Family Review - Allure, July 10: 4 Adults, 2 Young Kids, 1 Room

[ape_huva]

I'm just loving it so far! I'm going to send you a pic of us very soon, as I've just arrived home. This cruise was out of this world. I want to write a review but I feel more comfortable writing in Spanish... I'll think about it.

 

I had a great time with you all. Alberto still asks about Sofía.

 

Great job so far, and great port of call reviews!

[figgyva]

I'm just loving it so far! I'm going to send you a pic of us very soon, as I've just arrived home. This cruise was out of this world. I want to write a review but I feel more comfortable writing in Spanish... I'll think about it.

 

I had a great time with you all. Alberto still asks about Sofía.

 

Great job so far, and great port of call reviews!

 

Thanks! I was just showing some photos from the cruise and have a couple with us all in St. Martin. It was such a pleasure to meet your family!

 

I would love to see your review, especially since you did some things that we didn't with a little one. I've relayed your thoughts about Trunk Bay and I know that a lot of folks would like to know your thoughts about Bernard's tour (as would I)!

[figgyva]

Upon leaving George (I wonder what I could have scored had I stayed and mentioned that the art in my room was really sub-par?), I went to the dining room, only to find my family standing there. Uh-oh. They had not assigned us a table (we knew that), and were a bit flustered over what to do now. “Well, whatever you do, it better include a table,” was what I was thinking, but I was late, so I’m not allowed to complain.

 

So, they sent us down to deck four to some table number and told us to just check in and we’d be directed accordingly. This turned out to be a major fail on their part. First, we went down to deck 4 and had to keep asking different people for directions to our table, as if we were searching for breadcrumbs. I don’t think that it would have been too much to just have someone show us to our table, especially as it seemed to be in the bowels of the dining room. Second, when we found it, we found ourselves in the middle of a small MTD dining room called “Melody,” just off of the starboard stairs on Deck 4.

 

I was hoping that we would be in the main room just to watch all of the dining room action, but with family in tow, there is never a good time to really complain when you don’t want to impact their experience, so we got everyone seated (including a high chair for DD2). But, we later learned that there were benefits to our placement. First, our waiter, Mariano, was good and our asst. waiter, Maria, was fantastic. I think that, given that we were going to be around all week, they gave us a lot of special attention. Maria was clearly missing her son back at home and loved talking to the girls and doting on them. By the second night, the high chair was already in position at the table and Maria was right out with bread for the kids. By the fourth night, Maria was bringing chocolate milk to the table for DD2 (she really wouldn’t eat much in the way of dining room food). Second, the view was actually quite nice in the Melody room. Third, we usually had one or two tables around us open during our meal, which made the dining room much quieter for us (there were only about eight total tables in the room). Finally, I have to give special props to Jacob, the other waiter in the room. He was always hanging out with us and chatting with the kids.

 

If you want to quieter experience without the action going on in the main room (especially if your kids get over-stimulated easily), I would suggest seeing about getting moved into one of the small dining rooms on the wings. These rooms are also much closer to the restrooms, something to note for everyone who is potty training on the cruise. Ladies rooms are on the starboard side, men on the port side. You may want to go to the side that will be closest for whoever is most expected to take the child. I hadn’t considered that until the moment when we sat down and DD2 had to go. Dodging dining room crowds while going from starboard to port become my pre-appetizer routine. “Just hang in there, kid, we’ll be there in a minute!” Also, the water in the mens room on deck 4 was way too hot (even for me), so we made use of the Purel positioned outside of the dining room. “Yes, you’re supposed to wash your hands, kid, but I’m not going to scald you today and have to start answering questions about the blisters on your hands.”

 

After dinner, we headed back to the room to relax and get the kids ready for bed. DW took DD1 out for a stroll while I gave DD2 a shower and loaded into bed. The shower was easy. Bed, not so much. She was so excited about being in a “big” bed and that I could hear her talking and she just wouldn’t stop. I went out to the balcony, only to find her standing there next to me because I wasn’t answering her. “Get back into bed, dear.” The second time, I caught her actually climbing out of bed, at which point she proceeded to scream at me about catching her doing something bad. “Yeah, that’s my job, dear, to get in trouble for doing what I’m supposed to.” Once her sister came back and got into bed, it got even better. “Sister, talk to me!” “No, go to sleep.” “I’m here in bed!” “I’m trying to sleep!” “Speak to me.” “Daddy, she’s not letting me sleep!” I couldn’t help but laugh about the whole thing. I think that they ended up falling asleep by about 10:30 PM or so, more than two hours after I put DD2 in bed.

 

The main lesson I’ll share is to have the older kid only come to bed (or even come into the room) after the younger kid is sleeping. We ended up putting the older one into Adventure Ocean after dinner until 10 PM to give DD2 the opportunity to sleep. It worked out quite well for the rest of the week, with both girls sleeping well through the night.

[Buccaneergirl]

Love your review! You have great suggestions and I feel like I am right there with you.Oasis and Allure have me a bit intimidated, but I am planning on sailing one of them in 2013.:)

[Babyberger]

Absolutely LOVING your review and sense of humor :D We are a family of 5 and sailed in a family ocean view on Freedom and then adjoining balcony rooms on Oasis, so I truly appreciate where you are coming from and know exactly what you meant about the lights at each of the bunks ;)

[figgyva]

This review is taking forever, but I'm glad that some folks have been getting some good information out of it. I'm trying to cover areas that I think would have been helpful as I was doing my CC research, especially with regards to the kids. I have a lot more to share regarding the Dreamworks Experience, dining, shows, Adventure Ocean, and other tidbits. Little things like work seem to be getting in the way, but I'll get to them. In the meantime, let me know of you have any questions and I'll speed up those answers, at least. I appreciate that when traveling with young kids, you want everything to be perfect. It never will be, but I think that our cruise vacation was pretty darn close. I may just lock the girls up from now on and constantly point out what a great time we had when they were little and to stop complaining about how we never do anything with them. Hmmm, not a bad idea, I think?

 

I remember having a conversation on Liberty last year with a couple who had a toddler. DW and I were lounging on the track deck, snoozing/reading, as this couple walked by, very slowly, with their toddler. We had been considering finally biting the bullet and taking the kids on a cruise, so I stopped the father. "Do you mind if I ask you a question as you slowly stroll by?" "No, go ahead." "How is the cruise with the little one?" "It's hard, man. It's not really a vacation with him." I laughed a little at that, seeing that look that all new parents have when they first start getting out with their kids...the wonder about how things could have been so different before kids. I responded, "Family vacations are more about them then they are about you, aren't they?" "They certainly seem to be." Go figure that, the next day, DW and I were booking our family trip on Allure. I suppose that being abused by our kids while on a very expensive trip was on our bucket list. Check.

