Allure 6-23-13 Eastern Review

[the_journeyman]

Wife and I sailed on the 6-23-13 departure of the Allure of the Seas from FLL. This is our review. This is my 5th RCI cruise, her 3rd

 

First, here's some general tips we came up with from our experience & talking with others guests:

 

- Chicago is certainly PG-13 to R rated. Not for the kids, teenagers maybe ok depending on their maturity level

 

- Don't miss the Crown & Anchor reception in the Aqua Theater. It's excellent!

 

- Avoid booking staterooms in the rearward sections of deck 3 and possibly deck 4. When you get off the aft elevators on deck 3 the engine room noise is quite noticeable.

 

- Park Cafe roast beef sandwich is so good, my wife who doesn't even like roast beef LOVED it

 

- Traveling to St John gets expensive since you have cab (Jumbie) then ferry, then more cab (jumbie) fare and have to do it all again to get back. I recommend trying to get the Charlotte-Amalie ferry rather than cabbing to Red Hook and using that ferry. It would be a good bit cheaper and they appeared to run on similar/regular schedules

 

- If going to Maho Beach to watch the planes in St. Maarten, double check LOCAL time. We missed the 767 because they were an hour later than ship time. Grab a seat near the rail overlooking the beach.

 

- If booking Rita’s, pay attention to the Aqua Theater schedule, the music is so loud conversation is difficult once the show starts.

 

- Flow Rider is awesome, looks easy, but takes some practice. I was a first timer and had a ton of fun, despite two incredible wipe outs. Don't wait to the last day, I hit really hard the second time and still wasn't sore.

 

- Zip line is short but fun. A bit of a novelty, but if the line is short go for it!

 

- Find a bar/lounge that fits your personal vibe/tastes. Get to know your bar staff and they'll be very good to you.

 

- Talk to your cruise mates, at supper, at the bars, in the pool or hot tub etc.

 

- Exiting Ocean Aria: slip up the stairs to the climbing wall and you can scoot right down the deck 7 aft stateroom hallway and avoid the huge crowd on the Boardwalk.

 

JM

[the_journeyman]

Getting there & Day 1

 

We flew into Ft Lauderdale the day before. Our hotel was the Hyatt Convention Center right there near the port. It is an older hotel, however, it has been nicely renovated and was clean. The included breakfast was excellent too. They have a free airport shuttle that runs on the hour. We had to wait longer than that because it was full the first time through, BUT they did make the exception and make an immediate run to pick us and some others up instead of making us wait another hour.

 

Basic Room:

 

We were on the 6th floor, and got our first look at the Allure from the north end of the hallway:

 

 

 

Getting to the port & Embarkation:

 

We took the hotel’s shuttle ($7 per person) over to Port Everglades. It *might* have taken us 10 minutes to get from the hotel to the drop off area. For this particular hotel, you can sign up for the shuttle when you check in. I would recommend doing this to guarantee you a spot so you won’t have to wait for a shuttle with space for you.

 

Allure from the shuttle:

 

Embarkation was super easy. We got to the terminal around 10:30. Went right through security & check-in without waiting in any lines. We then waited in the terminal around an hour before boarding started. There are restrooms & vending machines, but I did see the vending machines charge $2 for a 20oz drink.

 

View from the gangway:

 

As expected, rooms weren’t ready, so we grabbed a dog from the hot dog stand on the Boardwalk and it was excellent. They close the stateroom fire doors to keep people out of the stateroom areas until 1:00. Just find you a place to hangout until then.

 

Watching the carousel while enjoying our dogs:

[the_journeyman]

Day 1 - Exploring the boat

 

Central Park: Very nice area, all the live plants are nice, the art is nice as well. Once underway, we often found Central Park either very hot or very windy. Chops, Vintages, 150 Central Park and the Park Café are located here.

 

Map:

 

Chops:

 

Looking aft from near the center

 

Looking forward from Rising Tide:

 

Looking aft from front of park area

 

In front of Park Café

[the_journeyman]

Wall of Asparagus Ferns:

 

Central Park from the pool deck:

 

Sculpture:

 

1:00 rolls around, and here is our stateroom. It is a D8, Superior Ocean View Stateroom. 8326, bed by balcony.

[the_journeyman]

Day 1 - More exploration:

 

Promenade from forward end:

 

Stopped in the Schooner Bar (usually our preferred bar, this time was no different)

 

Good view of the 540K replica from Schooner:

 

The Allure dwarfs the Carnival Legend.

 

Solarium hot tub:

 

Cantilevered hot tub

[the_journeyman]

Carnival heads to sea:

 

Rising Tide in action:

 

Supper - MDR

I had Fish Rillettes for appetizer, horseradish encrusted salmon & carrot cake for dessert. Wife had shrimp cocktail, pork chop, and chocolate almond cake for dessert. Everything was excellent!

 

After supper, went back to Schooner, found “G” there doing bar service. He is great, friendly and very attentive. Look him up if you get to the Schooner.

