Allure News Years Cruise recap...with kids

[dans0202]

Thanks for the quick reply

Epic was much better than I expected.

The reviews had me worried that I should never had booked a group with NCL.

I would travel on Epic again but I managed to book Allure 18 months in advance for the same price I paid on Epic, so back to RC for me.

I will spend the next 11 months reading and planning.

This was day 1.

For a group of 6 ranging in age from 9 to 66 would you recommend anytime dining or the early seating for dinner? With so many people taking the set dinner time and all the speciality resturants were there a lot of empty tables in the MDR from one night to the next.

[beachbooles]

Thanks for the quick reply

Epic was much better than I expected.

The reviews had me worried that I should never had booked a group with NCL.

I would travel on Epic again but I managed to book Allure 18 months in advance for the same price I paid on Epic, so back to RC for me.

I will spend the next 11 months reading and planning.

This was day 1.

For a group of 6 ranging in age from 9 to 66 would you recommend anytime dining or the early seating for dinner? With so many people taking the set dinner time and all the speciality resturants were there a lot of empty tables in the MDR from one night to the next.

 

hmmm...I like Anytime or MTD on RCI, but that's purely opinion speaking, as we didn't use MDR at all for dinner this time. Early might prove tough with some show scheduling that all ages 9-66 will certainly enjoy. For example: We saw a 5PM Blue Planet. We also ended up rescheduled to a 5pm Oceanaria show. With MTD, you can still reserve your time frame, but it's a lot more flexible.

 

Have fun researching...you will have a fun 11 months of planning!

[QTMichele]

Have fun researching...you will have a fun 11 months of planning!

 

THAT is an understatement! I have been planning, planning, planning because I've been SO GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT!!! Now that final payment is upon me (this week!), I'm over the top THRILLED that I'm going to be forking over some hard earned CASH! (HUH?! Who likes paying bills?!!! LOL) I'm still PLANNING too... just for the sake of planning and dreaming. :D

[beachbooles]

THAT is an understatement! I have been planning, planning, planning because I've been SO GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT!!! Now that final payment is upon me (this week!), I'm over the top THRILLED that I'm going to be forking over some hard earned CASH! (HUH?! Who likes paying bills?!!! LOL) I'm still PLANNING too... just for the sake of planning and dreaming. :D

 

Ride that Giddy Wave! It's a good one...we skipped to the counter at the Terminal and were crestfallen at departure...

 

interesting story: My son lost his stuffed dog that he has slept with since he was 1. He's 8 now. New Years Eve, after such a long party (he was with us for the Balloon Drop and all...) he wet the bed. He felt horrible. My husband gathered the sheets into a ball and I went and told, Monique, our stateroom attendant. She was AWESOME. Here's the thing...on the 2nd when we were ready to fly off the ship at 7:15 when they cleared our number...Puppy was gone! Long story short, Monique found him after several calls to "downstairs." He was soaked with detergents but we were in our car headed home WITH Puppy by 8AM. Is that a great ending, or what!!!

 

You'll love the experience...enjoy!!

[QTMichele]

That is AWESOME!!! I find customer service skills severely lacking in so many businesses - they could learn so much from the cruise lines! Thanks for sharing this story. :) (and I'm glad your son was reunited!)

[CAVE MAN]

Hi Beachbooles,

Is the sail-away party at 5:45. and is it at the Aqua theater? Thank you for answering so many Questions.

Blessings, Carlotta

[beachbooles]

Hi Beachbooles,

Is the sail-away party at 5:45. and is it at the Aqua theater? Thank you for answering so many Questions.

Blessings, Carlotta

 

Hi Carlotta,

 

I believe it was supposed to be at 5PM at Aquatheater...but due to weather, it was cancelled/rescheduled (as was Oceanaria that night.)

 

They said they'd do it as we sailed from St. Marten, but I don't think they did it. Then they said it'd be on day 6 or 7, but I honestly don't think they ever did it..or I missed it, which is totally possible!

 

Maybe one of the other families on our cruise can say...sorry.

 

:)

you are welcome for the answers! What a great paying job this would be! Take cruises and answer questions! I'm happy to do it!!

[LLindaC]

Congrats on staying healthy and fit. That's a great example for your kids and great for you. Too often, people complain about the "long walks" on the ship and "waiting for elevators" when they could be getting some needed movement. These are the same people who complain about gaining 8 pounds! I enjoyed your report.

[JeffersonSea]

Thanks for the review and the info!

 

We sailed the Oasis last April and are on the Allure this April. (10th) We are just like you, and pretty much avoid the MDR for dinner. We agree about Izumi and Vintages, they were, by far, our two favorite dining places. We plan on making more use of Park Cafe for lunch this time.

 

We found the Windjammer for breakfast a little too crowded, there were times when it was tough to find a table, and the food was generally poor. Might try Johnny Rockets this time, we really enjoyed lunch there on Oasis.

 

And haven't seen great reviews for the Cantina, but it can't be as bad as the Seafood Shack was on Oasis, unless you like deep-fried-everything. Counting the days!!!

[beachbooles]

Congrats on staying healthy and fit. That's a great example for your kids and great for you. Too often, people complain about the "long walks" on the ship and "waiting for elevators" when they could be getting some needed movement. These are the same people who complain about gaining 8 pounds! I enjoyed your report.

 

Thanks! You know what? I ate like crazy! I normally workout 5 days a week. I only ran ONCE on the dedicated track and ate and enjoyed cocktails every night... (bad girl!) and didn't gain weight!!

 

I think the healthy but delicious lunches at Solarium Bistro and the fact that we walked all over that ship like it was no big deal resulted in not falling too far off the wagon. The past cruises I did gain 3-5 lbs...but this one had such great food and I listen to audio books and move from one deck to another so I can enjoy different parts of the ship. There are so many great places to be in.

 

Yes, sometimes the Elevators can take a while..if we could get their faster by the stairs...we always took them. They are cool too with all the artwork. The ship is amazing and I read many reviews before going and some of them made me chuckle once on board...:)

 

have a great trip!!

[Puffinater]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Good info.

[kahliasmom]

Glad that everything worked out for your son. That is a nice story!