Allure 15Sep2013 (Eastern) Trip Report - Photos, Kids, Excursions, & Compasses

[srvdmy4usn]

When were your formal nights?

We are planning specialty dining but don't want to miss formal in MDR.

Thanks!

 

Formal Nights are the 2nd night and the 5th night. The 5th night was by far the most "popular" as that is lobster night.

[Lloyd555]

 

 

 

Like this photo. I've taken a few like this of the group of fellow-travellers in front of me. You know they're all thinking "Let's get this trip started!"

[MelGurl]

another question.

I have read a lot of reviews saying Allure was hott/warm all the time. Is this true?

[liberiben]

Looking forward to the kids compasses, no one seems to have this itinerary up for those, so thanks so much!!

[novicetraveller]

another question.

I have read a lot of reviews saying Allure was hott/warm all the time. Is this true?

 

1 person on the cruise I wa on said the Allure was hot/warm in his / her review. I found it comfortable. Asking someone if the ship is hot/warm will always be subjective.

[srvdmy4usn]

Planning For Our Day In Florida - Because we were flying standby and left ourselves a 2 day travel cushion, we tentatively planned a day of being camera toting tourists. We knew that we would have several beach/pool days ahead of us on the cruise so we decided to try something different.

 

Both Mariah and I felt the kids would really enjoy a trip to the Everglades and some up close encounters with alligators. After some research I must admit I was somewhat deflated. Reviews of most of the parks were fair at best, labeled as boring, touristy, "kitchy", etc. The places that had better reviews were either very far away from Ft. Lauderdale, or very expensive. Mariah had been to Holiday Everglades Park about 13 years ago and remembered it as being a good experience. Although I have never watched their show, some of you may know of Holiday Everglades Park as the home of The Gator Boys (a popular show on Animal Planet Network). Based on Mariahs past experience, the location, and cost; we decided that Holiday Park was a perfect fit.

 

From all the research and reviews I have read here on CC, I also wanted to watch the Oasis pull away from "The Rocks". With a plan in place we needed to figure out transportation. I found a great deal on a car rental through Hertz using a discount through USAA (Military banking/insurance). Now back to that whole Brady Bunch thing, this time around it was cheaper to rent 2 cars than it was to rent a van. With the use of the airport shuttle offered by the hotel, we should be able to make this work pretty smoothly.

 

Rise and shine!It looks like, despite the weather report, this is going to be a beautiful day. The sky is scattered with patches of clouds, the sun is in full force, and with a change from 110 degrees in the desert, we may just roll the windows down. One of the benefits of coming in two days early is the opportunity to explore the city, and I was excited to do so. After getting 5 kids ready for their days surprise encounter with alligators we hit the free breakfast at the Hyatt. As mentioned in my little review of the Hyatt, this was truly like no other free hotel breakfast I have ever had.

 

After breakfast Mariah and I took the free shuttle back to the airport so we could pick up our rental cars for the day. I think the driver thought it was odd we were headed back to the ariport with no luggage, but he did not ask questions and dropped us off at the Southwest Terminal (right by the rental car facility). The process was beyond simple and efficient. The Hertz staff was excellent and I would definitely rent from them again if I am in the area. They even had one of the vehicles in the USAA reserved parking spot right in the front row. The hotel is only a few miles from the airport and then we were off to the Everglades!

 

 

I knew we would see some alligators, I knew the kids would be excited, but, because of the "touristy" expectations; I was planning on coasting in cruise control while sitting back for the ride, how wrong was I! This was an unforgettable experience. To be fair. yes, there are some touristy parts. The traditional kitchy gift shop with alligator tooth necklaces and shirts with the words “Bite Me” on them, and of course the notorious group photos, but it all worked so well together. (purchase tickets in advance on their website to save money, also check discount sites such as groupon and living social)

 

Our guide loaded us up in the airboat, along with about 15 other people, and started with some pretty basic rules for safety and tossed in some pretty standard, but funny comic relief. After the introductions were out of the way the whirl of the twin fan props spun up and we were off. Once the boat was clear of something I am assuming is similar to a “no wake zone” the captain started to play around, drifting from edge to edge sometime bringing the boat nearly sideways while still traveling in a forward direction. Along the way he would slow down, sometimes even stop to describe parts of the everglades (animals, plant life, geographical facts, etc.).

