The passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas has had two follow-up tests in Singapore and both tests have come back negative.

UPDATE: The passenger has tested negative in three different tests

Singapore's Ministry of Health said in two different tests, the results have been negative for COVID-19.  A third test is planned.

Quantum of the Seas had her cruise cut short once a 83-year-old passenger reported not feeling well to ship medical staff and a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test came back as positive for COVID-19.

The ministry said the laboratory will conduct another test on Thursday to confirm if the passenger does indeed have COVID-19.

"An 83 year-old male Singaporean on board Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas tested positive for COVID-19 infection this morning, and was immediately isolated. He had reported to the medical centre with diarrhoea, and as part of the protocols was tested for COVID-19 using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test equipment on board the ship. His original sample has since been re-tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), and has come back negative for COVID-19 infection. A second fresh sample tested by NPHL has also come back negative. NPHL will conduct another test tomorrow to confirm his COVID-19 status."

Once Quantum of the Seas returned to Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board Director of Cruise confirmed the passenger was evacuated off the ship and taken to a hospital for further testing. 

As a precautionary measure, all the identified close contacts of the case have been isolated.

As part of the routine post-arrival protocols, all passengers will undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before they are allowed to leave the terminal at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. 

Royal Caribbean has already cancelled its next sailing of Quantum of the Seas, which was scheduled to depart on Thursday.

Rapid tests are notorious for false positives. Earlier this summer, 12 TUI Cruise crew members tested positive for COVID-19, but follow-up tests showed those same crew tested negative.

New health protocols working as intended

While the suspected case of coronavirus may end up being a false positive, nonetheless, Royal Caribbean's new protocols have demonstrated it can work well.

In coordination with the Singaporean government, a "robust, tiered response plan" went into effect to not only isolate any one who may have come in contact with the patient, but also provide a means to get guests off the ship safely and quickly.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean emphasized the importance of these new rules, "That we were able to quickly identify this single case and take immediate action is a sign that the system is working as it was designed to do."

After just a handful of sailings, the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship encountered its a positive COVID-19 case onboard and while that is far from good news, the fact remains the new health protocols are working.

One passenger tested positive and was quickly isolated, with anyone that came in close contact tested and isolated as well.

There was no widespread infections on the ship, the ship was not held indefinitely in quarantine, and passengers were able to disembark after returning to Singapore.

The important takeaway is not that there was a positive case on a cruise ship, but instead that with around 1,000 passengers onboard, one case was discovered and isolated.

The cruise industry is under the microscope of public opinion, living under the shadow of well-known long-term quarantine events from early 2020 when the virus was first spreading around the globe.

Similar to how airports radically changed protocols after the September 11th attacks, the cruise industry has re-evaluated all of its protocols and come up with a new approach.

Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings teamed up to create a panel of health experts that would oversee development of enhanced cruise line health and safety protocols.

Known as the "Healthy Sail Panel", this group is comprised of top experts in public health, infectious disease, biosecurity, hospitality and maritime operations in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Serving at the head of the new panel will be Governor Mike Leavitt, former Secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Healthy Sail Panel came up with 74 recommendations for cruise ships to operate safely, that include masks, social distancing, testing and more.

In confirming the single case of COVID-19, Royal Caribbean seemed satisfied in the fact their system is working, "That we were able to quickly identify this single case and take immediate action is a sign that the system is working as it was designed to do."

Moreover, Royal Caribbean has said for a while these protocols will need to evolve, and be adjusted as necessary.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has spoken about the need to learn what is working and what is not working, and make necessary changes.

"We'll start at one point and then gradually, as knowledge of the disease, as the testing, as the contact tracing, as vaccines come on board, that will gradually adjust."

"Our mantra is continuous improvement. And it means just that everything gets better, every chance we get."

Cruise fans react

The news of the positive case on Quantum of the Seas was not welcome news, but not totally unexpected either.

