Allure v. Freedom

[snowhite1019]

We are planning a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family during the summer (with several 20 something kids). Would anyone recommend one over the other and why?

 

Thanks

[Clarea]

We are planning a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family during the summer (with several 20 something kids). Would anyone recommend one over the other and why?

 

Thanks

There's no comparision to Allure, it's a fantastic ship. If you can swing the price on Allure, I'd go for it.

[Lionesss]

We have sailed the Freedom twice and the Allure once.

 

Well basically if you want to go for the gusto with all the toots and bangles definetly go with the Allure.

We are able to cruise once a year, and when we sailed the Freedom the first time the Allure was not made yet.

The Freedom is a great starting point.

 

But:

You will not get bored on the Allure

We never got to see and do it all.

The kids will have their own activities thru the kids center depending on their age and the teens love "Fuel" the big hangout.

 

Food, pools, shows, activities, so much to do.

 

I would definetly go with the Allure.

 

Sea Ya

[RCI Cruisers 004]

If you are doing the Eastern, I would recommend Allure over Freedom only because if you hit bad weather, Freedom could skip Coco Cay, which means only 2 stops ! If you don't care about that, then do a Freedom first and be amazed at what a beautiful ship she is, then do Allure and be totally blown away !

Edited December 26, 2013 by RCI Cruisers 004

[Eng23]

I have been on both ships twice. The Freedom is a great ship with plenty to do onboard but with several 20 something's in your group I would recommend the Allure. If they are active types (I am assuming they are) there is more to see and do on the Allure. Don't let the size of the Allure intimidate you, for it's size and the number of passengers it's not crowded. Crowds are spread around well by the neighborhood concept.

 

If price is a sticking point you will probably find better prices for the Freedom. The Freedom is a good ship to start with too, it's a big ship with some bells and whistles and in my opinion has the best Sorrento's Pizza of any Royal Caribbean ship. I'm sure some others will chime in with some thought's and suggestions. Good luck in deciding! :)

[swim13]

While both are amazing, there is no question! Allure! :D

[internetwhiz]

There's no comparision to Allure, it's a fantastic ship. If you can swing the price on Allure, I'd go for it.

 

Agree. Nothing like Allure!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cruiserdudebobby8]

Pick Allure you wont be disappointed

[molly361]

Another vote for the Allure

[petesweet]

Don't know if it was the fault of the port (Canaveral) or some unusual situation, but debarkation was not good on our recent Freedom cruise.

We did Allure for a week and then moved on immediately to the Freedom, so we were able to compare the two with a fresh approach. We did self-debarkation on both. On the Allure, we were off the ship in minutes. On the Freedom, there was a huge crowd gathered and a slow line leaving. It took a LOOONG time.

If you want to park your car, Park-N-Go in Fort Lauderdale is cheaper and much more efficient than Park-N-Cruise in Port Canaveral.

Aside from these two situations, both cruises were WONDERFUL. I just happen to enjoy the huge Allure and Oasis above any other ships I have ever been on.:)

Happy sails. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas.

Kathy

[SamFritz]

Just to offer another perspective: Freedom is not small, and it does not lack for activities. Does Allure offer more than Freedom? Yes. But since you can't do it all on either ship, you are paying for options that Allure offers. I will say Allure has better entertainment and a lot more choices for food.

 

In my opinion Allure offers a lot of things that I don't need to have a better cruise. It's nice that those things are there, and they make me say, "wow, I never thought I'd see that on a ship." But, for the most part, they don't add to my cruising experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, please excuse all the typos.

[Dave85]

There's no comparision to Allure, it's a fantastic ship. If you can swing the price on Allure, I'd go for it.

 

I agree.

[Big_G]

There's no comparision to Allure, it's a fantastic ship. If you can swing the price on Allure, I'd go for it.

 

Also agree.

[Daghis]

We did Allure for a week and then moved on immediately to the Freedom, so we were able to compare the two with a fresh approach.

We're going to be doing this in October. Would you mind if I asked some questions from your experience?

 

Did you have any troubles getting from Port Everglades up to Port Canaveral and how did you get there? We're planning on renting a car from FLL airport and driving it to the Cape Canaveral rental car return place. What time did you arrive to board Freedom?

Edited December 26, 2013 by Daghis

[BillOh]

We are planning a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family during the summer (with several 20 something kids). Would anyone recommend one over the other and why?

 

Thanks

 

 

Either would be great. I love both ships. The main difference is one more port (Beach day in Coco Cay) Choose one and do the other next. They are both excellent ships. If one departure port easier for you than the other?

[kruzerci]

Freedom and Oasis are probably my two favorite ships. I don't think you could possibly go wrong with Allure or Freedom.

 

Like some others have said, Allure is incredible. That being said, it feels more like a floating resort and Freedom feels more like a traditional cruise ship. We didn't use most of the extras Allure has, but we liked Central Park an the Boardwalk and the abundance of dining options. The pool area is massive on both ships.

 

I didn't like one ship better than the other, I loved them both for different reasons.

 

If you haven't tried a ship as big as Freedom, I would start out with Freedom and then to Allure to keep the excitement alive and avoid being overwhelmed.

[petesweet]

We're going to be doing this in October. Would you mind if I asked some questions from your experience?

 

Did you have any troubles getting from Port Everglades up to Port Canaveral and how did you get there? We're planning on renting a car from FLL airport and driving it to the Cape Canaveral rental car return place. What time did you arrive to board Freedom?

