Dolby1000

Although I have entered reviews before here on Cruise Critic, this is the first time I’m going to try a live report, with pictures if I can figure out things between my iPhone and this new iPad. It will be easier taking pictures on the phone and sending them to the iPad, but I’m not sure if we will be able to have 2 devices on the internet. We are in suite, so having one is included, not sure if being in a suite means each one of us (there are 2) can hook up a device.

About us:

Dinks, 65 (DW) and 62 (me), married 38 years. Our anniversary was earlier in April but since it was around Easter, we delayed the cruise for a month as the prices were much less in May.

This trip is in celebration of my late Aunt Betty, we will be remembering her all week. She died last year at the age of 91 and the world is a little less bright, and yes, less cranky, than it was. We loved her a lot.

We live in Lakeland, Florida, so sailing out of Port Canaveral is very convenient for us, and we love the Oasis class ships.

This is our 12th RCCL cruise, having sailed before on the Allure (3 times), Serenade (2 times), Mariner, Adventure, Brilliance, Rhapsody, and the Grandeur during her very first year, let me tell you, since that wonderful trip on the Grandeur back in 1997, things sure have changed! And not all for the better either. No subsequent cruise on any line (including Disney, HAL and NCL) has the food approached what we had back in 1997!

We are staying at the Hampton Inn, Cocoa Beach for 2 nights before the cruise. We’ve stayed here many times before. Nothing fancy but we can park once and the beach and restaurants and other entertainments are within walking distance.

We hope on Saturday to hang out at the beach by the port exit and picture the four ships leaving port that day.

We splurged for a Grand Suite.

Since we were not impressed with the Main Dining experience on our last Allure cruise, we plan on taking most dinners in the Coastal Kitchen. We do have a lunch planned on the first sea day at Giovanni’s. Otherwise, we might check out Playmakers, Hooked and The Mason Jar. One day, we’ll have the beef sandwich at the Park Cafe.

I have reserved a Chill Island Cabana on Cocacay as they are much closer than the ones on the Southern Beach. We have found the shoreline and the water too rocky on that end of the island. This will be our first time hanging out at Chill Beach. The Wonder is the only ship at Cococay so things should be pretty roomy.

Nothing planned on Cozumel, for Roatan we’re taking a standard island tour, and we’re thinking of doing the Beach Break on Costa Maya. The pyramids are just too far of a busy ride for us.

I hope to post pictures along the way, here are a few in advance. Our anniversary dinner 4 weeks ago, members of the cast of Mama Mia on the Allure, they were working our Muster Station and being return cruises, we were the first to check in. The tall one on our right was one of the male leads. And the Bay Bridge from our Serenade cruise from 2023.

I'm so enjoying your reports! Mostly, I lurk about here on Cruise Critic but then I saw Ronn Lucas on your entertainment guide and I had to comment.

We saw Ronn in Las Vegas years ago and loved every minute (i enjoy ventriloquists). Quite envious for your show. If you stayed, can you tell me if Scorch (a green dragon) is still part of his show?

Thank you

Keep posting, I almost feel as if we are all with you. I take inspiration from your travels.

Dolby1000

24 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I hope you have in your bucket list the Skagway train in Alaska.  It is great and do it in May or June with some snow still on the mountains

Taking a tour of the entire Alaska Rail system is a definite bucket list item, such a trip is very pricey though.

One reason we booked the train through the ship is that, especially during the summer months (which is when we are going, July 2025) is that the train can sell out and I am not going to Norway one time and risk missing this thing. I am a train buff and this is a major bucket list item for me.

Anyone taken a shore excursion here? Would live to hear about others experiences, we are considering it for an upcoming Wonder Cruise.

Thanks in advance.

Dolby1000

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

It probably will only be scheduled once on their short cruises, but it is well worth adjusting your schedule so you can see it.

On our 4 days cruise, as I remember, there was an 8PM evening show and a mid-late afternoon show to try and accommodate both dinner seatings.

On 3/4/2024 at 9:43 AM, island lady said:

Disembarkation was very simple yesterday.   Was home, unpacked, and a first load of laundry in by 9 am.  🙂 

 

Though we still adore Wonder, we are not really a fan of the large ships any longer..... and the Carib is becoming too mundane for us.  Way too many uncontrolled children this last week as well.  But we loved CK, some of the shows (especially the ice show) and the quiet of our cabin to return to.  

 

We have one more large ship to visit, Allure in May....only because it is another local home port ship (about to leave us) and we have never been on board that ship.  Plus I really want to see Mamma Mia at least once.  