 

 

 

 

 

Within 10 minutes of the trip we were right on top of our first alligator, it was inches from the boat, and it was right then that every penny spent was validated. The kids were so excited to see the alligators in the wild, it became a game of Where's Waldo. Kids pointing "there is one over there", "Ohhh wow, look at that one". Of course, it only took a few moments until someone said "can you feed them to get them closer?" The guide proceed to mention that it is illegal to feed alligators. During this discussion he was opening a bag of popcorn and proceed to announce "but it is not illegal to feed the fish"! It got a laugh out of everyone, and although it made everyone feel as if they were getting a special treat, the alligators really wanted nothing to do with the popcorn, he truly was feeding the fish. However, the frenzy of fish definitely got the attention of the alligators so it made for some classic "oooooo's and ahhhhhh's".

 

Due to the 6 photos per post restriction, I will post more photos in a following post.

 

The tour lasted about 60 fantastic minutes. It was just the perfect amount of time to see a little bit of everything in the Everglades, but not to long where we were dealing with board kids that needed to go to the bathroom or thirsty. As the boat ride came to and end the captain reminded us of the alligator show that was included in our air boat ride and briefly mentioned that tips were appreciated. He had done such a fantastic job we tipped him something in the range of $20.00 if I remember correctly.

 

After unloading from the boat we picked up a few bottles of water and headed into the alligator show. This was an up close and personal show with a guy doing some silly stunts with an alligator. It made for some great photo opportunities and really impressed the kids, but in my opinion, it was a little bit lack luster. The showman's personality however was great! He was very funny, kept the crowd excited, and really entertained. Near the end of the show he explained there was a baby alligator that we could take photos with for a $5.00 donation. The donation is used for facility maintenance and some other things, apparently they use the alligator show as a rehabilitation center and prepare the alligators for release. We gladly supported the cause and snapped a few photos. For some reason, most of the women revert to the kissing pose, for some reason I found this to be comical.

 

We headed back to the hotel to clean up a little and relax for about an hour until it was time to head back out and watch the Oasis pull away from Ft. Lauderdale. I think at first the kids thought I was nuts. "You want to stand on the edge of some rocks and watch a boat float by, yeah ok dad". But once we got there and the ship started to pass by they thought it was really cool, and it made us that more excited for tomorrow on the Allure!

 

For those interested in getting to the rocks I have attached a screen shot of a map to the area. It is very simple to get there, but be advised you must bring change for the parking meters. Also, the entrance to the public beach that also has access to the rocks is somewhat hided in between some condo high rises. Be on the look out for a green fence marked on the map.

 

Up Next: Welcome To The Hurricane Allure

[srvdmy4usn]

 

 

 

 

 

[srvdmy4usn]

 

 

 

 

 

[srvdmy4usn]

 

 

 

[srvdmy4usn]

another question.

I have read a lot of reviews saying Allure was hott/warm all the time. Is this true?

 

This was actually a topic of conversation almost every day. There are several areas on the ship that are very warm. It makes sense if you think about it, most of the ship is outwardly exposed (Central Park, The Boardwalk, Pool & Sports Deck). This could also be contributed to a very hot week in the Caribbean.

 

The areas that were more "indoor" living / entertaining (Cabin only decks, Amber Theater, MDR, etc.) were much cooler and most of the women of the group often were cold.

 

The confusing one was the Royal Promenade, this area is indoors, but I think the close relation to the boardwalk adds some heat. This area was comfortable, not really hot or cold.

 

Obviously this is very subjective. My recommendation is to bring a very light jacket for the shows in the Amber Theater and dinners in the MDR if you are someone who gets chilled easily.

 

Looking forward to the kids compasses, no one seems to have this itinerary up for those, so thanks so much!!

 

I believe I have them all! I will scan them and post with each relative day and at the end I will have a download link where you can access all of them with one click.

[HotRod3]

This is a great review!!!

We are leaving next weekend and can not wait. We have been on Oasis twice and Allure once already but we are just as excited as if it was out first time.

I hope we have time to do the Everglades Holiday Park. That looks very neat.

Can't wait to read more!

[marshabear]

sorry to hear your son was sick that 1st night...at least he seemed to rebound quickly!!

 

anxiously awaiting your next post....

 

 

 

 

 

Marsha

[reney313]

I'm enjoying the review. Great pictures, such a beautiful family!

[srvdmy4usn]

I hope we have time to do the Everglades Holiday Park. That looks very neat.

Can't wait to read more!

 

I would highly recommend it, was worth the car rental and the ticket price!

 

sorry to hear your son was sick that 1st night...at least he seemed to rebound quickly!!

 

anxiously awaiting your next post....

 

Yeah, it was a bit of a scare at first, at least he picked the right day to have it happen!