Many cruise fans shared their thoughts on the incident on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

sk8erguy1978 echoed what so many cruise fans feel right now, "This is a bit of a blow. Hopefully the new procedures keep the case count to this one individual, proving they can limit an outbreak. But, this is a big win for the naysayers and those who believe ships are floating petri dishes."

twangster was satisfied with the how the protocols kicked in, "The encouraging view is that the protocols worked.  If there were around 1,000 guest on board, there was one case discovered and isolated."

Traveler saw the bright side of the incident, "For sure lesson learning needs to be done, but I see it as good results. We have a proof that even if you find one sick person on the ship its not the end of the world. "

One of the early reactions from many cruise fans has also been they see the role of vaccines becoming more and more likely to be required.

Neither Royal Caribbean, nor any cruise line has mentioned if a COVID-19 vaccine would be required, but it has not stopped many from speculating on it.

Oliver wrote, "Cruising is never going to happen without proof of vaccination."

AndrewPunch shared, "In my humble opinion, cruises won't start in the US till summer and require a vaccine passport".

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas returned to Singapore after one passenger onboard tested positive for COVID-19.

UPDATE: The passenger has tested negative in three different tests

An 83-year-old passenger has been identified as the passenger that reported not feeling well to the ship's medical staff.

Singapore Tourism Board Director Annie Chang told the Associated Press that the passenger complained of diarrhea.

In addition, that passenger had been tested prior to boarding Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement that the passenger was isolated, and other crew members and guests who had close contact were isolated and tested.

Quantum of the Seas returned to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore, and was eventually cleared to disembark passengers after 7:30pm local time.

Our friends at Singapore Cruise Society shared photos of Quantum of the Seas arriving back in Singapore.

Guests began disembarking off Quantum of the Seas in groups, and all will undergo an Antigen Rapid Test before returning home.

According to the Singapore Cruise Society, Royal Caribbean will cancel the next scheduled sailing of Quantum of the Seas, which is a 4-night sailing departing on December 10.

Once the positive test onboard had been reported, the ship's captain asked passengers to remain in their staterooms "in an abundance of caution".

The ship's return and ability to disembark passengers without a lengthy quarantine onboard is a testament to both Royal Caribbean's onboard protocols, as well as its agreement with the Singaporean government.

"That we were able to quickly identify this single case and take immediate action is a sign that the system is working as it was designed to do," the cruise line said in a statement.

A positive case of Coronavirus has been identified and isolated aboard the only Royal Caribbean cruise ship in operation.

UPDATE: The passenger has tested negative in three different tests

Cruise Critic is reporting a positive case of COVID-19 has been identified on Quantum of the Seas and as a result, the ship is headed back to Singapore as part of the government's protocols.

In addition, Royal Caribbean has isolated and quarantined the guests and crew that had close contact with the guest, per the cruise line's protocols.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the case and issued a statement regarding what is happening.

One guest aboard Quantum of the Seas tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with our medical team.

We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals have subsequently tested negative for the virus.

The ship is returning to port today in accordance with government protocols, and will debark guests after a review of contact tracing is completed.

We are in communication with the Singapore government, and appreciate their guidance as we work together to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew.

We worked closely with the government to develop a thorough system that tests and monitors all guests and crew and follows public health best practices. That we were able to quickly identify this single case and take immediate action is a sign that the system is working as it was designed to do.

Quantum of the Seas resumed cruises last week, offering short cruises from Singapore and only to residents of Singapore.

Quantum of the Seas is equipped  with upgraded medical facilities where rapid SARS-CoV-2 tests can be conducted onboard to provide rapid, accurate onsite RT-PCR testing with results in under an hour, alongside a multitude of other evaluative tests. 

In addition, every guest on the ship is wearing either a contact tracing token or utilizing a contact tracing app to identify exactly who may have come in contact with someone that tests positive.

Multi-tiered plan to mitigate risks

Early on, Royal Caribbean said its plans had to accept risk and acknowledge there are no guarantees.

One of the co-chairmen of the Healthy Sail Panel's co-chairmen, Governor Mike Leavitt, talked about the realities of planning new policies and procedures with realistic expectations.

When Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings created the Healthy Sail Panel, they had to recognize nothing in society is every completely safe, and you have to accept that risk before crafting a response for it.

"We put together this combination not just because of their subject matter expertise, but because they have had long experience in evaluating ideas and being able to come to an understanding that there's no place in our society that you can say is absolutely 100 percent safe."

"We all manage risks every day, whether we're walking across the street or opening a package of food. There's some kind of risk involved in all of that."

"The idea isn't that we can eliminate all of that. The idea is we can manage it and understanding that perspective and recognizing that it requires judgment to do this well."

Response plan

Royal Caribbean developed a plan to respond to a scenario such as this, and coordinated these plans with the Singaporean government.

According to Royal Caribbean's health protocols, in the event a guest tests positive for COVID-19, a "robust, tiered response plan" goes into effect.

The tiers increase protocols and vigilance onboard while providing transparent updates to guests the whole way.

In partnership with local authorities, Royal Caribbean has developed transport protocols to ensure we can get guests home safely. 

In fact, Royal Caribbean identified early that being "stuck" in quarantine on a cruise ship was not something any guest wanted, and a result, Royal Caribbean has developed transport agreements with local authorities in a situation like this to get everyone home safely.

Royal Caribbean has extended the date when you can book a cruise to take advantage of its double loyalty program points on 2021 cruises.

The Loyalty 2X Points benefit offers double the Crown and Anchor Society points per night, and was limited to 2021 cruises that were booked by December 31, 2020.

Instead, all bookings made through January 31, 2021 and departing between March 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 will qualify for the double points.

There is no change to existing 2021 cruises booked, as they already qualify for the benefit as well.

The change appears to be a result of Royal Caribbean cancelling cruises through the end of February 2021, which has resulted in a push back of when sailings might restart in the United States.

The Double Points offer has been extremely popular with cruisers who are eager to move up the cruise line's customer loyalty program faaster.

Instead of the usual one point per night, Royal Caribbean said it would double the points per night (including other staterooms as well):

• Standard room: 2 points per night
• Suite room: 4 points per night
• Solo guest in standard room: 4 points per night
• Solo guest in suite: 6 points per night

Loyalty 2X Points is available to Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Crown & Anchor Society members.

Crown and Anchor points will be applied once the guest has paid their booking in full and completed their sailing. 

Read more: Top 8 Royal Caribbean Double Points questions

Why getting double points matters

The reason why so many cruisers are excited about the Double Points offer is because Royal Caribbean rarely offers opportunities to earn more customer loyalty points.

When the cruise line has had extra points offers, they have been much more restrictive and has not been offered in quite some time.

By earning more points per night, it makes it easier to move up to the next tier of the Crown and Anchor Society. Higher tiers provide amenities such as priority embarkation, complimentary offers and discounts on the ship and much more.

Ever since Royal Caribbean started taking volunteer sign ups for test cruises, there has been an incredible amount of interest from guests.

Numbers from different sources point to somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 people that have signed up as a volunteer.

"The participation in and sentiment of the comments and conversations on the Volunteers of the Seas group has been incredibly motivating," Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Travel Weekly.

"It's refreshing to be reminded of all the people out there who are excited about the possibility of sailing and eager to come onboard a Royal Caribbean International ship again."

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tasked the cruise lines with conducting an unspecified amount of test cruises to demonstrate new health protocols can work effectively.

The CDC also stipulated that test cruises must include volunteers who are not paying to be onboard.

In November 2020, Royal Caribbean set up a form for guests to sign up if they were interested in being a volunteer for a test cruise.

Read more: Top 14 things the CDC requires cruise ships do on test sailings

From the moment the form went live, interest spiked almost immediately. There has been a great deal of interest from cruising die hards who lament the loss of cruises this year and are eager to get back onboard.

Royal Caribbean has not announced how or when it will pick volunteers, or if any of the volunteers will be used at all.

Initially, Royal Caribbean said it would primarily use cruise line employees as volunteers for its test cruises, in a similar manner to how the cruise line has tested out new ships prior to their official debut.

