6 Flowrider sessions which is one more than I was expecting so Yay. Will find out how busy Flowrider is tomorrow. 

 

Tonight’s show is comedy which requires reservation regardless of key or no key so no data on reservations until tomorrow. I have reservations for all my shows, but I will try to get in without it just to see what is what. 

Thanks for posting about this. We'll be on Oasis in 3 weeks and I'd love to know how The Key works for you. 

[Orsino]

2 hours ago, tcmagnum said:

Thank you for your real time feedback. 

Especially interested in port days/priority disembarking.  

And explain the Voom surf/stream.  

 

Have an amazing trip!!!!

I won’t be able to comment on priority port day stuff. All of our ports are docked and we aren’t planning to hurry off the ship. Disembarkation we have an early bus to MCO, so we will leave ASAP. 

 

What do do you need explained about voom? We each got a code when we checked in. Not much else to it. It works, obviously 😉

[GUEST71919]

On 1/21/2019 at 10:03 AM, Tom.Kitten said:

It seems that a lot of the conversation about The Key program has morphed into a debate about cruise lines having the audacity to collect premium prices from customers by offering premium experiences.

Isn't that the very basis upon which the cruise industry was built? If we all just wanted to float on water for a bit at the lowest possible price, we could bult a raft and drag it to the landing. Personally, I want a better experience than that, and I'm willing to pay more to get more. If your personal level of willingness is not on par with mine, that's fine with me. If you want to pay more than me, and get more than me, you have that right, and I applaud you for it. If you're own personal level of willingness has you at a lower spending and expectation level than me, that's fine too. Just don't b!tch about other people who are willing to pay more, as if you are somehow being denied basic human dignity.

 

 

THIS.

Honestly, it seems to me that the only people who should complain are those who paid for suites to get these benefits and will end up paying a much higher price for those than the cruisers who now purchase Key (yes, I know there wouldn’t be a concierge or suite’s lounge, but those aren’t important benefits for many cruisers). At least make it equitable, fair is fair. Key guests get internet and on most ships suite’s guests don’t get so much as a discount on Voom and that isn’t fair when they pay considerably more (and I would say that many people that I know who sail in suites do so to stand in shorter lines and not worry about reservation hassles rather than that they are looking for a bigger cabin). 

Edited February 11, 2019 by 2Beeze

[Cruisycat]

So if you want to disembark at ports of call with priority do you need to leave at certain times? Or are you saying if leave late in the morning, there are no lines anyway? 

[JRondo]

Anyone that has used the Key - From what the reps on the phone say, the priority disembarking at ports only applies to tender ports.   Is that true?

[SkaterJasp]

I thought it was worth the price... I was already going to get the internet package on an 8 night sailing for $120 and I've always did specialty dining if offered on embarkation day for lunch and spend about $25... so my cost would of been around $145 that I was going to spend already... Whereas the Key was only $160, a difference of $15 for 8 days. I did the math between the cost of buying the internet onboard with my 2 free days vs purchasing via the cruise planner, and it always comes out cheaper on the longer cruises to just prepay it. Plus the OBC covered the entire cost of Key.

I did key for both segment on a back to back for Anthem so it was 16 nights total...for what I would of paid for internet and specialty dining vs how much it cost for Key... it was worth it. However, if I wasn't planning on getting the internet, than it's a total rip off since as Diamond Plus I get many of the same perks... plus I'm expecting to earn my 700 points in 2 cruises, there is only 2 sailing left where the Key make sense since they are both 16 nights long. 

My Experience

Embarkation

At Cape Liberty / Bayonne, Key guests would go through security check with suite guests so the line was non existent. After passing security, they  direct you to the suite check in area where there is a separate check in for key guest.. they scribble on your set sail pass to indicate your key and send you straight to the ship... the whole process from entering the port to getting on the ship was less than 15 minutes. 

Once onboard, I just went straight to my cabin since the rooms were ready. I had missed the lunch, but they let me use it the following sea day for lunch. 

When you get onboard, you are also given a Key wristband and letter with all the benefits and wifi code. 

I like to sit toward the front in the Royal Theater and also had specific places I would sit in Two70 so I didn't take advantage of the priority seating. However, I did see where those reserved section is located. On Anthem it's the balcony section but expanded to include the whole center section (the 3 sections in the center balcony instead of just the one center most section). In Two70 it's also the center balcony section but they didn't expand it to make it bigger.

The only reserved time I used was the Flow Rider and iFly times... I was basically the only one that showed up during the first 8 day sailing... the 2nd day it was me and one or two other people. It was a great way to get in extra ride time on the FlowRider... but it's probably not worth it if I didn't want the internet package.

