DCL fan does the Allure

We just got back from the Eastern Caribbean sailing on the Allure. We had only sailed with DCL on the Dream, so we went in with a very open mind and we were not disappointed. Was is Disney, no, but we knew that going in and had a great time.

Yes, there are a lot of things that RCL could learn from DCL, but there were also a couple of things that we actually liked better and wished the Disney ships had.

For one thing, loved the interactive information boards on each floor by the elevators. Also loved that room service called before delivery.

Many more pools and hot tubs on the Allure and one pool stayed open till 11pm and two hot tubs were open 24 hours.

There were many more venues for included food and beverages and they were located on different floors which made it nice on such a big ship.

There were many things that were about the same as on the Dream, such as the rooms. We had a standard balcony room and it was about the same size as the standard balcony room on the Dream. There were not two bathrooms, and I think that is where the extra square footage on the Dream comes from. There was plenty of storage space, including under the bed. The balcony was much larger than those on the Dream, but the shower much smaller, that is one thing I did miss from the Dream's rooms.

Another thing that was very similar was the staff. All that we met were very friendly and helpful. They always greeted us with a smile and never seemed put out if we asked for something.

The ship itself was very clean and well maintained.

Food, I personally never had anything I did not like, but some in our party (there were 6 adults) had a few items they didn't. We did not do any upcharge restaurants, only the MDR and ate at least once from all the other included food places.

Now for the things that Disney does better and RCL needs some help with.

Kids, they were everywhere, including where they shouldn't be. They only have one adult only area, the Solarium which included a pool, two hot tubs and a buffet, and that is 16 and up, not 18 like Disney. There were never kids in the pool or hot tubs, but they were in the buffet area and on the deck around the pool and spas. They were also in every bar/lounge area at all hours. I was shocked at how many parents brought their kids to adult themed shows and games. Some of the games were very adult themed and the staff warned the parents, but never asked them to take the kids out. Had issues with kids running up and down halls and even playing hide and seek in the public bathrooms.

Shows, hands down Disney's are better. The only show we enjoyed better, and that is because DCL does not offer them, was the comedy shows. They were very good.

This may sound petty, but I missed having towel animals every day, I just think it was nice to come back to your room to a little surprise. On Allure, we got them three nights out of seven.

Personal touches, now this may be because the Allure was so large, but on the Dream you seemed to know who the Captain and Cruise Director were from the start. They always came out after the shows and interacted with the crowd. On the Allure, I don't think I ever saw the captain or even knew his name.

Ice cream stations, yes I am a middle aged adult, but still love ice cream and on the Allure they never seemed open long enough.

Will post some more details and some picture in the next post.

Here are some pictures of our room, 9190. A lot of people always ask about storage and electrical outlets. I tried to take pictures of all the storage areas with the doors open so you can see inside. We moved the small table that was in front of the sofa over to the side between the sofa and closet to give us more walking space. There is a small trash can under the table. There were also two small end tables on each side of the bed that had two shelves. There were three outlets on top of the desk and one or two below the desk. The shower was hard to photograph, but there is a bar about a foot off the floor to help with shaving and a corner basket to hold shampoo, conditioner, etc. There were also two hooks near the top of the shower and three or four hooks on the back of the door. Under the sink there was an additional trash can and two shelves. The bathroom also has an automatic night light which was really nice. Did not have to use the one we brought.

You have to keep the balcony door closed and the handle in the locked/down position or the A/C will not work. It will still run, just not blow cold air.

There is a small fridge in the cabinet next to the three drawers. It was cold enough to bring room temp bottle water to cool and keep it that way. There is a hair dryer in the top drawer, it worked but it's highest setting is what I would consider "warm/med" so if you have long thick hair, be prepared for it to take a while to get it dry.

How do I get my photos to show in the post and not as a link? This is my first time posting photos.

Very good observations. Your pictures well represented the room.

We've cruised both Disney and Royal. As far as shows, we like the variety more on the Oasis class ships. Didn't feel so Disney themed overloaded in the shows. Our most favorite offering is the live music in the evening in Central Park. Always so enjoyable and relaxing after a busy cruise day.

Thanks for your insights.

How do I get my photos to show in the post and not as a link? This is my first time posting photos.

I can see your room photos fine. I’m using the tapatalk app.

I'm surprised you didn't have towel animals every day. We were on the Oasis last year and every afternoon we came back to an animal (or a heart and champagne) waiting.

