The Arizona Cruisers Invade the Allure of the Seas, April 28, 2013 ~ A Pictorial Revi

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We had a delightful dinner at Chops. We both had the petite filet. Steve claims it was the best steak he had ever eaten. Since he likes his steaks med well they served his steak butterflied. He loved the way it turned out. Personally, I stopped paying attention at “medium well”. I like mine practically mooing.

 

Since we had a large table the waiter brought out all of the side dishes family style. I enjoyed that as we had a nice selection from which to choose.

 

I must add here that many of our group felt that the normally attentive service in Chops had declined since previous visits. Our waiter was good, but he had no assistance and we had a large table in addition to his other tables. Personally, I felt the distinct improvement over the service to which I have lately become accustomed at IHOP, so I was good.

 

By the time we left it was dark & I loved hearing the cricket sounds in the park. Crickets at Sea....what a concept!

 

We had reservations for the 10:30 production of Chicago and we wanted great seats. This time the reservation system had a bit of a glitch. It seems their scanning system on the Sea Pass cards was not working correctly and they had to look us up for our reservations manually. Since we were there very early (45 minutes) we were one of the first ones in the theater, but I would have hated to be one who arrived much later and had to wait in that slow line to enter. Have I mentioned that I hate lines?

 

I was really looking forward to Chicago. I have seen the stage production and have the DVD. I tell you now that Allure’s cast did not disappoint. No photography was allowed at all during the show, so I was just able to get a few pre-show shots of the theater before the show started.

 

 

 

Apparently our mid-day nap wasn't enough to keep us going until the wee hours so we went back to our cabin shortly after the show at midnight looking forward to a full day at sea the next day. Once again we fell asleep to the comfort provided by higher than normal winds, moderate seas and a comfy bed.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny we enjoyed our Aruba snorkeling but the best snorkeling we have enjoyed was in Tahiti and her islands. I would love to go back, but time and money will let us know if it is possible.

 

Norine

That time and money thing keeps getting in the way. I would love to do to Tahiti someday.

 

I am really enjoying your review, and love your photos! What camera are you using?

 

Thank you so much. Most of the pictures were taken with my trusty Sony Cybershot DSC-H5. It is an older model & I love it. Some day I will have to look for a newer variety, I'm afraid.:(

 

The pictures underwater and on the snorkel excursion were taken with my husband's Canon Powershot D10. It's a great little camera for snorkeling and also for land shots where a big zoom and other fancy settings are not needed.

[Arizona Laura]

Per Ginny’s invitation just a brief personal review about our Nassau tour. We negotiated a tour price with Jermaine for about a 2 hr time frame. There were 9 of us. I had seen a post about him on CC and did some research (Trip Advisor) and decided to contact him. I booked the tour after discussing it with my fellow Az Cruisers that were not going to go on the snorkeling excursion. No down payment was required. When you disembark the ship there are many taxi and tour drivers that are assertive in trying to get your business as in most ports. Jermaine seemed very concerned this would happen in his e-mails. I reassured him that we would be there to meet him Monday morning at the "festival place" where the cruise passengers exit to enter the city of Nassau when we disembarked. He was prompt meeting us and had our name on a sign so it was easy to find him in the crowd.

Jermaine

Queen’s Staircase..

Fort Fincastle

I was impressed at Jermaine's knowledge about Nassau and its history. We saw all the governmental buildings and historical attractions there were to see except we declined to tour the interior of Fort Fincastle. We wanted to make sure we had time for Senor Frogs (they open at 11am) but we actually did not land up there before returning to the Allure. We did stop for about 20-30 minutes at Atlantis before our tour was complete. We were dropped off back at the “festival place”.

 

If you want to do a tour in Nassau I thought Jermaine was an excellent tour guide. If anyone would like his contact e-mail just let me know.

Since I have been in Nassau once now and have seen the attractions I probably would stay on the ship next time if Nassau was on the itinerary.

I agree with Ginny about taking a shuttle back to the ship especially if you have any disabilities..it is a long way along the pier.

Keep up the good work Ginny!!!

Thanks..

Laura

[joand452]

Oh, I do make him wear "big boy pants" every evening, though. If it were up to him it would just be khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt at all times!

