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

[sauvichick]

We are sailing on the Allure Sunday! It's nice to get a live review!

[Mama24]

I just went to look at your photos on Flickr -- the night time shots from around the ship are wonderful. And you all cleaned up pretty nice for formal night!;)

[JamesEM]

As for the Crown and Anchor Reperaters Party, was this event for all Crown and Anchor Members, or just for a certian level?

[EmTeeNesters]

I can't see your pics.

 

Try this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16799473@N00/archives/date-posted/2012/

[LBumb]

enjoy the fourth

[silentbob007]

Day 3: Labadee

 

The Allure was scheduled to arrive in Labadee around 8 AM. We tried to schedule our excursions apart from each other in such a way that we wouldn’t have to rush off the ship and would also be free for photos. My dad and niece scheduled their zip line run at 10 AM (meet at check-in booth at 9:45) and I scheduled my Wave Jet tour at 1 PM. This spread us out a bit, but also gave us a chance to eat breakfast before heading out. My mom and niece ordered room service and ate on their balcony. My dad and I went for breakfast in the Concierge Lounge (we had waffles … they were good but nothing spectacular … similar to WJ waffles).

 

At 9 AM, the aft gangway was supposed to open, and we headed down at about 9:10. Well … it wasn’t open yet. After hitting the “gangway” button, we followed the signage and had to walk the length of deck 3. Once we arrived, we found the line to get off that stretched from the escalator all of the way around the elevator lobby until it looped around towards the hallway. We ended up having to wait in line about 15 minutes to get off the ship. It was quite ridiculous and, for all of the people down there, it was a bad first impression for getting off the ship.

 

Once ashore, we headed in to find the check-in for the zip line, which was straight ahead towards the beach. Upon arrival, there was a waiver to fill out. Unlike the zip line on the ship, there were no questions about guardianship, etc, with my niece. My dad just filled it out, put her name on the bottom, and they were ready go to. They were put into their harness in the check-in building, taken out back to hear the briefing by their tour operator, and then walked to the first, short “practice” zip line. Once that was complete, they were loaded onto trucks and taken up to the long line over the water. The whole thing took maybe an hour, with most of that time getting prepped and waiting. The zip lines were about a little over a minute of that time. In the end, my dad and niece recommend the excursion even though it is a little pricey.

 

My mom and I followed them through the briefing and the over to the practice line. We then waited in the picnic area right near the landing zone, and I headed out for a few pictures on the main line, though it is near impossible to tell who is coming until they are close to being done.

 

After the harness equipment was turned in, my dad and I headed back to the ship while my mom and niece went to the craft village. My niece had never been in a position where she was expected to barter and she did not like the high pressure environment (we told her … wait until Mexico).

 

On the ship, we stopped off at the room to change, then headed to the Park Café for lunch. The café opened at 11:30. We got there a little after and it was not at all crowded. The roast beef sandwiches were still superb.

 

At 12:30 or so, I went off the ship (which was a bit of a challenge … not because of the lines, but because of huge family groups trying to put sunscreen on and blocking up the entire security line) and met at the Wave Jet booth which is just to the right once you are on the island. I waited until 1 when we were taken into a classroom and to watch a video and given instruction on operation.

 

A few notes here … first of all, I think it is incredibly cheap that you can pay almost $100 for a one hour tour on the cruise line’s private destination, but then they want $8 for a locker to store your stuff. I don’t care if you can have it for “the whole day” … give people a secure place to put their stuff while on your tour on your island.

 

Next … make sure you wear some sort of footwear if you take this excursion, especially if you are going in the afternoon. I was wearing Birkenstocks that I would have put in a locker, but to be honest, it was better I didn’t because the pier was scorching hot. A few places had water where they were trying to cool it down, but those who went barefoot were hopping along, grimacing from the heat on their feet.

 

The tour itself was fun. We were given numbers on shore, given our jet ski, drove out and formed up, then took off with a guide in front and one in back calling numbers when it was your time to go (everyone was to follow the wake). We would go some distance, form up, and get some information about Haiti, and then move on. I was the last in the group, so I could let the person in front of me get a bit ahead and put the throttle to full (got to about 6400 RPM). It got a little choppy that afternoon, so we were definitely doing a little bit of wave jumping. At one stop, the locals did paddle out to try to sell items. They were a little pushy, but not too bad (probably because you could pretty easily swamp them if you wanted to). In the end, the tour probably took 30 minutes or so. I definitely had fun (my first time on a jet ski) and really didn’t get too wet or get close to losing my glasses (thoor sugh yes, my shoes got soaked and I got spray on my lenses).

