Is it Live or is it Memorex?- Allure of the Seas Review September 18-25 with Pics!

[wingnutphl]

Oh can't wait until Capt Alan!

 

We didn't go to Chops. We went to Giovanni's table and thought the filet there was excellent. Might have been the way the chef cooked it that day. Sorry you were disappointed.

[nenner1]

I feel your pain. We have been put in this situation twice but in the MDR. Tables for two can be tables for 4 or 6 that they just pull apart and there is not enough room to separate them appropriately. :( In the MDR I am a bit more tolerant but I would be upset if we paid for an intimate experience and ended up in such close quarters to the next table. Think if Chops hits our radar for our June cruise I will try & request NOT being seated in this area. Were there any other tables for two or was that it?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

 

Yes, absolutely request to not be seated there. Giovanni's is the same way and we asked the next night to not be placed at those tables, and sure enough it threw them for a loop a little, so they were intending to put us there at Giovanni's too. (they were able to give us a better table in the end) It was MUCH better to not be squeezed in, and to be a reasonable distance from the next table. The larger tables did have a much better situation in both restaurants.

 

Had we known in advance, and had we not been so pressed for time we would have asked at Chops as well. I have to wonder if we didn't keep getting passed over if we would have had a better seating experience but - oh well. At least I can come back and educate everyone!;)

 

I absolutely love you review! My husband and I were on the Allure in January and at that time decided to take our kids back with us over Thanksgiving. SIL (28) daughters (27 & 21) and 20 year old son. Also bringing our 20 month old Granddaughter. Thank you for taking the time to do what is obviously a time consuming review. I am passing the link on to my family and the family of 7 who are joining us from out of state.

 

You are so very welcome, sounds like you will have an amazing family cruise!! I hope your family finds it helpful! And thanks again for reading!! :)

[nenner1]

Oh can't wait until Capt Alan!

;)

 

We didn't go to Chops. We went to Giovanni's table and thought the filet there was excellent. Might have been the way the chef cooked it that day. Sorry you were disappointed.

 

Oh we went to Giovanni's the next night..and yes not to give a spoiler or anything but it was FABULOUS!!! Best meal of the cruise! :D

[livingis2me]

Chops was one of the few disappointments of the entire cruise. The steak was just not up to the standards that had been set on the Independence. :( I'm definitely going to give them a chance to redeem themselves next time we are on RCL. :cool:

 

Ron

[metairiegal]

Does the MDR have the same problem with the table for 2s being so close together? :confused:

[CamaCama]

Loving your review!

 

But am I the only one who can't see the pics posted from page 16 on? It says "image has been moved or deleted - photobucket" :confused:

[time4me2fly]

Loving your review!

 

But am I the only one who can't see the pics posted from page 16 on? It says "image has been moved or deleted - photobucket" :confused:

 

I can see the photos. Try again.

 

I'm enjoying the cruise review and look forward to reading it every day. I appreciate all the time spent posting the review, photos and answering all the questions. GREAT review! THANKS!:D

[yj2cute]

Loving your review!

 

But am I the only one who can't see the pics posted from page 16 on? It says "image has been moved or deleted - photobucket" :confused:

 

I can't see the ones on page 15, but I can see pg 16 and on.

 

Does the MDR have the same problem with the table for 2s being so close together? :confused:

 

I experienced this with MTD in the MDR. I didn't like it at all. It was like actually having table mates. There a few inches between tables at best. We were having conversation with the folks next to us, it's like they were seated with us. I don't think it's a problem with traditional dining.

[nenner1]

Aargh-Photobucket! :mad:

 

I paid for a Pro account just so I wouldn't have any problems!

 

I had accidentally named my Day 4 album Day 3. When I realized it and changed it yesterday in Photobucket I guess that made my links go all wonky. I can try to change it back but then everything I posted yesterday in the chops and comedy show installments will show "moved or deleted" Grr.

