The WORST Royal Caribbean Deals 

The only point that I would make is that bus tours could be good for people with mobility issues. It could help them see more of an area that would be hard for them to see otherwise.

I totally agree with you. Over the years I have splurged on many items but Royal's pricing has gone crazy.

Bus tours are fine if you understand what they are and have reasonable expectations. As an older solo cruiser, I choose them for the mild activity level and the safety of a ship tour. No strenuous hikes or ziplines up a mountain for me. I look for sightseeing boats, too. Those are my favorites.

I love the key, even more so when it is close to wifi cost. I also like the relaxing lunch while waiting for room to be ready

My wife and I will use the bus tour at a new port we have never visited. It will usually give a quick overview, and maybe show something we want to do when we return.

The key is worth it to me especially if you catch it on sale and consider it includes WiFi.

I got a 10:30am check in by just waking up at midnight on the check in day to check in online.

I like the key, I always get it because on my next cruise the internet is 17.99 a day per guest. I bought the Key for 24.99 a day per guest. That boils down to the internet + $7 bucks a day and I get fast boarding, a chops grille lunch, priority seating, and a sit down breakfast prior to departing. Plus at Long Beach my baggage is right next to te exit.

We used to have a family tradition of eating at Johnny Rockets for lunch on embarkation day. Was really surprised to see it’s now $15/pp to go there! It was $7/pp last time I was on a cruise. Not worth $15 when there’s so much free food on the ship.

I wish more people would watch this video and realize that if we all stopped using these services the prices would come down. I’d love to get an over the water cabana but yeah that’s just price gouging at this point. I mean that’s more than the entire cruise most of the time.

I totally agree with all of these Matt. You explained the details so well. We purchased the Key twice., big waste of money. We found we get internet for 4 devices less than one person having KEY for the week. All the other stuff we tested and you can get almost the same for nothing. We purchase the Ultimate Dining so the lunch is useless for us. You also have to make your show reservations on the larger ships anyway. Love your videos! Thank you for all the info you share. Just got home from Mariner and headed out on Icon in July!❤

The key is totally worth it if the price of Internet package is very high. I’ve gotten the key on occasions where it was comparable to the Internet package. So I got a free lunch and a free breakfast and a couple other perks. So the key can be worth it, but you to catch the right price.

Facts! Great video, Matt. Beach Club prices have gone way out of control. Don't let there be bad weather, then you get screwed twice.

I bought the key for my first cruise. Honestly, it was pretty great. I had the flowrider 100% to myself for a whole hour. And it was only $5 more than the internet package. It was worth it to me.

Matt, I can tell you with 100% confidence that the key does cover the waterslides. On Navigator I saw there was no line, when I tried to go up they stated it was for key and suites only.

I totally agree with all your assessments. Great job👍🏾

I disagree with you about the Key. Whether it is worth it or not really depends on the circumstances and preferences. My husband and I always get it because it is just the two of us AND most importantly we always get internet anyway because of our work. Since I always wait for a sale to buy the key the most I have ever paid is an extra 8/day for it (but more frequently 4 or 6). The guaranteed early boarding time has saved me twice when I forgot about check in until a week after it opened and the only boarding times were after 2. On more than one occasion walking by the very long line to a separate security line and going from car to on the boat in under 10 minutes, dropping my luggage off in the dining room and having it delivered INSIDE my stateroom by 1:30 is fantastic, we like embarkation lunch is already already taken care of with no additional reservation needed, the reserved seating for shows is saved for you until 15 minutes before the show. For the aqua show one night the line was down the entire length of the boardwalk. We were able to walk by all of them at 18 minutes before and show our card with the key and were seated in the reserved area. Priority debarkation is just as amazing. A separate exit off and we can leave at any time. Leaving from our room and back to the car in under 15 min. If you have kids and had to pay for them and/or you don't usually get internet then no it isn't worth it.