There was so much interest from guests in being a volunteer that Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley had a sign up form set up.

Last week, Mr. Bayley hinted that Pinnacle members in Crown and Anchor Society and other high tier members might get the first shot at being a volunteer.

"Our top tier has the name of Pinnacle and they've cruised with us a gazillion times … they'll be amongst the first to receive the invitation."

"We haven't figured out our protocols yet for the volunteers but certainly loyalty status will be a key selector."

Read more: Here's how to sign up to be a volunteer for a Royal Caribbean test cruise

Royal Caribbean has set up a Facebook group for anyone interested in being a volunteer, but has conveyed very little information about how volunteers would be used, if at all.

In addition to there not being any information about how volunteers will be picked, when test sailings might actually occur is equally unknown.

There is speculation they could begin as soon as December or January, but there has been no official timeline released by the cruise line.

Short cruises to private island will be first

Regardless of if there are test cruises or the first revenue sailings, expect the first cruises back in North America to be short sailings to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean has mentioned that early sailings will start slowly, and include a stop at a private island where guest movements are more easily controlled.

Jason T. Liberty, executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer talked about this scenario recently, "Deployment of spring is expected to be highly focused on short sailings from key drive markets in both the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions."

"We will also make the most out of our incredible private destination in the Bahamas. Perfect Day at CocoCay."

Everyone makes mistakes, and no one sees more of them than travel agents.

Whether these mistakes are being made by first time cruisers, or someone that has been on a few sailings, travel agents often triage the fallout of these problems and work to make things right.

I reached out to my friends at MEI Travel to see what sort of rookie mistakes they see more often from guests, so that everyone can learn to avoid them.

Booking non-refundable deposit

Everyone wants to save money where they can, but booking non-refundable cruise deposit and regretting it later is a common mistake travel agents see all the time.

Royal Caribbean offers two types of deposits: refundable and non-refundable.

Non-refundable deposits mean a little extra savings, but you incur change fees if you want to change the reservation to another ship or sailing, or if you want to cancel.

As is often the case, guests want to book the non-refundable to save money up front, but run into trouble when plans change and they incur the penalties.

My advice is to always book refundable cruise fare for the flexibility it provides.

Minimum bids for RoyalUp

A relatively new way to get a cabin upgrade for less than the post rate is to place a bid with the RoyalUp program, but how much you bid is a major factor.

RoyalUp is a blind bidding process, where close to your cruise you can place a bid for how much you would be willing to pay to move up a higher category stateroom.

Sharla Manglass said the minimum bid amount often sets the wrong expectation because people bid the minimum and expect to get the upgrade.

Ms. Manglass says guests should place their bid, and then check with a travel agent to see what the price is for an upgrade because sometimes you can find a good deal by upgrading the old fashioned way.

Read more: How to upgrade your cabin on Royal Caribbean

Not asking their travel agent for more help

I love using travel agent to book my cruises because of the services they provide, but all too often people book with travel agents and never take advantage of their expertise.

Asking a travel agent for help beyond the booking is something you should absolutely be doing, because it is part of what makes a travel advisor so useful.

Travel agents can provide advice on which shore excursions to book, the best dining times and answer questions along the way.

"I'm not just there to price check," Ms. Manglass said. "I can help out every step of the way."

Read more: 10 Secrets Royal Caribbean travel agents wish you knew

Not booking travel under their legal name

Attention Bob, Becky, Matt, Mike, Vicky and Jen: be sure to book your cruises under your legal name and not your nicknames.

Not booking travel under your legal name can lead to a problem at check-in when the names do not match up.

From a legal standpoint, the ship manifest has to match your name on your legal documents, such as passport or birth certificate.

Double check you are providing your legal names when booking to avoid a mess at the pier.

Read more: Do you need a passport for a cruise?

Overlooking purchasing travel insurance

Another common mistake is to not understand why you might need travel insurance.

Travel insurance plans cover a wide variety of scenarios, from lost luggage to travel delays to injuries.

