Allure of the Seas, Eastern Caribbean Review! 9/16/12

[mrsmoku]

Loving your Review-thanks for taking the time to post it!!

 

Thanks! Of course, it's so much fun looking at the pictures and remembering the days!

[mrsmoku]

Doesn't everybody take thousands of pictures???;)

 

Your next project should be doing a photobook through Shutterfly, Blurb, or one of the online photo sites. They really come out great.

 

I know! Well, I took lots of pictures on the Mariner and then we lost the camera along with the SD card on the ride up. The ONLY pictures I have from that cruise are the 2 that we bought from formal night! :) Still makes me sad. So now I bring my iPad, SD card reader for the iPad, and 3 SD cards that I switch out everyday after uploading to the iPad!

 

I really wanted to do something like that. I get Groupons for it all the time!

[slh182]

Psh, I'm sure you take great pictures!! I wasn't really planning on writing a review before we went but then I remembered how much fun I was having reading them so I just started to take notes here and there..and I took like 1200 pictures! No kidding!

 

Let me know if you do! I would love to read it!

 

Thanks :)

 

I may write one. If I do I will write it before to make sure it's good enough for posting.

[johneeo]

I know! Well, I took lots of pictures on the Mariner and then we lost the camera along with the SD card on the ride up. The ONLY pictures I have from that cruise are the 2 that we bought from formal night! :) Still makes me sad. So now I bring my iPad, SD card reader for the iPad, and 3 SD cards that I switch out everyday after uploading to the iPad!

 

In Cozumel, I got back to the port, and found out I lost my drivers license and sea pass. Oh what fun that was.

 

Anyway, I did manage to get back on the ship, then proceded to lose my camera. I had taken the America's Cup Yacht Race in the morning, then we did the East side, I literally took about 500 pictures, and it was the best port day we ever had.

 

But, someone turned the camera in, and to say I was relieved is quite an understatement.

[mrsmoku]

In Cozumel, I got back to the port, and found out I lost my drivers license and sea pass. Oh what fun that was.

 

Anyway, I did manage to get back on the ship, then proceded to lose my camera. I had taken the America's Cup Yacht Race in the morning, then we did the East side, I literally took about 500 pictures, and it was the best port day we ever had.

 

But, someone turned the camera in, and to say I was relieved is quite an understatement.

 

Oh my gosh! What a day! Thankfully you got your camera back but Drivers licenses are a pain in the butt to replace!!

[johneeo]

Oh my gosh! What a day! Thankfully you got your camera back but Drivers licenses are a pain in the butt to replace!!

 

Well, this affirms my opinion that a passport locked in the safe is the way to go.

 

Also, if I was sailing with DL and birth certificate, I can't imagine what would have happened. Would I have gotten back on the ship?

 

If I did get back, when we finished the cruise, I would have had no ID to fly home.:eek:

 

But, everything worked out.

[whataboutport]

I know! Well, I took lots of pictures on the Mariner and then we lost the camera along with the SD card on the ride up. The ONLY pictures I have from that cruise are the 2 that we bought from formal night! :) Still makes me sad. So now I bring my iPad, SD card reader for the iPad, and 3 SD cards that I switch out everyday after uploading to the iPad!

 

I really wanted to do something like that. I get Groupons for it all the time!

I didn't know there was an SD reader for ipad! I'm going to go look for one now. :)

Great start to the review! We are sailing on Allure in March, can't wait.

[Cupcrazy]

Great review & pictures! Thanks for taking your time to post it.

[soulpower]

Enjoying your review so far. BF and I will be on the Oasis in April, so I appreciate you taking the time to do this review.

 

By the way, I love the "Stepbrothers" reference in the post about your cabin! :D

Edited January 14, 2013 by soulpower

[mrsmoku]

I didn't know there was an SD reader for ipad! I'm going to go look for one now. :)

Great start to the review! We are sailing on Allure in March, can't wait.