 

Anyway, since most of my time was focused on entertaining the kids rather than taking the copious numbers of photos that I would otherwise take, I don't have a lot that aren't just of the kids. But, I figured that I would share some of them now that I've had a chance to process through them all.

 

 

Here's a shot of the Sail Away! party in the Aqua Theater. The blue mats that you see are actually the floor of the pool that rises and falls. During the day, those little circles are fountains that put on a constant show. Note how the window in the back shows the very aft of the ship. You could conceivably watch the show there on the Deck 5 track while also having a great view of Port Everglades. Unfortunately, the curtains are closed for most of the other shows.

 

 

Another shot of the Sail Away! Note the curtains in the back here.

 

 

Here's a view from the Sheraton at Cable Beach. If you look closely in the distance, upper right-hand of the photo, you can see Allure just past the trees. She seems to dwarf the hotels in the background, even at this distance (20 minutes from port).

 

 

A look at the Boardwalk balconies. You can also see the blue Zip Line platform just above the "A" in "Allure."

 

 

Here's a shot of the Boardwalk as taken from the Carousel. You can see how there is very little action going on here during the day, but the Family Festivals are centered right in this space. Johnny Rockets is on the left and Rita's is on the right. Just past Rita's, there is a little playground that disguised in the wall. It's just one of those climbing playgrounds with a tube in the middle and a slide at the end. It was pretty easy for even DD2 to navigate. If you look closely on the far left, you'll see a little tower with holes. It's a bean bag toss game that DD1 enjoyed. Kids seem to like throwing the bean bags on top and then crying until a parent climbs up and grabs them. Ah, kids. You've gotta love them!

 

Back to the review in a bit. I'll also see about putting up some shots of St. Thomas and St. Martin.

[figgyva]

While I love being fed constantly (as do my kids), I’ve come to reject the belief that cruises are an opportunity to completely gorge yourself on anything and everything you can get your hands on. (As an aside, I had an uncle who used to prepare for trips to Vegas and its buffets by eating six large meals a day for a week prior to the trip...to enlarge his stomach and increase his buffet capacity...he was a large man) :rolleyes: Also, kids stink when it comes to eating, especially since mine consider Sorrento’s to be a diet and I see it as an obstacle between me and good food. DW and I have a taste for fine dining but also appreciate the necessity of what I would call “chain dining.” Fast food is an absolute no, no, unless it’s from Five Guys or In-n-Out Burger (there are exceptions to every rule). So, with that in mind, here are my dining perceptions.

 

MDR:

The food here is fine. I would put dinner at around an upper scale chain (Cheesecake Factory, maybe) with great service. Its food consistency is moderate (usually good, sometimes mediocre, occasionally throw-away), and it’s a little tough on the kids. DD1 really enjoyed the chilled soups (they really were fantastic), and usually did all right with the pasta dishes and some steak. DD2 didn’t like anything and usually had a meal consisting of chocolate milk and Cherrios. Hey, that’s three food groups right there! Throw in some berries, and she was all set. For dessert, they would both get ice cream or sherbet, both served with a giant chocolate chip cookie.

 

One rant, though. How is it that I've been on three Royal cruises, all on different ships, and not one of them know how to prepare a NY Strip? Come on, it's just a steak. When I order it Med Rare, it should bounce back when you touch it, not feel like a piece of rubber. If you've cooked it for more than four minutes per side, you've cooked it for too long. I get around this now by ordering two meals on NY Strip night, but still, should I really need to? Now, in Royal's defense, NY Strip night was the same night that we were 30 minutes late to dinner because of DD2's projectile launch of her stomach contents on DW's dress and sandals leading up to dinner, so I only made note of my bad luck versus complained about the meal failure. I'm sure that I just got a leftover.

 

Park Café:

The word is out…it gets crowded now (even on Day 1). I love the made to order salads. The ingredients were a bit sparse, but I didn’t mind. Everything was really fresh and the serving size was perfect to share with DW. When the kids were getting their fix in the Promenade (see below), I would just head up to Central Park, grab my salad, and join them back downstairs. The roast beef sandwich was truly a thing of beauty. Be prepared to wait a while if you order a Panini, though. The kids would eat the sandwiches and fresh fruit. DD1 loved the kiwi strawberry water. When looking for a table, my suggestion would be to take one of the ones with padded chairs in the middle of Central Park. They were rarely used and offer a lot of space. I would put the café at around an upper-end café chain (Corner Bakery comes to mind). They have high chairs, but it’s really tight trying to get one to the table.

 

Chops:

Three times, on three ships, and no complaints. Everything was great. Definitely on par with a Ruth's Chris. Note that there is an age restriction for the specialty restaurants (age 13 and older), so we had the kids in Adventure Ocean for the evening. Further note that we saw kids younger than age 13 at Chops, perhaps as young as 7.

 

I really try not to get irritated about folks flaunting their disregard for policy here when I'm such a rule-abiding cruiser. One of the young ones was sitting only with someone who I would assume to be her dad, and maybe they were just taking a Daddy-and-me cruise and he's giving her a nice treat. That's fantastic, I would love to do that! DD1 is a great dining companion, and she's been going to finer restaurants (and doing well in them) ever since she was four. But, if Royal isn't going to enforce the rules, then why have them?! :confused: DD1 would have had a great dining experience at Chops, but she instead had her kiddie fix and went to AO. Sure, she has no clue what she missed, but I missed out on sharing what I consider to be one of the best dining experiences you can have on a cruise ship.

 

That said, there should absolutely be an age minimum or at least a rules of behavior for younger children where, when broken, they will be politely asked to leave and have the charge removed from the account. ChalupaMama here on CC will attest to the fact that, when DD1 was much younger, she wasn't exactly the best dining companion. She really loved those ribs at that restaurant that will remain unmentioned and scrubbed the bones clean, but didn't really understand at the time that the floor wasn't there to be her discard pile. I agree, that's unacceptable behavior and we should have been asked to leave for it. But, we did leave a good tip as gratitude! :D

 

Vintages:

Didn’t eat, but we only use our 2-for-1 coupons here, so we hung out for a bit while DD2 was in the AO nursery. When the waiter came over, he said, “Can you use an iPad.” “Uh, yeah, but we’re here to drink.” “Well, we have iPads with all of our selections available for you to order.” I’m holding a menu, but DW is like, “Sure, why not?” I’m in IT and therefore appreciate where technology enables us, and where it fails. With the menu, I knew what I wanted and could point to it. With the iPad, we needed a tutorial on how to navigate the app. I just seem to think that I added a middle-man to what should be a pretty personal experience. I selected my wine from the menu, told the waiter, he showed us how to enter it into the iPad, finished our order, he read our selection off the screen, remembered what we selected, and then brought us our order. I’m not sure how that was supposed to add to my experience, but to each their own.