I agree with you on everything, however we recently went and did the Beach Club and it was as expensive as you said for our group it was the highlight of our trip. We didn't do the cabanas mind you but it was nice having not a lot of people around and almost a whole private beach. Again for us that was worth it but it may not be for everyone. Thank you for all the awesome videos. Royal Caribbean Blog is the reason we started cruising with Royal and haven't looked back. Going on Mariner of the Seas in October.

I LOVED the Crowns Edge! It lasted about 2 min for me because I took my time. Also, a free POV video of your experience is INCLUDED! The way it was edited was great. I would recommend to anyone.

The Cozumel Mayan ruin tour you have footage of is the same tour guide I had when I went in March 😂😂

Completely agree about the Beach Club and the Key.

Definitely agree with you on excursions and transfers! Usually sail on Princess and some of the royal Caribbean short excursions are over $100 more when compared with Princess, and a transfer from Southampton to Central London is $96 compared to 64 on Princess.

I enjoyed the bus tours on our trip very much we pulled over at a few stops to get off take photos restrooms were available and there was even a small local shop with hand made items

First off, enjoy the channel! Despite living in Florida my wife and I forgot to pack sunscreen on a cruise, so we had to buy onboard. It was expensive but we had no choice. I like to joke that they processed our loan very quickly to buy the sunscreen :-).

We are going on our first cruise this year. After looking at the things available. We decided to make specific dining reservations for those places we wanted to eat at, individually. That allowed us to reserve a time well before sailing. If we went with the dining package, we could not make a reservation prior to boarding, and the date and time we wanted would have been booked. It may have cost a little more, but we got the place, date and time we wanted. Looking back later, there were no reservations available on those dates and times.

In May of 2023, we missed out 6:10 flight to Ft. Lauderdale (Ship port was Miami), got on 7:30 flight after checking in for embarkation while in the airport for 11:30. We had booked all onboard activities in advance and always get travel insurance through USAA but we were at the port by noon. So we started out rough but everything worked out just fine.

Before even watching, I 100% bet the Key will be on the list if not first! I only like it if it within a couple of dollars of the internet price.

I've used the Key a couple of times but I completely agree with Matt if you do the early check in 30 to 45 days ahead we usually board early with out the Key. We stopped buying it because on some ships they change the perks. Example on the Adventure with the key there was no charge for Room service we went on the Liberty and they had no idea about the perk, the seating for the shows again just like Mat said we had to arrive 45 min early so to us it wasn't worth it to purchase the Key.

I was somehow able to get Coco Beach club day pass for $76 on an upcoming cruise. We were switched from Labadee so maybe that had something to do with it. I figure I will never again find it close to that price so I should do it so I can try the food. Hope it's worth the money!

We generally cruise in a GS so the Key wouldn't be of much use to us. However on April 14th we took our 91 year old cousin on her first cruise and in order to assist with getting and off the ship, Voom and some other perks we opted for the Key. We found it very useful and in this circumstance it was worth the cost to us. Supply and demand has driven some of the costs to insane levels. One thing you didn't mention is the large increase in Grand suites and above, wow what an increase. Last week while on board we booked a 10 day Od of the seas to the Greek Isles. The difference between Jr. suites and Grand suites is 10,700 dollars! Eventually RCCL will out price the demand the supply will be abundant and the prices will go down. Keep up the good work. Sorry about your FB page. Bill

Came here for the key. Was not disappointed. Matt has taught me well 😂

Agree about Coco Cay Beach Club the two times we used it we enjoyed it, but that was discounted/affordable and a few years ago, so I felt it was worth it. Basically, I won’t pay over around $90 pp for the luxury beach experience.

Love ur vids

We cruised on ICON in March. The Crown's Edge was $37.00 the day I consider it. It looked so lame, I chose not to do it. Word to the wise - mid March ICON was overrun by children. They were allowed to sit at all the bars which left no seats for adults! So, Spring break/school vacation is the worst bang for your buck if you're traveling without children.

