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

[tarajean1962]

Your wife is adorable! I am seriously hooked on this review and can't wait to read more!:D

 

 

Tara

[Susiecruisey]

More please.. Only 555 days until we are on the ALLURE

[rsharp83]

Ok readers. Here is a fun little contest. Now that you've seen my DWs picture. Anyone care to venture a guess at her age?

[rummenroman]

Ok readers. Here is a fun little contest. Now that you've seen my DWs picture. Anyone care to venture a guess at her age?

 

Nope, last time I tried to guess a woman's age I left with a hand print across my face. :eek:

[Trainman-2]

When Judith and I started dating I asked her about cruising and she said, " I think I would be bored!"

 

Well, she wasn't bored and we are cruising as often as we can now.

[rsharp83]

Cast of Characters

 

It occurs to me that I have not properly introduced the entire group of 8. As we move forward you will see them popping up more so it might be helpful to know who they are.

 

Randy and Amy – Myself and my “not interested in cruising” wife of 24 years

 

Barbara and Jerry – My wife’s parents and great travel companions. We have gone on many trips with them throughout the years: Skiing, Disney, Lake of the Ozarks, Colorado, Vegas, Reno to name a few. Some people say to me, “You really go on vacations with your in-laws? I’d never go on a trip with my in-laws!” Well I guess I am just lucky that my in-laws are so much fun to go places with and quite frankly we wouldn’t have traveled nearly as much over the years without them.

 

Aunt Shirlee and David – This was a bucket list trip for Shirlee so she was going no matter what! Her husband is no longer able to travel so her son David decided to go with mom. Thank goodness he was around because I always had someone to go do stuff with when everyone else wanted to lay in the sun or hit the wall late at night when I still wanted to go go go .

 

Ross and Sheryl – The friends from my DWs Zumba class (well Sheryl is in the Zumba class, not Ross). They had been to the islands before on a cruise but it had been a long time. Sheryl planned the trip without telling her husband much about it, that way she could up charge for dining and other stuff and he wouldn’t know! She’s smart like that.

 

Six of us were first time cruisers. We ranged in age from late 30s to mid 70s. We are all from St. Joseph Missouri which is a city of about 75,000 directly north of Kansas City on the banks of the Missouri River. We used to be a big city back in the days of the Oregon Trail and westward expansion. We were the starting point of the Pony Express and the ending point for notorious criminal legend Jessie James (He was shot and killed here). There is lots of history here including many mansions and museums. We were a very wealthy city back in those days and had many large companies and familiar products including the inventor of Aunt Jemima and Mead Big Chief writing tablets.

[funfamilyof6]

GREAT review so far....I lOVE your style of writing.

 

One quick question, you mentioned that the TA was not able to link your reservations for dining. I was a little surprised by this. I always book directly with RCCL (not online though) and have always had our reservations linked for our family of 6 and have never had a problem. Also, when I book excursions, there is always an option to add another reservation. You were not able to do this with the Allure??

 

Edit: I reread your post again..did you not all book the same way (TA or RCCL)? I think the only way to avoid the problem of not being able to link reservations is having everybody to book directly with RCCL which is probably hard with a big group.

Edited April 27, 2013 by funfamilyof6

[tarajean1962]

 

I'll guess yoour wife's age if you'll guess mine! I wont tell you which one I am either! :p

 

Your group sounds like a lot of fun!!:D

 

Tara

Edited April 27, 2013 by tarajean1962

[bbqman]

Ok readers. Here is a fun little contest. Now that you've seen my DWs picture. Anyone care to venture a guess at her age?

 

She is twenty nine.;)

[rsharp83]

GREAT review so far....I lOVE your style of writing.

 

One quick question, you mentioned that the TA was not able to link your reservations for dining. I was a little surprised by this. I always book directly with RCCL (not online though) and have always had our reservations linked for our family of 6 and have never had a problem. Also, when I book excursions, there is always an option to add another reservation. You were not able to do this with the Allure??

 

Edit: I reread your post again..did you not all book the same way (TA or RCCL)? I think the only way to avoid the problem of not being able to link reservations is having everybody to book directly with RCCL which is probably hard with a big group.