 

Promenade Café:

I’ve never been a real fan other than to get some sweet bites. But, the rum roll is awesome. The kids really only cared for the sweet stuff, too. I might say that it’s like a Mom-and-Pop coffee café. There’s something special about it, but I wouldn’t go there all the time.

 

Sorrento’s:

It’s like crack for kids. DD1 had five slices one day, and DD2 probably would polish off two in one sitting. The line can get long, which certainly diminishes things. I think that it’s better than Pizza Hut, but not by much. Most local independent pizza joints will probably do pizza better. One thing that Sorrento’s is great for, though, is filling water bottles. They have two water jugs, so you don’t need to deal with all of the nasty stares from people as you fill a cup, dump it in, fill another, dump it in, repeat (please don’t fill directly…it’s against policy and it’s just not wise from a public health perspective). This was our dedicated fill up station, especially at night (we brought three Nalgene bottles with us).

 

I would suggest that you get a table over at Bow and Stern rather than try to get one at Sorrento’s. Also, their counter is really high, so be cautious when sending kids to get their own pizza. To show how ego-centric some people have become, DD1 had a bit of a problem getting noticed, and rather than help her, people in line behind her would cut her off like she wasn’t even in line. I actually had to go over and admonish a gentleman and his son for doing exactly that, and they looked at her like it was the first time they noticed her. Really? A lot of folks will equate cruise ships to cities of all different cultures, but this isn't cultural, it's just rude. Beside, I'm pretty sure that the father was from the U.S. Maybe we have become just a bunch of over-privileged, rude, scums of the Earth.

 

I didn’t notice any high chairs here, though I have to admit that I didn't really look to hard. DD2 likes sitting in a real chair and I didn't mind the little bit of a mess in the more casual surroundings of the Promenade (darn egocentric, skewed perception of self-entitlement American that I am!) :rolleyes:

 

Solarium Bistro:

Everyone talks about the Park Café, so I’ll talk up this fine eating option. We only did it for breakfast, but we did it just about every day. One, the seating was nice, cushiony rattan-type patio furniture, so you kind of felt like lounging. They also had high chairs for DD2, which was a big plus. The food was pretty decent, with a lot of fresh fruit, granola, cereal, breads, pancakes (including fruit pancakes), awful looking turkey bacon, good-looking turkey sausage, and seasoned “Army” eggs. Bagels and lox were also there. It was never crowded and they had table service, like the MDR and Windjammer. It was a much more pleasant environment for the kids (and for us), and was open on the last day, so we just went there for breakfast before disembarking. It’s a bit more than your basic café breakfast, without the pastries.

 

Boardwalk Dog House:

Really excellent sausages. With the kids, I would have really liked for there to be fries, though. The potato salad just didn’t look tantalizing. I seem to recall that fries were pretty easy to come by on other ships (in the Solarium on Enchantment?), so what's the problem here. Once the donuts are gone, we should get fries! There’s no real comparison here, though folks on the West coast may look at it as a step up from Der Weinershnitzel.

 

Johnny Rockets:

Only had breakfast here (no cover), but really enjoyed it. Everything was made fresh and was a step up from anything hot you would get in the MDR. The potatoes alone are reason enough to give it a shot. Also, a little discussed fact is that there is a little playground right next to Rita’s, across from Johnny Rockets, where the kids could run around while we sat and ate on the Boardwalk.

 

Cupcake Cupboard:

An over-exposed trend that is just OK here. Sure, DD1 loved the cupcake. But, I would take the rum roll at the Café Promenade over the cupcakes. Now, if the Red Velvet cupcake were anything like the Red Velvet cake offered in Chops, I don’t think that I would ever leave.

 

Windjammer:

Fortunately, we only went there once to show the grandparents what it was about, but never ate there. Look on the in-room TV during the day for restaurant availability, and this is the only venue that is always, and I mean always, red. I will say that it was the only place where we could find Cherrios, so at least DD2 was happy that we stopped by.

[figgyva]

I’ve seen all kinds of discussions on CC asking what the Dreamworks Experience is about, is it any good, does it get in the way when you don’t care, etc. While I’ve never been on a Disney cruise (and would never care to spend the $$$ for it), I grew up at Disneyland in CA and assume that the embedded experience there is similar to what you would have on a cruise. So, in relation to that assumption, I would say that you would probably barely notice the Dreamworks Experience unless you really went looking for it, unlike the “Disney Experience” which I would figure is comprehensive to include artwork, decorations, letterheads, crew badges, etc. But, for kids, the characters probably seem to be everywhere. In my world, I thought that it was a good balance.

 

There are exceptions. There are two parades on the Allure, and they are both heavily invested with Dreamworks characters. Those currently include characters from Shrek (Shrek, Fiona, and Puss-n-Boots), Madagascar (Alex, Gloria, King Julian, Maurice, and the Penguins), Kung-Fu Panda (Po), and How to Train Your Dragon (A Grunkle, various actors dressed as the main characters). The Sail Away show on Day 1 in the Aqua Theater includes the Shrek characters and there is a HTTYD ice show that was pretty good. Beyond that, you may catch characters walking around from time to time, hit the Dreamworks Breakfast (more on that in the next post), catch the Dreamworks channel on the TV, catch a Dreamworks movie, or see an occasional themed artwork, but that’s the end of the Dreamworks branding. The pools are not shaped like Po, Fiona doesn’t sing in the shows, and Vikings don’t go running around asking, “What’s in your wallet?”

 

With kids, though, your at-sea day itinerary can basically be summed up as going from one appearance to the next. DD2 loved all of the characters, so we tried to hit all of the Meet-n-Greets that we could find (all in the Cruise Compass). DD1 and I had a great time late on Day 2 running all over the ship looking for the characters and just using it as an excuse to be generally silly. Sure, I probably looked like a complete loon, and she and I probably irritated a few passengers as we “danced” in the swirling helm wheel lights on the Royal Promenade (no flying dragons on the floor), but it probably represents one of my most treasured memories of the trip. We were also crazy on the Carousel that evening (dancing to Michael Jackson…was it like a tribute or something?), and the AO staffer who was running the Carousel saw me later going into Chicago and noted how much fun we seemed to be having.

