Holy cow "The Key" went up in price big!

[JAMESCC]

A few weeks ago I was gonna get "The Key" for 3 for a 5 day cruise to Bermuda on Anthem and I believe it was like 374.85. Then I checked a few days later and the option was gone and I just checked again and it was back but for 37.99 per person and was like 570 bucks. What the heck is going on because that price its completely insane. I wanted to try it at the other price, no way at this price. Did I miss something where they increased the price or is this normal? Was the 24.99 a sale when I saw because I didn't see "sale" anywhere on the page? 

[ONECRUISER]

15 minutes ago, JAMESCC said:

A few weeks ago I was gonna get "The Key" for 3 for a 5 day cruise to Bermuda on Anthem and I believe it was like 374.85. Then I checked a few days later and the option was gone and I just checked again and it was back but for 37.99 per person and was like 570 bucks. What the heck is going on because that price its completely insane. I wanted to try it at the other price, no way at this price. Did I miss something where they increased the price or is this normal? Was the 24.99 a sale when I saw because I didn't see "sale" anywhere on the page? 

Prices with everything on Royal go up as slots fill up or become more popular. They can vary cruise to cruise and ship to ship

Edited April 27, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[Colorado Babe]

Wow!  We only paid, $19.99 per day for our Adventure cruise next weekend.  

[DaniDanielle]

It doesn’t seem worth it to get the Key for the few benefits it offers.  I don’t mind keeping my carryon with me and we never had issues getting a good theater seat ....

[Artemus]

Holy smokes ‼️

I just checked my Harmony cruise for August and it is $37.99 also.

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Artemus

[not-enough-cruising]

Have had it on 2 occasions at $19.99 PPPD. At this price I felt it was worthwhile for us, but that would be the top of the mark that I would pay.  

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, DaniDanielle said:

It doesn’t seem worth it to get the Key for the few benefits it offers.  I don’t mind keeping my carryon with me and we never had issues getting a good theater seat ....

Agree....  lunch at Chop's...I'm fine without doing that and also the disembarkation breakfast...easy to find food elsewhere. So not worth it to us either.

[BND]

Purely supply and demand.  As word gets out and more people book, price will go up as it fills up faster.  It's no different than anything else they've done (or any other business by building interest first).  From drink packages to cabanas.  Cabanas on Labadee that started out at $150 a few years ago when they were first introduced are over $400 now.  We've never found any of the packages to be worth it for us.  Businesses don't make them to save guests money, they do them to make money.

Edited April 27, 2019 by BND

[mcatmcat]

The key is not for me since I don’t really enjoy the perks or I simply can get some of the perk for free but yeah I noticed it went up in my cruise ( navigator)

[klfrodo]

Obviously the price point was set too low.

The benefits are very nice and in some cases have reduced the benefits for those who earned them the hard way.

I welcome the increase in pricing. The Key is meant to be exclusive. Set the price point to make it exclusive. Sell fewer spots but still make the projected revenue.

[Ashland]

18 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Obviously the price point was set too low.

The benefits are very nice and in some cases have reduced the benefits for those who earned them the hard way.

I welcome the increase in pricing. The Key is meant to be exclusive. Set the price point to make it exclusive. Sell fewer spots but still make the projected revenue.

I earned my D+ benefits the hard way...with the thought that would be exclusive...not so much anymore.

[marci22]

There must be strong demand for it. Seems popular on these boards. They will keep raising the price until people stop booking it.

[jptoz]

For that price it better get you into Coastal Kitchen. There's not one benefit that I think is a must have on Anthem.

[JAMESCC]

Well I really wanted to check it out and try it but not at this price. We get the internet package for 3 devices so this would have been just a pinch more for a bunch of cool perks. Now its in outer space so we do without it. Oh well, it would have been fun to try but we'll have a great cruise without it.

[nashirak]

Simple supply and demand. It was selling out quickly pre-cruise, so they’ll raise the price until the hit a diminishing return. I was on the fence at 20/person (we usually get internet anyway since we leave little ones with grandparents and want to be reachable), but for that price I’d rather just book a suite when on oasis/quantum. 