 

Yep there is! I found it at Walmart in the camera/electronics area. Its like $30 i think but it works great!

 

Thanks!

[mrsmoku]

Great review & pictures! Thanks for taking your time to post it.

 

Thank you!

[mrsmoku]

Enjoying your review so far. BF and I will be on the Oasis in April, so I appreciate you taking the time to do this review.

 

By the way, I love the "Stepbrothers" reference in the post about your cabin! :D

 

Thanks! Are you doing the Eastern Itinerary?

 

Haha! I didn't think anyone noticed :) We use it all the time!

[mrsmoku]

Day 4

Part 1

 

K and I woke early to watch us pull into port for the stern vantage point. We had filled out the breakfast room service menu the day before and room service came promptly. We ate out on the balcony along with our other Boardwalk Balcony passengers and the gorgeous views. Room service breakfast was very good and easy and we decided we would do this again for St. Maarten. We quickly finished up breakfast and got ready to disembark.

 

Pulling into St. Thomas

 

Notice the yacht sinking

 

Breakfast room service fruit bowl

 

Before the cruise, I had looked for excursions that were sponsored by Royal and through private companies. Since we both grew up in Hawaii, we’ve done beaches and snorkeling and other water activities so we wanted something different but still water related. We played with the idea of just going to St. John on our own but since it was our honeymoon, we wanted something a little more special. I found Morningstar Charters one day during my research and was very interested. They offered a day sail on their schooner from St. Thomas to St. John where we would relax, swim, snorkel, and enjoy the beach while they cooked us a special BBQ lunch. Oh, and an open bar. The reviews were glowing and I knew it was perfect for us. We booked and paid online and we were ready!

 

Since the ship was docking early, we weren’t sure if we were supposed to meet our taxi driver early. Morningstar had arranged for us to meet our taxi driver at the port and he would take us to the Point Pleasant Resort and then back to the ship after. We disembarked early and walked around the area for a bit. Since the Allure is so large, we docked at Crown Bay instead of the more popular Havensight dock. There wasn’t much there except for some shops and lots of iguanas! We kept our eyes open for our taxi driver while we watched the iguanas sunbathing on the rocks. We found our taxi driver at 9 am and he informed us that there were two other passengers that would be joining us. We continued watching the iguanas until the other two passengers arrived and we were whisked off to his taxi van and to the other side of the island. We were dropped off at Jacks at Point Pleasant Resort and our mouths dropped. It was gorgeous!!

 

Allure of the Seas docked

 

Iguanas and the Pirate boat excursion at the port

 

We met up with Mike our Captain at Jacks and he dingy-ed us out to the boat. She was a little more “rustic” than the pictures showed but no one seemed bothered by it (Mike explained that they are in the process of fixing her up). In addition to the two other passengers, there was another couple on their honeymoon, Captain Mike, and First Mate Bridget. They immediately gave us a quick rundown of the day and some important safety rules and showed us where we could sit. There was a small area is the back with cushions, the bow, and the cabin roof. K and I chose the cabin roof and we all decided that we’d rotate throughout the day so we could all sit on the bow at some point. As soon as we got situated, First Mate Bridget took our drink order and went below to make the most delicious drinks ever. I had read about the Pirate Painkillers when I booked them so I ordered two for K and I and it truthfully was the best drink I have ever had. (We’ve tried to re-create the recipe but haven’t had much luck making it perfect!) I mentioned earlier that I’ve sailed before and nothing annoys me more than when we’re told we’re “sailing” and the motor is running, but I was happy to see that we were, in fact, sailing. They had a motor as backup but we were tacking and jibing our way to St. John! Mike and Bridget talked to all of us and by the time we got to St. John, we were all having a great time and were talking like we’d known each other for years.