Michelle Cunningham thinks travel insurance has never been more important to consider than for cruises now, "Nowadays, its more about sickness or injury, or needing to be life-flighted somewhere Insurance I think will become mandatory for some places."

Read more: Why you should get travel insurance for your cruise

Waiting to book at the last minute

While last minute cruise deals are not impossible, they are extremely rare and you are less likely to save money relying on this strategy.

Cruise pricing close to the sail date tends to become quite volatile, and quite often travel agents see prices go up rather than go down.

"This only works for some cruises but we have seen cruise rates jump a lot so honestly booking farther out is a better options," Ms. Cunningham said.

What you want to do instead is book your cruise as early as you can to lock in the best rates.  Typically, the lower prices are many months before the cruise sails.

Read more: How far in advance should I book a cruise to get the best price?

Not having proper or expired documentation

You will need certain government issued documents in order to go on your cruise, so do not wait until the last minute to verify you have them.

Moreover, double check your passport will not be expired by the time your cruise vacation occurs. All too often, people look at their passport expiration date today, and do not take into account the passport expiration date relative to their cruise travel.

If your passport expires, you cannot use it to check in for the cruise.

Ms. Cunningham always reminds her clients to check their passports at final payment date, it is a good idea to check even earlier, "clients sometimes do not pull out their passport until the week of the cruise, then its too late to do anything."

Read more: Choosing between the passport card vs book

Not understanding how gratuities work

Gratuities on a Royal Caribbean cruise can trip up first timers because it is not built into the cruise fare price, but it is still expected as part of the overall vacation.

Jennifer Kelln told me some cruisers are not aware that gratuities are automatically charged once the cruise begins.

A way to avoid the surprise later is to pre-pay your gratuities before the cruise.

Read more: Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise?

Waiting to book excursions on the ship

Researching what there is to do in each port and finding the right shore excursion is often overlooked in the vacation planning process.

Not doing any research on what there is to do in each port your ship visits leaves you at a disadvantage by trying to "wing it". Plus, you risk tours selling out or paying more for the same tours on the ship.

You can avoid this problem by doing a little bit of research before your cruise (don't forget to ask your travel agent for advice), as well as price shop. Royal Caribbean often runs sales on shore excursions before the cruise begins.

Read more: How to save money on cruise excursions

Flying the same day the cruise departs

A major faux pas is to book your flights the same day your cruise departs because you are putting you entire vacation in jeopardy if there is any kind of travel delay.

Travel delays are all too common: cancelled flights, snow storms, flat tires, etc. If your flight gets you in later than scheduled, you might end up missing the cruise ship all together.

Instead, plan to arrive to your departure port at least one day early so that you can protect yourself against a travel delay impacting your ability to get on your cruise. 

As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner!  And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore.

Read more: Why you shouldn't fly to your cruise the same day it begins

Cruise ship design is not simple, and far be it for me to claim I could do a better job, but there are definitely a few decisions made regarding Royal Caribbean cruise ships that make you scratch your head.

Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are marvels of modern engineering, and the New Build team at Royal Caribbean spends an incredible amount of time planning out every inch of the ship.

However, there are a few puzzling design choices on a few ships that some guests have wondered for a while why is that way?

Here is a look at the top five odd annoyances on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that you may have encountered yourself.

Elevators that don't go to every floor on Majesty of the Seas

While Majesty of the Seas is one of the oldest ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet, I think people in the early 1990s still expected elevators to go to every floor.

Unlike most other ships, Majesty's elevators only go to certain floors.

The aft elevators only go from Deck 5 to Deck 14.

Mid ship elevators only go from Deck 3 to Deck 7.

Forward elevators go from 1 to 11.

On other Royal Caribbean ships, an elevator not going to a certain deck is quite rare, but Majesty's are the exception.

No public bathrooms near Main Dining Room on Vision Class ships

If you are having dinner in the My Fair Lady dining room on deck 5 of a Vision Class ship, you will have to go down a deck to access the restroom.

