"LIVE" (hopefully?) from Allure of the Seas, November 10th, 2013

[Mattypies]

Loving your review! I will be sailing with my 12 & 15 year old children in February. Did you DD go to the teen club? How did she like it? What was her favorite part? How did you communicate on board?

 

Your tips would be appreciated!

 

Heather

[niksmom630]

I saw the show from my balcony on the last night of the cruise. it was great. Great music, my favorite was Desert Rose by Sting.

 

I agree--this was a "hidden gem" show! There weren't many people there either!

[niksmom630]

Loving your review! I will be sailing with my 12 & 15 year old children in February. Did you DD go to the teen club? How did she like it? What was her favorite part? How did you communicate on board?

 

Your tips would be appreciated!

 

Heather

 

Heather, I have some thoughts and tips coming on this topic shortly!

[niksmom630]

Well, my week long adventure on board the Allure of the Seas has officially come to an end!

 

After my first sailing on an Oasis class ship, all I can say is WOW. I really had reservations about sailing on this ship for a number of reasons; crowds, lack of views of the sea, ship is just too big, etc. Having sailed on all the other classes of ships in RCI's fleet, everything becomes almost too familiar, and surprises are few and far between. Spending a week onboard the Allure was almost like cruising again for the first time. It is a cruise experience unlike any other.

 

A few closing thoughts...

 

The Crowds

 

DH and I both felt this ship to feel less crowded than any other RCI ship. Again, the distinct neighborhoods lend themselves to a disbursement of the masses. There were always chairs available on the pool deck, regardless of time of day. The largest crowd we faced was exiting the Ice Show.

 

The Cabin

 

Our cabin (#6640) hump junior suite was in an excellent location. I read many reviews prior to this cruise, and the majority seem to prefer Deck 8.

 

This deck gives you easy access to the Boardwalk (6), Promenade (5) MDR (we were on deck 4), and Central Park is two decks up (8). That said, we never took the elevators to any of these locations. The only time we used the elevators was to go to deck 15 (pool/sports deck). Once you were there, it was also only one deck up to the Windjammer.

 

For a family of three (including teenage DD) I felt a Jr. Suite was a must, because we enjoy our balcony time, and so I really wanted more than two chairs, and extra square footage and closet space. (DD is not a "light" packer). I had looked into possibly upgrading to a Grand Suite, but discovered the balconies were similar in size to our hump Junior Suite, so other than internal square footage, and a much bigger price tag, it was not worth it to upgrade. The huge walk in closet is also great, as it is large enough to double as another private "changing room"

 

A few not so great things about the cabin...

 

The coffee maker in the room is pretty useless. I used it twice, and both times at the end of the brewing cycle, it would randomly spew coffee away from the cup underneath it, that resulted in a sopping mess to clean up.

 

The iPod/iPhone dock only worked to charge DH's iPhone 4--when I tried to use my converter for my iPhone 5, it told me the device was "unsupported), so I could not play any music.

 

Thanks to the folks on CC, I was located the outlets behind the bed, which helped with charging the myriad of electronics we brought onboard. Two outlets in the desk/vanity area is rather limiting, and it was sometimes a challenge getting ready for dinner, as DD and I fought over the two outlets with blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons.....

[niksmom630]

THE SHOWS

Oceanaria -- definitely not to be missed. If you see one show on the Allure, this one should be it.

 

The Comedy Show -- also very good, but the venue is really small. If you don't have pre-booked reservations, your chances getting into this one are probably slim to none. There was a long line of wait lister's looking for a seat almost every time I walked by, and it appeared that most were turned away.

 

Ice Show -- I've seen quite a few of these already on Voyager class ships, so I almost skipped this one. I'm glad I didn't, as I thought it was one of the better performances I have seen. The choreography and skating degree of difficulty seemed a few notches above the others.

 

Blue Planet -- uhhhh, I missed this one. However, as a "non-show" person, I was pretty impressed that I made it to 3 out of 4 of my pre-reserved shows. Gives me something to look forward to on my next Allure cruise.

 

Chicago -- didn't pre-book it, and didn't see it. Not a fan of Broadway shows...

 

Water Show-Aqua Theatre -- this was held on the final night of the cruise. I don't recall seeing it any other night, and it's not something you can pre-book. Loved it! It's relatively short, and the music was great. There were two showings 8:15 and 10:45.