 

Remember, I had NO IDEA what I was doing when I started booking this cruise. And I didn't know if anyone would go with us or not. So yes If I could do it all over again I would either deal directly with RCCL and miss out on the $75 OBC but avoid a bunch of hassles or get one TA with enough room in a group booking for all of us.

 

Rookie mistake, but at that point I was totally on my own other than advice from the TA. And let me say I liked our TA and she was very helpful in the beginning to me, but we did have some issues with the dinning part of the bookings.

[rsharp83]

 

I'll guess yoour wife's age if you'll guess mine! I wont tell you which one I am either! :p

 

Your group sounds like a lot of fun!!:D

 

Tara

 

BLUE MAN GROUP!! Love BMG! I've seen them several times in Vegas and on tour. Highly recommend them.

 

and on second thought, maybe guessing everyone's ages wasn't such a great idea....

[rsharp83]

Sailing Away

Can I get a Flow Rider in My Yard?

 

We walked around a bit and headed to the Spa right before Muster Drill. We got a quick tour and a chance to sit in the heated stone lounge chairs. These chairs are amazing! However, with all we had planned for the next 6 days we just had no idea how or when we would have time to take advantage of the spa. But it was very cool. And the fitness area is very nice as well. We did use that area.

 

My DW is a workout fanatic and since she is a ZUMBA instructor and does strength training sessions as well she really needs to keep up her exercise routine to some extent even while on vacation. She really was wishing she could teach a ZUMBA class on the cruise since she already had 4 people for sure that would come and do her class if she could find a place on board to teach it. I understand why RCCL just can’t let everybody or anybody start teaching classes on the cruise. However, even the spa staff was hoping she could do ZUMBA because they wanted to do it with her. In the end she put on her headphones and went up to the public Aqua deck and did her routine all by herself early one morning. She said it was amazing and the only person who saw her was the guy mopping the deck!

 

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Amy and Sheryl

[/img]

 

So far so good, we are underway and she is still smiling

 

We passed by the Flow Rider in the yard. It is somewhat obscured by trees now. I looked up the cost for a private Flow Rider. The company website says it costs more that a Ferrari and less than a private jet. In some other research I figure the price for the equipment is around $75K plus shipping and installation. So, yeah I guess we won’t be getting a Flow Rider anytime soon. Bummer.

[tarajean1962]

We passed by the Flow Rider in the yard. It is somewhat obscured by trees now. I looked up the cost for a private Flow Rider. The company website says it costs more that a Ferrari and less than a private jet. In some other research I figure the price for the equipment is around $75K plus shipping and installation. So, yeah I guess we won’t be getting a Flow Rider anytime soon. Bummer.

__________________

 

 

ROTFLOL!! I want one of those too, but sadly, I have to settle for a once a year jaunt on one.:D Your pictures are awesome. You guys make such a cute couple!

 

Tara

[Familygoboston]

I'm still having nightmares about Quest. Must, Not, Remember, Must, Not, Remember...

 

My lips are sealed ;)

 

Pictures...yeah!! You guys look sooo happy...wonder if Amy liked cruising????:confused::p Hint, hint, would anyone who wasn't planning to cruise again buy a "bling, bling" sea pass holder...just sayin!

 

And oh by the way...how come we saw Amy and Mom in the fitness center when were there, but missed you, hmmm???

Edited April 27, 2013 by Familygoboston

[funfamilyof6]

Remember, I had NO IDEA what I was doing when I started booking this cruise. And I didn't know if anyone would go with us or not. So yes If I could do it all over again I would either deal directly with RCCL and miss out on the $75 OBC but avoid a bunch of hassles or get one TA with enough room in a group booking for all of us.

 

Rookie mistake, but at that point I was totally on my own other than advice from the TA. And let me say I liked our TA and she was very helpful in the beginning to me, but we did have some issues with the dinning part of the bookings.

 

Understood....RCCL certainly does make it more "advantageous" to book directly with them to avoid these particular issues which newbie customers booking wouldn't be aware of. :(

[rsharp83]

My lips are sealed ;)

 

Pictures...yeah!! You guys look sooo happy...wonder if Amy liked cruising????:confused::p Hint, hint, would anyone who wasn't planning to cruise again buy a "bling, bling" sea pass holder...just sayin!