[blueridgemama]

41 minutes ago, nashirak said:

Simple supply and demand. It was selling out quickly pre-cruise, so they’ll raise the price until the hit a diminishing return. I was on the fence at 20/person (we usually get internet anyway since we leave little ones with grandparents and want to be reachable), but for that price I’d rather just book a suite when on oasis/quantum. 

 

I'm confused? If you can afford a suite why would you even consider The Key? Most people considering The Key can not afford the many thousands of dollars extra for a suite.

[nashirak]

22 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

 

I'm confused? If you can afford a suite why would you even consider The Key? Most people considering The Key can not afford the many thousands of dollars extra for a suite.

Depends on the ship and sailing. Our next cruise is 11 nights, so the key at the new price for two would be $814, another $200 and I can just upgrade to a grand suite. So it just depends on the situation. 

 

It it wasn’t a blanket statement meant for everyone in every situation 👍

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, nashirak said:

Simple supply and demand. It was selling out quickly pre-cruise, so they’ll raise the price until the hit a diminishing return.

Unlikely it's a supply/demand thing. As mentioned earlier, they did this about a month ago - the price temporarily was raised to $32 fleet wide and then it came back down to the original MSRP of $25 a few days later. I'm betting that $37 is a place holder for some other lower price once they figure things out. If it was truly supply/demand the pricing would be more gradual and ship dependent.

[TTraub1250]

It is not called supply & demand pricing anymore.  The Universities have a new name for it and they have a whole course on " Marketing Analytics".  They teach this new generation to use real time data to adjust pricing much quicker, respond to competitor pricing changes, and be able to counter whip sawing in the market place with statistical analysis, instead of flying by the seat of your pants market pricing.  

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, TTraub1250 said:

It is not called supply & demand pricing anymore.  The Universities have a new name for it and they have a whole course on " Marketing Analytics".  They teach this new generation to use real time data to adjust pricing much quicker, respond to competitor pricing changes, and be able to counter whip sawing in the market place with statistical analysis, instead of flying by the seat of your pants market pricing.  

Yup.  But the old "you snooze, you lose" saying also still applies in many cases.

[Iamcruzin]

I'm just amazed at the prices people are willing to pay especially on vacation. I will take earning privileges the hard way if that means taking more cruises over paying for instant gratification.  

[Ocean Boy]

6 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

I'm just amazed at the prices people are willing to pay especially on vacation. I will take earning privileges the hard way if that means taking more cruises over paying for instant gratification.  

I don't know how many times I have read post to the effect that.... I am on vacation and I don't care what it costs....

 

Personally, if I don't feel that I am getting a good value for my money, especially on something like a vacation, I just won't enjoy it.  And I, too, have earned my RCI privileges the hard way... and enjoyed every step along the way.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

7 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I'm just amazed at the prices people are willing to pay especially on vacation. I will take earning privileges the hard way if that means taking more cruises over paying for instant gratification.  

Yeah...the $20/day/person fee (or more) for basically a number of the same things you get with statuses in C&A is likely quite a money maker but also a ton of cash for "instant non-status convenience".  For $560 on a 7-day cruise for a family of 4...I'd rather use it for a Suite upgrade.

[ladytaekwondo]

Never thought it was worth it at $19.99

[dbarton02]

The span of comments is really amazing on this thread (and I'm not saying it as a knock on one end, or to back up someone else on another). 

 

Similar reaction on a greater scale to the pricing of rooms on the cruise I have upcoming in July.  We booked on board last year while on the Anthem, and currently, rooms for a Junior suite are over double what we would have paid for our family of 4 in one room. 

Exact thought?  "Damn!  Glad I booked when I did.  We wouldn't be taking that trip if we waited 'till now to book!" 

 

Simple approach to something like this (be it The Key - a Drink Package, or a Cruise or anything, really):  

 

1.) Is the item you're looking to purchase at a price range you feel comfortable purchasing?

if yes, then ask:

2.) Do you feel purchasing this item will give you a benefit or return equal to or greater than the cost you paid?

if yes, then BUY IT

 

If you answered no to #1, then end the thought right there. 

If you answered no to #2, the same applies  😀

 

I'm not going to buy a Crown Loft Suite for my family of four to take a vacation (Horrible father, I know) simply because I know what I can comfortably afford to enjoy time away.  

For those that can?  I salute you!