 

DINING

 

MDR - I found the MDR to be just "okay", and in fact, not really up to par with my MDR experiences on other ships. I can't really put my finger on anything specifically that was bad about it. Service was good to great (with the exception of the bar service), and the food was always hot and fresh. Sometimes, just not cooked properly, (overdone/underdone) and sometimes kind of bland.

 

There were a few nights where I just didn't know what to order, because nothing appealed to me. Also, a menu link I found online prior to the cruise did not match the order of service on this cruise. On the November eastern sailings, the MDR menus in order are: Mojo, Saffron, Pimento, Shiitake, Basil, Jasmine and Pomodoro.

 

Johnny Rockets

 

Great for breakfast. Cooked to order eggs, omelets, etc. Did not go for lunch or dinner. The boardwalk is relatively quiet early in the morning, and it makes for a peaceful meal, with a nice view of the aquatheatre.

 

Park Café

 

Went there for lunch twice. The roast beef sandwiches were indeed delish. DD and DH had the cheese Panini. Several different sandwiches are served, as well as a nice salad bar, 2 soup offerings, and an array of desserts. Went once on a sea day at 11:30 (not crowded then, although there were lines out the door forming later in the day) and once on a port day (it was empty).

 

Wipe Out Café

 

Went here for breakfast and lunch. While they do serve made to order eggs and omelets, the rest of the buffet selection is pretty small, and the venue is also very small on this inside. In the morning they will take your egg orders, and give you a number to place on your table. When the items are ready, they are delivered to your table by a server. Nice views on this deck also.

 

For lunch, tried the Pretzel dog. It was just okay. DD was a huge fan, but I'm from Chicago, and a bit picky about my hot dogs. It did not have the flavor of a Vienna Beef. One of the things that RCI really has down pat are it's french fries. They made the meal for me--crispy, crunchy and hot.

 

The Dog House

 

DH ate there twice--had the bratwurst and really enjoyed it. I boycotted the venue when I realized the Chicago style hot dog had been snubbed, and was apparently not worthy of a spot on the menu.

 

The Windjammer

 

Had breakfast and lunch here. For breakfast--no made to order eggs, but there are pre-made omelets, as well as serving pans loaded with eggs over medium, and eggs sunny side up. I like the full selection of croissants, rolls and pastries available that are absent in the other venues for breakfast. The fact that they seat you makes for a much more comfortable dining experience. I always hated walking around with a full plate trying to find a table. For lunch--selections seemed a bit limited, and I found the dessert selections to be very limited compared to the Windjammer's on other ships. Also, both times I visited, the dining venue occupancy was showing "red" (i.e., VERY CROWDED, STAY AWAY), but we decided to live on the edge and try it anyway. We were seated in less than 5 minutes--both times.

 

Rita's

 

Nice for lunch--even though there is a surcharge, it's relatively inexpensive. I had a taco salad and quesadilla, which is almost impossible to screw up. I would say it was better than Taco Bell, and a nice change of pace, but otherwise pretty un-noteworthy....

[Ken076]

niksmom630 - Thanks so much for taking us with you and for the candid wrap-up ceremony. ken

[niksmom630]

Communicating with minor child(ren) in our group...

 

I looked at three options for staying in touch with 14 year old DD, as she went off to explore on her own.

 

#1-Renting the onboard iPhones.

#2-Purchasing the AT&T Cruise package

#3-Post it notes and limited messaging utilizing our personal iPhones

 

In the end, I choose #3 as the most economical, as well as easiest means to stay connected, and still allow her some freedom to come and go on her own and participate in activities with her friends, who joined us on this cruise. For the most part, we used post it notes in the cabin (note: you will no longer find a pen or paper in the cabin, so bring your own "office supplies"), and occasionally a text message or two.

 

I felt we had better success with the note system (note must include time you departed, your destination, as well as your anticipated time of return), as often times DD's phone was stuffed in a pool bag or purse, or her back pocket, and she didn't get my messages promptly. We also had to have a discussion prior to leaving that text messages are to be used sparingly, and only include relevant destination information (i.e., don't send me emoticons, "lol", or messages like "k, mom").

 

The AT&T cruise package requires a voice package. There is no messaging only option, and at $60, I figured more expensive that we would likely ever use if we just opted for per message costs.

 

While I also considered the iPhone rentals on board, DD is not particularly good at keeping track of things, including her phone, so adding another devise to mix was a potential disaster in the making.

 

Adventure Ocean

 

DD is not a fan. Over the course of 5 cruises, at varying age levels, she's maybe participated in 3-4 functions. In fairness, much of this is due to DD's personality. She's not particularly outgoing and rather shy around new people, and also not very "sports" oriented. Alot of the activities are physical activities (basketball, scavenger hunts, gagabll, ice skating) or game related (trivia, video games, and foosball).