 

And oh by the way...how come we saw Amy and Mom in the fitness center when were there, but missed you, hmmm???

 

For your information miss world traveler the Bling Bling lanyard was purchased by her mother as a gift to all the ladies in our party before we ever set food on the ship. And said bling bling lanyard will work very well for Vegas. :p

 

I did walk on the track one day and hit the elliptical in the fitness center one day. I'm on vacation and I have a bum knee! I did walk and stand for 3 straight hours later in the trip, but that's a story for later. If I didn't have a bum knee I would have been playing hoops!

Edited April 27, 2013 by rsharp83

[AF-1]

I love when a plan comes together. You are blessed to have a wonderful spouse and you seem to have a gift at telling stories; like everyone else we can't wait to hear more about your cruise. Allure is a great ship and lots of fun; but you know that now.

[rsharp83]

Dinner, Family Style Italian

I don’t know what that was but bring us more of it please!

 

Our first dining experience was Giovanni’s Table. (Sorry in advance for the lack of food porn - I was way to busy eating to take pics) We were seated promptly and then the indecision began. Everything on the menu looked good and we were a hungry crew by that point. As we debated about what to order our server finally said, “Don’t worry about what to order, I will take care of you.” And take care of us he did! In short order our table began filling up with appetizers. Then the food kept coming in waves. We were all trying bits of everything. It was a feast! Everything we had was very good. My FIL couldn’t stop eating eggplant parmesan, and it was an appetizer! I wish I could remember it all but literally I think we had just about every dish on the menu. We finished up with Tiramisu for me and Cannoli for the DW. They were very good. I can’t tell you what everyone else had for dessert because I was too busy devouring my Tiramisu and stealing bits of Amy’s Cannoli!

 

Giovanni’s was a terrific experience all around. First cruise, first dinner, it all was just wonderful. I highly recommend dinning here; especially with a group. Now, is it the best Italian food you will ever eat? Probably not, there are some great Italian restaurants out there after all. But on a ship at sea, I think it was just great.

 

Somewhere in this whole evening we did manage to go to the free liquor sampling on the Promenade. They give out (very small) samples of some of the interesting liquor that is for sale in the shop. I have to say that I had not heard of many of these drinks but that is not surprising since I am not a big drinker. But I must say that some of this stuff was very good! So it’s worth stopping by and taking a sip or two; hey it’s free!

[Familygoboston]

For your information miss world traveler the Bling Bling lanyard was purchased by her mother as a gift to all the ladies in our party before we ever set food on the ship. And said bling bling lanyard will work very well for Vegas. :p

 

I did walk on the track one day and hit the elliptical in the fitness center one day. I'm on vacation and I have a bum knee! I did walk and stand for 3 straight hours later in the trip, but that's a story for later. If I didn't have a bum knee I would have been playing hoops!

 

LOL!! Well, they looked great on them! I hope everyone knows, I'm just kidding you about the workouts! ;) The basket ball court was hopping! But Jeff had to pass too, with back issues, you guys would have made an awesome back court!!

[lemonade-sails]

Love it Love it!! So glad you're adding pictures. You guys look great and I think I can tell by your wife's smile that she's glad she said 'yes' after so long!

 

Can't wait for the rest :)

[tarajean1962]

Okay, so I just took my dog for a walk and was hoping you had posted again!! I love your writing style!

 

Now, I'm going for a jog. (Hint,Hint!;))

 

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

Hey there’s a car in the middle of this ship

Let’s take a picture with it (Which we will never get to see)

 

On the way to Giovanni’s DW and I had a few minutes to kill on the Promenade and there was the car just sitting there all alone and a RCCL photographer begging to take our picture. We were dressed up and I wanted some pics with the car so we posed. The photographer surprised me when I handed him my seapass card and he just gave it back to me. He didn’t scan it so the pictures he was about to take could be identified and put in our folder/account. He did ask if we had taken an embarkation pic and we had and our seapass had been scanned at that time. He informed us that there was no need to scan the seapass again because they had special photo recognition software that would magically find our pictures and put them in our folder for us to purchase. OK, I thought I guess we will see if it really works or not. The answer, at least in our case and the case of all 8 of us in the group, is NOT. Emphatic and overwhelming NOT. As in complete failure on every level NOT.