 

 

 

 

Seeing Mama Mia makes the trip on the Allure mandatory. They do a great job.

Following along, we are on the Wonder on 5/5/24, so excited about that.

Dolby1000

I'm enjoying your trip report, and the family pictures are turning out great. Sound like your family is having the time of the lives.

How did you book Paradise Beach? We are going to Cozumel in May and this sounds like our kind of day.

Thank You

We were on the Allure 3 weeks ago and the dining room menu and execution of the menu items I rated as a 1 on the survey. Not only was the selection very poor, but they couldn't even correctly cook the dishes they offered.

I wish they would read the surveys and at least train the kitchen staff better and bring back higher quality too.

Review of our Allure of the Seas B2B cruises from 12/1 and 12/4. 3 days to Nassau and CocoCay and 4 days to the same ports with a sea day. No pictures, we’ve all been there! Although there are some criticisms here, overall we had a great time, we love cruising.

For the 3 day we were in a balcony cabin on deck 11 at the exact center of the ship and for the 4 day we were in a forward balcony cabin on deck 7. This was our first time trying a B2B as after we had booked the 3 day for my birthday, we decided 3 days was not enough and added the second one more than a month later. Interesting that the 4 day (Mon-Fri) was less expensive than the 3 day weekend one. This was a cruise “on the cheap” so to speak, no shore excursions, no specialty restaurants and being Diamond, no need for any drink package, but since I love the choices of Freestyle, we did buy those for the 3 day cruise.

Quick note on Deck 7 cabins. The aft elevator banks do not connect. If you are in a starboard cabin, be sure to use that set of elevators because due to the Boardwalk on Deck 6, there is no hallway connecting the two banks. The forward elevators have a hallway, so it is not an issue there.

My wife is a diabetic on the pump and a CGM. We were able to take these manually through security without issue. The people on the machines were very understanding and were friendly and easily did a hand check of her stuff.

Turnover day went smoothly and I will share a really neat story about that later!

First Category: Food

Well, let’s get this over with. For the record, we started cruising in the late 1990s when all you had were the buffet and the dining room and dinner was an occasion with 7 courses and super talented and attentive wait staff. It is wrong to compare then to now, but we can’t help ourselves. Food on the Grandeur in the late 90s was so much better than today. You’re right, not fair, but there you go.

We do not like the new menus. There is no variety, there are fewer courses and as before you got a separate dessert menu after dinner, now you must order everything at once. We ate in the dining room the first cruise and avoided it, except for one truly awful night, on the second.

Service was not the issue. Everyone was attentive to our needs, and I noticed they were attentive to the other tables as well. They were warm and friendly and we could joke around with them. Even the head waiter, Derek (him I remember, otherwise I am so terrible with names) paid us close attention. Besides mine, there were 2 other birthdays around us and there was chorus after chorus of spirited Happy Birthdays going around. Even the specialty cheesecake given to me for my birthday was really good, and I don’t normally like cheesecake. It was very light and fluffy.

So, with the free drinks, we ordered a drink every night with dinner. The bar staff, Enrigue, was so much fun. After the first night, he knew I wanted a rum old fashioned every night while my wife changed things up. He kidded around with us, which I always enjoy. Strangely, the drinks were not consistent. An old fashion should be an orange peel and a cherry garnish. Only the 2^nd one was properly made. Yes, I tipped him separately and generously.

Derek allowed us to change our table assignment for the 2^nd cruise to a window seat on deck 3. For the first cruise, we were right at the entrance on deck 3, table 101. Easy to find but the foot traffic was a bit much. We accepted the change.

The food was highly inconsistent and on 2 of the nights, finding something to order was difficult. One night my wife tried the “free” steak, and it was awful, fatty, dry and almost inedible. Something even Golden Corral would be ashamed to serve. Whoever puts these menus together and gets the ingredients for the kitchen needs to re-think this. Where dining was a major highlight of past cruises, now, it is just something to do and move on. 

What still works is the Park Café in Central Park. The Kummelweck is still a winner (bring back the chips!) and the bagels in the morning were super fresh. There used to be 2 or 3 bagels and 3-4 toppings, so of course, now there are only plain and onion bagels and plain and one other cream cheese. We took all our breakfasts and lunches there. The area is quiet and uncrowded.

During the first cruise, we did not eat in the Windjammer, the Promenade Café, nor Mexican place connected to the Windjammer, nor did we get pizza.

One stay-over day included lunch in the dining room. Only 6 people showed up. Mind you, I think previous B2B cruisers expected a fancier menu as several walked in and then walked out. Having no expectations, we stayed and had the best meal of the week. We both had the beef short ribs, and they were outstanding, fork tender, beefy with a creamy, rich gravy and served with al dente vegetables.

