Allure 12/2/12 Bigger not better(for us) - What I wish I knew!

[marciab]

As somewhat experience cruisers, my husband and myself were less than thrilled with the Allure and both agreed this was our least favorite cruise of 14. I think many of our disappointments could have been avoided had I researched more, and not assumed this would be like our past 13 cruises. I wrote a very detailed review, that started to look like a novel!<G>, but it has not posted yet.

 

Here I am going to list my top 5 important tips, that if I had known BEFORE our cruise might have made it better, and list my 5 most and least favorite things about the Allure.

 

Our first day was a disaster, and I wrote about it here.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1747052 day 1

Everyone was right it did get better.

 

 

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! ASAP AND MAKE RESERVATIONS

This is the most important tip for this type of ship and something we have NEVER had to do for any other cruise. Plan what shows you are going to and time, around your dinner schedule. Make reservations, and arrive 20-30 minutes early. We didn’t do any shore excursions, but I’m sure they book up very fast as well.

 

2. PLAN ON WAITING IN LINE

We waited in line a lot. For dinner, for shows, elevators, to get on and off the boat. The dinner and shows is what I was not prepared for, and did not like having to do so , BUT, its not like we have never waited in line on vacations(Disney!). We always just walked into dinner(traditional) and shows as they were starting, and never had a problem getting a seat. You can not do this on the Allure. All in all we waited in line for 5-6 hours total during the week. Comparing to Disney, that’s nothing.. Comparing to other cruises its about 5-6 hours more. Just be prepared to do so. I was not.

 

3. PLAN ON SPENDING MORE

Since specialty restaurants have appeared, we always try them , but usually only do 1-2 per cruise. On this cruise we did 5 nights, due to the wait for dinner @ MTD as well as the quality of food in the MDR. It definitely seemed to me RCCL is is pushing you towards those options. We also did lunch 3-4 times in a paid restaurant(Ritas & Johnny Rockets) Total +300 more than we usually spend. I don’t have a problem with that, but some might.

 

4. MTD- IF you can not get reservations for MTD, go with traditional seating times or plan on waiting up to an hour to get seated. On the first night if you have MTD with or without reservations- avoid the MDR at all costs - go to a specialty restaurant

 

5. Avoid the Windjammer Café!

Do not even go near on the first day! If you like to eat at ‘normal’ times(not 6am or 3pm) It is ALWAYS crowded. We went 6 times(breakfast/lunch) and never found a seat! So we never ate there, only looked at the food- which looked fair.

 

My 5 MOST Favorite things about the Allure

 

1. The Allure is Undoubtedly the most beautiful ship we have ever been on

2. Central Park at night - Listening to Music Perfect!

3. Easy to Learn your way Around

Despite its size, we found the Allure very easy to navigate, probably due to the ‘neighborhoods’.

4. Deck Chair Availability!

Unlike our last cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, where there would be 100 chairs with towels and no people this does NOT happen on the Allure(due to the $25 charge if the towels are not returned) GREAT IDEA!!

5. Embarkation/Debarkation

This is where I was expecting problems and lines, and they were minimal! We were on and off the boat in less than 20 minutes

 

 

My 5 Least Favorite Things about the Allure

 

1. Waiting in Lines & having to try to make reservations

2. MTD & Quality of Food in the included Restaurants, and some rudeness of wait staff NEVER encountered before

3. I didn’t feel like we were at sea

In the interior neighborhoods you would never know you were on a boat. The boat is SO big, the seas were very calm, and we seemed to be moving very slowly. I never felt any indication we were at sea! I enjoy the gentle rolling of the seas. None on our trip on Allure.

4. Not a Front/Center/Aft set of elevators

Our room was 4 from the aft. We had a HIKE to get to the elevators. This could really be a problem for people with mobility issues.

5. Crowds in the Promenade

For some reason this area was always crowded, unlike the Boardwalk and Central Park

 

 

Usually it is just my husband and myself who cruise or we go with another couple. I would consider the big boats again if we did a family cruise and brought our adult children/spouses and granddaughter, but for just us we will be going back to smaller (2-3000 passenger) ships and definitely prefer Celebrity over RCCL.

