ostrich710

We were on Allure in December and self-disembarked in Miami.  We waited in line on the ship for about ten minutes before they started disembarkation, and literally walked through customs -- no wait in either the passport line or birth certificate line.  

The point where we ran into trouble was getting transportation once outside Terminal A.  We had ordered an Uber, and apparently should have sooner... as we probably waited about 20-30 minutes for him to get through all of that traffic..  I have heard that it is much quicker to jump in a cab, and we will do this in the future.

Regardless, we were at Budget to rent a car before they opened at 8am.

We were on Allure in December and found pizza at Sorrento's to be quite good.  For reference, I am a pizza aficianado, and my boyfriend could take it or leave it.  We both found ourselves at Sorrento's daily.  Granted, it might not get rave reviews when compared to our favorite pizza joints at home, but it was more than enjoyable, and found it to be much improved over previous Royal sailings.

Enjoy Allure!

Prices change all the time, but will definitely be less expensive pre-cruise.  On our Anthem cruise last April, we paid $41/pp, and on our Allure cruise in December, I think we paid $53.  I'm not sure when your cruise is, but those Anthem prices were secured during a Black Friday promotion, which is a great time to snag deals for excursions, dining and drink packages, etc.  Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but Royal will always let you cancel and rebook your package if a lower price arises, so many recommend booking whenever you see a price that you are comfortable with, as you can always rebook if it goes down.

As for breakeven point, most say it is around 4-5 drinks, but of course will depend on what you drink and the actual price you paid.  If you're drinking 5-6 a day, basically the only way you wouldn't get your money's worth would be if you're drinking Bud Light bottles, or similar.  Don't forget, this includes bottled water (we like to order a couple at each bar stop and bring them back to the room to stash in our fridge!), fresh squeezed juice, specialty coffees, etc.

Whatever you decide, you will have a great time!  Happy Cruising!

If it's in the budget, we highly recommend it.  It was our favorite specialty on Anthem (we did Chops, Jamie's, Izumi, Wonderland) and we missed it on our Allure cruise later in the year.  

For us, all of the specialty restaurants were good, both in service and quality of food.  Wonderland was something out of the ordinary that we never would have had at home.  Many people warn that you must be an adventurous eater to enjoy Wonderland -- we did not find that to be the case.  We are not picky, but did not find anything to be off-putting or unappetizing.  The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the experience was something that felt vacation-worthy.

150 CP was our favorite -- on our last cruise, we did Giovanni's, Samba, and 150 CP.  Have done Chops on other ships, as well.  Given the choice between these four, 150 would still be our choice for one night... it feels the most special and we enjoyed our meal most here, considering quality of food, ambiance, and service.  That said, all meals were enjoyable, and I don't think you can go wrong with whichever you choose!

Enjoy Allure, she's a great ship!

My guess is it's just sold out for pre-booking.  We are on the sailing before yours, and noticed 150 CP disappearing from dining options a few weeks ago.  It still shows in our planner as having it booked though.  I think you're fine!

Hi, Everyone!

We were on Anthem in April and had success putting a small case of bottled water in a reusable grocery bag with a luggage tag and sending it through with our checked luggage.  Wondering if anyone has had recent success with this on Allure.  We have a beverage package, so not a huge deal, but it's nice to have a stash of bottled water in our fridge without having to order one with every drink.

Thanks!

Laura

Regarding when Allure arrives in Miami, Bill is correct that it must be sometime in November. We are on the 12/2 Allure sailing and it is out of Miami. That should give Royal plenty of time to smooth out their embarkation/debarkation process. In my experience, with self-carry, you'd have plenty of time to make a 10am flight. But if you are the type who will stress over something going wrong the entire week, it might be worth it to try for something later.

I second the poster who recommended enjoying 270 for a light breakfast. Especially if you are an early riser, you will have the impressive venue and views mostly to yourself.

Our experience with MTD was actually quite good on Anthem, although this seems to vary by sailing. We never waited at all, and sometimes went to dinner at times completely different than what we had reserved (we were a party of two). Servers here are still happy to bring more than one of anything, which we usually take advantage of on formal night to create our own surf 'n turf.

If you're at all adventurous, try Wonderland. It's a fabulous experience.

Although reports of a limit for the beverage package are out there, we were never charged a cent for a single drink, alcoholic or otherwise. We do tip additional in cash, but I'm not sure things would've been different had we not.

It can be tricky to find a spot in the sun on sea days. If you don't need to be by the pool, there's a great sun deck right below the FlowRider on the back of the ship (I think deck 15).

We found the gym to be busy, but enjoyed playing basketball just the two of us in the SeaPlex before all of the kiddos on the ship woke up.

If you can handle it and want to get on the road early upon debarkation, self-carry your luggage. No joke, we were off the ship, through customs, and pulling out of the parking garage in ten minutes flat. Never have I experienced a more seamless debarkation.