 

I am going to change it back to fix all the St. Thomas pics and then I will have to repost yesterday's segments. Yikes. It's kind of mess, but it's the only way to get everything back since we can't edit here after the first 10 or 20 minutes or so...sorry guys, I never would have changed it if I knew I was going to mess everything up!! :eek:

 

Wish me luck...haha! ;)Jen

[nenner1]

Ok, I *think* I may have fixed it, but I can still see the pics on page 16, so i'm not sure.

 

If anyone can no longer see the pictures for Chops and the Comedy Show on Pg. 16 let me know and I will repost those segments before moving on. I know I might have it in my internet cache or something and that may be why I can still see everything.

 

Working on the next part now, back soon! :p

Edited October 10, 2011 by nenner1

[andynapril]

I can still see them. :)

[livingis2me]

Ok, I *think* I may have fixed it, but I can still see the pics on page 16, so i'm not sure.

 

If anyone can no longer see the pictures for Chops and the Comedy Show on Pg. 16 let me know and I will repost those segments before moving on. I know I might have it in my internet cache or something and that may be why I can still see everything.

 

Working on the next part now, back soon! :p

 

Page 16 photos are not showing for me now.:(

[yj2cute]

I can now see the pics on pg. 15 that I couldn't see before, but now cannot see the pics from Chops on pg. 16 that I could see before.

 

Thanks for trying to fix the problem. It's appreciated. Your review is fantastic and I hated missing the pics. :)

[markadele]

Thank You for the great review love the pics and all the info. We will be sailing the Allure in 5 weeks:D

[CamaCama]

Ok, I *think* I may have fixed it, but I can still see the pics on page 16, so i'm not sure.

 

If anyone can no longer see the pictures for Chops and the Comedy Show on Pg. 16 let me know and I will repost those segments before moving on. I know I might have it in my internet cache or something and that may be why I can still see everything.

 

Working on the next part now, back soon! :p

 

YESSS I see them all now!! Going to read....

[LMZinSC]

I can see them all now. Couldn't see page 15 before. Now both 15 & 16 are there. Thanks for all your work getting this fixed.

[nenner1]

I can now see the pics on pg. 15 that I couldn't see before, but now cannot see the pics from Chops on pg. 16 that I could see before.

 

Thanks for trying to fix the problem. It's appreciated. Your review is fantastic and I hated missing the pics. :)

 

Ok, this is what I thought could happen. I can't see pg.16 on my iphone either so those who can see both (like me on my laptop) must have it in their cache.

 

I am going to repost the Chops and comedy show posts from yesterday. Sorry it makes for a messy report but I want everyone to be able to see everything.

 

Thanks everyone for all of your help figuring this out!! After I repost I'll be back in a bit to address other comments and hopefully get some of St. Maarten up!

 

:) Jen

[nenner1]

This evening our dinner was one I was really looking forward to- Chops Grille! It was absolutely by far the best meal we had onboard Independence and we expected no less for this cruise. We got the kids fed early (Sorrento’s again) and up to the kids’ clubs ASAP. We had an 8PM reservation and actually wanted to get there-and hopefully seated early because we had the Comedy Show scheduled at 10 and wanted to arrive there with enough time to (hopefully) get a decent seat. Our last meal at Chops-as wonderful as it was- was quite lengthy so we were concerned about the time constraints.

I really love the location of the specialty restaurants on Central Park. It is so beautiful lit up at night, the perfect atmosphere for an elegant, intimate dinner.

 

The little light show is fun and relaxing to watch:

 

 

This evening ominous clouds were overhead and it was actually beginning to sprinkle a bit outside. As we approached the restaurant, we considered the outdoor seating options, I was concerned with the heat, since we had been quite warm at both Rita’s and Samba. At least some of the outdoor seating area did have a semi-glass enclosure and appeared to be somewhat air-conditioned but we decided with the chance of rain that it was better to stay inside.

 

We arrived at Chops at about 7:45 PM, not very early for our 8:00 reservation after all. As we checked in, we inquired about being able to be seated early. The restaurant was obviously very busy but the hostess said they would be able to accommodate us, and asked us to take a seat in the waiting area.