 

Couldn't interest DD in any of these--she was much happier in an unstructured environment, but was still very active. She did the flowrider, rock climbing wall, zip line, went to the arcade several times ($$$$), saw a movie, swam in the pools, and visited the shops.

 

Finally, our cabin steward only delivered the teen compasses twice over the course of seven days. I tried to get copies from guest services for the other days (another poster was looking for the compasses) with no luck, Apparently, they print so many, and when they are gone--you are out of luck.

[dprcan]

we did the Rita Fiesta and we had a blast. I would highly recommend it. They offer alcohol and non alcohol package.

 

If you want to get together for dinner in Feb the night before your cruise, let us know. Glad you made it home safely, after all that bad weather yesterday.

[niksmom630]

Excursions

 

Well, this will be short and sweet--we didn't do any.

 

However, our friends traveling with us (family of 4) were able to book a three excursion special onboard for $500 total. This is fairly noteworthy because the package saved a significant amount over booking individually. They had their hearts set on booking the Dolphin Encounter, and I was concerned once they got onboard, it would already be full, and tried to convince them to book online prior to the cruise. In the end, they got this special family package onboard, which included some kind of Island Tour in Nassau (can't recall which one), the Caribbean "Fast Cat" 2 Island Snorkeling Safari and Beach Getaway in St. Thomas, and the Anguilla Dolphin Swim and Beach in St. Maarten. The dolphin encounter alone would be priced at $628 for a family of 4.

 

They said the tour in Nassau was rather "meh", but had rave reviews on the Dolphin encounter, and Snorkeling excursion.

 

I don't know if this special was specific to this cruise, or if they are always offered, but the savings was significant--if you want to take a gamble and risk booking onboard.

[niksmom630]

To "Drink Package", or not to "Drink Package"--that is the question....

 

We didn't -- our friends did. In the end, I can report the following from both perspectives.

 

To "Drink Package"...

 

Our friends purchased the premium beverage package. The good, and not so good...

#1 They felt like they got their moneys worth

#2 They tried various drinks they would not normally try, since they knew if they didn't like them, they could just order another.

#3 They felt service in some venues was sub par--meaning, the bartenders seemed to overlook them in favor of those actually purchasing on a per drink basis. It wasn't in every venue, but it did happen.

#4 One of them pre purchased the beer and wine package by mistake. When they asked a ship bartender about upgrading, he said it wasn't possible. She was finally able to upgrade onboard, but it took a trip to guest services to resolve it.

 

To not "Drink Package"...the good and not so good....

 

#1 Either DD or I could make a trip to the Schooner Bar before dinner and purchase a few pre dinner beverages. We didn't both have to make the trip.

#2 after adding it all up, I would have gotten my monies worth from purchasing the package, because I was drinking mixed drinks and wine

#3 DH is a beer drinker, and would not have gotten his monies worth.

#4 I ordered two drinks that I did not care for at all, and tossed out. Score one point for the drink package, because I could have ordered another instead of regretting my $10 mistake.

 

In the end, I'm still on the fence about purchasing it for our upcoming cruise. If the updated packages are available that include water, it will probably push me over the edge to purchase it.

 

Drink Specials

 

There were various drink specials throughout the week at various locations--all basically the same thing. 35% off call/brand house liquors.

 

The Joys of Diamondhood and Paperless Coupon Books

 

I did not attend any of the loyalty events, not did I go to the complimentary cocktail hour in the Diamond Lounge, or Blaze. Primarily because my traveling companions are always lower on the "loyalty" food chain, and I prefer their company to a free drink.

 

When I booked this cruise, I thought I might use the diamond lounge in the mornings for a quick cup of coffee, but it was actually a long haul from our cabin, and the coffee machine was one of those foo foo coffee makers, with espressos and latte's, when I was just looking for a plain cup of joe. Café Promenade was closer, and room service coffee was even better.

 

This was our first cruise with the paperless coupon system, which I thought I would love for the convenience of not having to carry around the book, since I inevitably never seem to have it with me when I need it.

 

Well, guess what? I'm not sure I like it for a few reasons...

 

#1- The discount never got applied to my sea pass card for the unlimited internet package I purchased. So, I had to make a trip to guest services to get it applied, which I would have had to do with the actual paper coupon anyway

#2 - I never did find the in room provided list of what paperless coupons there actually were until day 7.