Priority Debarkation was offered at every port onboard Anthem. Priority access to the tender... and if you wanted to get off early in a non tender port, they have you wait in one of the lounges and escort you off as soon as the ship was cleared in both Port Canaveral and Nassau. 

Debarkation Day back in Cape Liberty was easy.. breakfast was the normal breakfast menu plus two special entrees selection. One was a filet and egg and the other one was a crab cake benedict. Once you are done with breakfast, a host will escort you off the ship. In the port, the luggages are kept next to the suite luggage by the entrance to customs. 

Overall it could be worth it and it could be a rip off.. it really comes down to how much of the perks you are actually going to use AND if you are already going to get the internet anyways. 


 

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by SkaterJasp

[Lv2sail_18]

1 hour ago, SkaterJasp said:

The only reserved time I used was the Flow Rider and iFly times... 

 

Thank you for sharing your experience! Do you happen to recall the reserved Flowrider and iFly times? Was there reserved time for the North Star?

[JRondo]

Thanks to everyone who has used the Key and reported on it.  It has been very helpful. It was nice to here that SkaterJasp got priority debarkation at all ports.  I was told it was only at tender ports.  But the reps seemed confused since this is so new.  Has anyone used it on Freedom? 

[xpcdoojk]

5 hours ago, SkaterJasp said:

I thought it was worth the price... I was already going to get the internet package on an 8 night sailing for $120

The only reserved time I used was the Flow Rider and iFly times... I was basically the only one that showed up during the first 8 day sailing... the 2nd day it was me and one or two other people. It was a great way to get in extra ride time on the FlowRider... but it's probably not worth it if I didn't want the internet package.




 

 

 

If you are the same Jasper that was on the Symphony TA, this is JC from the flowrider.

 

jc

[Orsino]

11 hours ago, Cruisycat said:

So if you want to disembark at ports of call with priority do you need to leave at certain times? Or are you saying if leave late in the morning, there are no lines anyway? 

 

Haven’t left the ship yet and don’t plan to today (Nassau). In my experience the lines die down and leaving the ship has never been too slow, but I’ve never been on oasis before so I don’t really know for sure. 

 

And flowrider times for The Key look like they are either the hour they open or the last hour before they close. Yesterday it was the hour before they closed for the muster drill. Today they open at 1pm which is the first hour offered today. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Orsino

[firemanswife2]

2 minutes ago, Orsino said:

 

Haven’t left the ship yet and don’t plan to today (Nassau). In my experience the lines die down and leaving the ship has never been too slow, but I’ve never been on oasis before so I don’t really know for sure. 

Do you have "key" time today, on a port day, as well?

[jmh2006]

Hi, I just got off Oasis yesterday, 2/10, so was on the 2/3 Western Sailing.  My DH and I were in a Jr. Suite with the Key.  We did feel it was worth the extra $$ as it covered the cost of internet, which we were going to get, lunch at Chops and the priority seating. 

 

As other poster said, check in was normal until you get your card with a key sticker on it.  We got to port about 11:00, had the usual wait in security and a very nominal wait in the Emerald line.  Once checked in we waited in the combined Suite/Key area.  It was separated from others and had snacks and drinks and a bathroom.  Then we were the first to be let on board.  Our first stop was to the Theater to check our carry on bags.  Very easy!  Then our group of 4 split up to make some reservations for dinners in Coastal Kitchen and to book a cabana on Labadee.  Success with that so we headed to Chops for an excellent lunch.  It was probably about 12:30 the and Chops was not that busy.  When lunch was over the rooms were open and we found all of our luggage was waiting for us!  The luggage delivery on the Oasis class ships has been super fast in our experience (2 Oasis cruises and 2 Allure cruises).

 

We had the reservations for the Aqua Show, Ice Show and Comedy Show, plus we went to Come Fly With Me.  With every show we got the priority seating (except Comedy) and really liked this perk.  Also 3 in my party did the Zip Line on the first sea day during the Key time and they were the only ones.  On port days we did not experience any priority lines since we had all non tendered ports.

 

On debarkation day, my DH and I had a late flight so we took advantage of breakfast in the MDR.  It was very nice and relaxing.  Then they escorted us to the Clock Tower in the promenade and off the ship.  Here is where they could make some tweaks as we didn't know exactly where the special Key area was for our luggage and had to ask several people.  Also it would be nice to have a special customs line.  The line for customs was very long so we decided to pay a porter, which we have never done before because we almost always self assist.  It was worth the extra for that as well.  Our friends had a very early flight so they disembarked with self assist. 

 

Overall, for us the combination of a Jr. Suite with the Key made for a special cruise.  All in our party felt it was worth the price. 

 

I hope this helps and if you have a specific question, feel free to ask!

 

Jen

[firemanswife2]

8 minutes ago, jmh2006 said:

 

@jmh2006Thanks so much for the Oasis update.