[philip_g]

I agreed with a lot of your points on oasis. Hope you had a great time despite a few hiccups!

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

You have some valid points, before DH and I went on the Allure I read every member review posted on Cruise Critics (that is why I love this board) so many helpful tips other cruisers gave me prior to booking my shows and dinner reservations.

 

I loved the Allure and would go back on it in a heart beat.

[negc]

We had traditional dining and had no waits to be seated and only a minimal wait for the first character breakfast which we attended with our grandkids. On smaller ships we have not had waits in MTD but can't comment on the experience on Allure or Oasis. We were also able to find seats in the Windjammer for the eleven of us when we went there for lunch on the first day and on those mornings when my wife and I went there for breakfast. I think that some people don't go far enough into the WJ to realize just how big it is and how many people can be accommodated at any given time. As far as service was concerned, we did not experience any situations such as you describe but I am sure that on any ship there may be someone who is having a bad day or who needs to be reminded of the service standards which most staff meet or exceed. Our servers were extremely helpful and personable and our waiter's performance earned him one of our WOW cards.:) Perhaps our stateroom was closer to the elevator lobbies (we were about midway between the center and forward elevators) so we usually had no long walks to get anywhere.

Radiance class ships remain my favorite for a number of reasons, including size and layout, but, in the words of my 5 year old granddaughter, Allure was "incredible".

[Merion_Mom]

As somewhat experience cruisers, my husband and myself were less than thrilled with the Allure and both agreed this was our least favorite cruise of 14. I think many of our disappointments could have been avoided had I researched more, and not assumed this would be like our past 13 cruises. I wrote a very detailed review, that started to look like a novel!<G>, but it has not posted yet.

 

Here I am going to list my top 5 important tips, that if I had known BEFORE our cruise might have made it better, and list my 5 most and least favorite things about the Allure.

 

Our first day was a disaster, and I wrote about it here.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1747052 day 1

Everyone was right it did get better.

 

 

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! ASAP AND MAKE RESERVATIONS

This is the most important tip for this type of ship and something we have NEVER had to do for any other cruise. Plan what shows you are going to and time, around your dinner schedule. Make reservations, and arrive 20-30 minutes early. We didn’t do any shore excursions, but I’m sure they book up very fast as well.

 

2. PLAN ON WAITING IN LINE

We waited in line a lot. For dinner, for shows, elevators, to get on and off the boat. The dinner and shows is what I was not prepared for, and did not like having to do so , BUT, its not like we have never waited in line on vacations(Disney!). We always just walked into dinner(traditional) and shows as they were starting, and never had a problem getting a seat. You can not do this on the Allure. All in all we waited in line for 5-6 hours total during the week. Comparing to Disney, that’s nothing.. Comparing to other cruises its about 5-6 hours more. Just be prepared to do so. I was not.

 

3. PLAN ON SPENDING MORE

Since specialty restaurants have appeared, we always try them , but usually only do 1-2 per cruise. On this cruise we did 5 nights, due to the wait for dinner @ MTD as well as the quality of food in the MDR. It definitely seemed to me RCCL is is pushing you towards those options. We also did lunch 3-4 times in a paid restaurant(Ritas & Johnny Rockets) Total +300 more than we usually spend. I don’t have a problem with that, but some might.

 

4. MTD- IF you can not get reservations for MTD, go with traditional seating times or plan on waiting up to an hour to get seated. On the first night if you have MTD with or without reservations- avoid the MDR at all costs - go to a specialty restaurant

 

5. Avoid the Windjammer Café!

Do not even go near on the first day! If you like to eat at ‘normal’ times(not 6am or 3pm) It is ALWAYS crowded. We went 6 times(breakfast/lunch) and never found a seat! So we never ate there, only looked at the food- which looked fair.