 

I'm enjoying the review. Great pictures, such a beautiful family!

 

Thank You! :)

[Loganpaulsmom]

I am subscribing. I can't wait to hear the rest of your review. We have booked our first cruise on the Allure in April and absolutely can't wait to go..

Sidebar: how absolutely gorgeous are all of your children?

[srvdmy4usn]

I am subscribing. I can't wait to hear the rest of your review. We have booked our first cruise on the Allure in April and absolutely can't wait to go..

Sidebar: how absolutely gorgeous are all of your children?

 

You are starting out your cruise addiction with a bang! You will absolutely fall in love with this ship, but don't be surprised if you come back for seconds! And, thank you :D

[Loganpaulsmom]

You are starting out your cruise addiction with a bang! You will absolutely fall in love with this ship, but don't be surprised if you come back for seconds! And, thank you :D

 

Hah, yes I know.. But it's because I'm so nervous of getting sea sick nothing but the biggest boat would do.. Lol and since we are Disney people I have been a full blown planner for many years now.. So, I plan to do the same thing here.. cruise critic has been an awesome resource..

[IrishLassie]

Loving your review & your pics are great. Really liked the overhead shot of Lauderdale beach & the rocks, my DH & I grew up there so we know that area very well & were on that beach when we were in highschool, looooong time ago!! Look forward to more of your review. Also, spent our honeymoon night right there at Lago Mar!

[cruiserdudebobby8]

i love the Allure, she is my favorite ship!

[srvdmy4usn]

Somehow through all the excitement we all managed to get some sleep last night, but finally the day we have all been waiting for is finally here! The plan was pretty simple; wake up and have some breakfast, return the rental car, and board the ship. This simple plan however, highlighted the first logistical error in my planning, can you guess what it was?

 

As we were eating breakfast we noticed the weather was looking pretty sketchy. This is common for Florida, so we were not too concerned, but we were sure at some point soon we would get some rain. Little did we know a freak super cell of a thunderstorm was developing just off the coast.

 

So, if you guessed that we rented the car too early the day before then you are correct! Yesterday, my excitement kicked in over drive and we picked the car up around 9AM, not thinking that cars are rented in 24 hour cycles. This means the car needed to be returned at 9AM. We had arranged for the car to be dropped off at the “Port Drop Off Location” for Hertz (located at the Crown Plaza, right near Port Everglades). From there, Hertz offers a free shuttle to the ship. What is going to happen if we show up to the ships terminal at 9AM? Will Hertz have a shuttle running that early? Are they going to still be getting guests off of the ship from the previous sailing? Will they allow us in the terminal? At this point there was not much we could do to change the situation; since we had two vehicles, keeping them for an “extra day” would have been costly. We just threw the dice and went with it, and minus the tropical downpour we were about to experience it went unbelievably perfect!

 

Conveniently, there is a gas station directly across the street from the drop off center, we filled up both cars and headed into the parking garage. By this time there was a very light drizzle, almost a classic Florida “mist”. After taking care of the paperwork we waited for the shuttle to bring us to the ship. This is one area where Hertz could use some improvements. The shuttle picks you up in the parking garage attached to the Crown Plaza, it was about 90 degrees with 95% humidity in there, no moving air, massive amounts of cars zooming in and out making it somewhat dangerous for the kids, and really nowhere to stand. The shuttle driver was there within 10 minutes of us lining up, he loaded up our luggage and off we went.

 

Almost immediately after exiting the parking garage there was a massive crack of thunder, one of the loudest I have heard in my life, followed by nothing short of a tidal wave of rain. It was raining so hard the driver had to slow to about 5 mph due to visibility. The wind was blowing canopies and temporary guard stations across the road. Trucks were tossing wakes close to 15 feet high as they drove by, it was just like something out of a movie. After passing into the port the driver mentioned that he had been doing this for a few years and he had never experienced this. He pointed in front of us and said, “the largest ship in the world is right there, about 50 feet ahead of us, and I can not see 1 inch of it.” It was almost eerie, as if the pier, the ship had vanished. Once we were directly in front of the ship it became slightly visible, but you could not see from bow to stern. The driver illegally pulled into the bus depot area offering us some partial shelter from the rain. The port authority officer watching happily ignored this obvious disregard for the rules. As he unloaded our bags, earning every dollar we gave him in tips, the rain continued to drench him from head to toe. I felt so bad for him, I was even running out and grabbing bags to help him speed up the process.