First off love RCB and lots of your advice has help my family on our cruises. I just want to stand up for the key. The biggest benefits for us is the lunch that is offered on embarkation day and the breakfast and personal escort off the ship on disembarkation day. My wife suffers from anxiety and being able to have a calm place to eat on the ship when all the craziness is happening on the 1st day helps her relax. It's a better deal with the items you get then just a specialty dining for lunch at that time. And on disembarkation after your key breakfast they have someone guide you off the ship in small groups away from the crowd. I know it's not useful for everyone, but we are happy that they offer it.

Hey there! I enjoyed your videos in preparation for my Ovation cruise to Alaska last week. We took the same cruise two years ago and were disappointed in the food quality this time around, especially in the Windjammer and Main Dining Rooms. Lots of watered down dishes and smaller portions. I read a few similar reports of this happening industry wide this year, any thoughts? Might be something to look into for a video.

We got a coco beach club cabana for our last cruise and loved it. Originally we had a 7 people that would be sharing the cabana and cost. Unfortunately 4 of the people couldn't cruise due to testing positive for covid the day of embarkation. However the 3 remaining people that did go really enjoyed it. My husband is quadriplegic and having a cabana is probably the only way he could enjoy Coco Cay. We were treated like royalty and it was well worth the price.

The key is very relative… it fully depends on how you want to manage your time… also heavily depends on the pricing. If you are going to purchase the internet access anyways and like to have breakfast before leaving I think it is worth the cost as the other “perks” are good to have including the seating in shows if you typically do not like to have reservations as this dedicated area typically is not full anyways for most shows. Like the video mentions it is great to have if you do not have loyalty status or are new to cruising. The early checking is hard to get even if you are on top of your game. Without it I typically get 12:30pm. With it I typically can get on by 11pm. Again look at pricing…. For me if the key is at $30 or less pp/day is the sweet spot for me, but your situation may differ. This year I have only been able to see the lowest price of $32.99 which is not bad but we have been questioning if it is still worth it.

What are your thoughts on hop on/hop off bus tours like what is offered in Naples?

I agree that cabanas in Coco Cay are totally insane.

I like The Key. I use a scooter, and we're older folks, so it is a benefit that works for us.

The Norwegian Breakaway has something like the Icon where you can go high up and do an obstacle course for free and you don't need to dress like a nuclear technician.

Sometimes you can buy priority boarding. My friend did that with P&O. Pity the port staff, despite being asked for the priority entrance, directed her to the normal queue!

Got a recent one for you. Just came back from a cruise. 8 days. 4 ports to visit. 2 of the ports, never left the ship. The other 2 ports came back to ship early. 3 Sea days. Bought a $50 Arcade for $40. When I went to the arcade, the machines would not let me swipe my card. A couple of machines did. So many activities and entertainment, never had a chance to go back. Wasted $30-ish dollars! Wait to actually spend on the ship. Don't get it in advance. Just budget for it. Agree about the Key! The line to Embark was not bad. Didn't find the sign for The Key entrance. Disembarkation is anytime you want if you select disembark without luggage assistance. I didn't even have my Key tags on my luggage on the way out, nor did they ask for my Sail/Sign pass for the Key for any specific group. Prefer not to have lunch at the restaurant upon boarding. Prefer Windjammer. In, Eat, Out much quicker to explore for more time. Get to a show early, on the smaller ships, and you can have good seat(s). You don't need the Key. None of my ports were Tender. All ports were docked. It also includes 1 device internet usually about $20. Get 2 devices and you'd probably only spend an addition $11-12 for up to $32 per day as opposed to $40 and still need internet for a 2nd device for a total of $60 per day. Will never get the Key again. Also agree with Coco Beach Club. Really nice dinner would normally cost $45 pp. Umbrella, chairs, table $50+. Drinks not included unless you have the Drink Package. I caught it for $125 during Black Friday and WILL have the Drink Package! Get it together RCCL. $200+ is waaay too much!

This is helpful.

I loved the key! The convenience was worth it, especially the disembarkment. I loved being extra special!