 

A couple notes, though. Lines can form at the Meet-n-Greets, and the handlers will close the line quickly. Also, a lot of folks talk about how great the Schooner Bar is for watching the parade. With kids, it left some room for improvement. The girls had a great time, but the bar has very obscured views of the parade and you can’t even see the elevated stages. I would suggest just camping out some space on the floor, centered on the Cupcake Cupboard, and having the kids sit down in a line. Otherwise, if you would like to have an elevated view, go early and grab a standing spot in the picture gallery or at the top of the spiral staircase leading from it to the casino.

[spammie]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your review! Your sense of humor and attention to detail are great. I feel like I am there with you. Can't wait for more. Wanda

[figgyva]

Every time I hear folks talk about the Dreamworks Breakfast, I feel like the owner of the invention company in the movie Meet the Robinsons (I know, wrong studio, but go with it) when older Goob says, "Prepare to be Amazed!" OK, but what are you really trying to sell me? In Royal's case, I think that they're trying to sell me on giving the MDR another try for breakfast by using my kids as bait. I took it...and I'm sorry.

 

We couldn’t have asked for a worse dining experience on a ship! Really, why is it that the MDR is so bad for breakfast? “First, we’re going to give you a great dining experience to kick your cruise off right. Then, after you’ve had a great evening of shows, sunsets, and late night entertainment, we’ll make you wish that you were at home with a box of Bisquik in your pajamas.” Go Far, Far, Away (Channel Po's "Ohhhhh, Yeah...." while rubbing his hands together as I say "Got the right studio on that one.").

 

The famed Chocolate Breakfast? IHOP would have executed it better. “Chocolate Pancakes” had chocolate chips and a light chocolate drizzle. It’s a good thing, too, because they were otherwise tasteless and hard. “Chocolate Waffle?” Same thing. I can’t even remember what else we ordered because it was just so bad. I would've run to the Solarium Bistro and picked up breakfast there had it not been on the exact opposite corner of the ship (MDR - Deck 5, aft; Solarium Bistro - Deck 15, forward). I had actually forgotten my camera and had to run all the way forward to our room to get it, but it was before breakfast was served. Otherwise, I probably would've taken the opportunity to hit the Bistro before returning.

 

Service was also horrible. I think that our waiter had four tables, and every single one of them was in bad shape. One didn’t even get food until the rest of us were leaving. By the way the man at the head of that table was yelling and pounding his finger on the table where his plate should be (Channel DD2 pointing at the table and saying "Quiero comida aqui," translated as "I want food right here."), I'm betting that they didn't realize that they should have gone to the Bistro as well. When we didn’t get everything that we asked for, I looked around to complain and nothing, no one, nada, zilch. The headwaiter that was so nice before the meal, gone. The waiter? Barely seen after taking our order (too busy screwing up the other tables, maybe?). More beverages? Nah. I actually walked across the dining room when I caught sight of our headwaiter to express my dissatisfaction (after the family had already left). “I went over to your table several times and you never mentioned anything.” “Yeah, our food hadn’t come out yet, and I haven’t seen anyone else since.” “Your waiter should have been able to fix things.” “It would have been nice to have seen him, yes.” “OK, why don’t I go ahead and put you down for tomorrow’s breakfast? It will have different characters.” “Sure, but I doubt we’ll come.” We didn’t. Imagine my surprise that our waiter was right there waiting once I was done to find out what went wrong.

 

But, the characters did show up and the girls loved them. This one was Shrek, Fiona, and Puss-n-Boots. Cute. Save yourself some aggravation and just find them at the appointed times in the Cruise Compass. The characters just walk around all of the tables so that you can get pictures with them. Note that, should you do as I did and take the bait, you want to be seated in the area near the middle of the dining room, where there is glass separating the section from the outer areas of the dining room. From there, you want to be in the back of the dining room, and then move forward from there. The characters do a circuit and I'm willing to be that it takes about 30 minutes for them to hit all of the tables. There's some overlap, but given that they come about 30 minutes into breakfast, I'm willing to bet that you'd be stuck, fuming at your table, for 90 minutes before your kids allowed you to leave. I can just imagine how frustrated I would've been if I had to sit there and wait for the characters to make their way over.

[BLAMBKY]

I am throughly enjoying your review- keep going! :o

I was amazed that the 4A/2K:eek: turned out so well. I was going to comment that you must be a saint but then I read the Latin woman line....so make that a WISE saint! :p

Ready for more!

[figgyva]

I am throughly enjoying your review- keep going! :o

I was amazed that the 4A/2K:eek: turned out so well. I was going to comment that you must be a saint but then I read the Latin woman line....so make that a WISE saint! :p

Ready for more!

 

Thank you for the praise! I learned long ago not to argue with the woman. No matter who's right or has a better perspective, she will always win.

 

As yet another funny aside, we were walking through the straw market in Nassau when one of the ladies making money off of my wife noted DD2 hit me for saying something. She mentioned how DD2 was abusing me. I responded, "Yeah, I'm married to a Latin woman and have two daughters, so I'm pretty used to getting abused." After all three of my dear young ladies turned and glared at me for that remark (how did DD2 even get it? It's like she can read into your soul.), the woman looked at the grin on my face and responded, "A father with two little girls. You must actually enjoy getting abused." "Yeah, I've always been a bit of a masochist."

 

I'm sorry to say that there's a lot more coming. I feel like I'm working on a novel!

[figgyva]

This is a great water entertainment area for little kids. The water is generally only a few inches deep, with spraying water coming from just about everywhere. There is also a main pool that is less than four feet deep for jumping in and a great pool with a fairly strong current that pushes even adults along. We spent a good amount of time at the pool.

 

It did get crowded. On the first at-sea day, we had a hard time getting a chair to just put our stuff. I was thinking about the great thread about chair hogs from Bill_Oh as I saw all of the unoccupied chairs with towels on them. But, it did get me thinking about whether you should be considered a chair hog if you drop off your stuff on a chair and then go into the pool with the kids, or even just go into the pool yourself. I doubt most people would stretch the definition to include that scenario, but then, how do you differentiate between the two? My second thought was, of all of the people who grabbed chairs, do whole families really need to reserve a chair for each member of the family? DD2 certainly didn’t need her own chair and DD1 was almost never sitting down, so I would nix the kids (sorry, kids). Then, I was generally always in the pool with the kids, as was DW, so I may even nix one of ours, though I appreciated having two chairs so that DW and I could both sit and just watch the kids.

