10 years in the making - First Cruise on Allure Eastern 4-14-13

[rsharp83]

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Oh, yeah, it was WINDY. Wow was the wind blowing. So Captain Bob was right it would have been rough going out there. We did get to watch a lot of Kite Surfers on this day and they were flying in the strong winds. It was very cool. And no, I did not try it.

 

As close as I got to Kite Surfing

 

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One thing you should know. The women can choose to either wear or not wear bathing suit tops. Now guys, this sounds really great in theory…maybe not so great in execution. Most of the time the ladies baring it all are not really the ones you would want baring it all. And if you have kids just know that this will be the case.

 

Making the best of the day at the beach! LOL.

 

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[rsharp83]

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When we walked in there was an older couple sitting there having lunch and we took the table next to them. I didn’t notice anything until after we were all seated and then the lady started up a conversation with us about what great food they had here. She was right across from one of the guys, directly in his line of sight no matter where he looked, and of course she was topless. It made for interesting pre-meal conversation.

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[rsharp83]

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One other thing we learned was that the more crowded the beach area the cheaper the prices for chairs and drinks. At the Bikini Beach end there was basically one restaurant/bar per area of the beach. At the other end, it was more competitive and prices were lower.

 

We ventured up the beach as far as we dared. Across a little rock path began the clothing optional part of the beach. I had just eaten a big meal and I wasn’t ready to see the bare necessities of all humanity just then. So we returned to camp.

 

Yes there are vendors everywhere selling this and that. Amy did buy this hot little number from one of them and she got some ankle bracelets (she loves bracelets). We also found the little magnetic necklace from Nassau that was $15 for $5 here. Dave or I should have purchased a bottle of that Guavaberry rum, what were we thinking?

 

[rsharp83]

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[Riba4U]

Beautiful pictures :)

[cruiseturbo]

Wow this is a very long Allure review and I am loving it!!

 

This is working out well, cause you are getting me thru until I leave on the Allure in 8 days! The next few days at work are going to take forever....

 

Thanks for your great review and your funny commentary, I can't imagine that your wife doesn't love cruising after this!

[rsharp83]

Wow this is a very long Allure review and I am loving it!!

 

This is working out well, cause you are getting me thru until I leave on the Allure in 8 days! The next few days at work are going to take forever....

 

Thanks for your great review and your funny commentary, I can't imagine that your wife doesn't love cruising after this!

 

Yes, it has turned into a bit of a novel. But I have enjoyed writing it and seeing that people are actually reading it! Just last night I saw Cousin Dave for the first time since the cruise and he told me that he is reading it.

 

8 Days will seem like forever and not enough time all at the same time! Our last week before the cruise was insanely busy but once we got on the plane it was all worth it. Hope you have a great cruise.

 

And as you can plainly see from the pictures my DW Amy is just slogging through this whole vacation. It is a truly loving spouse that will go along and try to make the best of the situation in order to make the other spouse happy. Clearly, Amy knew that I was excited about going on a cruise and she's putting on a brave face for my sake. :p

[rsharp83]

Beatles and Ice

So many shows so little time

 

You won’t see everything. That’s what I kept reading. But I am a trip planner! I once put together a Disney World adventure that my family and friends lovingly referred to as “Disney Boot Camp”. Surely I could figure out how to see everything on a ship, right? Wrong.

 

 

We were scheduled to see the Beatle Maniacs on Wednesday night. Some of the crew attended but we didn’t make it. And one of the Beatles didn’t make it either! John was stranded by the airlines so it was a 3 Beatle show on night one. Amy and I got to see the first part of the show on night 2 and it was really good. However, we were scheduled for Ice Games and we went to meet everyone for that. We were late and had to stand but we could still see everything.

Now you must understand that I probably would not be a person that would pay to attend an ice skating show; just not my thing. Ice Games was a good show, the hula hoop performer was really interesting. And again, they are doing all this on a ship at sea, which is amazing in many ways. So yes it was a show worth seeing, and it is very enjoyable. I’m still wondering if I should have stayed at the Beatles.

 

I only have the vaguest memories of the rest of this night…

[rsharp83]

The Quest

Still trying to forget...

 

I had heard about the Quest. I wanted to go to the Quest. I had no idea what to expect from the Quest. I was told to come early to the Quest. And when we entered the Quest there was Kathleen and Jeff! So she of course told us where we should sit. And we all sat together and we laughed and talked during the pre-show stuff and Amy won a cup that blinks and Jeff and I have a lot in common and Kathleen said my wife is awesome and then the Quest started…

 

If Love and Marriage was the game show then Quest is the game show on acid. Brooks is the ringmaster because this is somewhat of a circus. Don’t volunteer to be team captain if you are not completely into the game and willing to do almost anything to win the game. Jeff was picked to be our male team captain. When that happened, a look of horror came across Kathleen’s face. She turned to me and said, “This is not good, not good at all.”

