Considering Allure - Last (only) Royal sailing was Sovereign

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

The Oasis and Allure are both of interest to us (have been since they came on the scene). I received an offer to pay port fees/taxes for a balcony this coming Christmas (casino junket)... that is pretty tempting!

 

I have a few questions...

 

Being Elite with Celebrity, I understand that we'll be Diamond on our next Royal sailing. What type of perks does that translate to on the Allure? I understand that Diamond is not what it once was.

 

On Carnival, Celebrity, and NCL we pretty much dine in specialty restaurants each evening. Which ones are the best reviewed on the Allure? Steak and seafood are our favorites. Are the steaks served in their specialty restaurants Prime grade? I must say that, overall, the Steakhouses on Carnival offer VERY good quality and selections (@$35pp) - aged prime grade. Been there over 50 times!

 

Room service --- are hot breakfast items offered? How about lunch/dinner? Can I assume that suite guests are afforded better options in this regard? We do have the option of booking a suite (low level I would assume), but that would be about 5 grand out of pocket as opposed to the 5 hundred or so that port fees/taxes come to for the balcony! How do standard balcony cabins compare on the Allure to, let's say, standard balcony cabins on Carnival? We only sailed in one non-suite balcony cabin on NCL, and that was a small piece of real estate!!

 

I love a good burger for lunch - and was very pleased with the Guy's Burger Joint recently added on the Carnival Liberty (free of charge). I understand that there's a Johnny Rockets on the Allure -- I am guessing that's not included? Worth trying??

 

Any place to get buffalo wings onboard?

 

I'll probably think of more questions!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[Cruising89143]

The Oasis and Allure are both of interest to us (have been since they came on the scene). I received an offer to pay port fees/taxes for a balcony this coming Christmas (casino junket)... that is pretty tempting!

 

I have a few questions...

 

Being Elite with Celebrity, I understand that we'll be Diamond on our next Royal sailing. What type of perks does that translate to on the Allure? I understand that Diamond is not what it once was.

 

Diamond has their own lounge and a nightly event that is usually held in one of the larger lounges. Here is a link with the breakdown by tier.http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do

 

On Carnival, Celebrity, and NCL we pretty much dine in specialty restaurants each evening. Which ones are the best reviewed on the Allure? Steak and seafood are our favorites. Are the steaks served in their specialty restaurants Prime grade? I must say that, overall, the Steakhouses on Carnival offer VERY good quality and selections (@$35pp) - aged prime grade. Been there over 50 times!

 

Chops is good but not great and to my knowledge the beef is not Prime. The price is $30.00 per person. My favorite specialty restaurant is Giovanni's which is also located in Central Park. Food is rustic Italian served family style. Lunch is $15.00 per person and dinner is $20.00. For something even more special there is Central Park 150 or the Chef's Table which is held on the upper level of the Concierge lounge.

 

Room service --- are hot breakfast items offered? How about lunch/dinner? Can I assume that suite guests are afforded better options in this regard? We do have the option of booking a suite (low level I would assume), but that would be about 5 grand out of pocket as opposed to the 5 hundred or so that port fees/taxes come to for the balcony! How do standard balcony cabins compare on the Allure to, let's say, standard balcony cabins on Carnival? We only sailed in one non-suite balcony cabin on NCL, and that was a small piece of real estate!!

 

With suites (Grand Suite and higher) you have an expanded breakfast menu and the full menu from the MDR is available for room service for dinner. I have not had a standard balcony room on RCI so can't help you there. If you do book a full suite, the Concierge lounge is the best in the fleet. Two decks and they serve a full breakfast and lunch in the CL for suite guests and Diamond Plus. Wine and beer is also served with lunch.

I love a good burger for lunch - and was very pleased with the Guy's Burger Joint recently added on the Carnival Liberty (free of charge). I understand that there's a Johnny Rockets on the Allure -- I am guessing that's not included? Worth trying??