 

Another touchy subject is that of pool enforcement, specifically, of whether kids with diapers are allowed in the H2O Zone. I won’t go into whether or not it’s disgusting to allow diapers in a public pool or whether the Baby Splash Zone is sufficient for any child able to walk (though, I vote for not). But, when DD2 turned two, we immediately went into potty training mode for one reason, so that she could enjoy the H2O Zone without hesitation. She’s a stubborn kid, but with two months between her birthday and the cruise, we figured that we would give it a shot and see what happens. Sure enough, she made it! We were so excited and thrilled that she would be able to enjoy the H2O Zone. But, of course, you all know where the story is heading, because, after all of that, it turns out that she would’ve enjoyed it anyway.

 

I couldn’t count the number of diapered kids I saw in the H2O Zone…they were everywhere! Diaper here, diaper there, I couldn’t get away from them. Why should I be the only one who has to run all the way to the port side of the ship to get my daughter to a restroom? (Hint: No matter what kind of father you are, encourage your spouse to do the potty trips. The H2O Zone is on the starboard side of the ship, and it’s a real pain to get to the port side from there.) I tried to be polite, but I’m sure a few parents saw my look of scorn as I gazed at children that I’m sure were beautiful little bundles of joy, but who were spoiled by the wearing of diapers. It wasn’t until the last full day that the pool police were out (and in force), patrolling the deck for the wearers of contraband clothing. Of course, on that day, as I was frolicking in the pool with DD2, after one of said officers came to inquire as to the status of my child and I proudly declared, “Yes, she’s toilet trained!” I couldn’t help but feel like they were examining us the whole rest of the time. We just could never win.

 

Some notes. The deck around the H2O Zone, and all of the pools for that matter, gets very hot. DD2 cried the first time she stepped on it. Royal did a great job of putting wood lattice around the separation areas in the Zone, but they should really do the same for the deck around the Zone. Kids just don’t have the same sense of survival that adults have, especially since we tend to wear shoes whereas kids tend to run around barefoot. There is also ice cream right next to the pool (strawberry & vanilla) that was a nice treat for the kids when we wanted them to get out of the sun a bit and rest, but there is no way that you can stand barefoot and get an ice cream without burning your feet. To add insult to injury, there's a metal grate right in front of the dispenser. Finally, DD1 is probably at the end of her H2O Zone days. She eventually started to migrate to the other pools because there were too many kids in the Zone pool.

[figgyva]

This being our first cruise with the kids, we were new to the whole Adventure Ocean thing. But, it really represents a fantastic opportunity for the younger kids to play with others their own age.

 

DD1 was in the Explorers program (6-8 years old). The folks there seemed to do an awesome job at keeping the kids occupied. They are basically in a giant room with a great forward view. There is a restroom that is only accessible from the interior of the room and a strict check in/out procedure. I asked DD1 at the end of the cruise what she thought about AO, and she said that it was really “cool.” She made a bunch of friends there who would then show up in other places around the ship, making her feel like part of the community.

 

One note that I will send out to other fathers out there is that the “mommy society” behavior, as I call it, was on full display in AO. What I mean by that is that mother’s, especially those of small children, don’t seem to even “see” fathers around, and when they do see men, they are usually treated with indifference and even scorn with relation to children and children activities. Perhaps they’re jealous that real men take part in their children’s lives, or they assume that men are clueless in all matters regarding children, or they think that we’re just secret pedophiles checking out their children as our next victims. Whatever it is, mommies come first in mommy society, and we, as fathers, should know our place. For example, when I was standing in line to check my daughter out at AO, I was cut off not once, but twice. It was like I wasn’t even there! I probably just looked clueless, like I didn’t know if I was even in the right place. I took not so invisible pleasure in the look on their faces when I asserted my spot and right to collect my child in the sequence in which I arrived. Also, when I was with DW, all conversation from the AO staff was generally directed at her, not me. Some may take issue with my characterization, but I’m not judging, just observing. Rule #1: Mom is in charge. Rule #2: If Dad appears to be there, another Mom will outrank Dad every time.

 

For DD2, kids under 3 go into the nursery and there is a charge ($8 per hour). Also, be advised that there are time limits (3 hours at a time, 21 hours for the week). The nursery is another big room, but separated into crib area and play area. I have to admit that DW and I spied, a couple times, on DD2 in the nursery, just to make sure that she was all right. This was her first time being watched by someone other than family, so were just wanted to see how she was responding. The staff were awesome! At one point, DD2 was having a difficult afternoon (before vomiting all over the Promenade prior to dinner…go figure). When I spied on her, one of the caretakers were holding her in the reception space, letting her tap on the computer while she addressed another couple. Later that afternoon, she was apparently crying a bit, so they put her in a stroller and had her watch a movie on the TV (appeared to be Lion King...but isn’t that the wrong studio?).

 

When you drop off the nursery kids, the staff asks if they need to put them down for a nap or whether to feed them. They have snacks on hand but will feed the child anything you give them (or, as is the case with DD2, they will at least try). They take care of diapers (or potty runs to the in-room lav, as for DD2), and play with the children. While I mention the TV, it’s just one of the many activities that there are in the room, and I generally only see them using it when a child is being fussy. They generally ask that you make reservations since they can only watch so many children at a time. In our experience, reservations are really only necessary later in the cruise. On the second formal night, the reservations were gone pretty quickly.

 

Here are a few notes for parents with really young children. First, register your child early and get the complimentary DECT phone. This way, it’s easy for the nursery to get a hold of you in the event that they need you. Even if you have no interest in using the nursery, you can get the phone. We rented a second one at Guest Services, and then used them to keep in touch with each other around the ship. Second, go to the nursery on the first night and check out a pack of toys. They have age-appropriate bags of toys that DD2 (and DD1, for that matter) loved. I think that she thought it was really special. Then, every couple of days, we would return the toys while DD2 was sleeping and get another pack. When she would wake up, she would be thrilled to have a new set to play with. Third, there is a play room in the middle of AO for parents to take their young children and play with them. It has gyms, and slides, and chairs with books, and play mats, and just about anything else you can imagine. It could probably accommodate a couple dozen kids…it’s pretty big. One evening, I was reading “Horton Hears a Who” to DD2 while she was playing when another child came in. DD2 drifted off while I was doing my animated story telling, and I said “DD2, you’re not even listening to me anymore!” One of the other parents then responded, “But we are!” So, I kept going.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot about the in-room babysitting. It’s somewhere around $19 per hour and they send two people to stay in the room with your children while you go out partying. We had chosen one of our at-sea days to go to Chops with the folks and then go see some shows after putting our kids to bed. We really looked forward to giving this program a shot, but were incredibly disappointed. Be aware that, just because you make a reservation, doesn’t mean that you’ll get the sitters. Royal was good about notifying us, with some from Guest Relations leaving a message on our phone the day before to apologize profusely about not being able to find anyone. But, we were a bit deflated by it. I love my kids (if you haven’t noticed just yet), but I was really looking forward to having a nice night out. I suppose that I assumed that it was automatic (there I go again, being the stereotypical, over-entitled American). I’m sure that it’s a great service, but we weren’t able to enjoy it.

