A week on Allure a week on Sillie - some observations

[Bobal]

I asked the question on these boards some time ago, whether a ‘not quite’ B2B on Allure then Silhouette would be a good plan and got a resounding yes, so here are a few notes from our trip for those who may be interested. I will also post this on the Royal Caribbean board.

 

A bit of background: We have experience of both cruise lines, having sailed on RC 13 times (but never on a class bigger than Voyager class) and Celebrity 4 times previously (twice on S class and twice on Millennium). We decided that Allure may be a bit big and crowded and rowdy for us but we wanted to try it, so we booked Silhouette for a quieter, more ‘refined’ second week. We are a couple in our 50’s (well, he’s 60!) but we often cruise with our sons who are in their 20’s and (being from the UK) have sailed in the Med quite often.

I don’t wish to get too long-winded about this so will just make some general observations about the things which struck us as particularly different between the ships, and please ask away if you want to know anything else…….here goes…

 

The Ships: Without doubt S class ships are beautiful – stylish and classy looking and better than any previous RC ship we’d experienced (bearing in mind we’d never sailed higher than Voyager class). Allure just blew us away – not just the sheer size but the attention to detail, the many different areas, the fact that there are so many spaces to accommodate so many people, without feeling crowded. Having said that, apart from Allure, S class are still the loveliest ships we’ve sailed on.

 

Stateroom: This is probably a bit unfair since we were upgraded to a JS within a week of sailing on Allure, but it doesn’t detract away from the fact that S class cabins are woeful in their lack of storage space and clumsy organisation of the cabin. I know that the D1 cabin we had originally booked on Allure would have been better organised with better storage space than our C1 cabin on Silhouette.

 

Pool Deck: OK there’s LOTS more pool deck on Allure but there are also lots more people. There were many loungers available at any time of day on the deck above the pool deck and we observed pool butlers strictly adhering to the ‘no reserving’ rule on the very popular Beach Deck. On Silhouette, as usual with S class ships, the loungers were jammed in together with no room to even place a drink on the floor but, more to the point, the pool butlers were useless. We lay next to 2 loungers with only 1 magazine on each for almost 3 hours with no pool butler in sight and many loungers were covered by only a towel for hours on end with poor people wandering round looking for a lounger. To be fair this has not been the case on our previous X cruisers. Controversial I know, but I think the lawn is a big waste of space and since a great part of it was brown and fenced off even that didn’t provide a place for people to retreat to away from the sardines on the deck below.

 

Dining Room: We always dine Select or MTD. Select Dining tables for 2 on S class ships are mainly truly awful – arranged in rows of 4 tables for 2, each table 2 inches apart – i.e. a table for 8!! If I choose to eat on a table for 2, I really don’t want to sit with other people – I’m a friendly person and happy to meet people in other venues on the ship but I like to spend my dinner time with my husband. Whichever RC ship we’ve been on, they always have better seating configuration for 2’s. Service on both lines is very good in the dining room.

 

Food: Celebrity wins hands down in the MDR and the buffet. Speciality Restaurants are all about choice but we loved Qsine (again) on Celebrity and 150 Central Park was wonderful on Allure.

 

Smoking policy – yes, yes, I know, but I do have an opinion and others may want to hear it ;). As non-smokers we like Celebrity’s policy of non-smoking on balconies and were glad to hear RC had introduced it. Whether it’s being fully enforced is another thing – there were definitely some balcony smokers on Allure. But the decision by RC to have one indoor smoking room – the casino – is unbelievable. There’s a smoking half and a non-smoking half – how on earth does smoke know to stay on one side of the room. You could smell the casino approaching from the stairs one deck away. I hope it’s bringing more revenue for RC because I (along with others who would have normally spent time there) decided to stay away

 

Entertainment: The entertainment on Allure is fantastic but then a lot of money has been thrown at creating a wonderful entertainment experience and it is the very best I’ve experienced on a cruise ship but it’s unrealistic to compare the two (apples and oranges). Entertainment on Silhouette (without the big budget of Allure) was also very good.

 

Passengers: More families and younger people on Allure - this was spring break period – but not as many as we thought. However, there were around 2000 Brazilians onboard (for Mardi Gras) which probably swayed the demographic a little – and created a very smoky casino :( But, having read about rude people, pushing into elevators etc, it didn’t seem any different to any RC cruise we’ve done before. Celebrity had a younger demographic than our other cruises, probably because it was a one week cruise in the Caribbean and our other cruisers have been longer. This actually made for a much livelier atmosphere at night in the bars and the casino rather than the graveyard atmosphere of a couple of X cruisers we’ve done

 

One downside though is the effect the free drinks package has had on some customers. I have never – even on RC and even on the one and only Carnival cruise I did – seen a situation where, on 3 occasions, people had vomited due to excessive alcohol. This is not hearsay – once I saw a woman stagger into the restroom and heard the results (yes, gross!), once the entrance to the dining room had to be cordoned off and then again on the last night at the Martini Bar.

 

General stuff: Officers are far more visible and far more friendly on Celebrity – I can’t even remember seeing an officer wandering around on Allure. X still has those nice touches – eg cold towels on deck and on embarkation. Celebrity beat Royal hands down with their daily Zumba classes – a fantastic addition to the X ships. Unfortunately both seem to be upping the sell sell sell mentality – leaflets, messages on the phones, messages on the stateroom TV, people pushing restaurants/spa/sales – both lines as bad as each other.