 

What memories I have of a wonderful two weeks! You will really enjoy the experience.

 

We had our own car, so I can't help you with the details of transportation. We were off, as I said above, in minutes from Allure. Drove up to Canaveral without any problems and were boarded on Freedom by about 11:30, as I recall.

 

_____________________

 

Just remembered one more thing I liked about Allure just a little more than Freedom was the Viking Crown Lounge (which is my favorite hangout on a Royal ship). Allure had lovely high-backed chairs at the window so you could sort of "hide out" in plain sight. Lovely!

 

Have a wonderful trip.

 

Kathy

Edited December 27, 2013 by petesweet

[Stags14]

We are planning a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family during the summer (with several 20 something kids). Would anyone recommend one over the other and why?

 

Thanks

 

In my opinion the only thing that the Allure offers you that Freedom does not is the aquatics show - which is pretty awesome but Freedom class is still our favorite by a long shot. With a group, you will likely not ever run into eachother on the Allure - when I go with a group I do like to see them around, on the pool deck, etc..

 

Rather than the band playing right in front of you on the Allure, it's more like listening to the radio. All of the events on the Allure (ice carving, silly contests, etc..) must be planned and you have to know your locations and times where as with the Freedom you can't really miss it if you're out and about.

 

So, mainly for those reasons we do not prefer the Oasis class ships. Just too big.

[Daghis]

What memories I have of a wonderful two weeks! You will really enjoy the experience.

 

We had our own car, so I can't help you with the details of transportation. We were off, as I said above, in minutes from Allure. Drove up to Canaveral without any problems and were boarded on Freedom by about 11:30, as I recall.

Thanks for the information! I'm glad to see that you were able to get there that early.

 

I'm thinking that if we can get to the Port Canaveral area early enough, we might take a short detour to a nearby laundromat to do laundry before boarding Freedom of the Seas. Seeing that you were able to board by 11:30 makes me feel much more positive about that plan.

[Raschueler]

I agree with everyone saying to sail Allure, but be prepared to be spoiled!! If you are flying to Florida, I have always found the flights to FLL cheaper than MCO (from Maryland at least!). FLL is also a lot closer to the port than MCO, so you could save on transportation costs. Factoring in the cost of airfare and transportation, I was able to sail on the Allure for less than Freedom.

[internetwhiz]

To me, Freedom is just a Voyager class ship on steroids. More people, not much more to offer. Allure is an experience. Other than to go to a beach a day or so, Allure and her sissy Oasis, have as much or as little to do as you want. I love the shows in the Aquatheatre, like Oceanaria. As far as regular entertainment, Chicago is a treat and Blue Planet is awesome.

 

There are so many choices for dining, more than on Freedom. From the Park Cafe to the dog House, to the Solarium Bistro (free in daytime) and turns into a pay Brazilian Steakhouse (churrascaria) at night.

 

Also, it's about the only ship I remember the captain. Hope you would have Captain Johnny. He is a trip!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited January 3, 2014 by internetwhiz

[BillOh]

To me, Freedom is just a Voyager class ship on steroids. More people, not much more to offer.

 

I'm going to stick up for Freedom just a bit. I do love both ships and after twice on Allure I am going back to Freedom, mainly for something different. In my mind where Freedom is Superior - Windjammer is the biggest and best in the fleet and Allure's is too small and crowded, the only place I say that about this ship. Yes, there are other options, but I love the WJ on Freedom, it also has some snackbar seats where one or two people (which is usually us) can easily find a seat.

 

I also like the Solarium better on Freedom and I do like to spend a lot of time there. Allure's is too stuffy/hot and doesn't have a real pool.

 

When I sailed Freedom is was out of Miami, this will be my first trip out of Port Canaveral. On the Allure side, one of our highlights was flying in teh day before and being along the beach when Oasis sailed away. That was a fun "exucursion" of its own.

[rstout]

We have been on both the Freedom and the Allure and both are great ships. I would ask whether most in your party have cruised before and what the price difference is. If most are new cruisers, and the price difference is substantial, I would go with the Freedom. The Allure is a whole different ball game when it comes to cruise ships, and the Freedom gives you more of the classic cruising experience, while still providing the fun Royal Caribbean touches we all know and love (the flow rider, climbing wall, ice shows, etc.) If most are seasoned cruisers, and you want to blow them away, then go with the Allure. Our last cruise was on the Allure, and we are going back on the Liberty next year. We still love the Freedom class. You can't really go wrong either way.

[internetwhiz]

I'm going to stick up for Freedom just a bit. I do love both ships and after twice on Allure I am going back to Freedom, mainly for something different. In my mind where Freedom is Superior - Windjammer is the biggest and best in the fleet and Allure's is too small.

 

Windjammer is small on Oasis and Allure by design. There are so many other places to eat that we never go to the windjammer. I would rather eat in Park Cafe, the MDR or Johnny Rockets (free at breakfast), and at lunch I'd rather eat at Park Cafe, Solarium Bistro, MDR (custom made Tutti salad is wonderful), or even the Boardwalk hot dog area than the windjammer. Also, for most of those places less hands are touching what you touch so less chance for noro.

 

In April on Allure, we never went into the Windjammer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BillOh]

Windjammer is small on Oasis and Allure by design.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Maybe, that at least is the Cliche answer. At least is the popular response.