We ended up having to wait a while for a table. We watched quite a few couples arrive and be immediately seated and as it grew closer and closer to our 8 PM and our actual reservation time, we really began to get concerned about the time and that we had been overlooked (even though we were the only ones seated waiting for a table). As we saw a few more couples enter the restaurant at 8PM, we decided to get up and return to the hostess stand to express our concern, and as we did so, we were told our table was ready. Hmmm.

 

Chops was very lovely inside. The décor is rich, with dark woods, heavy fabrics and patterns and intimate low lighting. We were brought to a very small two-top table in a long line of tables that were booth seating on one side and a chair on the other side. The tables were impossibly close together, less than 2 feet apart- probably more like 18 inches. Even the skinniest of patrons had to turn sideways to squeeze between the tables. I did not care for such tight quarters at ALL. It is impossible to not hear the conversations at the tables adjacent- no matter how hard you try to speak in low tones or whispers, and regular conversations could be hard to hold if tables on both sides of you were talking. I didn’t really want to listen in on our neighbors but you really didn’t have a choice. And I didn’t feel as comfortable about relaxing and enjoying our conversation as well, knowing that we were being heard too (not that we had anything negative or salacious to say, just that I felt rude actually talking, like we were imposing on the tables besides us or something. Call me neurotic but I just would have felt much, much more relaxed with some room to breathe.

 

Chops Menu:

 

 

 

I was also not as comfortable taking pictures inside Chops. It has a very dark atmosphere and my camera- even my good one- was not a DSLR so I had no choice but to use flash. Flash in a dark restaurant can be quite imposing but especially in such close proximity to others. I did not want to be disturbing everyone so I took only the minimal food porn shots, and I didn’t really get any good pictures of the inside of the restaurant.

 

Here is one picture of the interior, graciously borrowed from QTMichele’s awesome review. (Thanks Michele!).

 

 

And this picture from Beyondships.com shows our table exactly (the 2nd one from the end). You can see the close proximity of the seating arrangements.

 

 

We explained to our server that we had the comedy show at 10 and she assured us that would not be a problem. We are pretty fast eaters anyway so I felt comfortable we would make our reservation. I started with her suggestion of the Chops signature cocktail. I wish I could remember better but it was some sort of blackberry and blueberry martini. It was fabulous!

 

[nenner1]

The bread came out shortly afterward. It was a whole grain bread with sun-dried tomato butter. I didn’t recall the bread in Chops on Indy being this variety- I recall it being a white bread that we ate way too much of. I didn’t care for this bread as much, which is probably a good thing- to avoid filling up on it!

 

 

We placed our orders and quickly our appetizers arrived. I chose the Warm Goat Cheese and Basil Soufflé- double baked soufflé served with portabella mushroom confit and creamy sage reduction.

 

 

DELICIOUS!!! Rich, cheesy, smooth, everything you would sant in a cheese souffle. The Portabella caps were grilled to perfection. Tender but crisp, and not chewy. YUM!

 

 

Ron chose the Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cake with Remoulade sauce. He also said it was amazing, crispy and flaked with thick chunks of crab shrimp meat.

 

He also selected the Forest Mushroom Soup-scented with white truffle oil. Earthy, creamy, and just fabulous.

 

 

Our meal- despite the unintended intimacy with our neighbors- was off to a pretty good start.

 

After a short wait came the moment we had been waiting for. Drum roll please…our steaks!

 

We both selected the Filet Mignon- 10 ounces of a thick and flavorful cut from the tenderloin. Since I like my steak Medium-well, mine was butterflied, which I do not prefer, but it is the standard practice at Chops for medium-well and well-done filets.

 

And of course…the ever present halved grilled tomato.