The Main Dining Room on Vision Class ships encompasses Deck 4 and 5, but there are only restrooms outside the Main Dining Room on Deck 4.

So you will have to either go up to deck 6 or down to deck 4 to visit the restroom from the dining room.

Remote Concierge Lounge location Quantum Class ships

They say everything is relative, including how far of a walk you have to the Concierge Lounge.

The Concierge Lounge is the hub of activity for suite guests, where they can speak to the Concierge host or enjoy time chatting with other suite guests and enjoy complimentary beverages and hors d'oeuvres.

On most Royal Caribbean ships, the Concierge Lounge is located near an elevator, and more or less central on the ship.  On Quantum Class ships, the Concierge Lounge is located at the far end of Deck 12.

This means suite guests must traverse the entire length of Deck 12 to get to the Concierge Lounge, and then walk back when complete. 

Can't cross the ship on certain decks

This annoyance is one that always gets me because I usually remember I am about to run into a dead end by the time it is too late.

Certain decks on Voyager or Freedom Class ships are not passable between the aft and forward sections because of public venues that are in the way.

The most common one is on Deck 3, where Studio B essentially cuts that deck in half preventing going from one end to another.

The conference center on Deck 2 also makes getting across a problem.

Can't cross the deck on Deck 7 of Oasis Class ships

If you happen to be near the aft staterooms on Deck 7 of an Oasis Class ship, you cannot get from the port side to the starboard side of the ship.

The Boardwalk sign blocks access between port and starboard on deck 7. Instead, you have to go up/down a floor, cross over, and then up/down a floor back.

This means you have to choose wisley which elevator bank you select to get off on the same side as your room.

Your thoughts

What head scratching features, impediments, or funky ways to do things on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship have you noticed? Share your (un)favorites in the comments below!

It looks like Royal Caribbean's mobile app has gone from utility to must-have.

Guests who go to Royal Caribbean's website to complete online check-in are now seeing a large banner informing them, "You are required to download the mobile app prior to sailing."

With Royal Caribbean preparing to restart cruise operations, dependency on the smart phone app has never been greater because so many new features are being incorporated onto it.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog has confirmed that there will be assistance available for guests who do not have a smartphone or device, so you will not be denied boarding if you do not have the app.

Ever since Royal Caribbean debuted its app, the cruise line has added more functionality and made it a larger part of the overall experience.

With new features and capabilities coming to Royal Caribbean's app as a result of ensuring health and safety are the top priority. This includes a variety of new changes:

• Enforced check-in times at the cruise terminal
• Muster 2.0 enhanced safety drill
• Digital Key and stateroom controls
• Guest to guest chat feature
• Wellness check and health questionnaires 

You can download the Royal Caribbean app from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

It is important to note that you do not need to purchase internet access in order to use the app features in the app. In fact, you can use the app on a tablet or other non-cellular device.

On the first cruises back on Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, guests have been informed the app is required of all guests before the ship sails.

In Singapore, guests who do not show up on time for their check-in may experience a delay in waiting, "Your check-in appointment is dedicated to your screening, so arriving earlier will have you turned away until your time."

For guests that do not elect to get the app, they are missing out on the ability to make onboard plans and avoid crowds, track their own expenses and better plan their day.

The app will be how you conduct the onboard safety drill. This must be done before the ship sails and is required of all guests.  It can be completed through your stateroom television as an alternative to the app.

The app will also be how you make reservations for all dining, shore excursion, activity, and entertainment.

Royal Caribbean believes the app is just as much about convenience as it is providing contactless means to conduct daily cruise life activities.

Phones on a cruise?

The role of smart devices on a cruise has been a long-standing debate among cruise fans.

While most guests own smart devices, the question of if they prefer to use them or not on a cruise is a point of contention for some.

There are some cruisers who prefer to disconnect and leave their smart devices off while on a cruise because of a preference for simplicity.

kontraxed posted on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards he always puts his phone away when he gets onboard, "Normally, the first thing I do when I get on a cruise ship is turn off my cell phone and put it in the safe...For me, that's bliss! "

Many other guests keep their phones with them and use them either sparingly, or avoid work-related functitons while on vacation.