 

That's so funny. My DH had a job for a while where he wore jeans everyday, so I call his Dockers "big boy pants," too!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Per Ginny’s invitation just a brief personal review about our Nassau tour. Laura

Thank you for the review, Laura. I knew you all enjoyed the tour but I never did hear the details, so this was good for me, too.:)

 

That's so funny. My DH had a job for a while where he wore jeans everyday, so I call his Dockers "big boy pants," too!

 

LOL! Yes, Peter Pan does have to get dressed up sometimes, too.:D

 

I have to work 12.5 hours today, so I won't get anythng done on the review until later tomorrow. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

[swim13]

I'm really enjoying your review, its nice to see a fresh review of the Allure with just a little over a month till I step foot on her for the first time! :)

[MbaLady]

Just joined so I could subscribe! Thanks for the review!

[PCWalton1]

Ok, spill the beans. You still have not passed on the most important information. How did you survive the week BEFORE the cruise. :p :D

It is dragging by but thanks to your review I may just make it to the weekend. :)

Bill

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk 2

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I'm really enjoying your review, its nice to see a fresh review of the Allure with just a little over a month till I step foot on her for the first time! :)

You will LOVE the Allure! I wish I were along with you.

 

Just joined so I could subscribe! Thanks for the review!

Thank you! I hope I can keep you interested.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ok, spill the beans. You still have not passed on the most important information. How did you survive the week BEFORE the cruise. :p :D

It is dragging by but thanks to your review I may just make it to the weekend. :)

Bill

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk 2

THAT was the hard part! Go get a mani and pedi. That helped me.;)

 

Unfortunately, I just started my long stretch at work (6 shifts, 12.5 hours long out of 10). I will try to get a bit more in before you leave. Then you can write your own!

[Az's Cruising Nana]

Unfortunately I talked Ginny into the snorkeling in Nassau and have to admit I too was very disappointed. It was very choppy and difficult to navigate. I think next time I will do a little more research regarding the area. The last time we did a snorkling excursion there it was close to some ruins or a wreck. It was also in a protected area. Ginny I think you should just finish up your review and skip work......:eek: I am reliving our cruise thru your stories and pictures.

 

Sue

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Unfortunately I talked Ginny into the snorkeling in Nassau and have to admit I too was very disappointed. It was very choppy and difficult to navigate. I think next time I will do a little more research regarding the area. The last time we did a snorkling excursion there it was close to some ruins or a wreck. It was also in a protected area. Ginny I think you should just finish up your review and skip work......:eek: I am reliving our cruise thru your stories and pictures.

 

Sue

 

It was still a pleasant day and I don't regret doing it. Next time we go to Nassau we may just go shopping and do lunch!

 

Skip work to write the review? Interesting concept.....However I did book a B2B cruise for next year and somehow the successful completion of that review is directly related to my working this year! Unless that lottery win happens.;)

 

I first type my review in Word, then paste it onto here. I have to take my Mom to the doc tomorrow out of town, then lunch and shopping I'm afraid. I will try to get all or part of our first full day at sea posted before evenings end, though.

[Poorplaya]

We too are Arizona Cruisers my wife and I, we wished we could have sailed with this fine group of people, hopefully the next time we will be able to join. I still cannot believe that Lisa got hit by that guy, I am glad you're doing better Lisa but sorry to hear you are still dealing with everything. That trip insurance will sure pay off, but i am glad everyone had a good time and I cannot wait to read the rest of this review!!!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Something strange woke us up on Tuesday morning – silence. No alarm clock, no dogs begging to go out and no sounds from the neighborhood waking up. We just woke up on our own, slowly and peacefully. Outside the balcony door the sea was sliding by. It was a bit choppy, but the Allure was handling it in style.

 

We did have big plans that morning, though. We had our Meet & Mingle at 10:30 and after a year of chatting on Cruise Critic we were not about to miss this chance to meet with our new friends. We dressed and headed out to breakfast. Before leaving our room we checked the TV for the screen with Dining Availability was shown. We really liked this feature. The Windjammer was showing red as per usual, meaning it was jammed and the Park Cafe was yellow meaning it could become jammed at any time. But wait a sec’! The Wipe Out Cafe was green. Wasn’t that where we had lunch the day before? It was a pleasant enough place, so we headed aft and up to check out the breakfast offerings.