 

 

Ron likes his steak medium, so his was not butterflied:

 

[nenner1]

We also requested onion rings as a side order, and we shared one of the gigantic football sized Rock-Salt Baked Idaho Potatoes. Since we had mentioned our intention to share the potato, it was served to us already split:

 

 

 

Now, about the steaks…..maybe we had unrealistic built up expectations based on a memory 18 months in the past and our recollection was not as we thought. But- and I hate to say it- the steaks were not GREAT. They were good, but not cut with a spoon, melt in your mouth great like they were on independence. My steak- although a perfect light pink-grey medium well, seemed not quite as tender as it could have been. I could (and should) have stated my preference to not have it butterflied, I’m sure, and I would advise those of you out there to do choose to not butterfly if you prefer your meat more on the cooked side. I know they can do it-any good steak house of that caliber should be able to prepare a filet medium -well without having to butterfly. It was still tender enough- and great with the sauce but the meat itself did not have a huge amount of flavor or spice. And I just did not prefer having so much crispiness due to the searing of so much surface area of the steak.

 

Ron’s opinion did not differ too much from mine. Very good but not GREAT. We almost felt like the steaks were a little bland. The potato was good (but it just a baked potato after all), and the onion rings were just OK too- nothing special. They tasted a lot like Johnny Rocket’s onion rings (Ron liked JR’s better though).

 

So, I would not say we were disappointed in the food, just not blown away like we thought we would be. Maybe our expectations were unrealistic. I’d like to say they were but in hindsight we had a much better overall experience the next night at Giovanni’s Table. More on that to come!

 

Of course we were not leaving without the amazing Mud pie for dessert. I was way too full to even attempt to eat it now, so I chose to take mine to go. Ron could still manage to eat his now though:

 

 

Now this did not disappoint a bit. By far the best dessert onboard. Amazingly dense, rich and so chocolately. Sinful!!!

 

True to her word, our server did have us finished and leaving the restaurant in less than an hour and a half. We did not feel rushed too much however, and like I mentioned we like to eat more fast paced so it worked out well. She hasn’t the most personable though, and she had a thick Asian accent that was difficult to understand. Not bad service by any means, just not outstanding either.

 

Overall we left Chops satisfied but not feeling like we’d just had the best meal ‘evah’-like we were hoping we would. I really do think our dining experience would have been much improved by a more isolated seating situation. When you are having an intimate romantic dinner- and having three children, we just simply do not get enough of those to just the two of us- you don’t want to feel as if you are being eavesdropped on or listening to others (albeit unintentionally). If you go to Chops and want a quiet-more private experience – do ask before being seated if you can avoid those tables. If you are the kind that likes meeting tablemates and eating with others those little booth seats may be more for you!

 

We did have just enough time after dinner to run up to the room, drop off my mud pie and change into more comfortable clothing and shoes. I had worn a pair of heels to chops that was quite uncomfortable. I was retaining a bit of water, and I don’t know if it was due to all the walking onboard but my feet had swollen considerably. I hadn’t seen such sausages since I was 9 months preggo! Bring comfy shoes, folks!!! I was much, much more comfortable back in my flip-flops!

 

We went down to the Entertainment Place on Deck 4 to the Comedy Live venue.

 

 

Love the theming down here in the “basement” LOL!

 

[nenner1]

 

Ron and I both love stand-up comedy so we were really looking forward to this show. As we arrived at about 9:40 PM, we found that while there was still some seating left, all of the good center seats were gone. We ended up toward the back on the side. There was an awful lot of awkward seating going on where couples would sit and leave one chair, then another couple would sit and leave another open chair and so there were lots of scattered individual seats. We witnessed an interaction where a couple arriving asked another couple seated to move one chair down so that they could sit together and were met with resistance. It was pretty funny when that same couple then spotted another pair of seats near the front- obviously occupied as there were personal items in the chairs..The woman headed for them while muttering “THERE IS NO SEAT SAVING” and I knew she was going to get turned away by the rest of the people in that party-and of course she was. That couple did eventually find seats together near the back. When the standby folks were let in about 5 minutes to show time, there was a lot more of the groups or couples asking people to move a seat down and we were a bit surprised to see that nobody really would. Standby folks have to expect to be separated though-keep that in mind if you decide to do standby at a show.

 

 

We loved this little venue though. The seats were deep and comfortable-although the view from the back was not the greatest, the intimacy of the club leads to a camaraderie with those around you that when you are all laughing together it doesn’t matter so much that you can’t see the stage.

The view from our seats (sorry for the blurry pic)

 

 

Ron liked the ‘Cocktail Comics” bar menu: Creative!!!