 

My 5 MOST Favorite things about the Allure

 

1. The Allure is Undoubtedly the most beautiful ship we have ever been on

2. Central Park at night - Listening to Music Perfect!

3. Easy to Learn your way Around

Despite its size, we found the Allure very easy to navigate, probably due to the ‘neighborhoods’.

4. Deck Chair Availability!

Unlike our last cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, where there would be 100 chairs with towels and no people this does NOT happen on the Allure(due to the $25 charge if the towels are not returned) GREAT IDEA!!

5. Embarkation/Debarkation

This is where I was expecting problems and lines, and they were minimal! We were on and off the boat in less than 20 minutes

 

 

My 5 Least Favorite Things about the Allure

 

1. Waiting in Lines & having to try to make reservations

2. MTD & Quality of Food in the included Restaurants, and some rudeness of wait staff NEVER encountered before

3. I didn’t feel like we were at sea

In the interior neighborhoods you would never know you were on a boat. The boat is SO big, the seas were very calm, and we seemed to be moving very slowly. I never felt any indication we were at sea! I enjoy the gentle rolling of the seas. None on our trip on Allure.

4. Not a Front/Center/Aft set of elevators

Our room was 4 from the aft. We had a HIKE to get to the elevators. This could really be a problem for people with mobility issues.

5. Crowds in the Promenade

For some reason this area was always crowded, unlike the Boardwalk and Central Park

 

 

Usually it is just my husband and myself who cruise or we go with another couple. I would consider the big boats again if we did a family cruise and brought our adult children/spouses and granddaughter, but for just us we will be going back to smaller (2-3000 passenger) ships and definitely prefer Celebrity over RCCL.

 

You do realize that ALL Royal Caribbean ships have two sets of elevators exactly where the Oasis and Allure do? Forward elevators and so-called aft elevators which are actually about halfway between center and aft of ship.

[will773]

You do realize that ALL Royal Caribbean ships have two sets of elevators exactly where the Oasis and Allure do? Forward elevators and so-called aft elevators which are actually about halfway between center and aft of ship.

 

I was wondering the same thing...

 

 

OP Thanks for your thoughts. Oasis class isn't for everyone! At least now you know what you prefer.

[marciab]

You do realize that ALL Royal Caribbean ships have two sets of elevators exactly where the Oasis and Allure do? Forward elevators and so-called aft elevators which are actually about halfway between center and aft of ship.

 

Was thinking of Celebrity M class. I did not know that though.

[MusicalCruiser]

My DH and I were also on this cruise. I booked about 5 weeks prior and knew to make reservations online because we'd sailed on the Oasis in 2010. I was able to prebook all the shows except the Comedy show, but waited in line for about 20 minutes in Studio B on embarkation day and got every time I wanted. We changed out Main seating to MTD (the first time we'd done this in 28 cruises) to accommodate all the shows. We ate in the dining room 5 out of the 7 nights and only had to wait once for about 10 minutes. I was interested to see how the wait staff interacted after reading all the posts about not getting the best service because you have to prepay tips, but everyone was wonderful and did a great job. My husband mentioned how good he thought the dining room food was on the cruise, so I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Passengers do have the ability to check the restaurants' waiting times on their stateroom TV and at various kiosks around the ship so you don't find yourself stuck in one that's in the red zone for crowds

 

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that you really do need to do your homework when you prepare for a trip so you're not overwhelmed by all the choices available (also make sure that you check your cabin location before you book and ask your TA to keep an eye on a better one if you're not really happy with the one you're assigned). It wouldn't hurt to be ready for lots of walking, as it really is a BIG ship. And the fact that there are well over 6 thousand people on these ships should lead you to anticipate occasional lines and crowding at certain times. Just take a deep breath and repeat, "I'm on vacation and I don't have to be anywhere if I don't want to."! Sorry this wasn't one of your favorites.

 

We love the Radiance class ships, but would go back to the Oasis or Allure in a heartbeat.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for posting your thoughts on the Allure. I think she is to big for us.

