Is Royal Caribbean’s ‘The Key’ Worth It? Here’s Why It Misses the Mark

We decided to try out The Key on our latest Royal Caribbean cruise. But what exactly is The Key add-on, and is it worth the extra cost?

Sometimes, I splurge on add-ons like this for two reasons: first, I’m all about paying for convenience and perks that fit my travel style. Second, I like to test these extras so I can share my honest thoughts with you. You never know when one of these upgrades might end up being a pleasant surprise—or not.

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From the moment I started planning the rest of my cruise on Utopia of the Seas, it felt like every little thing came with an extra charge. Since my last cruise with Royal Caribbean years ago, they’ve officially taken the title from NCL in my book for nickel-and-diming—but that seems to be the trend in cruising these days.

Sure, your cruise cabin covers the basics, but then comes the avalanche of decisions: do you want to add Wi-Fi, a drink package, or splurge on specialty dining? The list goes on. In the end, it’s all about what works for you, but it can definitely feel overwhelming.

When I came across The Key and its perks—which included Wi-Fi at a discounted price not much higher than the cost of Wi-Fi for one device—I thought, “This might actually be a good deal.” Spoiler alert: the Wi-Fi ended up being the best part of the whole package.

What is the cost of The Key to Royal Caribbean?

The retail price of The Key is $49.99 (US) per person per day. However, Royal Caribbean often uses dynamic pricing, offering flash sales and discounts that can significantly lower the cost. Some cruisers have reported snagging it for as little as $19 per day, but prices vary based on the cruise and demand.

For our 3-night cruise, we booked The Key at $36.99 per person per day, totaling $221.94 for two people. On a longer sailing, like a 7-night cruise, that cost could easily add up. At that price point, it’s important to carefully weigh the benefits to see if The Key is worth the extra expense for your trip. The Wi-Fi is what makes up for it.

Our Experience with The Key Benefits of Royal Caribbean

Our cruise weekend coincided with Hurricane Helene’s arrival, causing Port Canaveral to delay embarkation until 2 p.m. Thankfully, the cruise wasn’t canceled, and the rest of the weekend brought incredible weather. Of course, this situation was beyond the cruise line’s control, but it still shaped our experience with The Key.

Priority Boarding

Priority boarding with The Key begins only after security and check-in, and there were no special lines for check-in itself. Afterward, we were directed to a seating area designated for Key guests, but our reservation didn’t clearly indicate we had The Key. It took a bit of back-and-forth, but once they scanned us in, it showed up in the system.

We were among the first to get on the ship when boarding started before group numbers were called. It was a nice perk to explore the ship briefly before the influx of passengers filled the space—and that happened quickly.

The Welcome Lunch

I usually avoid the buffet on embarkation day and opt for a sit-down meal if possible. I had hoped The Key’s Welcome Lunch would solve that problem. Unfortunately, the promised Welcome Lunch was canceled due to the delayed embarkation, with no alternative offered. So, we ended up at the buffet instead. It started out calm and quiet, but by the time we left, chaos had set in—and it stayed that way for the rest of the weekend. In hindsight, I should have made other lunch reservations.

When we finally made it to our cabin, we were greeted with a nice plate of fresh fruit for The Key guests.

Carry-On Drop-Off

Because there was no Welcome Lunch, we couldn’t take advantage of the Carry-On Drop-Off benefit, as they typically collect your items in the Main Dining Room until 1:30 p.m. Instead, we had to carry our backpacks around until late afternoon, when our cabins were ready. Unfortunately, no alternative options were provided for us to use this benefit. Thankfully, we had left our heavier luggage with the porter when we arrived at the port, so at least we didn’t have to lug that around.

The Wi-Fi

One thing that didn’t disappoint was the Wi-Fi. It worked seamlessly throughout the cruise, and I have to say, it was the standout benefit of The Key. If staying connected is important to you, and you can secure The Key at a reasonable price, this perk alone might make it worth considering.

Priority Lines for Activities

This benefit turned out to be a complete waste. Fast Lane for The Key passengers is only applied on the first day, and for the FlowRider, it is applied during the early morning—an inconvenient time for most. Even on day one, the lines for activities were short or non-existent, so we didn’t need priority access to enjoy them.

It would be far more helpful for passengers with The Key if priority lines were available throughout the cruise and during peak times for popular activities. For example, members of our group were able to zip line multiple times on the first day because there were no lines—but that’s also when The Key had priority access. By contrast, on day two, they faced long waits for the waterslides and FlowRider, when The Key offered no priority.

Note: This can vary from ship to ship.

Reserved Seating for Shows

This was one of the better perks of The Key—provided you made reservations and arrived at least 30 minutes before the show. If you showed up right as the show started or later, the reserved seating area would already be open to everyone, making it hard to find a spot. That said, we scored some of the great seats for the Ice Skating and Aqua shows, improved the experience.

Priority Tender

We didn’t get to take advantage of the Priority Tender benefit because there were no tender ports on our short cruise to Perfect Day at CocoCay. That said, on other cruises, I usually book a shore excursion with the cruise line to secure priority tender if I don’t have any priority status—maximizing my port day is always a priority for me. This could be a standout perk of The Key for itineraries with one or more tender ports, especially if you want to avoid long waits to get ashore.

Breakfast on Disembarkation Day

While we missed out on lunch on embarkation day, we did get to enjoy breakfast on disembarkation day. The Key guests have access to an exclusive breakfast menu in the main dining room, available from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The Key breakfast menu features a couple of special dishes not found on the regular main dining room breakfast menu, like steak and eggs or Crab Benedict. Aside from those few items, the rest of the menu was identical to what you’d find in the standard breakfast service.

You can easily make plans to have one last breakfast in the main dining room without The Key and enjoy a similar menu—just without the steak and eggs or Crab Benedict. Earlier in the cruise, we had breakfast in the main dining room and enjoyed excellent service and a great meal.

PRIORITY Disembarkation

Special priority tags are provided for The Key guests’ luggage, allowing you to debark as early as 7:15 a.m. This group is called right after Self-Assist. To take advantage of this perk, you must place your luggage outside your cabin door by 10 p.m. the night before.

We opted to keep our luggage with us and took our time disembarking after breakfast since we had a late flight that day. This gave us a more relaxed end to our cruise.

We did notice long lines to get off the ship, so the priority disembarkation may be a helpful perk for those with an early flight or tight schedules.

Is Royal Caribbean’s The Key Worth it?

No, The Key ultimately misses the mark for its retail cost and the benefits it provides. With a per-person, per-day pricing structure, the final cost adds up quickly—especially on longer cruises. The benefits, such as one embarkation day lunch and one disembarkation day breakfast, don’t provide enough value to justify the expense for the rest of the cruise.

The only redeeming feature is the Wi-Fi, and even that is only worth it if you’re already planning to purchase Wi-Fi and can find The Key on sale for a price close to what Wi-Fi alone would cost. Otherwise, the additional perks don’t make up for the steep price tag.