 

Johnny Rockets has a $4.95 surcharge per person that includes all food. Drinks such as soda and shakes are extra. Free burgers are up in the Windjammer or Wipe Out Cafe.

 

Any place to get buffalo wings onboard?

 

No. They used to offer them on the room service menu but removed them a few years ago.

 

I'll probably think of more questions!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

I think that I have the menus for Chops and Rita's Cantina along with the full room service menu in my Allure photos but I cannot access them at the moment to double check.

[megfla]

The Oasis and Allure are both of interest to us (have been since they came on the scene). I received an offer to pay port fees/taxes for a balcony this coming Christmas (casino junket)... that is pretty tempting!

 

I have a few questions...

 

Being Elite with Celebrity, I understand that we'll be Diamond on our next Royal sailing. What type of perks does that translate to on the Allure? I understand that Diamond is not what it once was.

 

On Carnival, Celebrity, and NCL we pretty much dine in specialty restaurants each evening. Which ones are the best reviewed on the Allure? Steak and seafood are our favorites. Are the steaks served in their specialty restaurants Prime grade? I must say that, overall, the Steakhouses on Carnival offer VERY good quality and selections (@$35pp) - aged prime grade. Been there over 50 times!

 

Room service --- are hot breakfast items offered? How about lunch/dinner? Can I assume that suite guests are afforded better options in this regard? We do have the option of booking a suite (low level I would assume), but that would be about 5 grand out of pocket as opposed to the 5 hundred or so that port fees/taxes come to for the balcony! How do standard balcony cabins compare on the Allure to, let's say, standard balcony cabins on Carnival? We only sailed in one non-suite balcony cabin on NCL, and that was a small piece of real estate!!

 

I love a good burger for lunch - and was very pleased with the Guy's Burger Joint recently added on the Carnival Liberty (free of charge). I understand that there's a Johnny Rockets on the Allure -- I am guessing that's not included? Worth trying??

 

Any place to get buffalo wings onboard?

 

I'll probably think of more questions!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

There is no comparison between the two ships! The Allure or Oasis is incredible! Don't be worried about the number of passengers, the only times it seemed crowded was day 1 for lunch and breakfast somedays in the Windjammer. I would suggest the MDR or the cafe in Central Park for a more relaxed breakfast.

 

The greatest benefit you will enjoy as Elite/Diamond member is access to the Diamond Lounge. It is ten times better than the Elite lounge on Celebrity (I just returned from a 14 night sailing on the Eclispe, my first time on Celebrity and received Elite status for being Diamond on RC). They will have hot and cold appetizers avaialble for you to help yourself to and the servers are more attentive. I did find that the coupon/discount book on Celebrity was superior to RC. Celebrity did host more special events for Elites than you will find on RC for Diamonds.

 

We did not try several of the specialty restaurants, the only one I would NOT recommend is Rita's Cantina for their "Fiesta". The food was mediocre at best and it is open air to the Boardwalk with very little air flow, it was quite warm and stuffy.

 

Entertainment is terrific, especially the show at the Aqua Theater and a great place to relax late at night for a movie under the stars.

 

We will definetly return to an Oasis class ship in the future.

 

So in summary...book the cruise!! You won't regret it.

[ryano]

Are the steaks served in their specialty restaurants Prime grade? I must say that, overall, the Steakhouses on Carnival offer VERY good quality and selections (@$35pp) - aged prime grade. Been there over 50 times!

 

The steaks in Chops while very good IMO are only choice cuts. Not aged prime.

 

I love a good burger for lunch - and was very pleased with the Guy's Burger Joint recently added on the Carnival Liberty (free of charge). I understand that there's a Johnny Rockets on the Allure -- I am guessing that's not included? Worth trying??

 

Yes, Johnny Rockets is definitely worth trying IMHO. its 4.95 per person but its "all you can eat" including dessert. Sodas and shakes are extra

 

 

Tom

 

Answers in red :) and i would just like to say welcome to over here on the RCI side of CC. I remember you from the Carnival forum and have always thoroughly enjoyed reading your reviews etc.