 

I asked ashore about the waterslide … the only thing they would tell me was that it was in between Nellie’s Beach and Columbus Cove. I saw it when I was jet skiing and it looked pretty big (though I didn’t get too close).

 

It was about 2:30 or so by the time I started back to the ship and there was a line you had to wait in for a few minutes to get through security on the island. I walked to the far gangway (as they suggest for those with cabins in the back), boarded, then went to the elevator lobby opposite the gangway where it was nowhere near as crowded.

 

We did not have any shows for this night … it was the last showing of Chicago at 7, then three performances of Oceanaria (two scheduled and the one postponed from yesterday). I went out on the aft deck right down from my room for some pictures of the late show.

 

We were not thrilled with dinner for tonight, so we decided to go to the Windjammer a little after it opened at 6:15. It was a madhouse and reconfirmed how much I hate the WJ on this class of ship. The lines were crowded and the chairs were so close together that it was hard to navigate around. The food was also extremely disappointing. I am just off the Serenade in Europe and ate in the WJ for 10 nights an was extremely impressed. The food in the WJ last night on the Allure was garbage. There was steak, lamb, and chicken. Honestly, with kids and adults alike, the most popular item was fried chicken nuggests. I found very little that I even wanted to try.

[silentbob007]

As for the Crown and Anchor Reperaters Party, was this event for all Crown and Anchor Members, or just for a certian level?

 

This party was for all members.

[silentbob007]

Loving your review Bob. The clarity of your pictures is beautiful! I must ask the usual "what type of camera are you using"? question. Can't wait to see more :)

 

I'm shooting a Pentax K-X DSLR with two Sigma zoom lenses. :)

[silentbob007]

I'm still not getting Flickr to display embed code for me (it just spins) and I've tried both browsers. I'll keep uploading to my photostream though. Sorry about that everyone. :(

[Topo Gigio]

I totally agree with you about the food in Europe. My last two RCI cruises were in Europe and I never made it to the MDR!

 

I even asked here on CC a couple of times if they cater better food for the Europeans.

[jlrn366419]

That stinks that the WJ food was so bad.

[silentbob007]

Jamaica is also quite hot today ... big surprise. I found one free wifi spot down by the shops but there is a lot of people on it and it is too slow to upload more pictures.

[PIGSKIN]

By what shop is that free wifi?

[travelpeon]

Hello Chris! Having fun reading along with your trip report.

 

Every time you mention going through ship security, I have a flashback on the crowded buildings with metal detectors, scanners, and agents who made it their mission to screen for contraband liquids. Perhaps if they'd made the buildings larger and installed even more air conditioning, it wouldn't be such a bad experience.

 

When you get back, take a look at iphonetrip.com for global data sim rentals. They cover Royal Caribbean ships in their $15/day "unlimited" 1GB/day rate. Allure had much slower wifi on my Halloween cruising than the Eclipse cruising we were both on. Good thing you have D+ coupons!

[Bosjoe]

Hello Chris! Having fun reading along with your trip report.

 

Every time you mention going through ship security, I have a flashback on the crowded buildings with metal detectors, scanners, and agents who made it their mission to screen for contraband liquids. Perhaps if they'd made the buildings larger and installed even more air conditioning, it wouldn't be such a bad experience.

 

When you get back, take a look at iphonetrip.com for global data sim rentals. They cover Royal Caribbean ships in their $15/day "unlimited" 1GB/day rate. Allure had much slower wifi on my Halloween cruising than the Eclipse cruising we were both on. Good thing you have D+ coupons!

 

Thank you travelpeon for sharing this. This would work great in the ipad.

[LBumb]

enjoy jamaica and try to keep cool

[newcrew42]

Loving your LIVE trip report! :D

[silentbob007]

Day 4: Falmouth, Jamaica (July 4th)

 

The Allure arrived in Jamaica mid-morning (10 AM), so many passengers used that time to sleep in and grab breakfast. Johnny Rockets was more busy for breakfast than on the previous days, but it still wasn’t too bad, though some seats were directly in the sun. We chose to go to the Concierge Lounge for breakfast again. This time we all ordered omelets, and they turned out well. Our waitress informed us that we could request “special” omelets made with fresh-cracked eggs rather than the out-of-the-box variety if we wished.