[ehfl]

Planning is definitely a good idea. We prebook as much as we can on every cruise....no sense in waiting in line at customer service when we are supposed to be enjoying a vacation.

 

You'll find that Oasis/Allure have red/yellow/green indicators showing the wait at all the restaurants. If the buffet is crowded, you can usually get breakfast or lunch in the MDR with no wait at all. If shows are important to you, then just select traditional dining...we never had a wait for that. The buffet is also usually not crowded for dinner, so if you feel the wait is too long in the MDR, then just go somewhere else. We found the buffet at the Solarium to be much less crowded on Oasis.

[BrMtnLover]

DH and I will be on the Allure (and this class of ships) for the first time in March. I very much appreciate your observations and tips. I feel it can do nothing but help us when we experience her. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for your post. I think it is very helpful and I hope that many people who are embarking on the Oasis Class the first time will read it and take note.

 

I am looking forward to our cruise in April, but we are planning everything to a tee. Not spontaneous, but I am sure after reading your post it is the right choice. I am also glad our group chose to do Traditional Dining. We thought it would be easier to have one place and time to meet for dinner and I am even more convinced now that it is the right choice. We will be boarding the Allure with schedule in hand, ready to have a wonderful week.

 

That said, we love the Radiance Class. Actually we will be on the Rhapsody in 2014 and we are looking forward to that cruise as much as any. We just know that research into what our next vacation will be (of any type) will maximize our enjoyment.

[Big_G]

Thanks for the review OP. While we didn't experience that long a wait for MTD it was long enough and inconsistent enough for me to appreciate traditional dining. We thoroughly enjoyed Oasis and Allure. Ignore the childish troll.

 

 

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[alaska_planner]

My DH and I were also on this cruise. I booked about 5 weeks prior and knew to make reservations online because we'd sailed on the Oasis in 2010. I was able to prebook all the shows except the Comedy show, but waited in line for about 20 minutes in Studio B on embarkation day and got every time I wanted. We changed out Main seating to MTD (the first time we'd done this in 28 cruises) to accommodate all the shows. We ate in the dining room 5 out of the 7 nights and only had to wait once for about 10 minutes. I was interested to see how the wait staff interacted after reading all the posts about not getting the best service because you have to prepay tips, but everyone was wonderful and did a great job. My husband mentioned how good he thought the dining room food was on the cruise, so I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Passengers do have the ability to check the restaurants' waiting times on their stateroom TV and at various kiosks around the ship so you don't find yourself stuck in one that's in the red zone for crowds

 

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that you really do need to do your homework when you prepare for a trip so you're not overwhelmed by all the choices available (also make sure that you check your cabin location before you book and ask your TA to keep an eye on a better one if you're not really happy with the one you're assigned). It wouldn't hurt to be ready for lots of walking, as it really is a BIG ship. And the fact that there are well over 6 thousand people on these ships should lead you to anticipate occasional lines and crowding at certain times. Just take a deep breath and repeat, "I'm on vacation and I don't have to be anywhere if I don't want to."! Sorry this wasn't one of your favorites.

 

We love the Radiance class ships, but would go back to the Oasis or Allure in a heartbeat.

 

i'm really glad to hear this - we're planning on booking the allure after final payment if the rates go down enough (otherwise we'll book the freedom - or else skip cruises completely this year)...

i'm glad to hear that even though you booked late, you were still able to see all the shows!!

[trev71]

If you checked cruise critic before hand you could have avioded all these problems :)

[My2Kitties]

Oasis last year, Allure this year and we found this time that when you want to go to eat, if you go to the screens that help you get around and go to the dining venues that are open they tell you how crowded they are...just wish we had found this info earlier than we did...made it easy to decide where we were going to eat...

 

MTD this time was a bit of a mess...did not have this on Oasis last year but we had different seats and wait staff each night...all staff was great at getting us what we needed but found out the last night that it was such a crazy long wait this time as they santitized every table, chair and shaker/container on the table between guest as there was so much sickness on the ship...

 

Really love some of the things on this ship but really really rather sail on the smaller ships...

