LIVE: Allure Western 7/1-7/8/12 with SilentBob007 and family

[twinlges]

We waved!! The next time the ship leaves on the Western itinerary, I'll be on it!! Thank you for helping me get through this week! What will I do NEXT week!

 

Kate

[captjaneway]

Thanks for letting us enjoy your cruise with you. I can almost feel the gentile rock of the ship. Let us know how you like your room. Great picture of the person on the zip line right dead center of the Allure of the Seas sign.

[BearBear69]

Yes..please please elaborate on your Boardwalk balcony, as i think you have?

 

Have a wonderful time aboard the most awesome ship in the world!

 

Cheers!;)

[JamesEM]

Thanks for your review, we sail on the Oasis Oct. 13th.

[Just The 3 Of Us]

This is fantastic so far!!!! Can't wait to read more....

[LBumb]

ready for my daily fix

[silentbob007]

Have a great cruise! How did your niece like the zip-lining experience on the ship? Oh, and what is the living room? Is that part of a club, or just within Central Park, where you ate lunch?

 

The living room is part of the kids club ... it might be teen specific section. It has a bunch of video games, a sitting/stage area, and it connected to the teen night club.

[Topo Gigio]

How was Giovanni's Table last night?

[silentbob007]

Hi everyone … thanks for continuing to follow along. I’m sure updates will be a little slower now that I have to use ship’s wifi instead of my phone, but I’ll do my best. ☺

 

Muster and sail away

 

The muster drill started at 4:30, though we headed down a little early to make sure we could get chairs a little closer to the front of the dining room (our muster station). Muster on the Allure includes some verbal directions and watching a safety video. It was fairly painless, especially since it was inside and not out in the heat.

 

After the muster drill, we headed out onto the jogging track instead of fighting for elevator space. On the back of the ship, there are decent chairs, an if you go on the port side of the ship, there should be some shade. We stayed down there until sailaway, then headed to up to change for Giovanni’s.

 

Giovanni’s Table

 

We made a 6 PM reservation and the place only had a few people in it at that time. We were seated inside right by the door and quickly had our water and menus. Giovanni’s serves the starters family style, so we had antipasta, baked prosciutto and mozzarella, scallops, and Caesar salad. My mom also ordered the seafood soup for the soup course. For the pasta course, we shared our dishes of gnocchi, crab ravioli, risotto, and ricotta and spinach stuffed crepes. For our entrees, we all ordered filets. Finally, for dessert, it was time for cannoli and tiramisu. Overall, all of the food was very good (and way too filling). The standouts were the baked prosciutto, gnocchi, and the filets. The steak was incredibly tender and tasty. I thought that the weakest part of the meal was dessert … of course, by that time you are stuffed, but it is also fairly inelegantly served as it is all food that has already been prepared and is scooped/collected by the waiter in the restaurant. We took our time eating, and by the time we paid, it was 8 PM. We used our BOGO diamond plus coupons plus our specialty coffee coupons to reduce the bill at the end. By the time we left, several tables had already been turned over and the place was pretty much full. I assume this was because Giovanni’s is one of the choices for “manadatory” first night dining for those with a meal package.

 

Chicago

 

After a brief visit to our cabin, we headed to the Amber Theater to see Chicago’s 9 PM showing. We entered the theater on the 5th deck and sat in the Diamond Plus/Gold Card seats on the starboard side. Only three rows were reserved for these guests and you definitely did not want to sit in the lowest row as the bar would be in your view. These seats were opened up to all guests by 8:50 or so. I was actually surprised at how many open seats there were. The center area was full, of course, but there were many open seats on the extreme sides.

 

As for Chicago, we found it very enjoyable. It was much different than the other full productions on RCI (Hairspray and Saturday Night Fever) as it has very spare costuming and sets. In fact, the main set itself, is a stationary stand for the orchestra with an entrance for some of the actors in the middle. On a few occasions there would be ladders or chairs used, but for the most part, it was simply actors, actresses, and dancers on an “empty” stage. I thought that the signing and dancing was excellent … as it would have to be with no other set pieces to occupy your attention. The Compass notes that the show is “Rated R” and it does have some revealing costume, innuendo, and a few curse words. This is not a kid-friendly show … and I can imagine most young kids would be bored to tears even if you didn’t mind exposing them to the content. My biggest complaint is that the spare costuming was sometimes distracting as some of the actors with minor roles always wore the same black pants and fishnet shirts, even when playing police, the judge, the prosecutor, etc. Other than that though, I can honestly say that this is my favorite full Broadway show production offered by RCI.

 

After the show, as expected, it was time for bed (10:45 or so). The elevators are very full, as usual, except after the show. My dad and I decided to take the stairs from the theater to our cabin (deck 5 to deck 12) and that was enough to wear us out completely after a long day on little sleep. There were two diving shows running the first night, so the second one was still going on when we returned to our cabin. You could definitely hear it through the door of the Boardwalk balcony, but it wasn’t super loud.