We love the key when priced right. For my upcoming cruise its 125 dollars for 1 device for 7 days the key was 150 dollars for 7 days. If the price is reasonable sure but on wonder its like 250 dollars per person so will pass unless it comes down closer to 150 dollars

RE: Key - My sister and I got the Key for the exact same price as the internet and were going to get the internet anyway. It is on Radiance OTS for Alaska cruise on June 21, 2024. $17.99 per day per person

Interesting. Thanks for the video! I'm clear that Royal won't be among my preferences for a long time. What a way to empty the wallet! The issue is that land vacations have also doubled in prices, and nothing is balanced anymore between cost and what you get in return.

Key is sometimes discounted 50% and is absolutely worth it. Also they only ask you show up 15 mins early most of the time, I never saw 45 mins. Just wrapped up a 7 day on Symphony. For me, I need to get wifi on 2 phones, and when you get it discounted and consider the price of 2 internet packages already baked into it, all the rest is gravy. Though I admit I missed the exit breakfast usually we just wanna go home by then lol.

We booked a cabana on sale for $1900 on our last cruise. Yes even on sale the price is ridiculous; but we had six in our group including our two kids. It’s the most fun we have had as a family and it was the most memorable day. If we can find it on sale it is something we will save for each time we cruise as a family.

We got the Key for our upcoming cruise because we WILL have at least one docking that is a tender port.

Matt, have you done a video, review on the higher prices of Royal? I swear they have raised prices 30-40% for cruises. We won’t be doing any Royal cruises this year with a family of 5. Maybe in the future the wife and I only, but we have gone back to carnival for now, and looking at NCL, Possibly. We have 4 carnival cruises this year, which are much more affordable for a bigger family. We really like royal, but when we can do the same cruise with carnival at a 1/3 less we are on it.

Greetings from Navigator of the Seas. On our way back to Los Angeles from Mexico. This is the first time I tried The Key. I have mobility issues, it was well worth it. Showed up to the port at scheduled time, the lines for the regular boarding was like a long line at Disneyland. I walked right up to show my documents, boarding the ship in less than 5 minutes from time of my arrival. Dropped our Carry On luggage and delivered to the room after we had our lunch. We tendered into Cabo San Lucas and were the first of the ship and had a much longer time in port. When heading back to our ship late in the afternoon, passengers were still waiting for tenders. So for me, it was well worth the cost.

I agree with all of these!

Sorry to disagree but I love the key it works for us every time! I love how it works how they take the luggage from you. We were on the ovation and using the arm in Alaska we were given the best times to view things. IMO.

My mind is and has always been to pay for your cruise and enjoy what's offered with the cruise prices, and maybe buy a specialty dinner, but I travel with my husband and he is the more he buys the better he feels.

Not sure if it’s changed now or but I when I was watching another RU-vidr one of their friends got on it and they got to go around crown’s edge twice

can you get the crab Benedict anywhere else if I cancel the key?

I suppose, the key early access is good if you just want to arrive anytime during boarding? I'm not sure if that's possible? If it is, well then you can do whatever you want that morning and depart when you want to. Happy to be corrected mind you. If you have to still book your boarding time with the key, then no.

We went to the Coco Beach Club in January of this year and only paid $113/person! We kept watching the prices and they had a 50% off sale. We thought it was way worth the money for the experience, food, and service.

Has anyone ever been told by royal Caribbean if you have a 10:30am checkin time to come at 12pm 2 hrs later because the coast guard is doing a surprise inspection? Were going in 2 days and there telling us this now after we've made plans to be picked up.

We traded our Coco Beach Club pass in for the Ultimate Dining package. We did some video research and thought about it and decided it was definitely not worth the money

That's why you always watch the prices everyday. I always book the beach club at the beginning for like 280. And it'll get down to 100 something by the time you leave. I've been prices matching for 2 months. And have currently the best price at 117 bucks right now.

I think the drink package is not worth it. $80/day is a bit much unless u plan to get hammered everyday then go ahead. But im not one to want to get wasted on vacation. Maybe 1 day out of the cruise, but drinking $80 worth of alcohol a day is too much. 2-3 drinks a day is all i need. Internet is pricey too.....

I like the Key because of the internet, the early access, and the opening and ending meals.