[gambee]

We did experience a long wait on two nights in the MDR, so I can see where you are coming from. At leas you tried it and found out for yourself that it's not for you.

 

We are really exited about out cruise in celebrity reflection in January. Can't wait to see how one compares to the other. I am a little scared about the loungers situation, since they added a bunch of extra cabins in that ship, hopefully it is not too bad.

[alfaeric]

So what I read is that the most important problem was waiting. fair enough.

 

One thing that keeps coming up- a "disagreement" between good and bad MDR food.

 

It would be interesting to see if there's any correlation between good/bad and MTD, especially without reservations.

 

The reason I bring that up is how the food is designed to be prepared in the MDR galley. Since most customers are traditional dining, the dishes are all prepared to be ready at roughly the same time, so that all of the tables are served almost at the same time- ususally surrounding the seating times.

 

So if the food is "ready" for MTD, it's possible that 1) it's prepared more to be ready for early seating or 2) the preparations for individual servings are not the same as for mass servings.

 

(I know people think that dishes should be prepared to order, but that's not realistic based on the volume, unless you are willing to pay to double the kitchen staff + double the kitchen size)

 

Just thinking out loud.

 

(no point in suggesting solutions to the OP, since they sailed already- but I think we can work around the waiting issues with traditional dining + working out the schedule well in advance for later than 5pm)

[negc]

Agreed.

 

We look forward to getting our cruise compass at night and decide what we might do the next day. For seeing the shows, that is not an option on Allure.

 

Just my opinion

 

Actually, I think it is. Despite the reservation system, I found that standbys were almost always accommodated with perhaps an exception for the Comedy Show which is in a relatively small venue. Even then, however, there are enough performances scheduled throughout the week that anyone who wants to attend can do so. While we did make some reservations we also played a few by ear and were not disappointed.

We had traditional dining on Allure, but on other ships when we have chosen MTD, I noticed no difference in the quality of the food being offered there. It had definitely not been prepared according to the traditional dining schedule and sitting around until we ordered it. Perhaps someone knows for certain but I was led to understand that Allure and Oasis have galleys specifically for MTD.

[BillOh]

Usually it is just my husband and myself who cruise or we go with another couple. I would consider the big boats again if we did a family cruise and brought our adult children/spouses and granddaughter, but for just us we will be going back to smaller (2-3000 passenger) ships and definitely prefer Celebrity over RCCL.

 

 

 

I could see a lot of merit in what you say, but I would encourage you to try it again by yourselves. As you said, PLAN......... It really helps. We did all our reservations ahead and had nor problems with those shows. We did almost no waiting in any lines, but again that was traditional dining and planning. We did walk down toward love and Marriage and saw a line and turned around and did something else. I heard from others you could walk in and still get ok seats (2 people) but we skipped it. We also skipped the character parades in the promenade as we are empty nesters and left that for others to see. We had no problems with elevator lines, but that was also planning. My best tip for allure is dealing with elevator lines. We avoid them as much as possible, but sometimes you can't/don't. However, use human psychology to your advantage. If you get out of a show and want to go to a different deck on the other end of the ship, 90% of people will go to the first elevator, take that to the desired deck, then walk to the other end of the ship. I leave the show and walk to the other end of the ship and then take the elevator there which didn't just have a show left out. (same thing for the promenade) If there is a huge line at an elevator you really want to use (go from deck 5 to 14) and its crowded, I take the nearby stairs down one flight, press the up button and get on there.

 

To summarize again, I fully understand your point and am just relating how we got around it in ways that worked for us and may not for you. Everyone likes to say how this class of ship is over families wiht children, but we made it work for us and had a great cruise.

[akcruz]

Actually, I think it is. Despite the reservation system, I found that standbys were almost always accommodated with perhaps an exception for the Comedy Show which is in a relatively small venue. Even then, however, there are enough performances scheduled throughout the week that anyone who wants to attend can do so. While we did make some reservations we also played a few by ear and were not disappointed.