For every dish like those beef ribs, then we had the disaster on the French night meu. On the 2^nd night of the 4 night, we returned to the dining room to our new window table and watched mother nature put on a show of a sunset. The French menu had Chicken Cordon Blue, which we both wanted to try. When served, mine was twice as big as my wife’s. That was warning #1. When I cut into mine, the bread crumb layer was thicker than the chicken. Wrong. After one cut, the breast, with the ham, slid right out from the bread crumb layer leaving a large tube of breadcrumbs and a naked chicken breast. Even worse than that was the gruyere cheese sauce was flavorless, not a hint of cheese. The very worst thing RCCL has ever served us, it displayed a complete lack of skill on how to prepare and serve the dish. Yes, I called over the head waiter and showed him the kitchen disaster. Yes they gave me another dish, but it wasn’t what I had really expected or wanted. Being that the next two nights were repeats from our first cruise with menu’s we didn’t really appreciate, it was our last night in the dining room. RCCL needs to re-think this cost cutting in the dining room, the meals you serve here are totally second rate.

We finished the week with a late lunch at Johnny Rockets, which was very good and had first rate malts and a dinner at the Windjammer which was just okay as we mostly wanted just salad and fruit.

So, food wise, a few hits, many misses, IMHO, an area RCCL needs to seriously improve.

2^nd Category: Entertainment.

Everything here was a home run. On my birthday, we saw Mama Mia. Unlike other shows, RCCL does not cut down the show, it is the full two-act Broadway version of the show. So, it is a long evening and well worth every minute. Superbly cast and produced, Mama Mia is the perfect cruise show. It is fun, entertaining and acceptable for families. We saw it twice. Prepare yourself for a great time.

Blue Planet was premiering an all new version. We met the Choreographer and Stage Manager will getting on and off the ship during the turn around. I’m glad we did since we didn’t know it was a new version. Another very entertaining show with a talented group of singers, acrobats and dancers and only 45 minutes.

We also saw Oceanaria and Bladez, two more hits. The diving is amazing, and the skating show is really fun. Bladez doesn’t have a plot, it is a series skating to music acts, including a set to 80s music. The only show we missed was the comedy show.

One evening we sat in on the pianist’s Elton John- Billy Joel show. He is a very competent keyboard player. Unfortunately, his vocal range is way, way too limited for these two artists. He had a habit of shouting lines and many in the audience just cringed at his rather flat voice. He needed to bring more sing a long and less solos to the set, heck, we all know all the songs anyway!

The islands – well, we’ve been to both many times before and we finally had a visit to Nassau where it didn’t rain, both times! We didn’t do any shore excursions and we didn’t upgrade our visit to Coco Cay. We walked around Nassau and took the bay shuttle to Paradise Island just to walk around. The 2^nd day at Coco was hugely chilly, so we didn’t do much there.

I’ll finish with my favorite memory from the cruise. As I said, we loved Mama Mia. After returning to the ship for the 4-day cruise, you have to check in at your muster station. Ours was at the theater and our check-in person was none other than the actor who plays Bill in Mama Mia. He is a tall Australian and I recognized him immediately. Also, in the theater were two of the ensemble cast. Well, since the ship was only just starting boarding, we got to spend a merry 15-20 minutes with them. They were very kind and were gracious to accept our praises and we took several pictures. It just gave that second cruise a beautiful start. Even funnier, that night we skipped dinner as we were full from the Beef Short Ribs and had a later supper of salad in the Windjammer. We sat in back to watch the performers of Oceanaria beginning to warm up. Lo and behold, there was the actor who played Bill and his buddy, the actor who played Sam! No, we didn’t invite ourselves to dine with them. We did get another 5 minutes and more pictures. We ran into them 2 more times as well. I had to promise them no, we were not stalking them! They were so nice and it really tickled us to meet them.

So, another cruise under our feet. We still enjoy cruising and in fact, have 2 more planned, the Wonder in May of 2024 and the Independence in Norway in 2025. I will answer any questions.

Just off the 3 night Allure cruise. All the shows were running on tight schedules. Mama Mia the first night at 8PM and the second night at 5PM.Oceanaria ran the 2nd and 3rd nights, I believe at 8 and 10. The Ice show was also available, sorry, I don't remember the schedule on that one. There were comedy shows all nights too. One in the Amber Theater where seating was amply available.

Use the App to reserve shows times! Unless you want to sit in the corners.