 

 

 

Once there we found a small but nice buffet with basic breakfast offerings. There were eggs and breakfast meats, waffles, cereal, fruit, yogurt and made to order omelets and fried eggs. Steve got through the buffet first and headed out to the seating area outside of the Cafe, towards the aft of the ship. I found Steve sitting just outside the main seating area gazing out at what would become one of our Favorite Places. We had a perfect view of the Boardwalk, including the Zipline, the Aqua Theater and a beautiful wake view.

 

 

This remained our little secret as we never had to compete for our Favorite Seat in this Favorite Place.

 

[

 

While we were there a Scuba Class was taking a lesson in the Aqua Theater Pool. Since I remembered that Our Mighty Roll Call Leader Bill was taking a Scuba Review Class. I zoomed up the old camera and took a picture.

 

 

Later, we were treated to a practice session for one of the Aqua theater shows.

 

 

Before I go any further I think this is a good time to describe my typical At-Sea Cruising style. I will plan shore days down to the second but on the ship, with the exception of shows and group activities with our Roll Call or the Arizona Cruisers, I prefer to keep things loose. The way we spent this morning is a perfect morning for me. I love to explore the ship and find new treasures like the Wipe Out Cafe for breakfast. I love to people watch. While I do not tend to seek out Belly Flop Contests, Trivia Games, Art Auctions or any other planned activity I will stop and watch or even participate if the mood moves me at the time. You will rarely find me in Bingo Games or the Casino, but you may easily find me in the Solarium with a good book. I seldom visit the Fitness Center, although I should. I take pictures of people zip-lining, rock-wall climbing and Flow-riding & cheer on any friends or family who are brave enough to try these pursuits. I swim in the ocean, but not in a crowded pool. However, a nice hot tub will appeal to me at times and my hubby all the time. I love to explore the shops, although I buy very little and look for things that will tell a story with my camera. If I want to dance, I'll dance. And if I want to just watch the sea I will just watch the sea. That is what I love about cruising!

 

After breakfast we had to hustle as our Meet & Mingle was about to start!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We too are Arizona Cruisers my wife and I, we wished we could have sailed with this fine group of people, hopefully the next time we will be able to join. I still cannot believe that Lisa got hit by that guy, I am glad you're doing better Lisa but sorry to hear you are still dealing with everything. That trip insurance will sure pay off, but i am glad everyone had a good time and I cannot wait to read the rest of this review!!!

I hope so, too! I'll hold you to that.;)

 

There are many more wonderful Arizona Cruisers who stayed at home. If we could ever get everyone together on one cruise it would surely be a TRUE invasion!:cool: Watch out, everyone!

[BillOh]

Ok, spill the beans. You still have not passed on the most important information. How did you survive the week BEFORE the cruise. :p :D

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

I can comment on that. The roll call was a big part of this cruise before and during the cruise (without being over the top IMO) We were here in this forum constantly that week! Some of us started their experience a week and even a month ahead of time, so we had something to share right up to the point we boarded.

[BillOh]

The Wipe Out Cafe was green. Wasn’t that where we had lunch the day before? It was a pleasant enough place, so we headed aft and up to check out the breakfast offerings.

 

The theme of this cruise for me, my 2nd time on Allure was to do things we didn't do the first time. I honestly don't remember if they even served breakfast in the Wipeout back in 2011, but now I have a reason to go back and check that off. I don't think I even realized it was going on until one of you mentioned it on Friday.

[kimala]

Thanks soooo much for the little review of the Wipeout Bfast. I've been wondering about what the offering were there since I first noticed it on a cruise compas that someone posted. I am excited they are doing this because I was on Oasis in Oct 2011 and the one thing I missed was an aft facing breakfast venue like they have on the smaller ships. At that time I had said to my hubby that it would be great if they offered breakfast at the wipeout. We are sailing Allure this October and will be trying it out!!! One question do you remember if they had bagels and cream cheese out there at the cafe ...I love that with my omlets on vacation....

 

Thanks again!