If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise booked, then you probably have logged into the Cruise Planner website to peruse the different things you can pre-purchase for the cruise. There are drink packages, shore excursions, and something that promises to save you lots of time, called The Key.

The Key was introduced in 2018 and it is essentially a way to pay to get priority access to select services and benefits. It is a way for a cruise guest to pay to get VIP treatment onboard and save some time.

Since its inception, a lot of people have wondered if The Key is worth the price, and if it is as good as it sounds. Essentially, does paying extra get you enough to justify the price?

What is The Key?

The Key is a an optional program that you can purchase for your family to enjoy exclusive benefits and priority access on your cruise.

There is a daily fee that you have to pay for you and everyone in your stateroom above the age of 5 that can make the entire cruise experience a little bit easier by saving you time waiting later.

The appeal is you can book a cabin that is not a suite, but still get VIP benefits that give you an edge over other guests.

After you purchase it, your SeaPass card will have a sticker on it to indicate to other crew members you are entitled to its benefits.

What are the benefits of The Key?

Included in the daily cost of The Key are these opportunities:

• Priority check-in and boarding on Day 1 
• Carry-on bag drop off in the Main Dining Room with stateroom delivery
• Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room with a delicious menu featuring Chops Grille on embarkation day
• Private hours at onboard activities, such as Rock Climbing, FlowRider and more
• Priority departure at ports of call from ship-to-shore
• Seats in the exclusive VIP seating section at shows in the Main theater, Aqua Theater, Studio B, and Two70
• VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device high speed internet – 1 package per paying guest
• On debarkation day, an exclusive a la carte breakfast and choice departure

There are a few limitations to some of the benefits:

• Priority check-in and boarding will not be offered in Vancouver, Canada or at any ports in Australia.
• Carry-on luggage drop-off service is limited to two pieces per guest and can weigh no more than 25 pounds per carry-on.
• Onboard activities included in private hours vary by ship and sailing. Private hour schedule will be delivered onboard with welcome letter on Day 1.

You should also know that the VIP seating for The Key may not be exactly where you prefer to sit in the theater, and private hours for onboard activities are limited opportunities that may or may not work with your schedule.

How much does The Key cost?

Just like the drink packages, the cost of the Key depends on your sailing.

The price can range between $19.99 to $29.99 to even as much as $37.99 per person, per day. You must purchase it for everyone who is at least six years old in your stateroom.

The Key must be purchased before the cruise begins on Royal Caribbean's website and cannot be purchased on the cruise ship.

Furthermore, it is a limited quantity option, which means it could sell out if enough people choose to buy it.

Should you buy The Key?

Cruise fans have varying opinions of if The Key is worth the money or not, because it boils down to the extra costs and how much you value the added benefits.

If you are already booked in a suite, there are too many benefits that are shared between Royal Caribbean's suites and The Key to make the program beneficial.

Likewise, if you are at least Diamond in the Crown and Anchor Society customer loyalty program, you get a few of these benefits for no additional cost, so you can skip The Key as well.

The appeal of the Key is for people that answer yes to these important considerations:

• You are going to purchase onboard internet for everyone in your stateroom anyway. The daily cost of WiFi access is a big part of The Key cost, and if you subtract the cost of WiFi from The Key, you are left with a few extra dollars per day for the added benefits.
• You hate waiting in lines. No one likes waiting in lines, but some people absolutely cannot stand it and paying extra to bypass lines is worth every penny. If this describes someone in your family, then The Key delivers on that promise.
• You want to try a lot of the signature activities. If you definitely want to go up the Rock Climbing wall, or bounce on the Sky Pad, then the benefits of the Key can save a lot of time during your cruise (especially on longer sailings).

Ultimately, The Key is an option to buy into exclusive access, but the daily cost may be too much for some to spend.

If you have the money for it, and you really want to get a VIP treatment, then The Key can make a lot of sense.