The restaurant inside of the Solarium (adults only area) is open to everybody so that would explain some children. But if they were hanging out there that's something different, and unfortunate.

Nice comparison. Hard to compare because of the huge difference in size of the ships, but I think you were fair.

Personally really enjoy the ice show and aqua show on RC.

My daughter and family are huge Disney fans and cruise with them frequently, but have also cruised the Oasis.

A couple of comments. It seems as if some of your "negatives" were actually more the fault of parents/passengers rather than RC. When accompanied by their parents/guardians, there is no curfew for kids; otherwise there is usually a curfew, normally around 1:00 p.m. The fact that there were kids in bars/shows is a parenting decision. Pretty sure they are allowed in bars/shows on Disney, but shows are perhaps not as adult.

Would be interested in knowing how your price compared. I usually find Disney to be so much more expensive than RC.

You mentioned only 1 show. No mention of Mamma Mia, Ice Games, OceanAria, and Blue planet. By the way who was the headliner on your cruise.

Ps. I don't think that you would have liked the Easter cruise with 2,000+ kids. The only problem that I noticed was some Imps ringing the suite doorbell on the 12th deck and running away in the middle of the night.

i was interested in your comments about the entertainment too. Nelblu named the shows off. Does Disney have anything remotely similar to the Aqua Theater of Ice shows or did you just not enjoy them?

Great review! I appreciate the observations. I would like to try Disney but the price difference kills it for me.

We've done 8 DCL, and set to sail Harmony on 7/7. I love the Disney ships, because they are truly works of art. Every detail is perfect, and of the highest quality. But I got really tired of Disney themed shows, and Disney's way of servicing rooms, which is just as bad as it is in the parks. You can tip, you can talk to Guest Services...loved our last cruise on MSC. I explained to our steward why I needed our room done in a timely manner, presto, done! Also looking forward to a loyalty program which rewards days on ships instead of number of cruises. Again, MSC for the win! My DS saw Harmony on TV, and that is how we first got interested...now I'm super excited about a new experience. And as expensive as this Harmony cruise is...hello peak season...DCL would be so much worse.

Nice comparison. Hard to compare because of the huge difference in size of the ships, but I think you were fair.

 

Personally really enjoy the ice show and aqua show on RC.

 

My daughter and family are huge Disney fans and cruise with them frequently, but have also cruised the Oasis.

 

A couple of comments. It seems as if some of your "negatives" were actually more the fault of parents/passengers rather than RC. When accompanied by their parents/guardians, there is no curfew for kids; otherwise there is usually a curfew, normally around 1:00 p.m. The fact that there were kids in bars/shows is a parenting decision. Pretty sure they are allowed in bars/shows on Disney, but shows are perhaps not as adult.

 

Would be interested in knowing how your price compared. I usually find Disney to be so much more expensive than RC.

I was just on a Disney Cruise and they don't allow kids in the adult only area of the ship/bars in the evening. My daughter who is a teen was actually in the hallway of the adult area with some friends (when I wasn't there) and told me that staff actually asked them to leave that area so they do enforce the adults only status in this area.

OP, thanks for the comparison. I'm going to be doing my first RC cruise in September and am really excited!

Enjoyed your review, daughter & I will be on the Allure but not until 2020 as we have another cruise before then. Where are you storing your photos, they need to be on a site that allows photo sharing to forums.

I am thinking MSC might be our next cruise. Never done a DCL, but have done many RCL including three on Oasis class. MSC looks appealing.

I'm surprised you didn't have towel animals every day. We were on the Oasis last year and every afternoon we came back to an animal (or a heart and champagne) waiting.

 

The restaurant inside of the Solarium (adults only area) is open to everybody so that would explain some children. But if they were hanging out there that's something different, and unfortunate.

The last 3 sailings on RCL (all in the last 12 months) we have gotten 2-4 towel animals and we have two kids (5 & 8). Received 3 on our 9-night Anthem a few weeks ago.

The last 3 sailings on RCL (all in the last 12 months) we have gotten 2-4 towel animals and we have two kids (5 & 8). Received 3 on our 9-night Anthem a few weeks ago.

That's a shame. I guess time is tight for stewards now.

 

I'm going to be doing my first RC cruise in September and am really excited!