[seeshore]

Ginny, we also loved the Wipeout Cafe and had our lunch there on boarding day. We were sitting at Steve's favorite table when we realized that people had appeared on their balconies (before 1 pm) so we headed off to our room which by the way was very visible from the cafe. We were 1 deck down, 2nd from the inside in 14297.

[BillOh]

Ginny, we also loved the Wipeout Cafe and had our lunch there on boarding day. We were sitting at Steve's favorite table when we realized that people had appeared on their balconies (before 1 pm) so we headed off to our room which by the way was very visible from the cafe. We were 1 deck down, 2nd from the inside in 14297.

 

I think that was a change from 2011, but I could be wrong. I don't remember Wipeout being open on embarkation day. I don't think it opens on port days till later in the afternoon, but perhaps thats old news too?

[Clarea]

I think that was a change from 2011, but I could be wrong. I don't remember Wipeout being open on embarkation day. I don't think it opens on port days till later in the afternoon, but perhaps thats old news too?

I think you are correct Bill. We were on Allure in Sept 2011, and I remember thinking that Wipeout was not open as much as we would have liked. Certainly not open for breakfast.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I can comment on that. The roll call was a big part of this cruise before and during the cruise (without being over the top IMO) We were here in this forum constantly that week! Some of us started their experience a week and even a month ahead of time, so we had something to share right up to the point we boarded.

You are so right. This was one of the best Roll Calls ever, and that was a huge part of our wonderful experience.

 

The theme of this cruise for me, my 2nd time on Allure was to do things we didn't do the first time. I honestly don't remember if they even served breakfast in the Wipeout back in 2011, but now I have a reason to go back and check that off. I don't think I even realized it was going on until one of you mentioned it on Friday.

We also have to go back as there were many areas of this ship we never saw either. It is so easy to miss huge areas without even realizing it.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thanks soooo much for the little review of the Wipeout Bfast. I've been wondering about what the offering were there since I first noticed it on a cruise compas that someone posted. I am excited they are doing this because I was on Oasis in Oct 2011 and the one thing I missed was an aft facing breakfast venue like they have on the smaller ships. At that time I had said to my hubby that it would be great if they offered breakfast at the wipeout. We are sailing Allure this October and will be trying it out!!! One question do you remember if they had bagels and cream cheese out there at the cafe ...I love that with my omlets on vacation....

 

Thanks again!

I honestly don't remember if they had bagels and cream cheese as I am not much of a bagel person. I would not be surprised if they did, though. Again, it was a basic breakfast but they seemed to have all of the basics.

 

Steve just told me that the Wipeout Cafe did not have cold cereal as I thought. He usually has that in the morning, but he had oatmeal at the Wipeout.

 

Ginny, we also loved the Wipeout Cafe and had our lunch there on boarding day. We were sitting at Steve's favorite table when we realized that people had appeared on their balconies (before 1 pm) so we headed off to our room which by the way was very visible from the cafe. We were 1 deck down, 2nd from the inside in 14297.

Oh no! Next time we go on the Allure we had better put out a "Reserved" sign on our table!:D;) Lucky you to get into your cabin early. The Deck 8 cabins near Central Park did not open until 1 PM - on the dot.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I think that was a change from 2011, but I could be wrong. I don't remember Wipeout being open on embarkation day. I don't think it opens on port days till later in the afternoon, but perhaps thats old news too?

Well, we did have lunch there in Nassau. We were sitting there eating during sail away. I'm not sure when it opened, but it was in full swing when we arrived. WE went straight there after returning to the ship. We didn't even stop at our cabin.

 

I think you are correct Bill. We were on Allure in Sept 2011, and I remember thinking that Wipeout was not open as much as we would have liked. Certainly not open for breakfast.

Except for very few occasions we used the tv or the monitors near the elevators to determine where we would eat at any time. I seldom looked at hours in the Compass, so we just went to where we saw a green light!

[BillOh]

You are so right. This was one of the best Roll Calls ever, and that was a huge part of our wonderful experience.

 

 

We also have to go back as there were many areas of this ship we never saw either. It is so easy to miss huge areas without even realizing it.

 

I wish they had an adults only time in the H20 zone :o

 

Parent's I'm just kidding! It looks like fun, but I don't have a kid to take in there.