Waiting with bated breath for this review -- we are on the Allure's eastern itinerary in December. What a lucky kid to have his back to school wish granted, and how special that he wants to spend his last week on vacation with mom and dad. Have a great trip!

Hi, everyone!

We sail out of Miami on Allure this December, although it is likely that we will fly into FLL, as it is looking considerably less expensive. We will fly in the day before our cruise and enjoy dinner in Miami. My other half is also interested in spending a bit of time around his alma mater, Barry University. Not sure yet if we will Uber or rent a car. Any suggestions on the most convenient hotel for our purposes? Would like something nice enough, but would like to keep it within the $200 mark or so.

Thanks for your input!

Laura

Awesome! Thanks for all the quick replies -- I think we will skip the beach bed and save a little money, since it doesn't sound like we'll have a ton of time to enjoy it. Also good to hear that we won't have trouble finding loungers. Thanks, everyone!

Hi, everyone!

We will be in Labadee on the Allure in December -- 9:30 - 6pm. Our top priority on this stop is jet skiing, although we'd really like to add the zip line in as well.

After reading a recent review of the beach beds, I think they'd be an awesome home-base and relaxing spot. We don't want to have to hunt for loungers or be amongst huge crowds. But do we have too much going on on Labadee to enjoy them? It doesn't seem like the proximity for either of these two activities is super close to the beach beds, either. What do you think?

Thanks!

Laura

Hi, everyone!

We are in St. Maarten in December on the Allure from 8am-5pm. We are planning on renting a spyder from SXM Spyder to do a self-tour of the island. So far on our list are stops at Orient and Maho Beaches. We are not huge beach people, so these will likely not super lengthy stops (90 minutes each, max?).

Aside from this, is there anything that we should see while we are out and about? We are not interested in cramming our schedules, just seeing a few sights that aren't commonplace here in New England (photo ops, restaurants, cool historical sites, etc.). Also, we wouldn't mind getting a little snorkeling in, but only if there's something convenient and worthwhile along the way -- not a deal breaker! Oh, and we'll probably pop in on Yoda on the way out, provided that there's time...

Thanks for your help!

Laura

I'm also craving everything Allure for our upcoming December cruise. I've searched hundreds of times and read some of the same posts over and over. It doesn't matter! I just love hearing everyone's accounts of and tips for this magnificent ship!

Our experience on Anthem (from April) was that plastic straws were served as a normal land-based restaurant in almost all venues. We only frequented one establishment (Boleros, where our favorite bartenders were!), where they discouraged the use of plastic straws and did not hand them out unless asked. This was not a problem for us, but it was something that we were not used to, and so noteworthy. I imagine that RCCL will become progressively tighter on discouraging plastic, but I also imagine that plastic straws will be served, and at least, available upon request for quite some time.

Not to worry and enjoy your cruise!

Another vote for Adventure!

We did Anthem in mid-April on the same itinerary, and while we were impressed with the ship, we were certainly not wowed with the ports (of course, CocoCay was missed!) and our weather was really only vacation-like three or four days.

The itinerary on Adventure is much better, and Voyager is a great class -- especially if you normally don't sail the big ones, so won't be missing much. Plus, a lot of the bells and whistles of the Anthem are geared more toward slightly older kids, so I don't think that your six-year old would enjoy one ship any more or less.

We were on Anthem in April and the advice that you've gotten here is good. I will add, I had gone into the week having done my research and was quite confident that I'd be able to access the HDMI port. Even I was at first convinced that the TV was solidly bolted. Don't be afraid to give it a good pull to get it to swivel out a bit.

We dined in Wonderland on Anthem as part of our dining package. Of the venues we chose (Chops, Jamies, Izumi, Wonderland), Wonderland was our favorite. The food was excellent, service was good, and we enjoyed the unique aspect to the experience. That said, I'm not sure we would feel that we had gotten our money's worth had we paid full price. If you are in a position where you can overlook the pricetag -- it's a great night and an escape from a sometimes monotonous mdr/windjammer stretch. I say go for it!

I agree that Royal is underplaying the craft beer revolution. However, I know that it is expensive and can see how it might be difficult to make it work, especially with the inception and popularity of the drink package. I will say, my other half's favorite thing about returning to land is "good beer." I know he's not the only one.

I think that ours became available about six months out -- we sailed Anthem just a few weeks ago. We purchased ours on Black Friday for $41pp, which was the lowest price I saw on our sailing (and I checked pretty religiously, even after we booked). I had heard from prior cruisers that they might be on sale for Black Friday (actually, I think on Thanksgiving day I saw it), so definitely keep that in mind for your sailing!

Thanks for all of your thoughtful replies! After reading, I think we're leaning toward the western itinerary, even though it doesn't fit quite as well with our work schedules -- I'm also nervous about remaining hurricane damage on Puerto Rico and St. Maarten on the eastern route.