I bought the key for a cruise on Voyager, it was priced at 40% off when I purchased, literally a few bucks more than the cheapest internet package. It was worth it to me. Purchased it again on Harmony at 30% off, it wasn’t worth it. We got to cut in line at the security check point on embarkation day but the new terminal in Galveston is really fast to begin with.

Having never been to Cocoa Beach Club before, we were okay with the price on our visit from WonderOTS last September. If I had previously paid less, okay, I would not appreciate the price hike. The beach club is fantastic.

I got 11 am check in, kinda pissed. Their site as down and I waited and missed out on 1030 time because their site was down all night into next day. Not paying for the key. I do pay for tour buses to see new ports, getting too old to do much activity.

I went on a couple of shore excursions and found them to be a total waste of money. One van, in Canada, seemed like it was at least 60 years old. The double-decker bus looked like it would puff out a ton of smog just to putter to your next destination. Never again. I'll just do my own excursions.

We just recently went on our very first cruise on Allure of the seas. We got day passes for hideaway beach and I have to say I was less than impressed, it was very busy and loud and we ended up leaving after about 2 hours of not really being able to relax.

The coffee card on the Oasis sounded like a great deal when I purchased it- what I didn’t know until I got on the ship was that only a small or single-shot drink qualified as one drink; anything larger counted as two or three drinks. It would have been cheaper to buy coffees a la carte.

We always buy the key. ( ever since we waited in line for 4 hours in Seattle)

Drink packages are normally a ripoff because most people won't consume enough drinks in a day to make the package pay off.

I had one of those over water cabanas booked pre-covid for "only" $1,200... Cruise was cancelled due to covid and now they are $4,500. Insane.

Thank you Thank you another great video Matt

The key when bought early is almost worth it, if you get it when it's only $10-$15 more a day than the internet package it could be worth it. We got good seats for a show and enjoyed the private times for a few activities. I'm guessing this can change port to port but I was super peeved when my friends group arrived 3 hours before their stated arrival time with no key but were allowed on right away, great for them of course but that totally made our key worthless. Priority debarkation may be worth it for people with close flights. Overall the key needs to be cheaper or add some extra perks to it somehow.

10:21 $3-$4k for a cabana is crazy. I paid $2.5k for a oceanfront suite on a shallow water cove in Jamaica at Royalton, for 5 nights, and it was the "diamond" pass thing, so our area had a private section of beach(which didn't really matter, since the entire resort wasn't crowded anyway, wasn't tons of beach chairs packed together like coco), private hot tub and private pool, and private(food and drink included) beach bar and grill, and separate room with fancy snacks and top shelf liquor(plus access to the rest of the resort, including included hibachi etc). $3k-$4k for a cabana at a crowded location for just the day is plain dumb, can get a whole vacation for less(at arguably a better destination) with more included. The appeal of cruises is suppose to be being more affordable vs a luxury all inclusive beach resort.

$5000/day for a cabana? Reminds me of the old joke about the hot dog vendor who sold his hot dogs for $1000 each. A person commented to the hotdog vendor, "You must not sell very many hot dogs." The vendor replied, "No, but if I sell one I'm through for the day."

THE KEY benefits are OK just for the free wi-fi. It's not that much more expensive than buying Voom internet alone.

Holy crap, Coco Beach club is that much now?? I was on Wonder in October and I think we paid $120 each for me and my GF. I think an over the water Cabana was like $1800. If we had 4-6 people we might have got the cabana. But not for 2 of us. $300 for the beach club and $3000 for a cabana.. no way. Some people might say "ultimate drink package" or "ultimate dining package" but both were worth it for us. Maybe not a "not worth it" but I was disappointed with Playmakers in that it was impossible to get seating. So many people not eating or drinking just sitting at the venue.

they key gets private ice skating session which is worth it alone

I was just on Navigator with The Key and there were Key-exclusive times for the water slides, so that is not correct. I got to ride over and over and over with no lines with just a few other people. It was worth it.