 

Also saw Chicago, I’ll review the shows at the end.

 

Day 2 - Nassau

 

Breakfast - MDR from the menu, it was excellent, we both order the “Classic.”

 

Watched Carnival port in & tie up:

 

Headed off the Junkanoo Beach. This is an easy walking distance beach. There are shacks for food & drink, rental chairs, restrooms etc. We were there early and didn’t get bothered by the roving vendors. Keep an eye out for glass, we saw a few small fragments.

 

The water is nice:

 

You can also look back and see the ships docked:

[the_journeyman]

Some of the vendor huts:

 

Stopped at Sharkeez for a beer & conch fritters. Food was fine, but service was slow. There’s no real reason to stop here with all the other local places like the Iguana around.

 

Back to the Boat:

 

Chilled out in the cantilevered hot tub:

 

Lunch - Solarium Bistro. Definitely lighter fare, buffet style. Everything was prepared well, but certainly lacked some seasoning. Overall impression was we’ll eat at other venues for lunch.

 

Checked out sports deck, I am looking forward to hitting the Flowrider and the zip line. Headed to deck 14 bow (access from Port side forward stateroom hall) for sail away & to scope out the beaches with the binoculars.

 

Funny warning sign:

 

Supper - MDR

 

We both had escargot for appetizers! It’s back and delicious! I had Corvina (basic white fish it looked like) that was excellent, with Strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Wife had beef tenderloin filet with two different deserts - A chocolate dish and strawberry cheesecake. All was excellent!

 

Changed out of formal wear and checked out Dazzles. Beautiful space, but not our vibe. It did seem a bit empty too.

 

Went on to see Ocean Aria. Amazing show! Again, I’ll review the shows at the end.

- Tip for exiting: Slip up the stairs to the climbing wall and you can scoot right down the stateroom hallway and avoid the huge crowd on the Boardwalk.

[the_journeyman]

Day 3 - At Sea

 

Began the day with a Caribbean sunrise:

 

Breakfast - Room service on our balcony (sunglasses required!) Wonderful too! We put our card out the night before for a 7:30-8:00 delivery. Our stateroom phone rang about 7:20 to let us know it was on the way.

 

9:30 - Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle in Dazzles. Met some nice people from all over, but only about 25 of the 70+ that signed up showed up. Won a sling-bag & toiletries bag from the raffle! Thanks RCI! Some of the other raffle items were a book about the artwork on the ship, a RCI baseball cap.

 

Crown & Anchor Reception - Don’t’ miss this, it is really good!

 

Diving demonstration:

 

Fountain demonstration:

 

Got to walk on the Aqua Theater stage:

 

Of course they kept us from being thirsty:

Looked over more of the ship.

 

Distances for walking/jogging the Deck 5 Promenade track:

[the_journeyman]

Lifeboat interior (hope this is the only way anybody ever sees it too!)

 

Wake from Deck 6

 

Cruising the blue water from our balcony

 

Day 4 - St Thomas/St John

 

Breakfast - MDR, buffet. Excellent, and plenty of choices of fruit, breads/pastries, and hot items. Waffles just ok.

 

Sailing in:

 

St Thomas airport:

 

On the ground!

[the_journeyman]

Took Jumbie cab to Red Hook, took ferry to Cruz Bay on St John, took Jumbie cab to Cinnamon Bay. It POURED the rain once we hit St John, but we were undeterred. Off to Cinnamon Bay and into the water! Side note - Can’t say I’ve ever heard “How Great Thou Art” in a Rasta Reggae style before.

 

 

 

Rain finally stopped, very nice beach!

 

 

Ray!

[the_journeyman]

Back to the boat & Bye Bye St Thomas:

 

 

 

Supper - Chops! It was awesome and entirely too much amazing food. I had the 18oz Porterhouse, wife had the 10oz Fillet. Both were great. We shared sides (beans, potatoes, sautéed mushrooms) and all was excellent. The mushrooms went great with the steaks. I liked the beans, wife didn’t. Too full to eat dessert, so we took it back and had it for breakfast the next day.

 

Cantilevered hot tubs are cool at night!

[the_journeyman]

Day 4 - St Maarten

 

Breakfast - Desserts from Chops the night before. I had red velvet cake & wife had Mississippi mud pie. Both were excellent!

 

Off the boat to the pier. Transportation was very easy. Option 1 is the water taxi to Phillipsburg/Grand Bay, Option 2 is the taxi stand just outside the duty free at the terminal. Rates are clearly posted for most major areas.

 

We wanted to visit Mullet Bay & Maho beach. We were put in with another couple and dropped right at the Sunset Bar & Grill. We walked to Mullet Bay from there. It’s about a 20 minute walk through the resort & the remains of the Marriott resort & golf course. Watch for trash along the path.

 

Mullet Bay: Pretty, but not much else. The sand drops off to the water and slopes away fairly steep into the water. It used to be the Marriott resort. The golf course is still in use.

 

Looking back toward the ruins of the Marriott resort destroyed by hurricane in 1995.