 

One of our concerns about being to the terminal so early was in fact true, they were still unloading the guests from the previous cruise. But, this made for no concern. A porter quickly noticed our luggage being unloaded from the van and was happy to assist. He went through all of our luggage tags and stapled them since we had only used tape, he had said “staples were better”. He pointed to the direction of the terminal entrance where we were greeted by Royal Caribbean employees at every turn. Repeating “please have your set sail pass, passports, birth certificates out and ready”, “keep moving this way, please move forward, the next person will assist you.” I could see how this really was intended for herding the masses, but I had to laugh at the fact that current we were just about the only people in there.

 

Once in line they check to make sure the names on your documents match the names on your set sail pass. After the initial check they move you on to security. This is very similar to airport security, but far more relaxed. We did have 2 bottles of “wine” (we will get to that later) in our carry on and there were no questions asked. In fact, they never even looked at them. Following security we were directed to the closest check in desk.

 

I got somewhat frustrated at this point, it was only for a brief moment, and in the grand scheme of things it really was a non issue. I had all of the documents with me. The birth certificates, set sail passes, credit cards, etc. For whatever reason, they wanted us to split up and check in by cabin assignment. I knew this would cause an issue as my Mom was the adult in the 2nd cabin, but had no relation to Mariah’s kids, and no documentation for them. Also, the credit cards we were using were in my Mom’s name, so that would cause issues in our room without her there. I explained this to the staff and my suggestion of sticking together was not well received. Sure enough, within 2 minutes of checking in my Mom was walking over to our station asking for documents, and 2 minutes after that I was walking over to hers for a signature to use her credit card, and again for something else 2 minutes later. Silly people, I told you this was a stupid idea!

 

Outside of that small snafu, the check in process is very quick, very efficient and we were off to the next step, the welcome aboard photo. I always thought these photos to be stupid for lack of a better term. Why do I need a photo of me standing in front of a ship apparently floating somewhere in the middle of the ocean? They are always way out of proportion making you look HUGE or the ship very much like a micro machine, but I was wrong this time around. Our photographer really took his time with us and did a few poses. When it was done I requested the kids do one “holding” the ship and I think it looks hilarious!

 

We also had planned on possibly purchasing the photo disc at the end of the cruise if we had some good shots so we took advantage of the opportunity.

 

Once the photos were done we were sent upstairs, this area is apparently more secure than the National Security Agency (NSA). I know this because I have worked there a few times. There is a person about every 30 feet making you show them your newly printed sea pass. I made it my own personal little game to show it upside down, backwards, etc. just to throw them off. Once upstairs they directed us over to a table filled with colorful wristbands. Each kid under the age of 12 was given a wristband that correlated to the muster station they were assigned to. From here it was off to the gold crown and anchor waiting area.

 

The kids (you will often hear the term kids, for some reason it has become commonplace in our family that Breanna, the 14 year old, is somewhat excluded from that term so I am speaking of the 4 younger children) caught sight of the playground and there was no holding them back.

 

 

 

 

After killing some time on the playground it was nearly 11am. I knew from research on CC that boarding often starts around 11:15. I asked the kids to call it quits and we went back to the waiting area. Sure enough 11:15 on the dot an announcement was made that boarding would begin soon. Within 2 minutes the suites, pinnacle, diamonds, etc. were being boarded. By 11:20 gold was called up and we were directed through another onslaught of people asking for your sea pass. By 11:24 we heard the ‘Ding” and we were officially on board!!!

 

 

Up Next: The Lawmaker, Piña Coladas & A Room With A View!

[srvdmy4usn]

So nervous of getting sea sick nothing but the biggest boat would do.. Lol

 

She sails smooth :D

 

Loving your review & your pics are great. Really liked the overhead shot of Lauderdale beach & the rocks, my DH & I grew up there so we know that area very well & were on that beach when we were in highschool, looooong time ago!! Look forward to more of your review. Also, spent our honeymoon night right there at Lago Mar!

 

Thank You, hanging out on the rocks was a highlight of the trip. I will make it a point to get back there again some day soon!

 

i love the Allure, she is my favorite ship!

 

Mine too, we did book on the Quantum so we will soon see how she compares!

[hgmizzou]

Loving this review!!! :):) Can't wait to hear more!!!

[srvdmy4usn]

Loving this review!!! :):) Can't wait to hear more!!!

 

Thank You!

[rcrdale]

Love the picture of the "Kids" holding up the ship.

 

I am enjoying your review as it gets me geared up for my cruise on her in 61 days!

[Coolcruise02]

Great review and pictures! Can't wait for more.