I agree with you Matt Royal’s Prices are dear. 😂

1. The key works for me when I’m cruising alone. I do not want to stress when getting on board, I do like the internet that comes with it, the lunch is ok, but I don’t really need it. I would only purchase the key if I was cruising with my hubby and it was on sale. 2. I had to buy Benadryl on the ship once. It cost about $15 for about 10 pills. I now bring it on my own. 3. I purchased the Crowns Edge when it was on sale for $35. Not sure if it will be worth the hype, but it will be a 60 second adventure that I can do twice (from what I read), and you do get a video. 4. And lastly, cabanas are a no for me. They are terribly expensive, and I wouldn’t spend that much time in it anyway. Besides, for that kind of money, I can book a sweet with a genie.

I’m going on icons of seas😊

Matt, I really appreciate all the work that you do, but I will continue to disagree with you about the value of The Key. For us, the package could be renamed to "The Stress Reduction" package. To your point - yes, it's possible to do a lot of other things in advance and get many of the same benefits. Or, we can buy The Key and be done with it. You should also factor in the expedited departure and luggage retrieval on disembarkation day. Potato, Patatto, I suppose.

nice video!

I know Harmony is your favorite ship Matt but it was our least favorite Oasis Class ship. I really don't like the fact that there's no pool in the Solarium. Also, id rather have Playmakers and Sabor is located. Symphony is our favorite Oasis Class ship. We've been on Oasis and Allure as well. We're going on Wonder in November so we'll see where she stacks up.

The Cocoa Beach Club prices are coming down, probably because of the Hideaway Adult Beach area, which is a better value. I think it proves prices will come down if people refuse to pay them.

Hello Matt. I disagree with you. We purchase the Key on every cruise and find the benefits well worth it. We cruised on Navigator of the Seas last summer and the Key did include private times for the water slides.

The over the water cabana is totally worth it, and it’s not $5000. It normally starts at $3999, but no one normally buys it at that price. You can wait til closer to you’re sailing date and it’ll drop to as low as $2500. I don’t think I’ll ever cruise again without purchasing it. Your attendant continuously brings drinks for everyone, brings you more food than you could imagine. It’s your own spot on the water, hopefully with your closest friends. Play your own music, you have mats, snorkel gear, a stocked minibar, your slide which I swear must have no weight limit, just trust me on this. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a cruise. Seriously, if you’re on the fence about the floating cabana, get it! Just wait it out and check the prices closer til your departure date. You’ll have some memories/stories for a lifetime.

Hi! It's been awhile since there's been a live Q&A recap. Am I somehow missing them or does Matt and the team not do them anymore?

Just got off Oasis and visited Coco Cay for the first time in almost a decade. I'm diamond status so it's not like I'm some newbie to this, but two things are certain, I will never book an Oasis or larger class ship ever again and I will not be booking any ships that have Coco Cay on their itinerary - they've turned the island into a for-pay hell-hole. All my partner and I wanted to do was walk around with a cocktail in hand, but any trails they have only serve to connect the over crowded hot-spots. If you like water parks or have kids that do I'm sure it's far more appealing, but for us it was not worth even getting off the ship.

Deluxe Beverage Package... would have been over $2,200 for our 11-night cruise onboard Anthem of the Seas. P.S. Our cruise fare was only $2,060 (including gratuities) for the 2 of us!! So, either get the drink package this cruise.....OR.... *Go on ANOTHER ENTIRE CRUISE for less money!!*

I have never seen a coffee shop with no cream

Drinks packages and even dining packages are low value to me, unless at a very discounted price. I'd never book those cabamas, specially at those ridiculous prices.

wow so much new stuff

Did iFly for “free”. I did not realize Royal Caribbean is now charging for these “rides” now. I believe ovation of the seas (for upcoming Alaska cruise) has iFly….

Do you think the Behind the Scenes tour of your ship is worth the $150+ (per each) fee? My daughter and I are booked on a December cruise to (pre)celebrate her college graduation. She loves (is obsessed with) ships. Her ultimate employment goal is to work for Royal Caribbean using her art degree.