Thanks again!

Laura

Hi, Everyone!

We are looking at two cruises -- December of this year on Allure. One is an eastern itinerary out of Miami: Puerto Rico (leaving at 2pm, though), Labadee, and St. Maarten. The other is western: Nassau, Cozumel, Roatan, and Puerto Costa Maya. I'm not familiar at all with the western ports (aside from Nassau), and am wondering what input you have on preference. The time-frame works slightly better for the eastern cruise for us, but I noticed that the western route is more port-intensive and may make for a better vacation for my guy, who tends to go a little stir-crazy if we string together too many sea days. I've also heard many who prefer the eastern ports to west, though, like mentioned before, have zero firsthand experience to compare! Thoughts are very much appreciated!

Thanks!

Laura

Just arrived home, so I'm back with a bit more! While it's fresh in my mind, let me rave about debarkation...

I have never been off a ship so quickly in all of my life. We chose to self-carry, which started at 6:30. At about 6:25, we walked down the hall to the elevator. About thirty seconds later, a lovely empty elevator arrived, and we were in line on deck 5 before 6:30. We waited about ninety seconds for the line to start moving, and walked through the gangway and terminal to the customs line. Never waited. After that, we paid our parking ticket, and took an elevator up to the third floor of the parking deck. I had had anxiety about all of the possibilities for backups this morning, but we were on the road 6:45 and I'm typing this from the comfort of my own couch shortly after 9 am. One thing that was undeniable on this cruise: RCCL runs an efficient ship.

Ports: This cruise was supposed to go to Port Canaveral, CocoCay, and Nassau. We had excursions booked for the latter two, but nothing stood out to us in Port Canaveral, so my boyfriend suggested that we just wing it (I am definitely the planner, while he prefers to figure things out as they come). I really wish that we had planned something prior for Port Canaveral, because aside from Kennedy Space Center or Disney, there isn't too much to do. We ended up grabbing an uber to Cocoa Beach Pier (readily available right outside the terminal) and hung out there for a bit. The beach is lovely, but it was a cooler day (about 70), and there's not a lot to see on the pier. I was expecting something more along the lines of the Hampton Beach boardwalk (while not the nicest place, still offers lots to see!), but really there were a couple of shops and restaurants. We headed back to the ship around 3 and enjoyed the extra space (and prepaid drinks!) onboard.

CocoCay, unsurprisingly, was cancelled due to wind. The announcement was made at about 8:30am, and the captain said that he had increased speed to get us to Nassau around 12:30pm. This way, we'd have all afternoon on Tuesday in Nassau, and the entirety of Wednesday. Let me tell you, people were salty about this. All day, and for days to come, the chatter around the ship was all about how we'd missed CocoCay. Let me take a minute to share my thoughts on this: what possible reason would Royal Caribbean have for deliberately skipping CocoCay? They own the island. All revenue for that day goes to them. Why would they actually want to have to refund all of the money we'd paid for excursions on the island? It makes no sense. It stinks to miss an island, but I give RCCL kudos for making the best of it.

As soon as the announcement was made that we would miss CocoCay, I ran down to the Shore Excursions desk. The line was already quite long, and not moving, as the staff was on the phone with representatives in Nassau trying to get excursions lined up for us last minute. They did not need to do any of this. I've missed CocoCay in the past and ended up with an extra day at sea. Instead, we got an extended stay in Nassau. We had had a snorkeling excursion booked for CocoCay, and we replaced it with the Seahorse Snorkeling excursion on our first day in Nassau. It was a lovely catamaran ride out to the snorkeling site, an hour of snorkeling, and a nice ride back. On our second day, we had the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Swim booked. I can't say enough wonderful things about this experience, from the ferry captains and staff on the ride over and back, to the dolphin trainers, to the facilities. We left at 8am, and arrived at Blue Lagoon around 8:40. Our session wasn't until 11am, so we had a couple of hours to enjoy the premises. As is true with nearly every beach, it is worth it to walk a bit. We found ourselves on a beach sort of overlooking the main beach, and shared it with only another couple for quite some time before others discovered it. Our actual dolphin swim was a great experience, and highly recommended to do at least once. We bought a couple of pictures (surprisingly, less expensive than ship photos!), had a snack, and took the first ferry back at 1pm. After arriving back in downtown Nassau, we ate at Senor Frogs and headed back to the ship.

More later...

What was the cabin that you were in? Did the struts from the overhang bother you at all? We are booked deck 12 also in July so I am curious about the balcony.

Thanks for your review!

We were in 12592, starboard midship. The struts did not bother us or take up any balcony space, but I did find myself wishing we had been a deck or two lower to perhaps get a little more sun. The overhang is above deck 13, but definitely shades deck 12 as well.