 

 

It’s fun, it’s crazy, having a team member with poor dental history helps, there are various times that undergarments play a role, and as I stated earlier in this review people will do almost anything to win crappy RCCL prizes. We built human pyramids. We acted like fools. We didn’t win but it wasn’t for lack of effort. Apparently I was involved in some antics during this game…I have a hard time recalling the specifics. My therapist tells me that it’s best that way.

 

A couple of hints that might be worth trying if you are an uber competitive person. As you enter Studio B go LEFT and sit on that side. Your team will be on the host’s right side as he faces the audience. He always looked right first. I noticed that many times teams approaching from the left were recognized later that those approaching from the right. Does it make a difference, who knows? The scoring is crazy to begin with. But if you need an edge this might be it. Another thing is that you need everybody close to the action and if they are not, try to get them to move down so they can help in the game more.

[Venusleo1]

When at first I read that you were doing Capt. Bob... wait that doesnt sound right... well you know what I mean. Anyways I was so excited to read your review as we have that planned for our upcomming Allure cruise in 8 days... and then when it was cancelled I think I felt just as bummed about it as you did.

 

Thanks for your review I am enjoying it very much!!

[rsharp83]

When at first I read that you were doing Capt. Bob... wait that doesnt sound right... well you know what I mean. Anyways I was so excited to read your review as we have that planned for our upcomming Allure cruise in 8 days... and then when it was cancelled I think I felt just as bummed about it as you did.

 

Thanks for your review I am enjoying it very much!!

Well there is one big difference in your feeling bummed and my feeling bummed. You still have a chance to go on the Capt Bob Adventure! :D

 

Please, when you return let me know how the excursion goes. Because, if we ever cruise again, Capt Bob is #1 on my list of must do things.

[Venusleo1]

Will Do.

[Familygoboston]

QUEST: it was not good, not good at all;).

 

Loved your description, LOL! The only thing I was really worried about was Barb and Jerry, a couple of nice older folks from the Midwest ( think like the nicest grandparents you will ever meet- great grandparents actually:eek:) ) Amy's parents were sitting with us and there I am ring leading the whole clan into this fun little game and then her son in law- well, never mind...but I looked over and there were actual tears rolling down Barbara's cheeks, tears of laughter or not I cannot say for sure, but I'm hoping for laughter:rolleyes:

[SuperPlanner]

The Quest

Still trying to forget...

 

I had heard about the Quest. I wanted to go to the Quest. I had no idea what to expect from the Quest. I was told to come early to the Quest. And when we entered the Quest there was Kathleen and Jeff! So she of course told us where we should sit. And we all sat together and we laughed and talked during the pre-show stuff and Amy won a cup that blinks and Jeff and I have a lot in common and Kathleen said my wife is awesome and then the Quest started…

 

If Love and Marriage was the game show then Quest is the game show on acid. Brooks is the ringmaster because this is somewhat of a circus. Don’t volunteer to be team captain if you are not completely into the game and willing to do almost anything to win the game. Jeff was picked to be our male team captain. When that happened, a look of horror came across Kathleen’s face. She turned to me and said, “This is not good, not good at all.”

 

 

It’s fun, it’s crazy, having a team member with poor dental history helps, there are various times that undergarments play a role, and as I stated earlier in this review people will do almost anything to win crappy RCCL prizes. We built human pyramids. We acted like fools. We didn’t win but it wasn’t for lack of effort. Apparently I was involved in some antics during this game…I have a hard time recalling the specifics. My therapist tells me that it’s best that way.

 

A couple of hints that might be worth trying if you are an uber competitive person. As you enter Studio B go LEFT and sit on that side. Your team will be on the host’s right side as he faces the audience. He always looked right first. I noticed that many times teams approaching from the left were recognized later that those approaching from the right. Does it make a difference, who knows? The scoring is crazy to begin with. But if you need an edge this might be it. Another thing is that you need everybody close to the action and if they are not, try to get them to move down so they can help in the game more.

 

Ok...so I've heard and read lots of "hints" about the Quest and I'm psyched for it! Sounds like fun! Question though...I would love to participate but my husband isn't really as up for these kinds of things. Do we have to either "be on a team and participate to the fullest including possibility of having to lose underwear?" or "just watch"? In other words, are there small teams and everyone is counting on you to go all out or can we kind of participate halfway without letting our team down?