 

Now in Disney they take your picture all over the place in multiple parks, hotels, water parks, restaurants and anywhere else the Mouse can find to snap a photo. An area that is spread over miles and miles of real estate and yet every single photo I’ve ever had snapped at the most magical place on earth shows up in our account, every time. (We’ve been there 4 times).

 

When we go snow skiing at Vail Resorts (Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, etc.) they take it to another level completely with EPIC MIX. Your lift ticket has an RF chip embedded in it and every time you go up a ski lift you get registered and you earn points and pins for your runs down the mountains. It all gets posted to Vail’s own social media site. Every picture you take on the mountain is scanned by waving the scanner in general direction of your lift ticket; you don’t even have to take it out of your pocket or anything. Oh, and this technology works on multiple mountains that are miles apart in separate resorts, even in resorts in other states. Every picture, every ski lift, every vertical foot skied is logged and loaded.

 

So imagine my amazement when I went to the photo kiosk to look at our pictures by the car. There were no pictures by the car. Now there were a lot of pictures, pictures of some other family that looked absolutely NOTHING like us. My wife is a petite blonde and the women in these pictures had jet black hair and were not even remotely the same body type as she is (I’m being kind here). After getting help from the staff person we finally found an embarkation pic we took with our group of 6 that boarded together. We didn’t take one of just the 2 of us which may have been a big mistake in retrospect. Maybe the “magical recognition software” would have performed better if it had just been me and DW alone. But no one in our group looks anything like the pictures that were in our file.

 

As the week progressed the mystery family kept showing back up on the computer and in the actual photo print binders. I would delete them and then they would return. I can only imagine who these other people were and what they were going through if they were looking for their photos. My cousin took some pics with his mom at the Prohibition Party and they showed up in my folder! We were not even at the Prohibition Party. We never got the car pics. Finally the staff found some contact sheet that contained our car pics but we never saw them in our folder or on the computer. The last day the photo place was a zoo and it just wasn’t worth the hassle to see if they ever got the pictures printed at all. We would probably have purchased a couple at least.

 

Pretty much the customer service we encountered on board was excellent in every area except the photo department. The photo experience was horrible. And it is so easy to fix – scan the seapass!! Or RF tag the seapass. Do something to make this process work. I encountered several others who were also looking for their lost photos. How often does this happen? How many photos are lost in the digital cesspool of unidentified pictures every cruise? A complete mess that is easily fixable. Really this was my only major gripe with anything on the cruise.

[rsharp83]

A quiet end to a busy day

No one knows about this place on day one!

 

After a long and filling dinner a few of us wound up in the Viking Crown Lounge. Almost no one was there on evening number 1. We sat in comfortable chairs overlooking the empty pool deck. I’m not a big drinker by any stretch but I had to have a B52 to cap off day one. Viking Crown is a great way to get away from the much more up-tempo feeling of the Promenade bars and venues. Our first day was in the books. And no one in the group was freaking out yet because they couldn’t see land or were heaving uncontrollably due to sea sickness. In fact the whole day had gone about as well as I could have hoped for considering we were almost all rookies at this whole cruise trip thing.

[tarajean1962]

That stinks about your photos!! When we were on the Allure last year, we had no problem at all getting our pictures.

 

What is a B52? Sorry, I'm a Cosmo kind of girl.:D

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

That stinks about your photos!! When we were on the Allure last year, we had no problem at all getting our pictures.

 

What is a B52? Sorry, I'm a Cosmo kind of girl.:D

 

Tara

 

I usually drink Kahula and cream. The B52 is similar and it was listed in the VC Lounge menu so I gave it a try. B52: Kahlua, then Bailey’s Irish Cream, and then Grand Marnier on top in layers. Mine was on ice and I don't recall it being layered. It was good though.