Carnival Platinum Cruiser sails on the Allure of the Seas - A review

[Tapi]

Well, after 12 Carnival cruises (9 of them consecutive during the last 6 years); this Carnival Platinum cruiser was feeling a bit "Carnivaled" out. Our last cruise on the Fascination had been less than stellar, so for our next cruise, we decided to try something different. We chose to sail on the largest cruise ship in the world: The Allure of the Seas

 

Was the Allure that much better than anything we've ever tried on Carnival? Was it worth the extra money? Did the cruise live up to its hype? Are we done cruising on Carnival? For the answers, just keep reading.... :)

 

I have posted a detailed, lengthy review in the Member Reviews section which can be accessed by clicking here: Allure of the Seas - by Tapi

 

I'll summarize some of the main points of my review and add some pictures in this thread:

 

First of all, there's NO denying that the Allure is an AMAZING ship. There's NO way to compare her with any ship in the Carnival fleet, so any direct comparison would be unfair. She's an absolute engineering marvel. But sailing on this class of ship is not cheap. What we paid JUST for our 17 month old son on the Allure was almost as much as what it cost us TOTAL for a family of three to sail on Carnival last December. This better be one GREAT cruise!

 

PRE CRUISE AND EMBARKATION

 

We stayed at the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina. It's a modern hotel located only 5 minutes away from the port. It has wonderful views of the Intracoastal as well as Port Everglades.

 

Lobby Area

View from our balcony

 

There were over 5,800 passengers on our sailing, so I was expecting long lines and lengthy delays on embarkation day. I was pleasantly surprised because we went from curbside to boarding the ship in 10-15 minutes! We didn't stand in line ONCE during the entire cruise. Not for food, not to go ashore, not to get back onboard, not for debarkation on the last day. It was an absolute pleasure!

 

CABIN

 

We chose a Boardwalk View Stateroom. The cabin is very nicely appointed and smartly designed, but it does feel much more cramped than anything we've ever had on Carnival. With our son's crib open, there was very little space. We would ask our cabin steward to fold away the crib every morning, just to have some room. While we had a cool view of the Boardwalk and the Aqua Theater, we missed having an ocean view. More reason to explore the ship!

 

The cabin

 

Bathroom

 

THE SHIP

 

As mentioned before, the ship is incredible. Not only is it wonderfully designed, it's very tastefully decorated. I was surprised that it felt LESS crowded than smaller ships. Entertainment is decentralized, so passengers are spread out. We learned our way around very quickly. There are NO dead ends, or the need to climb to a different deck to bypass the galley or other areas blocking passenger flow. If you get lost, there are touch screen monitors all over the ship which will quickly show you the way.

 

Royal Promenade

 

One of our biggest disappointments on our last Carnival cruise was the incessant smell of cigarette smoke. Not on the Allure! It was nice to sail on a ship that smelled clean instead of stale cigarettes. The smoky casino, which on Carnival is normally located in a very public location by the atrium, is thankfully tucked away down on Deck 4 on the Allure. There are only a handful of smoking venues on the ship, and smoking is NOT allowed inside cabins (although you're allowed to smoke on balconies, but we did see some ashtray tower contraption designed to contain as much smoke as possible placed on some balconies.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED....

[Tapi]

FELLOW CRUISERS

 

Royal Caribbean INTERNATIONAL definitely lived up to its name on this sailing. There were many, many cruisers from all over the world. At any given point in time, I'd be walking down the Royal Promenade and I would hear English one minute, Italian the next, Portuguese a few feet down, etc., etc. In fact the Cruise Compass was available, in Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, and German. There was also a HUGE percentage of cruisers from Asia. With so many cultures traveling together, some clashes among passengers might have been expected. However it was totally the opposite. Passengers were polite, well mannered, friendly, and mindful of other passengers aboard. It was a complete pleasure.

 

FOOD

 

There are 24 eateries throughout the ship. 24! Yes, there are many that do charge a service fee, but there are plenty of complimentary options. Just like on Carnival, there is a complimentary main dining room, buffet, burgers & hot dog grill, and pizzeria, in addition to two cafe's as well as healthy options at the Solarium and Vitality Spa.

 

Main Dining Room

 

We did try several "specialty" restaurants, ranging from the upscale Chops Grille, to the casual Rita's Cantina and Johnny Rockets. Carnival fans will be happy to know that, in our opinion, we found the Steakhouse on Carnival to be FAR superior to anything we tried on the Allure of the Seas.

 

Chops Grille

 

KID’S ENTERTAINMENT

 

Traveling with a 17 month old who is not quite old enough to participate at Camp Carnival, proved to be a bit of a challenge on our last Carnival cruise, since they didn't even offer babysitting until after 10pm. At times, it was hard to keep our son entertained, and several evenings we ate at the buffet because our son wasn't feeling "patient enough" to sit at the main dining room.