 

While I have never cruise an Oasis class ship, I believe you will love either one!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Lots of great replies and info -- thanks!!

 

(Already had a nice house booked in Canaan Valley for Christmas... but that's a several hundred mile drive each way - OR - only a couple of hours to the ship... decisions, decisions)!!

 

Tom

[manmtnmike]

Hey Tom,

 

Check out my link re. our first and most

overwelming cruise experience.

Certainly on a different cruise planet than Carnival.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1668464

 

Curious about your take on the ship...esp. Promenade experience.

 

Mike

[ChipLondon]

Did you know that The Sovereign ( being so small ) is now being used as one of the lifeboats on The Allure as it is so big....................

[FTLCruiseGal]

I would definitely recommend the Oasis and/or Allure. Balconies are nice. There are two chairs and a patio sized table and you still have room to walk around. We had a regular balcony, not over-sized aft, and loved it. So nice to wake up in the morning and have breakfast on the balcony while sailing along.

 

As for the breakfast, they do have hot items. Eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, pancakes. Also order a variety of juices and fruit.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hey Tom,

 

Check out my link re. our first and most

overwelming cruise experience.

Certainly on a different cruise planet than Carnival.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1668464

 

Curious about your take on the ship...esp. Promenade experience.

 

Mike

 

Looks like a lot of people, once bitten, are hooked!

 

Did you know that The Sovereign ( being so small ) is now being used as one of the lifeboats on The Allure as it is so big....................

 

I heard rumor that it was being used as an anchor for the Allure, guess that wasn't quite right! :D

 

I would definitely recommend the Oasis and/or Allure. Balconies are nice. There are two chairs and a patio sized table and you still have room to walk around. We had a regular balcony, not over-sized aft, and loved it. So nice to wake up in the morning and have breakfast on the balcony while sailing along.

 

As for the breakfast, they do have hot items. Eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, pancakes. Also order a variety of juices and fruit.

 

Having a "real" breakfast on your balcony is important to us. Celebrity really does that up right!

 

 

 

Thanks for all the replies -- we are SOLD on giving the Allure a spin, though I think we'll skip the holiday madhouse and shoot for a time when rates are (more) reasonable, and thus probably be able to get into a full suite for a reasonable out of pocket expense... not the five grand premium for a Junior (pseudo) Suite, as it turned out. Even though the standard balcony was very tempting at only port fees/taxes - I would not want being in a relatively small room and lacking all the amenities (Concierge Lounge) to cause me to be unable to really compare apples to apples. I fully expect that the experience will impress us!

 

I will check the rates at different times, and probably also find that lower cabin prices coincide with fewer kids! :)

 

Tom

[torpeedo]

Tom, Welcome to these boards. I've enjoyed your posts on the Carnival side and glad to see you considering Oasis or Allure for your first "real" Royal experience. Sovereign was great for it's day, but no longer a relevant standard for the 21st century. Based on your cruise experience and expectations, would recommend booking no less than a GS Grand Suite. This will give you full access to the Concierge Lounge and all suite amenities, including access to Barefoot Beach if you choose the Western route. Chops offers a very good dining experience (no aged Prime beef). For more upscale dining I recommend both Chef's Table and Central Park 150.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom, Welcome to these boards. I've enjoyed your posts on the Carnival side and glad to see you considering Oasis or Allure for your first "real" Royal experience. Sovereign was great for it's day, but no longer a relevant standard for the 21st century. Based on your cruise experience and expectations, would recommend booking no less than a GS Grand Suite. This will give you full access to the Concierge Lounge and all suite amenities, including access to Barefoot Beach if you choose the Western route. Chops offers a very good dining experience (no aged Prime beef). For more upscale dining I recommend both Chef's Table and Central Park 150.

 

I see that they have some dining packages as well -- the Chef's Table would be a must!

 

Eyeing the Oasis for next May, probably in an OS (the 240 ft balcony is appealing)! The two story suites look nice, but the balconies are smaller -- unless you pay the BIG bucks!

 

Tom