Having said I don’t want to get too long winded look what happened – oops, sorry :o

 

Having read back over this I seem to be a Royal champion, which I certainly didn’t set out to be, as we felt we’d moved on to Celebrity as the cruise line which was our best fit. Perhaps it’s because the Allure does actually seem to be a step up from our other RC ships – or that our X experience was a step down from previously. Either way we’ll be sailing them again – already booked with both. :)

[MMOMOM]

Bobal, what a great review! Thank you! We actually 'do' like Royal best .... but also having said that, we've not done Princess or Celebrity either. We've not been on the Allure, but her sister ship the Oasis also just 'blew us away'!! We've been on a few Voyager Class ships, the Freedom and Oasis. Still love the Voyager Class tho. When Freedom came along I thought it just a little too big but surprisingly, did not feel that way about Oasis. I still find it amazing how with so many people on board, you just never feel crowded at all .... and the embarkation and debarkation process was swift and done well too. We loved our one experience on HAL's Eurodam and honestly feel Carnival is a good value. We just took a last minute (booked 10 days out) on NCL's Epic and have to say I'm just not a big fan. To be fair, after talking to a lot of people on board as well as many staff, I think it's the ship, not the line. The crew and service were great, but both my husband and I kept saying ... back to Royal!! LOL!! However, we had a wonderful time and got a great 'deal' which is why we went in the first place. I still want to give X a try tho .... it's seems lovely. It's so nice to read other people's experiences, especially given in a fair manner ... thanx!

[footer6]

I'm surprised by the number of posts that claim that S Class ships have insufficient storage space. We spent 11 days on the Reflection in July. We unloaded two rolling suitcases and two carry-on bags. Everything fit. No trouble and no clutter.

[RJL58]

Loved your review Bobal,

 

I have sailed on both ships more than once and would go again in a a heartbeat.

 

How did you manage the upgrade....and did you you us the BOGOF on the 1st night for 150......

[villauk]

Thanks for the review. We were pleasantly surprised by Oasis too (before we sailed, we thought we would feel it was too big - how wrong we were ;)).

 

We're doing a similar sailing next month: Silhouette followed by Indy. What means of transport did you use between the ships on changeover day? Thanks :).

[drarill]

Excellent review!! Thanks for sharing your comparison with us.:):)

[uktog]

Great review, I think you are tempting us to an RC experience;)

 

Although previously fans of the lawn, given how the cabanas encroach on it and how much was out of bounds last week/ how few activities were scheduled on the lawn, if that is how the lawn will be in the future then, take it out

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review and comparisons.

[Bobal]

Loved your review Bobal,

 

I have sailed on both ships more than once and would go again in a a heartbeat.

 

How did you manage the upgrade....and did you you us the BOGOF on the 1st night for 150......

 

We noticed the upgrade 10 days before our sailing when I went into the website to look at our booking. No notification, just a change of cabin from a D1 to a JS - presumably because we're D+

 

We did use the BOGO for 150 but didn't eat there on the first night. We just went along on the first day and asked if we could apply it to a night later in the week if we paid that day and they agreed. If you don't ask you don't get ;)

[Bobal]

 

We're doing a similar sailing next month: Silhouette followed by Indy. What means of transport did you use between the ships on changeover day? Thanks :).

 

We explored all options beforehand via these boards - in fact I think you may have been part of one of the discussions on a thread which I promised to post back on.

 

We asked on the ship about transfers between ships and were told they would only do it between RC ships. Having looked at the pathway between the ships it would have been impossible to walk.

 

We asked the taxi driver who dropped us at the port whether they do transfers for such a short distance and he said no problem but to tell the driver before we got in the car as on a meter it would only cost about $4 but drivers then have to leave the port and rejoin the taxi line back in. He said they usually charge a $10 fee.

 

This is what we did when we got back in and the driver was grateful we told him before he set the meter running and charged us a $10 fee.

[sddsddean]

We're thinking of doing the Allure later this year. How did you get on with the booking system to see shows etc? Do you have to do it, or were there plenty of 'unreserved' seats 10 minutes prior to start?

 

Simon

[Bobal]

We're thinking of doing the Allure later this year. How did you get on with the booking system to see shows etc? Do you have to do it, or were there plenty of 'unreserved' seats 10 minutes prior to start?

 

Simon

 

We booked all our shows in advance and they were released a long time before we sailed. The only shows which were 'sold out' were the comedy shows. All other shows had spaces, but you may have to sit right on the edge of the theatre.

 

Having said that the first 6 Aqua shows were cancelled and there will still plenty of spaces at the first show which they managed to do as that was the one we attended.

 

If you don't want to pre-book all of them, I would definitely pre-book Comedy and perhaps Chicago, just to get the times you want.

[sddsddean]

Thanks. Supplementary question...do you book to just get let in the theatre or do you book specific seats?

 

Simon

[Bobal]

Thanks. Supplementary question...do you book to just get let in the theatre or do you book specific seats?

 

Simon

 

Just to get let into the theatre. And you have to be there at least 10 minutes before the performance starts as they then start to let in those who haven't booked.

[Rn4val]

Loved the review. Will be able to compare ourselves. I was on Oasis last August and loved it and going on Solstice in May. So I will have my own comparision. Thanks again for your review