Allure of the Seas Review!

[Raschueler]

Hi! I'm Rachel. I cruised on Allure of the Seas on September 23, 2012 with my boyfriend, Matt, on the western Caribbean itinerary. I had previously cruised on Freedom and Monarch which were no comparison to this ship besides Royal Caribbean's top-notch service!

 

Planning:

 

I booked our cruise online using RCI's website. I find it really easy to use. I stalked the prices for awhile, and finally found a number that I thought was worth it. I even ended up upgrading the original inside stateroom to a room with a balcony overlooking central park for between $100-200, so I was pleased.

 

I did not use their airline booking and just found flights myself. I ended up getting our round trip flights from BWI to FLL for under $300! I was a happy girl. Matt had never flown before (or cruised!), but I've flown plenty, so we made it to FLL smoothly with Southwest without having to feel lost or confused by airports.

 

 

I found a shuttle outside of RCI called GO Airport Shuttle which cost us around $35. Next time I will just book a cab because that is what we did to get back to the ship, and it was cheaper and quicker.

 

Poor Matthew got stuck with all the bags!

 

[Raschueler]

Day 1:

I could not believe the size of the Allure! Freedom of the Seas was my first ship, and I had thought she was big! Monarch of the Seas seemed like dingy in comparison to the two. I expected check in to take HOURS due to my past experience boarding Freedom at Port Canaveral. We walked in to this...

 

 

Matt was perplexed at my excitement of an empty room. We quickly boarded and began to explore. We found our stateroom using the interactive maps which gave us a direct path.

 

I was really impressed with our state room. It was clean, and we could definitely tell that it was a new ship. We had a good sized flat screen TV that was on a swivel, and we thought the bed was comfortable. There was a nice vanity area for me to get ready for dinner, and we definitely enjoyed our balcony! Even our small bathroom was nice. There was a pretty blue tile back-splash behind the sink, cabinets for all of our toiletries, and room for two in the shower ;).

 

[Raschueler]

We spent the rest of our day walking around the ship marveling at her beauty. There were dresses made out of what looked like beads hanging in one of the elevator shafts that were so incredible. All of the art on the ship was visually stimulating. We also enjoyed watching the Rising Tide Bar make its ascent and descent while the fountain/light show went on beneath.

 

 

 

 

It was in the mid-80s that day, but it looked like it was going to storm and was breezy, so we did not spend our first day by the pool. After walking most of the ship, we went back to our room to rest for a little before dinner.

 

We sat at a table of six with two other couples. The first night at dinner was just plain awkward. Barely anyone talked to one another except for low-talking between couples. I was not sure how our dinners in the MDR were going to go, but I knew that I was not going to miss MDR dinner!

[Peeker28]

Good review so far

[Raschueler]

Thank you! I will post more tomorrow. I see that you will be on Oasis soon! I bet you are very excited. Are you sailing eastern or western?

[rednancy1]

Enjoying your review. :)

[venicia]

thanks for your review, looking forward to more. We are sailing on her on May 19 and are very anxious to see this wonderful ship for ourselves.

[anandaindonesia]

Thank you for sharing. Like the photos.

Will you post the Cruise Compass dailies, please?

[Raschueler]

Thank you everyone! I will scan the dailies and upload them. I cut out the "Important things to know today" for my scrapbook, so hopefully that did not interfere with the daily activities.

[Raschueler]

Day 2:

Today was a sea day and according to my saved Compass, it was 90 degrees and those clouds were still following us. We kept exploring the ship and spent most of our day in the gigantic hot tubs with drinks being brought to us. Matt liked that part cause then he didn't have to go get them for us!

 

 

 

 

The first formal night was today, and we both were excited to get all dressed up. We went back to our room, tried out room service which was speedy and delicious! It was nice to be able to eat and get ready at the same time. We ended up ordering some kind of flounder for days because we loved it so much. After our snack/pre-dinner/post-lunch on our balcony, I quickly had the vanity a disaster with all of my primping materials!