Fellow DCL cruiser here, you're going to love your Royal Caribbean cruises on Allure :) Have you joined your CC roll call and signed up for the Meet and Mingle? My family is really looking forward to our first Mediterranean cruise next June from Barcelona on the Magic, I was psyched last night when we received (snail) mail from Disney :')

I love both cruise lines, but Disney has become prohibitively too expensive to cruise on a regular basis for my family. We have always sailed the Caribbean for our annual family vacation and wanted to try a new destination for 2019. My mother, sister are already talking about cruising to Greece and the Eastern Med for a future trip, I'm going to try to get them to consider Royal LOL.

Thank you for your balanced review. Your comments about children were interesting as that is one of the things that puts me off Disney (that and cost!).

Nice comparison. Hard to compare because of the huge difference in size of the ships, but I think you were fair.

 

Personally really enjoy the ice show and aqua show on RC.

 

My daughter and family are huge Disney fans and cruise with them frequently, but have also cruised the Oasis.

 

A couple of comments. It seems as if some of your "negatives" were actually more the fault of parents/passengers rather than RC. When accompanied by their parents/guardians, there is no curfew for kids; otherwise there is usually a curfew, normally around 1:00 p.m. The fact that there were kids in bars/shows is a parenting decision. Pretty sure they are allowed in bars/shows on Disney, but shows are perhaps not as adult.

 

Would be interested in knowing how your price compared. I usually find Disney to be so much more expensive than RC.

On Disney (at least on the Dream) kids were only allowed in the bar/lounges until 8pm.

Thanks for the review. I do love Disney adult only areas. I have even considered an adult only cruise on them if I can find the right price.

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Here is a little bit about Labadee. It was beautiful and we did find a shady spot in Columbus Cove. The only bad thing (and I am surprised RCL does not have more control) were the local vendors they allow on the property that you have to pass to get there. They were just a pushy as those on Nassau. We could of waited for the tram, which would of made it easier when passing them, but we decided to walk. Again, just a firm "no thank you" and keep walking. We did not take the water taxi because two in our party were doing the zip line first thing (which they loved) so we went to Adrenaline beach first. While they did that, I did swim a little and the water near the shore way at the end was sandy and nice. I noticed a lot more rocks and grass closer to front (nearest the ship) beach area. I asked about an umbrella, as there was hardly any shade and was told they didn't have any (?) not sure if that was the case or he just didn't want to get me one, I was willing to pay for one if they were available. We did the jet ski/wave runner excursion, that was a lot of fun. Neat to see other parts of the island that you couldn't see from the beach or ship. The only disappointment for me, and again just a personal thing, is that I was hoping to be able to snorkel and see some fish. Honestly there is nothing to see in the waters, but they were nice for swimming. Also, the food was not that great, but that was ok, there was plenty on the ship when we returned.

Here are some pictures, sorry they are fuzzy, but it was actual the haze in the air. The captain said it was actually sand blown from the coast of Africa!

Few more pictures from Labadee.

Another area that I see that RCL needs some help with is excursion organization (unless our experience was unique to this cruise). We booked two through them and both times the meeting place was off ship. One (St Maarten) was on the dock, that wasn't too bad, but the second was off the dock and on the sidewalk (San Juan). This was quite chaotic as there were numerous excursion groups trying to find their guide along with the locals trying to sell their own tours. Disney idea of having a meeting place on ship and exiting together is much better. We did the bus tour in St Maarten that takes you to both sides of the Island and the ATV tour in San Juan. the port area of St Maarten has all been rebuild and was really nice. The bus tour would of been good except there was still so much hurricane damage in St Maarten and Saint Martin, that it was quite depressing. At San Juan we had about an hour to walk around the area before our excursion. The area around the port is very nice and it was a short walk to a Fort. On the bus ride to the ranch we got to travel through down town San Juan, there is still minor damage, but not much. And boy do they love their graffiti. There is also a Walgreens and CVS right at the port if you need to restock on any needed items. The ATV excursion was a lot of fun, it was on a working Paso Fino horse ranch, we really enjoyed that one. Here are some photos of Jan Juan, will post St Maarten in the next post.

On Disney (at least on the Dream) kids were only allowed in the bar/lounges until 8pm.

The entire ship seems to shut down around 8 PM :-) Disney's night life is definitely lacking.

Here are some photos from St Maarten and Saint Martin. I didn't take a lot of photos since the island is still has a lot of damage and the landscape was devastated in some parts. There were people who were still living in tents in the city and boats were decaying on the shores. So sad.