#3 - I can't tell if some of the coupons were ever applied or not. For example, I sent out two parcels of laundry, and I only saw the total charge on my bill, and didn't notice if the coupon was actually applied. DD had two charges in the arcade, and of course does not remember the actual amounts she placed on the card.

#4 - I miss the Casino match plays that disappeared when they moved to the paperless system.

[niksmom630]

Random thoughts....

 

Ship Temperature

 

Alot of people report that it's "warm" on Allure. I guess this is as subjective a subject as food.

 

Our cabin was comfortably cool, although we had the thermostat set on the arctic setting, and we went in and out of the cabin to the balcony quite often. I missed having the sliding door slightly ajar at night and listening to the ocean. The air conditioning will not operate unless the door is closed, and the handle latched in the down position. Thankfully you can latch it from the outside as well.

 

I usually enjoy the Solarium on other RCI ships, but the Allure solarium was too warm for my taste. There seemed to be no air flowing in there. I found other areas on the ship to be comfortable for the most part--not too hot, not too cold. Studio B was the coldest of all of them.

 

The ship is so big you won't feel it moving

 

Wrongo Sluggo! This coming from someone who never gets seasick. It was only really bad on day 6, but it was noticeable enough that I popped a Bonine. Twice. This was also the first time I experienced motion similar to that of a teeter totter--much different than a side to side sway. One of our traveling companions was green and in bed the entire day.

 

Limited Views of the Ocean

 

I'm going to disagree with some other posters on this topic. With the exception of Central Park, the views are still there, and in fact one of my favorite ocean views was from the Boardwalk. And, since we always have a balcony, the ocean is the first and last thing I see every day....

 

Finally, DEBARKATION, and the long road home...

 

Had luggage tag 11, so the first groups to be called following express walk off. Our number was called around 7:45, so we literally just left from the cabin and did not use any of the departure lounges. The luggage pick up area was a little chaotic. The bags are all lined up nicely in rows, but then once everyone starts rummaging through them, other bags are getting moved, and suddenly you become a mouse in a maze trying to navigate your way back out. We finally found all but one of our bags. Great. What a way to end the trip. Missing luggage. I imagined myself standing in a long line, filling our claim forms, and maybe never even seeing my bag again.

 

The very helpful RCI rep directs me to the other side of the terminal, where a see a very large LOST LUGGAGE sign. ok, here we go.....

 

Once I arrived in lost luggage land, I realize it's nothing other than a holding area with about 50 bags with no tags. And, my bag is there!!!Phew!!!!

 

Customs line took about 25 minutes. Exactly 45 minutes total to get from cabin to curbside.

 

Our flight was out of Miami (cheaper than Fort Lauderdale), so I had arranged private transportation service from the Port to Miami Airport. After researching some recommendations on these boards, I decided to use Jiffy Jeff. The cost was $15 per person + gratuity for our party of 8. They picked us up in a nice Mercedes van, and it made for a comfortable ride to the airport. I would definitely use them again. Great service and communication throughout , and it was a lot cheaper than the RCI transfer of $30 PP.

 

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there, but through no fault of RCI.

Our flight scheduled to depart at 12:00, was delayed for hours due to weather in Chicago, when it finally took off we were in the air longer due to some rerouting to avoid the weather, and when we finally landed, collected luggage, got transportation home......

 

Walked off ship at 7:45 EST, walked in the door of home sweet home at 7:30 CST.....13 hours later......

 

And that about wraps it up. Any more questions, fire away! Thanks to all of you who have subscribed and followed along and also for all the nice comments and encouragement along the way. In the words of Jimmy Buffet, "it's been a lovely cruise"!

[Charger2008]

DD and I participated in the walk for wishes, but the belly flop contest was just finishing up....

 

 

 

The winner!

 

Is it just me or does that one guy (not the winner) look a bit miffed?

[Charger2008]

Do you get to see the Best of the Best Flowrider competition? A friend of ours was on that cruise and he won second place :D

[vega]

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had an amazing tine. Do you recall what tine the ship ddocked and sailed from each Island?

 

Thanks,

Lana

[niksmom630]

Is it just me or does that one guy (not the winner) look a bit miffed?

 

Ummm, yea, there was a bit of a heated debate going on back there, which I didn't even notice because I was focusing on photographing the winner!

 

And no, I didn't catch the flow rider competition. :( So many activities, so little time......

[niksmom630]

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had an amazing tine. Do you recall what tine the ship ddocked and sailed from each Island?

 

Thanks,

Lana

 

Arrived in Nassau, 7 a.m., all aboard 12:30, departed shortly after.