[rsharp83]

You have big teams. Whole sections of Studio B are divided into teams. So some people got really into it, I mean REALLY into it (Jeff) and some did some of the stuff when there were group things. Everyone needs to participate from the aspect of standing, yelling, etc.

 

So yes, you can get totally into it, under garments and all while your spouse sits next to you with a horrified look. Hey, I think I just described our Quest!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[SuperPlanner]

You have big teams. Whole sections of Studio B are divided into teams. So some people got really into it, I mean REALLY into it (Jeff) and some did some of the stuff when there were group things. Everyone needs to participate from the aspect of standing, yelling, etc.

 

So yes, you can get totally into it, under garments and all while your spouse sits next to you with a horrified look. Hey, I think I just described our Quest!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

 

 

 

Don't think I would do the whole undergarments thing but I would get on stage and do a funny dance or be willing to make a fool of myself in a PG-13 kind of way...while my husband would probably not....:D

[rsharp83]

Day 6 – At Sea!

 

Chillaxing on Allure

 

We didn’t have a huge agenda for the daytime hours. That was good since we were out Questing and such until almost 2 am. This brings up another interesting point. Allure is a boat that parties into the wee hours. There is always activity on the Promenade. So prepare to stay up late! This picture was taken very late in the evening and as you can see, this boats-a-rockin’. This was taken during the big 70s party event. You literally cannot walk on the Promenade during this show.

 

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[rsharp83]

Addictions at sea

Starbucks

 

I am a FourSquare addict. FourSquare is an app for your phone where you “check in” at various locations you visit and get points to compete with your friends (remember I have a hyper competitive streak). I have tons of check-ins at Starbucks locations. I don’t drink coffee or ever buy a beverage at Starbucks; occasionally I will get a cake pop. Amy however, is addicted to Starbucks so I often wind up there. She has very few vices so if Starbucks is the worst of it I consider it fine. In fact, of you read from the beginning of this review you know that the Allure having a Starbucks was one of the factors that helped me sell this trip on this ship.

 

Amy frequented Starbucks on Allure as did quite a few folks. They all showed up every morning to get their fix. She did encounter one barista that was a little rude at times. Maybe it stood out because the other staff people we encountered all week were so pleasant. I found out that the Starbucks folks are not RCCL people and are specially certified to work only in the Starbucks venue. Allure was the first ship to get Starbucks but it has been successful and they are going to roll them out fleet wide.

 

 

This photo was taken for 3 reasons.

 

One is for Rescued Readers a charitable group that gets books to schools in Africa and we have sponsored a child with the group and Amy always tries to get a picture with their shirt wherever we go.

 

Two was to show all our friends back home that she was still getting her Starbucks fix while at sea.

 

Three is because I wanted a picture of her on the Sundeck. The Sundeck is on deck 14, Port, all the way forward. It is the deck area just below the Solarium but you can’t get there from the Solarium. Don’t miss going out here at least once!

 

I guess there is a forth reason for the picture, Amy looks great in it. And yes, it was windy out there!

[LBumb]

amazing review

[alaska_planner]

ok, so i've only read your first post so far, but i'm in LOVE with this review!!!!!

and by the way, you really should have taken your MIL!!!

maybe that would have pushed DW in the right direction faster than 10 years!!

 

as for your go big or go home...indeed...

i think you've just finally convinced me to go with the allure..

 

we have to be in america for a wedding, so i figured we could take a cruise when we're there...there is only one week we can cruise so i looked at what was available...

i narrowed it down to the freedom of the seas or the allure...

 

i still haven't booked (we're so late at this point, i figured i'd wait for final payment day to roll on by), but i'm leaning more and more towards the allure for the reasons you gave (if i only have one opportunity, i should go with the allure which never gets to europe)...

i also can't sit in the sun or lie around...not even for 15 minutes...

so the more action the better....

 

anyway, i'll read on now....

thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences!!!!! :)

[rsharp83]

ok, so i've only read your first post so far, but i'm in LOVE with this review!!!!!

and by the way, you really should have taken your MIL!!!

maybe that would have pushed DW in the right direction faster than 10 years!!

 

as for your go big or go home...indeed...

i think you've just finally convinced me to go with the allure..

 

we have to be in america for a wedding, so i figured we could take a cruise when we're there...there is only one week we can cruise so i looked at what was available...

i narrowed it down to the freedom of the seas or the allure...

 

i still haven't booked (we're so late at this point, i figured i'd wait for final payment day to roll on by), but i'm leaning more and more towards the allure for the reasons you gave (if i only have one opportunity, i should go with the allure which never gets to europe)...

i also can't sit in the sun or lie around...not even for 15 minutes...

so the more action the better....