[Cruisenouvelle]

Really enjoying your review, Figgyva!! We're on Allure in October (although just DH and me), but it's nice to look at things from a different perspective. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and photos. PS Your daughter is so cute !

[figgyva]

I know that everyone says that the Oasis-class is huge, but you never appreciate it until you’re actually on it. I thought that Liberty was huge last year, and Allure pretty much killed my perception. For better-or-worse, these ships really are monstrosities. But, while there are a lot of areas to explore, when you have kids, your exploration time is pretty much gone. So, you tend to stay in just a few areas. Here are some thoughts on those areas.

 

Entertainment Zone, Deck 4:

Just clubs and Studio B. Ice skating didn’t happen until later in the cruise, and it was then that I realized that I hadn’t packed pants for DD1. So, despite all my promises to take her ice skating, I had to break her heart and tell her that she couldn’t go. She almost cried until she realized that she really didn’t care.

 

Royal Promenade, Deck 5:

When DW and I were on Liberty, the Promenade seemed more like a cozy main street where you could hang out at the pub or Vintages, drink a little, and people watch. It was my favorite location on the ship. On Allure, it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was because we had the kids constantly pulling us to do what they wanted to do, but the space just seemed a whole lot bigger. Rather than being a destination, it’s really just an avenue for cutting through the ship and grabbing a slice of pizza along the way. There is pretty much nothing in the way of consistent entertainment here, only food and drink. So, DD1 and I made our own entertainment, dancing and frolicking as we made the transit. Oh, and DD2 christened the area when she lost her lunch on the last night of the cruise in front of the Bow and Stern (and all over DW). Poor dears. Note about MDR staff…thanks to them for allowing us to sit down 30 minutes late for dinner. It was nice not to lose out on our last nice meal because DW and I were back in the room cleaning up that nastiness. Also, kudos to the staff in the Promenade for making it look like we hadn’t even there a few minutes later.

 

Running Track, Deck 5:

Have you ever wondered how far you’ve actually walked when trying to get your kid to take a nap in her stroller? If so, then this is the place for you! The track is really great because there isn’t a lot of noise, it has shade, and it’s pretty darn boring to look at for a kid. If you get a good pace going, then you’re actually working off one of your meals in the process (something that I definitely needed on a regular basis). After about a mile, DD2 was asleep and I was thrilled. As a side note, I think that the aft side of the track would be a cool and unique place for watching sail away, especially on the first day. From there, you can watch the Sail Away party (from behind) while also watching the departure from Port Everglades. Check out my earlier post for photos of the Sail Away! party to see what I'm talking about.

 

Boardwalk, Deck 6:

I’ve seen some folks complain about the Boardwalk, and I kind of see it. There is generally nothing going on here to really attract folks to hang out. It would be kind of cool if they opened the Aqua Theater to recreational diving off of the springboards, but, otherwise, why be there except for the Carousel. But, for kids, the Carousel is like Sorrento’s, it’s a drug that you just can’t get enough of. I swear that DD2 was on this thing dozens of times. DD1 did a fair share herself. One of the nice things is that there was never a line to get on. In fact, every time we did, we just stayed on for multiple times. Round, and round, and round, and round. What is it about kids where they can’t just appreciate having the one opportunity to do something special? They just have to keep going and going until you make them stop, and then they cry and call you “meany” for killing all of their fun? DW and I traded off to keep the fun going as long as possible. Early in the cruise, the Madagascar Penguins actually jumped onto the Carousel with us, and that was pretty cool.

 

That said, Royal has added a “Family Festival” that happened every at-sea day on the Boardwalk. There’s nothing like a little face painting and balloon animals to really get the kids going. DD2 got a butterfly put on her face, and to this day, she points to her face and talks about it. DD1 went daring and had a fire-breathing dragon done. It was actually kind of scary looking, but in a good way. She loved it. Later in the cruise, the two girls had tiaras painted on their foreheads, and that was cool. All of this at no additional cost. But, we stood in line for a really long time for the face painting. Get there early if you want to give your kids this treat. Adventure Ocean also brings kids down during the festival to be clowns, or pirates, or play musical instruments.

 

Rock Climbing Wall, Deck 7:

These rock climbing walls are big. I mean, for someone who doesn’t generally do this stuff, it’s really big. They span something like five decks, and you feel it. Imagine what DD1 thought when she was all harnessed up and was looking up at the monstrosity. Geez, if I was intimidated, she must have been terrified. While we were waiting for some adults to keep trying because they couldn’t accept failure (I can, I’m OK with it), I had a chat with the guy running the wall at the time. I mentioned how I remember a time when he would actually have to be holding the rope for the climbing wall and whether I should really trust that the automatic pulley system wouldn’t send me plunging into the Aqua Theater after I inevitably fall in dramatic, death-defying fashion. He joked that he actually prefers holding onto the rope because it helps him give personal guidance to one climber versus managing the wall with three climbers. I think that he was Aussie, and I went into my Aussie accent, “But, hey mate. When I was on Enchantment, one of your folks kept yelling at me, saying, ‘Buddy, use your legs, not your arms.’ Then he laughed at me when I said, ‘Buddy, I am using my legs, but they just don’t work no more.’ So, mate, if I have to choose between potential death in dramatic fashion and personal taunting, I choose death.” We had a good laugh at that. I must have been implying something, because once I got to the top of the wall (‘Yes! I’m not so weak afterall.’), I somehow pushed myself off of the wall like an idiot and floated right out over the Boardwalk, only to swing back (hard) against the wall. But, I didn’t fall! DD1 made it about a third of the way and kept trying, but couldn’t make it. She was all frustrated until a woman pointed out that she couldn’t make it even that far. All was good.