Arrived St. Thomas at 10:45 (15 minutes early) All Aboard was 6:30, but I was at dinner, so not sure when sailaway actually occurred

 

Arrived St, Maarten at 7 a.m., all aboard was at 4:30, but we had a runner (well, actually someone being transported in a golf cart down the pier) so sailaway from St. Maarten was a bit delayed

[niksmom630]

we did the Rita Fiesta and we had a blast. I would highly recommend it. They offer alcohol and non alcohol package.

 

If you want to get together for dinner in Feb the night before your cruise, let us know. Glad you made it home safely, after all that bad weather yesterday.

 

Would love to meet you and Charlotte again! We have no air or hotel reservations booked yet, but hope to finalize in the next two weeks. Expect we will arrive early morning on the 8th, so maybe we can work something out? Email me at chotten@comcast.net with your contact information! We've flown into Miami several times, pre cruise, even though we've sailed out of FLL. We love the Sofitel.

[Pebbles468]

Random thoughts....

 

What a wonderful review of the ship and your experience! Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us.

 

Interesting that the paperless coupons didn't seem to get applied as they should.

 

Thanks for the tips on the no drink package & drink package. I like the idea of the water & soda being included, but I don't know that the changeover to the new system will be a smooth transition. Maybe it will be worked out by our cruise.

 

My planning spreadsheet is getting so full!

[polkadots]

Is it just me or does that one guy (not the winner) look a bit miffed?

 

Actually, that group chatting with the guy in the white polo shirt was plotting to push Ken into the pool after he finished his spiel. Not sure if that happens every week during the belly flop competition but the contestants sure seemed to enjoy it!

[niksmom630]

Actually, that group chatting with the guy in the white polo shirt was plotting to push Ken into the pool after he finished his spiel. Not sure if that happens every week during the belly flop competition but the contestants sure seemed to enjoy it!

 

Yes! I had forgotten about that part! In fact, because I thought the festivities were over I had put my camera away, so I missed the shot of Rush going into the pool!

[The Big Booper]

We did a b2b on the Allure in 2011 and Ken got dunked both times.

[TheInnocentAge]

Renae, from what I've seen on the threads that discuss RCI's drink menus, the prices average out loosely to around $9. Of course this depends on the type of drinks you like, as beers are usually less while some other cocktails can run well over $10. Drinks of the Day will be around $7. Then there is the 15% tip added to these amounts if you pay as you go. If you get the drink package, the tips are included in that $55 per day charge for the Premium Package, so the 'break even' quantity is probably around 5 or 6 drinks per day. IMHO, not too hard to achieve that on a cruise ship. We always tip more for good service, so we've budgeted a bit more than that $55 per day. If you search 'drink menus' or 'drink packages', you will find some helpful info. The Premium Package includes most drinks, but not all, so read the details.

 

Friends of mine have said it's worth it to get the package, and you don't have to keep signing receipts every time you get a drink. We're cruising in 10 days so I will have a better idea of the value of the package once we're back. I will be glad to torment my liver for seven days in the name of research.

 

Cheers!

 

Probably no one still reading this thread, but in case anyone is interested, here's a quick follow-up to my post above...

 

We were on the 11/24 Allure sailing, and the Premium Package was definitely worth it for my GF and I. There was never a drink that we ordered that resulted in the new "over $10" difference charge, and we had some high-end drinks in there. IMO, if you're planning on getting more than five or six drinks per day, this is the way to go. It now includes bottled water as well.

 

By the way, the last I checked, RCI still hadn't updated their website to include the new details and additional packages, but they have been available since 11/15.

[niksmom630]

By the way, the last I checked, RCI still hadn't updated their website to include the new details and additional packages, but they have been available since 11/15.

 

Thanks for the info. So, did you purchase the package on the ship, because the new packages were not listed on the website? Also, did you still have to sign for each individual purchase, even though the receipt amount was zero?

[TheInnocentAge]

Thanks for the info. So, did you purchase the package on the ship, because the new packages were not listed on the website? Also, did you still have to sign for each individual purchase, even though the receipt amount was zero?

 

We had purchased the package a month or so ago, but since the changes were in effect by the time we sailed, we experienced the "new" version. And yes, we had to sign a receipt each time, but the receipt indicated "0.00". There was also a note on the receipt that the tip was included in the package price, with an extra line for an optional, additional tip.

 

Though the RCI site isn't updated yet, here is a link to an article with the details...

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5619

 

Thanks again for your review!