 

 

 

So with all of the pre-show seating comedy (and drama!) over, the show began with a short 5 minute stand-up routine by Matt (I think that was his name), the activities director. Even he was very funny. The show was off to a good start!!!

 

The opening act was a 30-minute set by comedian Rick Corso. We had never heard of him before (off-hand) but he has is no stranger to the club circuit back on land and of course had been on TV featured on Showtime, Comedy Central, MTV and VH1, among others). He had a lot of cruise-ship based material and also a lot of his act based around New York and New Jersey and being Italian. It was really funny stuff. I was laughing so hard. Totally loved his act. He ended up with song about life on a cruise ship, watch this short video clip on you tube to see a little taste of his material:

 

 

We thought Rick Corso was so great, we didn’t think it could get much better with headliner Phil Tag, but boy were we wrong! Phil was just terrific. I was laughing so much I was crying! Phil, like Rick had been on Showtime, Comedy Central, A&E, and also the Tonight Show. He was very polished and professional and his timing was impeccable. Not as much of his material revolved around cruise themes, but some did. The joke I found the funniest was in regards to the size of Allure and how she looked like she just *pooped* out the little carnival ship behind to us in port. (Of course the other word for poop was used). I was rolling at that one because we thought the same thing back when we took this picture in Port Everglades:

 

[nenner1]

It has been a long running joke of our family about Allure and Oasis having “butts” (well, the design of the Aquatheater lends that impression, does it not? Yeah we aren’t above crude potty humor in our household. We have two tweens after all!) So hearing that little tidbit which took it to the next level was a special echelon of hilarity to us.

 

This was just one example, though, of his act. Our mouths and face muscles ached from laughing after the show, and everybody in the club seemed to enjoy it as thoroughly as we did.

 

To get a little taste of Phil’s comedy, check out this short you-tube video. Some of the material is the same as what we heard onboard!

 

 

Phil Tag did do a meet & greet outside the venue after the show and he also had a video for sale, but we were in a hurry to get the kids out of the club before 11:15 when we would be charged for another half-hour. (After 10 PM is $6/hour). So if you do enjoy the comedy show on your cruise, and you are interested, you may get an opportunity to meet the comedian, get an autograph on your Compass, or buy some of their material.

 

So our opinion is absolutely do not miss the comedy show on your cruise! Though you will likely have different comedians (they change all the time), this is an example of the caliber of performer to expect. And just a note- the comedy shows on Allure are for adults only (18 and up). We found that the content was only mildly sexually tinged and while there was a lot of profanity it wasn’t really over the top. While obviously not appropriate for children, I do not believe most adults would be offended by the material contained in this show. Of course it is a comedy show. Come with thick skin, you may get heckled!

 

Wish we had time to hang out in Blaze; I just love the name and design!!

 

 

Quest was also this evening, at 11:45. We were just way too exhausted to even consider it though. I don’t know how everybody does it, we were literally about to drop once we got back to the room. While I am bummed that we missed Quest –AGAIN- at least on our next RCCL cruise we still have something “new” to look forward to. C’mon Royal throw us a bone and move Quest to a Sea Day, would ya???? Please?

 

Back in our staterooms, we had a cute little frog and the kids had a stingray!

 

 

 

 

 

Up Next: St. Maarten and Capt. Alan’s Wild Ride!

[metairiegal]

 

I experienced this with MTD in the MDR. I didn't like it at all. It was like actually having table mates. There a few inches between tables at best. We were having conversation with the folks next to us, it's like they were seated with us. I don't think it's a problem with traditional dining.

 

We will be traditional dining in the MDR. I hope tables aren't too close together.

[QTMichele]

You're welcome for the picture. :)

 

Sorry to hear about your experience at Chop's. Our meal there was fantastic; however, out meal at Giovanni's was just okay. On the other hand, our experience at Chop's on the Mariner was just okay - we almost didn't book it for the Allure! Go figure??!

 

Keep up the great work!

[toothy26]

Thanks for your amazing review and pictures. I can't wait to go!!