 

 

 

 

 

Once all ready, we went and took a bunch of pictures and listened to the Captain's address while enjoying free sparkling wine. Captain Johnny from Norway was personable and funny. He even ended up riding his Harley around the Allure on one of the last days!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was time for MDR dinner now. We were sort of feeling uncomfortable because we had to sit at that awkward table, but once we all sat down and introduced ourselves, no one would shut up. It was great! I don't know if it was due to everyone getting a relaxing night of sleep, or all the drinks by the pool during our sea day, but everyone was talking to one another. The younger couple to the right of us ended up being in their 25-30s and had two children that were staying at home with Grandma for the week. The man (Mike) was a cotton farmer, so he had a lot to talk about with Matt since he is a diesel mechanic for his uncle's trucking and excavating company and also farms his uncles land for him. The farm boys found comfort in one another during the fancy dinner and got a kick out of all of the utensils while Melody (his wife) and I cringed in embarrassment. The other couple was from Miami and celebrating their 25th? wedding anniversary. The wife was a nurse which was awesome because I'm a nursing student, and her husband worked at a prison. He had lots of good stories! Dinners ended up being a highlight of the trip due to our great table, and I still talk to Mike and Melody thanks to Facebook! Oh! And our waiter was amazing. His name was Oscar from Mexico. He was always on top of everything and provided great friendly service.

 

 

 

After our wonderful dinner, I had Chicago booked. I LOVED CHICAGO! I've only seen a few shows on Broadway, so I'm no "Broadway buff," but I really enjoyed it. We had no idea what the show was even about before seeing it. Matt really enjoyed it, and I did too. The show ended around 12, I think, and we were exhausted! We went up to the pool deck to look at the ocean for awhile, and then retired to our stateroom.

[Raschueler]

Day 3:

 

Today was Labadee! I'd been to Labadee before on Freedom, so I knew what to expect, but this was Matt's first island EVER! He could not wait to get on deck to see it. We had a nice, clear beach day around 86 degrees. I did not book any excursions for Labadee because the beach is just a short walk away from the dock (there's even a little trolley if you don't want to walk). It was a beach day and a shopping day.

 

 

 

The shopping is a little shanty set up tucked away from the beach. I wish I had a picture, but I did not pull my camera out back there. I recommend taking ones, fives, and tens and bargaining!!! I really like the wood carvings they have back there(especially the one we found this time!), and it's also a nice place for cheap cover-ups. The people are hounders though! They will not stop. They will basically follow you until you leave their "shop." They will put bracelets on you and work hard to find you exactly what you want. They carved "Matt" in a wooden shot glass, and Matt felt so bad that he just bought it for $10!!! I laughed at his extravagant purchase while I had a wooden shot glass with "Haiti" carved in it, five bracelets for our nieces/nephews, and something else little for under $10! I then proceeded to take our wad of ones and fives away from him, and he had to tell the people that he had to ask me for money before he could buy anything! Me saying no, or that we already had it made us able to just buy what we wanted instead of just buying what they offer. Just be firm! It's easy to feel pity for them which may make you want to buy a lot, but cruise ships go there a lot, so they definitely get business.

 

 

 

 

I could not resist buying these! I think we spent about $30 on it, but the man had started at $90. We ended up walking away at first, and then Matt knew how much I wanted the piggies, so we went back and talked him down more! It's just so funny to have people notice the pigs when they come over our house!

 

 

Royal Caribbean provided a BBQ lunch that was tasty and Labadoozies were flowing! Labadoozies are the slushy drinks brought around while you sit on the beach. Matt got a kick out of the servers saying, "Medication for your relaxation!" Matt really liked his first island, but knew that this was not how islands were since it's RCI's private island. We stayed on the island for most of the day, and enjoyed hammocks close by to the dock before we re-boarded Allure.

[funfamilyof6]

Loving your review so far!!!

[evoni]

Enjoying your review and looking forward to more. :)

[bluecruisin]

I appreciate your review. More please!:)

[sleepless]

I am enjoying the review. We will be on the Allure in July. Can't wait.

[Wildcatfish]

Great trip report! Looking forward to the rest of your story... but really looking forward to our upcoming Allure cruise!!:D

[Poorplaya]

Great review so far, the pigs are hilarious, keep the great review coming!!!