 

The boat from Jacks

 

 

It took about 30-45 minutes to get to St. John and once we were anchored, Mike offered us equipment and told us some additional safety info. They had noodles and snorkel equipment (and fins) for us if we would like them and Mike blew the conch shell so we would know when it was time to come back the ship. They also had lifejackets available for anyone who wanted them but we were not required at all to wear one. We all jumped off the boat and snorkeled around. Mike offered to bring our things to the shore if we wanted to lie out but we could also stay on the boat if we wanted.

[mrsmoku]

Day 4

Part 2

 

On the way to St. John

 

St. John Beach

 

There were 3 other boats that had also anchored in the area and I recognized one as a RC sponsored excursion. They did not look like they were having near as much fun as us and we all were very happy with our decision to book Morningstar.

 

The snorkeling in the area was not the absolute best but it wasn’t bad. There were fishes, coral, sea grass, and turtles all around us but if you are looking for more a more Finding Nemo-type reef, you will be disappointed in this area. We snorkeled and laid around on the beach for a while and then made our way back to the boat for lunch.

 

Set up for lunch

 

While we were in the water, Mike and Bridget were BBQing us lunch. They were making BBQ chicken with their own sauce and the smell was amazing! We all climbed aboard and ordered another drink while we talked and had a great time waiting for lunch. Then disaster struck!

 

Well, it wasn’t really a disaster but the BBQ on the side of the ship tipped over taking our food to the sandy bottom (it was a disaster for K who hadn’t eaten in 3 hours). Not a single one of us noticed because we were talking and having a great time until Mike told us that he had to go somewhere and lunch would be a little delayed. In true K fashion, he offered to dive down and get us the chicken but we all declined. (He later ended up actually doing this but only finding one piece – which he ate and exclaimed that it was “a little salty”.) Bridget kept the drinks coming and when Mike returned we had a delicious lunch ready to be devoured. After lunch, we swam for another few minutes and got ready to head back. I’m glad I got out when I did because minutes later, a barracuda showed up! Mike and Bridget said that he always comes around when they are out there and that he was “friendly”. Well, okay. You can't see it too well in the picture but he was probably 5-6 feet!

 

The “friendly” barracuda

 

The other boats that had anchored were long gone so it just us left taking in the sights and relaxing from our amazingly awesome day. We weren’t worried about time (which normally I am) because Mike and Bridget had a good eye on the time for us and let us know when we needed to leave.

 

We all got ready to sail back to St. Thomas and we played a few games of…something. For the life of me, I can’t remember the name and I didn’t write it down, but it was very similar looking to Mancala but had different, had to understand, instructions. Of course, this could be due to the multiple Pirate Painkillers I finished but it was fun to try to figure it out!

 

End of the best excursion ever!

 

Once we were back to St. Thomas, we bought a Morningstar shirt and some cozies and our taxi man was ready to take us back to the ship. But before we headed over to the Allure, K and I were on a mission to find some rum. And not just any rum – Pussers Rum. It is my dad’s absolute favorite and we wanted to get some to take back and make those Pirate Painkillers. We found a liquor store and got three bottles! We were told it was cheaper at K mart but we didn’t have time to venture out in search of one.

 

Before boarding, all passengers have to go through security. They took my bag of sand that I got from St. John (still upset) and we turned in our rum. They wrote our room number and last name on the rum box and gave us a receipt-type slip to use if our rum didn’t make it back to us on the last night. We stored it safely away and back on the Allure we went!

 

We had cell service there so we made a few quick calls and hung out on the deck to watch sail away. Both of us were starving so we quickly changed and went to the MDR for dinner. I of course, didn’t take the menu pictures but it was delicious! (The food pics are on the next post)

 

Leaving St. Thomas

 

I didn’t book anything for entertainment that night because I knew that we would be tired but K ended up ordering room service and we watched OceanAria from our balcony. Tomorrow we would be docking in St. Maarten and we had another full, fun day planned!

 

[mrsmoku]

Day 4

Dinner pics

 

Yum!!