 

There were some themed activities for the holiday including patriotic brass-band performances, special trivias (President and USA), and a “party” on the Boardwalk with a hot dog eating contest. While Royal gets so many things right, every once in a while they just seem cheap. In this case, they advertised the party and had popcorn and cotton candy for a real boardwalk feel … but the popcorn and cotton candy were all up-charges. It just seems silly to me that they advertise this stuff, then nickel-and-dime you (especially when things like hot dogs are included).

 

We got off the ship a little after 11 AM and strolled around the pier area. We first came here on Oasis last may and have been back 3 other times … the pier has definitely changed a lot since then. Now there is a Quiznos and even a Nathan’s Hot Dog stand. Several shops have internet access available, though you have to ask inside for a password (I’m not sure if you have to buy something). Around the bar in the middle of the plaza, however, there was signal that was not password protected that you could use. There were many people with iPads, iPods, and laptops so it was not very fast, but it is sufficient to check email, etc.

 

My niece bought several Jamaican souvenirs as we explored the shops. The further the shops are from end where you enter, the cheaper the prices seem to be. Some of the smaller stores had better prices on local liquors (such as rum cream) than the large Dufry store. All of the food and beverage options at the port seemed very overpriced ($10 for a pina colada), so I would truly suggest getting your drinks/Red Stripe on the ship or away from the port.

 

We returned to the ship a little before 1 PM. After winning tribond trivia, I grabbed a few roast beef sandwiches at the Park Café before joining my parents in the Concierge Lounge for lunch. They had ordered sliders and chicken drumettes. The fountan Coke tasted a bit “off” as if the mix were not quite right, but it was free so I won’t complain too much.

 

After lunch there was another trivia and the 4th of July part before dinner. After the disappointing WJ food the night before, we returned to the MDR. They switched up the menus for the holiday, so on this night we had the traditional “last night” menu with NY Strip and turkey. Our server, Antonio, was very good and remembered us from a couple of nights ago. One of the hostesses, June, came by our table and we chatted with her a bit about some of the things we liked and did not like about our dining experiences on Allure.

 

After dinner it was time for the top-tier party for Platinum and above guests at 7:45 in the Amber Theater. There were drinks and appetizers served, then four of the cast from Chicago came out and performed a few Caribbean themed songs. After that Ken Rush, the LA, the HD, and the Captain talked for a bit before the party broke up. A lot of it was a repeat of what was said at the previous party, though we learned that July 4th marked Captain Tommy’s 20th year with the company.

 

After the party, we killed some time in the casino (which of course killed us) and then headed to our reserved comedy show at 9:30. We arrived around 9:05 and sat in the second row. There are tables for drink service, but it is a very small venue. The room only seemed about half-full when they opened it up for stand-bys, but it then filled quickly and there were quite a few people who could not get in. The first comedian (sorry … forget names) had quite a good set, but the second one was pretty bad. It was definitely an adult show (no one under 18 allowed) though it wasn’t horribly dirty.

 

After the show, I headed up to the Britto Gallery where I had been talking with one of the saleswomen about buying one of the Royal Caribbean themed pieces. I ended up buying it and having it shipped home. I’m not sure if it was just standard or because I had chatted with her for several different days, but I received 20% off the art plus a few aprons and a very nice hard-bound book about the art on the Allure.

 

With my big purchase out of the way, it was bed time. The Boardwalk was a little noisy with Captain America playing late on the big screen.

 

Other notes: There were two How to Train your Dragon ice shows tonight, but we had scheduling conflicts with all of the shows.

[silentbob007]

 

Allure had much slower wifi on my Halloween cruising than the Eclipse cruising we were both on. Good thing you have D+ coupons!

 

Very true. So far with copy/pasting my reports and uploading pictures I've burned through about $60 worth of internet time. Per minute is not for the faint of heart! ;)

[LBumb]

great update

[wildweston]

Really enjoying your review, thank you :)

[LBumb]

ready for more.

[tmoret]

Thanks for taking the time to post live. I cant wait until April to sail on the allure again.

[SailingSiren]

Other notes: There were two How to Train your Dragon ice shows tonight, but we had scheduling conflicts with all of the shows.

 

I really don't understand why they would put on these shows at night...on a port day...:confused:...We really want to see them as my FH and I LOVE "How to Train Your Dragon", but alas...

[silentbob007]

We would have been fine except for comedy and the top tier event. Only other show was late love md marriage.

 

Just uploaded a bunch of pictures at Panchos Backyard ... Where I'm standing now.