 

Miscellaneous

 

Other things ... you can feel in the hallway who has left their balcony doors open. As you are walking, there will be sudden warm patches where the temperature will jump 10 degrees. Also, there are evidently over 1,000 teenages onboard. My niece is one month away from being 15, so my mom was allowed to sign a waiver that would let her join the 15-17 activities. They had a dance party last night that ran up to the 1 AM curfew.

[silentbob007]

Carousel by cmong, on Flickr

 

Unfinished horse by cmong, on Flickr

 

Sailaway by cmong, on Flickr

 

Royal Promenade by cmong, on Flickr

 

Boardwalk by cmong, on Flickr

[mivama]

I'm not sure if someone asked this already, but can you let us know what you find out about the new water slide on Labadee. It looks like it's open to reserve online starting this month. Does it look like it's worth $20?

[BillOh]

....... and put a hold on two guaranteed cabins just in case our TA did not get back............. While he was on the phone, I went online and released the two guarantees I had held. They immediately popped up as available on his side and he grabbed them.

 

Given the demonstrated abilities of Roya's IT and Web Dept, I found that amazing. Glad that wasn't a horror story of lost opportunity, extra charges or something else.

 

Hey, on the trivial side, a question that doesn't require you to run all over the ship, have they added the software/channel on the TV that shows the ship's current location? That is one very minor thing I missed about Allure back in 2011. When they held the QA session in the Aquatheater, someone asked about that and was given a "coming soon" answer.

[PIGSKIN]

Love your review--- what is the cost for the wk for the wifi?

[BillOh]

Thanks for the well-wishes and encouragement everyone. We're sitting in the airport right now and it looks like our plane just landed in Indy. Fingers are crossed ... we got hit by some hard rain a few hours ago, but now it just seems hazy.

 

Hard rain?:eek: I still don't have power from that hard rain and am told not to expect it until you get back from your trip, I should have went with you. ;) Glad it didn't mess up your flight.

[BillOh]

Subscribng...airline travel has become a miserable experience:(

Every last bit of it!

Hope you arrive safely and have smooth sailing the rest of the way!:D

 

Your right, Economy comfort? That's like Royal giving you a seat in the MDR that isn't near the waiter's work station and upcharging you for that.

[BillOh]

o my best. ☺

 

Muster and sail away

 

The muster drill started at 4:30, though we headed down a little early to make sure we could get chairs a little closer to the front of the dining room (our muster station). Muster on the Allure includes some verbal directions and watching a safety video. It was fairly painless, especially since it was inside and not out in the heat..

 

Of course your muster station was in the front of the ship, they knew you wanted to be deck 5 aft for sailaway. We wanted to be on the bridge wing on deck 14 so our muster station was the Aqua Theater ;)

[geekgirl8208]

Can't wait to hear more! I'm going on my first cruise in December and grew up not far from Lafayette - neat to hear from someone close to home! Have a great time!

[LBumb]

nice photos

[Host Faith]

Excellent posts so far, thank you so much! I have a similar plan for our first day on the Allure. Lunch, then making our specialty reservations for the week. Giovanni's for dinner, then maybe a show. Nice to know it can all be done :). Thank you again, looking forward to reading more. Enjoy your cruise!

[Eng23]

Great so far Bob. I hope you are having good weather and a great time. :)

[Eng23]

Given the demonstrated abilities of Roya's IT and Web Dept, I found that amazing. Glad that wasn't a horror story of lost opportunity, extra charges or something else.

 

Hey, on the trivial side, a question that doesn't require you to run all over the ship, have they added the software/channel on the TV that shows the ship's current location? That is one very minor thing I missed about Allure back in 2011. When they held the QA session in the Aquatheater, someone asked about that and was given a "coming soon" answer.

I too was wondering about the ship's location feature on the TV. I had heard that Oasis and Allure did not have it. I enjoy tracking our progress (when I'm in my cabin of course) on the TV. Hope you can fill us in about this Bob. :)

[jgonzalez720]

Hi Silent Bob. Thanks so much for your review...

 

Quick question..we are sailing on the Allure in 3 weeks with a minor (14 years old) without his parents. What documentation did you need?

[Bosjoe]

Hi Silent Bob. Thanks so much for your review...

 

Quick question..we are sailing on the Allure in 3 weeks with a minor (14 years old) without his parents. What documentation did you need?

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/travelDocumentation.do

 

 

Should the last names of the parent and minor child traveling with them differ, the parent is required to present the child’s valid passport and visa (if required) and the child’s birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy). The name of the parent(s) and the child must be linked through legal documentation. Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child’s valid passport and visa or the child’s birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy) and an original notarized letter signed by at least one of the child’s parents. The notarized letter from the child’s parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise, must authorize guardian to sign legal documentation/waivers for participation in any activities requiring them (i.e. Rock Climbing, Flowrider, Bungee Trampoline, Inline Skating, or Ice Skating) and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child. If a non-parent adult is a Legal Guardian, the adult must present a certified certificate of Guardianship with respect to the child.

[mslaabs]

I'm joining this review a bit late, but I'm finally caught up. Enjoying it so far and can't wait for more. Thanks for taking the time to do a live review and including photos.

[JamesEM]

Looking forward to your next report.