 

We now know why Royal Caribbean charged us so much for our son. On the Allure of the Seas, they kept him BUSY! The Royal Babies & Tots program begins at the age of 6 months and they do provide many things for the youngest members of the family. There are TONS of supervised activities sponsored by Crayola and Fisher Price. There's also a free play are which is available all day long. Outdoors, there's a dedicated Baby Splash Zone with temperature controlled pools specifically for babies still wearing diapers. Day care is available at the ship's nursery beginning at 8am until midnight (which allowed us to enjoy dinner and then go to one of the many entertainment venues offered on this ship).

 

Baby Splash Zone

 

The Allure also features the Dreamworks Experience with parades, shows, breakfasts, and appearances of characters like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and the cast from Madagascar. Also, there is a special ice skating show based on the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". The Carousel on the Boardwalk was a hit with our son. Also, different Family oriented Carnival style afternoons were offered with face painting and balloon figure makers. Except for the nursery (which charges basically the same as babysitting on Carnival) everything is included in the cost of the cruise.

 

Our son quickly became addicted to the Carousel

 

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

 

There is just NO comparison. The Solarium (Royal Caribbean's version of Carnival's Serenity Deck) is absolutely wonderful! Peaceful, beautiful, and truly an oasis at sea. The Solarium Bistro was only a few steps away, offering complimentary healthy breakfast and lunch.

 

Solarium

 

Night time entertainment was on a class of its own (at least as far as entertainment at sea is concerned), One day we attended an aquatic show at the Aqua Theater, the next day we attended an ice skating show at Studio B, and the next day we would be watching a Cirque Du Soleil style show at the Amber Theater. Chicago, The Musical was also playing, but we skipped it since we had already seen it on land.

 

The list of venues and activities available for night time entertainment was very extensive. I had read that on Royal Caribbean, the ship "dies down" after 10pm. Not on this ship. Several times, we would pick up our son at Royal Babies close to midnight, and we'd be walking back to our cabin through a packed and lively Royal Promenade.

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Tapi]

PORTS OF CALL

 

This is one cruise which is about the ship and not the destinations. Labadee, Haiti is a beach day, Falmouth, Jamaica is still under construction and working out its issues, and we had already been to Cozumel many, many times. Not much really to write about the itinerary:

 

In front of the ship in Labadee, Haiti

 

Police presence in Falmouth, Jamaica

 

Carnival ships in Cozumel, Mexico

 

AN UNEXPECTED EVENT

 

On our last day at sea, our ship was diverted and stopped while we rescued 9 Cuban nationals trying to work their way to US soil aboard a small boat. They had been adrift at sea for 8 days! The rescue was performed efficiently and safely, and these 9 individuals were handed over to the Coast Guard. Our prayers are with them...

 

 

So was sailing on the Allure worth it? Absolutely, YES. It's truly a “once in a lifetime" type of cruise experience and it does live up to its hype.

 

Was everything on the Allure better than on Carnival? Absolutely NOT. While the superlatives on the Allure are MANY, there are things that Carnival does better at a fraction of the price. Among them:

 

• Baskets with complimentary toiletries in the cabin.
  
• Bathrobes in standard cabins (you need to be at least a platinum cruiser or better on Royal Caribbean to get one).
  
• Better fitness center. (On the Allure, while the Vitality Spa facilities are stunning and beautiful, the actual fitness center looked like an afterthought, small and a bit claustrophobic.)
  
• Better specialty restaurant experience. As mentioned above, Carnival may be a budget minded cruise line, but I consider their specialty steakhouse to be FAR superior to anything we experienced on the Allure of the Seas. Harry’s Steakhouse on the Carnival Liberty, to this day, is the BEST dining experience I’ve ever encountered on any ship. Polished, unhurried service, superb, juicy steaks, and memorable side dishes & desserts.
  
• While the TV channel lineup seems to be better on the Allure, there were two channels that I truly missed during the entire week: The moving map, and the bridge cam. Since we had a Boardwalk View cabin, I felt a bit anxious not knowing where we were or what was going on outside. We did have a “From the bridge” channel, but it only showed the same videos over and over of the captain talking about the ship, not actual views.
  

 

Will I ever cruise on Carnival again? Yes. While the experience on the Allure was absolutely amazing and something worth trying at least once, there's no denying the value that Carnival delivers at a fraction of the price. I'm VERY glad I have the "bragging rights" to say that I sailed on the largest cruise ship in the world during its Inaugural Season, but next time I spend this much on a cruise, I’d like to explore a different part of the world (In fact, our next cruise will be to Alaska aboard Holland America, and it will cost us substantially less than this cruise on the Allure!).