 

Pork chops?

 

Delicious!

[whataboutport]

Yum! can't wait for the rest of the review! :)

[soulpower]

Thanks! Are you doing the Eastern Itinerary?

 

Haha! I didn't think anyone noticed :) We use it all the time!

 

Yup, we're doing Eastern. Did Western on the Freedom of the Seas last May, so it's Eastern this time around. So excited!

 

Oh and I noticed that quote right away! BF and I lovee that movie and quote from it constantly as well! Too funny!

[catr13]

Loving your review so far!! I never get bored of reviews! <Sigh> still so long til i set sail on her!!

[mrsmoku]

Yum! can't wait for the rest of the review! :)

 

I miss the food!! I'm bummed I forgot to take menu pictures but at least I have some food pics!!

[mrsmoku]

Loving your review so far!! I never get bored of reviews! <Sigh> still so long til i set sail on her!!

 

Thanks! I love reviews too!

[Gramjude]

Great review, I can't wait for more. We will be on that trip in September.

[ksg]

"The snorkeling in the area was not the absolute best but it wasn’t bad. There were fishes, coral, sea grass, and turtles all around us but if you are looking for more a more Finding Nemo-type reef, you will be disappointed in this area. We snorkeled and laid around on the beach for a while and then made our way back to the boat for lunch."

 

 

Hi, loving your review. We're on her next month. Where did they take you to snorkle?

 

I hope not Honeymoon beach. We're doing the ship sponsored catamaran to Honeymoon. Many years ago we did a Captain Nautica, which isn't offered on our trip, and they took us to an amazing reef off what we think was Honeymoon beach on Saint Johns. We were hoping to recreate the experience, but that was 10 years ago and I know that there's been global warming damage to the reef systems.

 

Hope you can shed some light.

[mrsmoku]

Great review, I can't wait for more. We will be on that trip in September.

 

Oh fun!!!

[mrsmoku]

"The snorkeling in the area was not the absolute best but it wasn’t bad. There were fishes, coral, sea grass, and turtles all around us but if you are looking for more a more Finding Nemo-type reef, you will be disappointed in this area. We snorkeled and laid around on the beach for a while and then made our way back to the boat for lunch."

 

 

Hi, loving your review. We're on her next month. Where did they take you to snorkle?

 

I hope not Honeymoon beach. We're doing the ship sponsored catamaran to Honeymoon. Many years ago we did a Captain Nautica, which isn't offered on our trip, and they took us to an amazing reef off what we think was Honeymoon beach on Saint Johns. We were hoping to recreate the experience, but that was 10 years ago and I know that there's been global warming damage to the reef systems.

 

Hope you can shed some light.

 

Thanks!

 

:( I didn't write it down but while I was writing the review, I kept thinking Honeymoon Beach... I will do some research and let you know if it actually was.

I mean, we saw some fun stuff but I know exactly what you mean about a gorgeous reef that is gone years later :(

[mrsmoku]

"The snorkeling in the area was not the absolute best but it wasn’t bad. There were fishes, coral, sea grass, and turtles all around us but if you are looking for more a more Finding Nemo-type reef, you will be disappointed in this area. We snorkeled and laid around on the beach for a while and then made our way back to the boat for lunch."

 

 

Hi, loving your review. We're on her next month. Where did they take you to snorkle?

 

I hope not Honeymoon beach. We're doing the ship sponsored catamaran to Honeymoon. Many years ago we did a Captain Nautica, which isn't offered on our trip, and they took us to an amazing reef off what we think was Honeymoon beach on Saint Johns. We were hoping to recreate the experience, but that was 10 years ago and I know that there's been global warming damage to the reef systems.

 

Hope you can shed some light.

 

I'm sorry to say that it was Honeymoon Bay :( Maybe the snorkeling is better in a different area. We were the last ones there because of the morning delay so maybe the excursion will be closer to the better snorkeling.