Lastly, the theater for Mama Mia is super cold, I mean super-duper cold. Bring a sweater or jacket.

Just off the Allure, Bladez is well worth the time. It is not a totally freestyle sort of show that changes nightly. Every number is planned and well rehearsed. The difference is that there is no central plot to confuse things. It is just outstanding skating to all types of music. And yes, the hula hoop lady is still around. Spoiler, the 80s montage was my favorite.

Thank you for all the answers, I appreciate it. For those on Dexcom, one other question, how do you handle security when you need to bring additional devices for a change during the cruise. Can they go through the scanner?  Can you go through the scanner with it on since you can't remove it? How do you handle this? We haven't traveled with this system yet and she is in all sorts of worry about this.

Thank everyone again in advance.

10 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

There are far more tech savvy people on this forum than me but my understanding is that Bluetooth is independent of Wifi.  For example my AirPods work with my iPhone by bluetooth whether I have data by cellular or wifi or not.  I can put my phone in airplane mode, turn off all outside connections (wifi and cellular) and AirPods work fine exactly the same.  The question is does the app on the iPhone require any sort of internet conectivity to function correctly. A simple way to test that is to put your phone in Airplane mode.  Make sure your wifi is turned off but the bluetooth is turned on and connected to the Glucose monitor.  You can then confirm that it functions the same way as usual.  This will replicate the experience you have on the ship without the Voom wifi package.

This is an excellent suggestion; I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it! We will try it tomorrow.

My wife wears a Dexcom G6, which monitors her blood sugar via a device on her arm. It connects to her iPhone via Bluetooth and delivers continuous blood sugar reading as advertised. When it works (I won't go there) it is great, but that Bluetooth connection seems to break easily. .

Now, I am not tech savvy, will this Bluetooth connection work on the Allure or do I need to buy the Vroom package to ensure the connection remains continuous. This technology depends on such a connection.

We are bringing her test strips as a backup.

Thanks to anyone who has experience with CGM.

Dave

Very excited to do B2B on the Allure next week. I did not book each cruise at the same time and we are switching cabins between cruises. Does RC pick up on this?

How are our bags moved from one cabin to the other? Do we need to take them off and return? Their website seems a bit incomplete on this.

Any advice is appreciated.

Dave

So, I'm not liking the 2025 itenaries for Norway in 2025 and need alternatives. What other cruise lines would accept our Diamond Status?

Thank everyone in advance.

I've read so many fantastic reviews of Norway cruises, seeing Norway is a definite bucket list item for sure!

I check everyday to see when the 2025 itineraries will come out and they dropped this morning.  

I saw 3 Norway Fjords cruises were released on the Independence of the Seas. I knew when we take this cruise I wanted it to be in style and I wanted a Grand Suite. I was surprised to that the prices for Grand Suites weren't too ridiculous.

So, July 13, 2025 - Norway, here we come!

Just had to share!

The ability to reserve shows on the 12/1 Allure cruise popped up this morning. I was able to book the shows I wanted, including Mama Mia on my Birthday! So excited.

We are doing B2B on the Allure on 12/1 and 12/4. All the shows are available for reservations on the 12/4 sailing and based on my peaking around, are available for many of the other December sailings too.

Even though I got an email from RC instructing me to start booking my shows for the 12/1 sailing, there is nothing listed on the App or the website.

Anyone have any clues as to why? 12/1 is my birthday and I really want to see Mama Mia or the Aqua show on that date, I figure one of these should be running as it is only a 3 night cruise. We can't plan on any dinning until we know what, if any, shows might be available.

Thanks to all for any insights, other than to "keep checking" which I do multiple times a day, which worked out really well on the 12/4 sailing because I think I caught those just as the popped up.

This is fun. We are on the Wonder May 5, so like you, interested in seeing/reading reviews.

And, no lie, we are on the Allure 12/1, also anxiously awaiting show times/reservations as we want to see Mama Mia. First time doing only 3 nights, pretty sure I'll be regretting that.

Dave

Jumping on this topic, if I may, our first Diamond Cruise is in 6 weeks. When we use a drink voucher, is tip included, or do I need to account for this?

Thanks All

We are on the Allure for 3 nights in early December. Although the website continues to show Mama Mia and Aqua shows, I've not seen any schedule.

Does anyone know what the show schedule will be? I believe they are just starting now on the shorter cruises for the winter our of Port Canaveral. 

I am a big planner and now having any idea what shows, if any, will be offered is slightly annoying.

Thanks to anyone who can offer suggerstions,

Dave

Outstanding review, we hope to do Norway in 2025, your pictures are an inspiration.