[H82seaUgo]

nice pix! good looking family!

[raylene5]

Great review...nice comparison. I would LOVE to go on one of the larger RCI ships or the NCL Epic and it would have been easy to do that when it was just hubby and I or maybe when we had just one kid but as a family of 6 now, it's just so expensive. I do like their options for larger, non-suite rooms accommodating larger families. Ahh, maybe one day :) Glad you enjoyed it!

[nanuak]

Thanks for the review!

[raylene5]

Oh, and I like what you mentioned about the smoking. If I could afford it, I would go RCI every time simply because I love the idea of supporting a line that has much stricter smoking policies (especially the non-smoking staterooms). But alas, my money and my ideals are not quite in line at the moment...ha ha :)

[firefly333]

Oh what great pictures of you and the baby. What a cutie pie.

 

Im going on Oasis, so I eat up all these reviews.

 

If you ask your cabin steward for a bath robe, I hear they will bring you one. I never use mine. You dont have to be platinum.

[nytraveller53]

Nice review!

[klmorg]

Thanks for the review/comparison. Looks awesome!

[steelerjen]

Thank you so much for the comparison review. I am also a loyal Carnival customer but I am interested to know what Royal Caribean has to offer. Great info!

[maxamuus]

Thanks for your review. Looks like a beautiful ship.

[misguidedangel]

Excellent review and pictures to boot. Happily, that ship holds no desire for me to sail on it. For some it is to go on a Monster of the Sea, for me, no. I want to go on a ship that has what I want to do on it, and that ship has nothing that draws me to it, except the ports of call. I did a price comparison for a date I am going on the Magic (generally higher cost to go on a brand new ship), and the Allure. Well, the Allure was $3800 Canadian for a equivalent balcony cabin and Carnival (complete with a waterworks, AND Sky course--first ever on any ship at sea) and that price was $2000 Canadian.....RCI ship was amost double the cost...sorry, Carival wins out everytime.....

 

Some have to experience it, and others just know it isn't for them....you got to experience it at a steep cost and enjoyed it....and that is a good thing....next cruise you don't have to work twice as hard to save up when you go on another Carnival ship.....

[golfadj]

Thanks for the review. After about 10 Carnival cruises in a row we are wondering why we are not trying other cruise lines.

[halos]

OMG..didn't finish your review yet...I got distracted by the picture of your son who is absolutely too freaking CUTE!!!!!!!!!:D

 

OK...back to the review now... :o

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Nice review - it's especially handy to read one from an experienced Carnival cruiser!

 

:)

 

Tom

[lunada3333]

The photos are great!! Thanks for the comparison!!

[cruizinpooh]

Great review and great pictures. Your pictures look like postcards. Do you mind sharing what camera you used?

[VolzCruiser]

Thank you Tapi for the great review

[kansas kruiser]

:cool: Thanks for a fair and balanced review!!:) Someday I may try a RCL ship!!:)

[kerrytens]

OMG..didn't finish your review yet...I got distracted by the picture of your son who is absolutely too freaking CUTE!!!!!!!!!:D

 

OK...back to the review now... :o

Halos, you took the words right out of my mouth - what a cutie he is! You are a lovely family. Tapi, did your son enjoy himself too?

 

Thank you so much for the review. Allure/Oasis are definitely on my wish list.

[DGP1111]

Sincere Thanks for posting this!!! :) :)

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[beetle9]

Great job we also sailed 15 times with ccl and then tryed other lines we went on rcc trans atlantic on navigator which is mid size b ut it also is fancier than ccl but since trans it was cheaper per day. I have still been on ccl and more on ncl depends on price and stops great looking family. And glad to see they allow for little ones in diapers. we took our son and daugter in law with grandson and ccl did not have as much but with 2 couples made it easier. :)

[Doug910]

...Great review! Really enjoyed reading it.

 

...We have plans to sail on either RCI's Oasis/Allure of the Seas, but are going to wait a few years when the prices are a bit more realistic.

[DarthGrady]

THANK YOU!!!! :D:D:D

 

Great review and pics Tapi! My wife and I are going on Allure in October, so I love seeing reviews, especially from fellow CCL fans. I totally agree with your conclusions about RCI vs. CCL. Especially in regards to Carnival's steakhouse being better, although I do enjoy Chops.

 

I can't figure out why RCI moved the gym down to the bottom of the ship. I have seen where others thought it was cramped and dark as well. On the Freedom and Radiance Classes the gym and spa areas are at the very top of the ship forward with lots of windows (similar to CCL's). I guess the new Solarium set up caused the change. :confused:

 

Anyhow, thanks again! Glad to see you guys had an excellent cruise. :)