We had traditional dining on Allure, but on other ships when we have chosen MTD, I noticed no difference in the quality of the food being offered there. It had definitely not been prepared according to the traditional dining schedule and sitting around until we ordered it. Perhaps someone knows for certain but I was led to understand that Allure and Oasis have galleys specifically for MTD.

 

Agreed. On our sailing everyone got in on stand by that wanted except for (as you mentioned) the comedy show and the first showing of Blue Planet. If you want to plan you can and if you decide that day you don't feel like going to the show you have reserved don't. Wait for another day and do the stand by line.

 

If you really want to see every show, book them ahead of time. If you are there to relax and go with the flow you can book and see how you feel or just show up as you would like.

 

As for MTD, we did this and only had to wait more than 2 - 3 minutes one night. Of course we did the Fiesta the first night so can't comment on that. We stopped by the windjammer one afternoon and it was packed so found someplace else to eat. Other times we walked right in, got our food and found a seat.

 

As the OP said planning and research is needed if you want to sail "one of the big girls" so that you know what is expected. Once you are onboard though, go with the flow or stick to your plan, its all up to you!

[sleepless]

DH used the same strategy when getting out of a show, we avoid the elevators in that area. When the show is over, and we leave the venue, DH grabs my arm, dragging me along :eek: :D. We either walk to the other end of the ship directly, then get an elevator. Or, we walk up one flight of stairs, walk to the other end of the ship, and then get on the elevator. Either way, we get to our next destination in short order, and without having to deal with crowed elevators. We started doing this on our firsts cruise, and found we could avoid long elevator waits.

[Big_G]

Actually, I think it is. Despite the reservation system, I found that standbys were almost always accommodated with perhaps an exception for the Comedy Show which is in a relatively small venue. Even then, however, there are enough performances scheduled throughout the week that anyone who wants to attend can do so. While we did make some reservations we also played a few by ear and were not disappointed.

We had traditional dining on Allure, but on other ships when we have chosen MTD, I noticed no difference in the quality of the food being offered there. It had definitely not been prepared according to the traditional dining schedule and sitting around until we ordered it. Perhaps someone knows for certain but I was led to understand that Allure and Oasis have galleys specifically for MTD.

 

The comedy shows were so busy, they had to add a show late (I think on the last night) in Studio B.

 

 

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[rt1092]

We experienced much of the same as the original poster did, on the Allure

The table waiters (mtd) were the worst we have ever dealt with. You had to ask them to refill your water or iced tea glass. And they would just put plates on the table without clearing the old ones. My wife actually had to put our used plates on an unoccupied talbe to make some room.

The windjammer was crowded every time we went there.

We didn't realize 150 central park was a tasting experience, not an eating experience (personally they can keep their 7 kinds of salt).

When we walking thru the halls if you didn't speak to the crew member first. They who not speak to you. Sometimes even when we said good morning etc., we were still ignored.

I have heard better things about the Oasis. So we are going to try it next month.

The size of the ship did not matter to us, we like the Freedom class to the Soveriegn class

[Big_G]

We experienced much of the same as the original poster did, on the Allure

The table waiters (mtd) were the worst we have ever dealt with. You had to ask them to refill your water or iced tea glass. And they would just put plates on the table without clearing the old ones. My wife actually had to put our used plates on an unoccupied talbe to make some room.

The windjammer was crowded every time we went there.

We didn't realize 150 central park was a tasting experience, not an eating experience (personally they can keep their 7 kinds of salt).

When we walking thru the halls if you didn't speak to the crew member first. They who not speak to you. Sometimes even when we said good morning etc., we were still ignored.

I have heard better things about the Oasis. So we are going to try it next month.

The size of the ship did not matter to us, we like the Freedom class to the Soveriegn class

 

I think sometimes the wait staff in can get overworked in MTD if everyone starts show up at once. We went there after a show once and the waiter hardly spoke to us. She was flying from table to table. What did you mean by a 'tasting' at 150 Central Park? I've never eaten there.