 

The Boat Bar on the opposite end of Maho from Sunset

 

Sunset Bar & Grill looking across Maho Beach

 

Lunch - Sunset Bar & Grill. We both had the Mahi Mahi burger. It was terrific!

 

Of course, this is why people come to Maho.

 

Arrivals on the surfboard. Double check local time to be sure you don’t miss the Air France 767 like we did.

[the_journeyman]

The beach is pretty but rocky

 

Stopped a Pirates & Paradise for a re-shoot of a picture we took four years ago on our honeymoon.

 

Back to the boat! From the end of the Grand Bay boardwalk, it’s a $2 per person cab ride back to the terminal.

 

Supper - MDR. I had Cilantro encrusted cod filet, wife had Chicken cordon blue. Both were excellent

 

Headed down to the ice show in Studio B. Got there early for good seats, filled up fast. Review all shows at the end.

[the_journeyman]

Day 6 At Sea

 

Breakfast - MDR buffet. Same offerings as before, all was excellent aside from just ok waffles.

 

Active day today! We hit the sports deck first!

 

Climbing wall

 

Zip Line! Short but fun, I wouldn’t wait in a long line for it. If you see a short line, jump in and give it a try!

 

Flowrider! First time ever, looks easier than it is. It does take some getting used to. I had two good wipeouts, but would do it again.

Wipeout #1

 

Wipeout #2 - pretty hard hit, but it didn’t leave me sore the next day.

 

 

Played mini golf, no pictures, but just some good silly fun.

 

Lunch - MDR. I had the strip loin and it was excellent. Wife ordered the Barramundi but didn’t care for it. I tasted it, it was prepared properly but be aware the Barramundi has a stronger flavor than a lot of white fish normally do, even freshly caught they taste strong. Wife says sauce was spicy!

 

Wine on the balcony.

 

Spent the rest of the day in the Solarium. Expect the pool to be crowded during the day and the hot tubs to be crowded at night. Soaking in the pool with a Long Island or Texas Tea (Thanks Lito!)is a great way to relax!

 

Supper - MDR, lobster night! Fisherman’s platter is lobster tail and some shrimp. It was great!

 

After that, we went off to Blue Planet. Another great show, will review at the end.

[the_journeyman]

Last stop in the Schooner, our friendly favorite bar staff brought us a yummy nightcap

 

Day 7 - At Sea, last day too.

 

Breakfast - MDR, off the menu. I had fried eggs & French toast, wife had an omelet. Everything was great, but I make better French toast at home.

 

Went to the Boardwalk, wife wanted to ride the carousel, especially the frog! So she did!

 

Crown & Anchor horse:

 

Frog:

 

Spotted Captain Johnny on the Boardwalk with his buddy:

 

Lunch - The Dog House: Great dogs! Wife didn’t care for the veal one though.

[the_journeyman]

Caught the final “Move it Move it” parade:

 

Captain Johnny riding in on his motorcycle!

 

Puss’n’Boots coming in on the Rising Tide:

 

Down on the Promenade:

 

Closing out the parade (Yes, that’s Captain Johnny’s motorcycle on the rising tide, where he rode it to)

 

See ya Captain!

[the_journeyman]

Supper - MDR. I had Lamb, it was excellent! Can’t remember what my wife ordered though.

 

Dessert was good too, Key Lime Pie and an apple crisp pastry:

 

 

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Day 8 - Debarkation

 

When you see this out your balcony window, it means your cruise is over…

 

Debarkation was simple and easy. We did early walk off and from the time we left our stateroom until hitting the cab stand in front of the terminal was about 15 minutes.

 

Cab to the airport for the two of was a total of $17 (including the few extra dollars we tipped) and is a pretty quick ride. You can see the cabs lined up in the above picture ready to go.

 

Hope this was helpful! Post questions, I'll answer them if I can!

 

Show review coming!

 

JM

[Lloyd555]

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Headed off the Junkanoo Beach. This is an easy walking distance beach. There are shacks for food & drink, rental chairs, restrooms etc. We were there early and didn’t get bothered by the roving vendors. Keep an eye out for glass, we saw a few small fragments.

 

The water is nice:

 

You can also look back and see the ships docked:

 

Thanks for the photos of Junkanoo Beach. I'm thinking of heading there when on the Allure in February.

[the_journeyman]

The shows!

 

1. Chicago. Awesome, but not for the kids, adult themes etc. are quite present. The performers were amazing, it's definitely worth the 90 minutes the show is. Reserve ahead of time, it was full when we were there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JM

[the_journeyman]

Ocean Aria - In a word? Awesome! The diving & acrobatics are amazing, and the brothers with the strength act are amazing too. Certainly don't miss this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JM

[the_journeyman]

Ice Show in Studio B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JM

[the_journeyman]

 

 

 

 

 

JM

[the_journeyman]

Blue Planet! Another awesome show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[the_journeyman]

 

 

 

 

 

JM

[AFsouth]

Great review of Allure, thanks!