 

Central Park, Deck 8:

It’s a really cool concept. DD1 liked taking pictures there and both girls had some space to run around and burn off some steam. But, I had two issues with it. Again, like the Royal Promenade, it just seemed like a pass-through space with no reason to be a destination other than to eat. Also, without the ocean breeze, it was really balmy and uncomfortable there. I tried to sit down on the nice cushioned seats with DD2 at one point, and she complained that they were too hot. The air just doesn’t move. It’s a nice concept, but I think that it might have been a whole lot better if combined with the Boardwalk to open it up to the ocean a bit. Perhaps I should just consider it to be a piece of art that’s there to look at, but really just something to pass your time as you’re moving from place to place. It does have the Park Café, though, and so it became one of my favorite places to hang out.

 

Sports Deck, Deck 15:

This is a really happening place! Unfortunately, there’s very little for young children to do. The primary exception is the mini golf course. Both girls loved playing the course and we had a good time at it, especially later in the evening with DD1. It’s nine holes, generally short par 2 holes, but the course offers a nice break from things. There is also a separate little kid putting green where you can use fat clubs and big balls to put into large holes. DD2 really enjoyed that, until about a minute went by and she realized that she could throw the balls easier into the holes rather than use the club. That created a bit of general chaos that I’m sure some folks would have preferred to avoid! Ping Pong is always crowded, so we didn’t get a chance to do that. I did the Zip Line, but DD1 couldn’t do it because of weight minimum (75 lbs). We watched the Flowrider, but DD1 couldn’t do it because of height minimum (52” I think for body boarding). So, it was kind of a bummer for her.

 

I think that pretty much covers all of the kid-accessible places, other than the pool deck. But, what’s there to say about the pools except that there are four of them (not counting the Solarium), and they’re too small. Unfortunately, Central Park takes away a lot of usable space that would probably otherwise be reserved for the pools.

[figgyva]

Really enjoying your review, Figgyva!! We're on Allure in October (although just DH and me), but it's nice to look at things from a different perspective. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and photos. PS Your daughter is so cute !

 

Thanks for reading! I'll pass along your compliment to my daughter...she is definitely one who thrives on compliments. :)

 

I hope that you have a great time on Allure! I remember each one of our cruise vacations so vividly, loving each one for completely different reasons. Allure is a beautiful ship that I would love to do one of these days without the kids. That said, I'm so happy that we elected to take them on this trip because DD1 was so thrilled about it. We had always thought to wait until DD2 would actually remember it, but then we realized that then we were discounting the value it would have for DD1.

 

I have to say, though, that our next cruise will have to be on another ship (we're thinking of going back to Enchantment, our first RCCL experience). Allure was pretty overwhelming, in a good way, but I think that she's like a wine best savored in small bits. You have to drink other vintages to really appreciate the best bottles.

[JMB123]

I'm loving your review - very helpful for those of us with little ones!

 

Question - the play area that parents can bring their kids into - is there an age limit posted? Did it seem like it was just for toddlers? My kids will be 4 and 6 and are often very shy of kid's club - is this something we could do with them, or would they be too big?

 

Thanks! :)

[hmkenn0]

I would just like to say that I love your review! I just booked Freedom for March and my two boys will be almost 7 and 2yrs and 3 months- this review is heaven sent for me as I was sort of worried about the 2 yr old in the nursery- but really want to use it (for dinner). I too am going to do the potty training push at 2 so that we can use the H2O zone- too much of a rule follower and I know that the older one would never be able to go in it if the younger one couldn't!

I was wondering what you thought of the kids menus in the MDR? Are they pretty standard kid fare and how good were they about subbing stuff for your kids (like the Cheerios- did they bring you those or did you have to go get them)?

We were on one of the first boats to do My Time Family Dining when DS was 3 (Majesty) and LOVED it (filled out like a 2 page survey at the end of the cruise about it so glad they kept it)- but only late seating is available for our cruise- not even wait list right now for early is available- but hoping!

[boaterette]

I am enjoying your review. Thank you.

[QTMichele]

Great job! We are a family of 5 and will have 2 adjoining cabins on Allure. I can't wait to show our kids this amazing ship. :)

[figgyva]

I'm loving your review - very helpful for those of us with little ones!

 

Question - the play area that parents can bring their kids into - is there an age limit posted? Did it seem like it was just for toddlers? My kids will be 4 and 6 and are often very shy of kid's club - is this something we could do with them, or would they be too big?

 

Thanks! :)

 

I'm glad that it's helpful! So much on CC is focused on the adults that I thought that it would be good to give a more parental perspective (though, I would love to have a more non-parent perspective, as well!).

 

I don't recall any age limits being posted, only times (8 PM was the late time, but we broke that rule a couple nights without any scolding or dirty looks). Your 4 yo would probably still be OK but I'm betting that your 6 yo would probably get bored pretty quick. That said, siblings would probably do great in there. DD1 played with DD2 in there and had a grand time. So, I would say that you could give it a shot.

[figgyva]

I would just like to say that I love your review! I just booked Freedom for March and my two boys will be almost 7 and 2yrs and 3 months- this review is heaven sent for me as I was sort of worried about the 2 yr old in the nursery- but really want to use it (for dinner). I too am going to do the potty training push at 2 so that we can use the H2O zone- too much of a rule follower and I know that the older one would never be able to go in it if the younger one couldn't!

I was wondering what you thought of the kids menus in the MDR? Are they pretty standard kid fare and how good were they about subbing stuff for your kids (like the Cheerios- did they bring you those or did you have to go get them)?

We were on one of the first boats to do My Time Family Dining when DS was 3 (Majesty) and LOVED it (filled out like a 2 page survey at the end of the cruise about it so glad they kept it)- but only late seating is available for our cruise- not even wait list right now for early is available- but hoping!

 

Good luck with the potty training! DW was ready to give up on DD2 after the first week when DD2 started laughing about messing up the floor. I convinced her that DD2 wouldn't do it for long, and she didn't. We realized that we were stressing her out a little (we did that with DD1 too...I suppose that you have to repeat your mistakes to recognize them!), so we chilled about it, and she got bored with us and just proceeded to be a potty champ.

 

It's funny that you mention kids menus because it occurred to me later that I never asked for one. But, in thinking back, I seem to remember Mariano saying that they can get all of the standard kids stuff, like hot dogs, burgers, grilled cheese, PB&J. I suppose that I ignored him because I really wanted DD1 to explore a little and DD2 is an awful eater who won't eat any of that stuff anyway. I'm sure that Maria would have tracked down just about anything for us, but we had collected the Cheerios from the WJ and carried them with us. She did bring us the chocolate milk, though.