 

anyway, i'll read on now....

thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences!!!!! :)

 

Thanks for the kind words! I hope you don't regret the complements after reading a few more posts!

 

The Allure is awesome and full of great things to do and see. And you won't have to sit on the sun doing nothing unless that's what you want to do.

[rsharp83]

Room with a view

How much money is a balcony worth?

 

When I booked this little trip I knew next to nothing about the ins and outs of cruising. I was just happy to have a room and a bed aboard the Allure. We started out thinking cheaper cheaper cheaper. But Amy was not going for one of the rooms with no outside views or views at all; so we were at least getting a porthole room. That idea didn’t last long and when her parents booked an ocean view balcony we moved up too. Was it worth the cost? Since I knew this might be my one and only shot at a cruise it was certainly worth the money for us. I could live without it if it made the difference between cruise or no cruise. We were on the go a lot of the time and not in the room. We never ordered room service though we planned on it and just never did it. We did spend some time on our deck and on port mornings it was nice to be out on the deck and watch the action and see the sights. Not so sure an inside deck would be all that interesting to us.

 

 

However, the “what if” factor of having a balcony verses not having one was driven home to us by our across the hall neighbor’s experience on this trip. We saw a Happy 60th Birthday door decoration go up on the second day of the cruise. And we saw people at the door of the room on days 3 and 4 talking to someone who we thought might have been ill. Whatever was going on it was apparent they were stuck in their room. We finally met our neighbor on night 6, formal night. She was dressed in her finest and determined to go to dinner with her family, 4 cabins of them that had joined her on her birthday cruise. She had fallen in Nassau and hurt her back, pretty badly. She couldn’t get a taxi and the locals advised her to file a police report in order to get a cab back to the ship. She made her way back to Allure, sometimes stopping to lie down on the sidewalk or wherever in order to get relief for her back pain. She then spent the rest of the week in bed, with no view or window of any kind. YUCK! At least if you had a balcony you could watch something. How depressing. After that little story I am sure that if we ever go on a cruise again, we will have an ocean view balcony.

[SuperPlanner]

Totally random questions for whomever has been on allure/oasis recently....:confused:

 

Do you remember what any of the pay-per-view movies were when you were on board? Was there a decent selection and did they give you a one-time of 24-hr rental?

Trust me...I am more than aware that there are way too many things to do to be thinking about the movies but my husband and I have a vacation/trip tradition (probably 10 or more trips strong) that our FIRST night, we watch a movie and order room service late night after our regular dinner/evening activities. Just wondering what movie might be kicking off our vacation! :D

 

2nd question: What kind of things are reasonable requests to ask of your room steward. Everyone talks about little extras but the ones I've heard so far don't really apply to me (i.e. extra towel animals for kids, filling ice bucket each night) and was wondering what other things I could ask for an extra-special vacation. Happy to tip for excellent service...just don't k now what kind of services to ask for :o

[tarajean1962]

Okay, all caught up on your tales at sea!!:D It looks like you had a terrific beach day in St. Maarten and. well, I guess we'll never know the whole of your evening events! You and Kathleen are definitely making me want to go to The Quest though!

 

Once again, beautiful picures and a beautiful family!:)

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

One Big show before we go

Blue Planet

 

I can’t totally describe Blue Planet. It’s singing, dancing, aerialists, trapeze acrobats, fliers, and other things as well. Where Chicago’s staging is minimal Blue Planet’s is not. The theater itself was designed for the Blue Planet production. They use stage trap doors that go down very deep to accommodate the staging. Some of the set pieces are very large and heavy. The Tree is made of steel and weighs 750 pounds. The trampoline is 3 separate pieces that are locked together for that act. So when you see Blue Planet just know that there is a lot of action going on behind the scenes too.

 

Our group enjoyed the show. It has some elements of a Cirque du Solei show but I would not describe is as a Cirque show. The cast is performers for Blue Planet are combined from the other shows on the ship. The lead females from Chicago don’t do Blue Planet and a couple of other characters do other things like the 70 party. On our cruise we got to see the first Blue Planet show for the new cast. They had been rehearsing for several weeks and now it was their turn on stage. This may have been why the show was a bit rough in places, nothing bad, just a few timing issues and synchronization things. Again, I have seen most of the Vegas Cirque shows and with only one exception (Viva Elvis) they are all unbelievably choreographed and fine tuned shows. So I’m probably a bit too critical. It’s an enjoyable show and the singers are strong. The Tree act is really good and I won’t say anymore about it except watch the tree. The trampoline act is good as well but the between OceanAria and Blue Planet shows you get to see a lot of tramp action on this ship.