We traveled on Anthem with our two sons (4 and 6) and my mom (71). We purchased The Key, and the original reason is because although my son has autism, RCI does not offer priority disembarking for ports of call. It was completely worth it to skip the lines getting on and off the ship. We had a special lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Italian which was just okay. Occasionally RCI would leave us treats like fruit or cookies in our stateroom, which was pleasant. And the day we disembarked, we had a fabulous special breakfast in the dining room.

The VOOM internet service is the fastest at sea, which makes me feel sad for anyone using slower internet. Streaming was near impossible. I downloaded iQ app which took at least 15 minutes. If we didn’t get it with The Key I wouldn’t have paid for it. The Royal iQ app left quite a lot to be desired. It would have been nice to actually see menus for restaurants, give shop opening hours, and allow you to chat with guest services.

The service set the experience apart from other vacations. Almost everyone was helpful and nice. Our dining room hostess, Elizabeth, was amazing. She really took the initiative to get to know us and our children. Every morning the boys looked forward to seeing her. Our housekeeper, Daisy, was also great. She set up the impossible pull out bed every afternoon. Adorable towel animals always accompanied our turn down service. And she always wanted to know how she could help make our stay great. Read more