 

As for the early seating being full, we had the same problem. Maybe the TA group bookings default to early? At any rate, we just kept checking and it all changed.

 

Have a great cruise! I hope that some of my long-winded discussion come in handy.

[Familygoboston]

 

One note that I will send out to other fathers out there is that the “mommy society” behavior, as I call it, was on full display in AO. What I mean by that is that mother’s, especially those of small children, don’t seem to even “see” fathers around, and when they do see men, they are usually treated with indifference and even scorn with relation to children and children activities. Perhaps they’re jealous that real men take part in their children’s lives, or they assume that men are clueless in all matters regarding children, or they think that we’re just secret pedophiles checking out their children as our next victims. Whatever it is, mommies come first in mommy society, and we, as fathers, should know our place. For example, when I was standing in line to check my daughter out at AO, I was cut off not once, but twice. It was like I wasn’t even there!

I am so sorry this happened to you!! I know it's OT- but there is no excuse for this.

I work at a cooperative preschool ( a different parent assists the teacher in the class every day). At our school usually 1/4 to 1/3 of the parents are dads and easily in 10-15 percent of our families dad is the primary caregiver( but we live in progressive & expensive MA- parent making the most $ goes to work in those rare cases when it's affordable for one to stay home. !) It is so important for us to treat all parents equally. For instance, if a child is anxious to go home I always say " mom or dad or nanny will be here soon " ( if I don't know who is coming).

Hopefully, your note will remind others to treat caregiving dads with more respect!

[figgyva]

Many of the on-board staff will comment that the Oasis-class ships were built for entertainment. That isn’t just a line…there are always shows going on. Unfortunately, kids make it difficult to catch everything, but we did get a chance to see a fair bit thanks to the folks graciously staying with the grandchildren to give us a couple of nights. Of course, with little kids, our idea of a late night is anything past 10 PM because it’s not the night that’s the problem, it’s the morning. But, we made the best of it. Here are some thoughts on the shows and other entertainment.

 

Chicago:

This theater is fantastic! Check out the view from up here. Let’s just sit down…”These seats are taken.” Hmmm. Wow, there just isn’t a bad seat in this house. Check out these…”Seat’s taken.” (I’m feeling like Forrest Gump at this point trying to sit down on the school bus.) Eventually, we found seats and settled in for what we hoped would be a great show.

 

Hey, it was OK. I’ve seen shows on-Broadway, I’ve seen shows off-Broadway. It’s certainly not the best show that I’ve seen, but the singing was decent and the acting good. I think that people like the actress who plays Roxy a lot more than I do (yeah, she’s cute, but check out my DW!) I really like the actress who played Big Mama (though, I was cut down on that when I saw her in Blue Planet). Alas, I was falling asleep during the court scene, which must be why I just can’t get the “They both reached for the gun” song out of my head two weeks later. I’m sorry that I missed the whole thing, but the 10:30 PM show was probably a bit ambitious for us.

 

Oh, and in case you haven’t already read it on CC, please don’t bring your young children to Chicago! They don’t belong there. At best, they’ll just fall asleep. At worst, they start crying during the middle of the performance. Usually, it’s somewhere in-between where they’re constantly asking, “what’s going on?” It’s a mature show, intended for adults. Treat it with respect…at least as much respect as I did by not bringing the kids and then promptly falling asleep.

 

Ocean Aria:

OMG, what a great show! This show was “totally wicked.” (Ahhh, just went to the wrong studio again…I’ve gotta fix that). DD1 sat in the splash zone, and loved every minute of it. If I had dressed down after dinner, I probably would have been down there with her. DD2 was completely enthralled. The best part about the show was the “special guest” performance by two Romanian dudes doing an absolutely fantastic strength and agility performance on the stage. It had nothing to do with water, but they were so cool! What is it about Romanians? Every time Royal brings them out, I’m blown away. It really doesn’t matter what they do…even two men in Speedo’s holding each other in ways that in any other context would be suggestive and show that they belong in a bar in the Village, just amazed me. I’m not sure that the kids really got it, but they watched attentively. I also thought that it was cool when it looked like the performers were floating through the water. It wasn’t until I noticed the bubbles coming up that I figured out that there were scuba divers holding the performers up. It was great.

 

For kids, I suggest going early and getting a seat in one of the lounge chairs. Otherwise, you’ll be on benches, and they will get uncomfortable. If you don’t book reservations for any other show, do it for this one and go early.

 

Blue Planet:

Huh? What was that all about? DW and I were taking a late stroll one evening and came upon the theater when they had opened seating for the show. We were booked the next day, but we figured we would go ahead and see it so the folks could catch the next one.

 

I’ve seen hot and cold on this one. Look, it may be interesting and Cirque like, I really couldn’t say since I haven’t seen Cirque. But, it was just weird. The singing was awful, with Big Mama being very prominent in her inability to hold the notes. It seemed like a really bad Beatles tribute in the beginning. I was almost laughing, until the tree of life came alive. Then I was laughing. Sure, kids could go to it and may enjoy it. They may be able to make more sense of it than we did.

 

The show had some great acrobatics on a set of angled trampolines, though. I whispered over to DW, "See, the only good part of the show is when they bring the Ocean Aria folks in." We had a good giggle when Ken Rush came on at the end and noted that the acrobats were from the Ocean Aria show. Two points Ocean Aria baddies, zero for the Chicago crew.

 

Headliners (Texas Tenors):

To DW, I said, "Hey, the headliners this week are called the Texas Tenors. Wanna go?" With a wink and a nod, I waited for the pure look of disgust to cross her face. With all due respect to all of the Texans out there, some of whom I know and a couple I count as friends, we really don't look to Texas as a primary entertainment draw for our limited free time. Throw "Tenors" in the mix, and all the sudden, I'm imagining three guys in cowboy hats and chaps walking onto stage, tipping their hats to the audience, and then entering into a thrilling rendition of some campfire story about the injured horse they had to kill, with a long-drawn operatic telling of the horse's suffering (and their suffering for his suffering). Sorry, just telling it how it is.

 

Sure enough, with the roll of her eyes and a turn of her head, I knew that the Headliners show wasn't in our future. Of course, we did walk by the theater during the show, and guess what we saw on the electronic board? Three fellas in cowboy hats. It would've only been better if there was a horse in the background.

 

More entertainment coming later, including the ice shows and movies. Also, I have some more photos that I'll try to get up. I see light at the end of the tunnel! Alllmooost thererereeeee. (Yeah, wrong studio again, but I think 20 years before the right studio even existed is all right.)