Allure review with a family

[trudisneylover2]

Hello! This is my first review and wanted to give back for all the wonderful reviews I read before our Allure cruise. A little about out family, it's me, my husband, daughter, 10, son, 7, and daughter, 5. We went with a group of people, ranging from 2 1/2-77 yrs. old. :D I'll also do a little comparison with the Disney Dream

First we flew in a day early and stayed at the Renaissance, highly recommend it. There were stores and restaurants in walking distance, with Walgreens across the street, so if you forgot anything, easy walk to get it. We used All Star Transportation, someone on here recommended them and I do too. They were easy to deal with and reasonably priced.

Sunday's here!!! Yeah!!! We drive to the port and check-in. Everything was very easy and well organized. We were on the ship by 11:45 as Gold members. Some positive points about the terminal was they had a kids area to play and drinks and snacks to purchase.

So we get on the ship and with our group, there were a couple of us who took the lead to get some stuff done, reservations for specialty restaurants, phones, kids clubs, drink package..... So here's where I went wrong!! Everyone here on Cruise critic said get phones right away!!! But even with all the research we did, its still a little overwhelming, so we got to the phones about 1 hour after we were on the ship and there were no phones left. :( In addition, you have to get them in the card room (I think deck 14), so GO right away!!! Hopefully they'll fix this problem, with the large ship, it would be nice to have the phones, especially with kids too. So, we got our reservations, drink packages, and signed the kids up for the kids club. So, here's my opinion on the drink package... my husband and I both got the 55. drink package and I don't know if we made out or not, but I did like not worrying, "What's my bar bill going to be?" So for us, it worked.

So we all go to our rooms and get set up, then off to Muster drill, and Sail away party with Dreamworks. Loved the sail away party, great way to start the vacation with our children!!

Day 2: the Bahamas: we choose the dolphin encounter at Blue Lagoon. We took a little ferry ride to the island and we all LOVED it!!!!! It was adorable, kids loved it, except, my little one, she wouldn't do it, but laughed as she watched. The beach there is great too!!!!! quiet, not many people and you can pay and play on a bunch of blow up toys they had in the water. We didn't do that because we did not have enough time. I highly recommend doing this island. I loved in 100 times better than the Atlantis. Back to the ship....... We had two 5 year olds and two 10 year olds in our group, the 5 year olds wanted to go to the kids club, so we brought them and they loved it :)

so here's one negative..... The main dining room..... unfortunately the first couple of nights the food was not that great :eek: I got the "classic" steak the first night and didn't eat it at all, I ate everything else though, so I was ok. The second night did not seem to impress my group either.... As the cruise went on the food got better, but my parents and kids liked the windjammer buffet better.....

So after dinner, we went to see Oceanaria....AMAZING.... Do not miss it!!!! everyone loved it!!!!

Day 3: At sea: today the kids wanted to do everything... zip line, flow rider, rock climbing, pool, How to train a Dragon show, and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. They had fun doing it all. My older children were reluctant to go to kids club. My oldest finally went to the sports deck with the club and had fun. That night I brought kids the to bed and others in my group went to the Bow and Stern, this was our spot to meet, we loved it and our waitress knew our names by the middle of the week.

I have to stop here to get kids ready, I'll be back...... Hope I can help someone with my information...

[trudisneylover2]

Ok, so I have a little more time. So Day 4: St. Thomas, we decided to go on our own and head to St. John's, Trunk Bay.so we get a taxi for 30 minutes, go to the ferry, get a taxi for about 20 minutes and end up at Trunk Bay. and its beautiful, however, I think all Caribbean beaches are beautiful. Also, our husband's got lunch and they waited a long time!!! Then we head back, with a taxi, ferry and taxi ride. Sooo, we had a great day, lots of laughs, but I don't think I would travel to St. John's again with a large group and/or kids. They would of been just as happy at Megan's Bay. We all wanted to see something different and I was very curious to see St. John's. I have no regrets about it and the kids had fun, especially with all the twists and turns, they thought they were on a roller coaster.

So this night, everyone went on their own to eat dinner, and this is where the phones could of come in handy. I used post it notes, as you all advised, but did not work because my friends did not go back to their room to see the note. We went to windjammer, my friends went to Rita's Cantina, (they couldn't find us) and our single friends did dinner in the main dining room. Everyone was happy with where they ate.

So, I confused my days a little, my daughter went to kids club this night. sorry! but regardless she had fun :)

Then we all met up at ............... Bow and Stern :).

Just realized.... I forgot to tell you that I and my friends saw the Love and Marriage and it did not disappoint. We had some good laughs!!! Sorry, I'm jumping around a bit :eek:

So that night we left it up to the men to pick what we would do at St. Martin............ :p

Day 5: St. Martin... and the men picked "Tiki Hut" snorkel. Well, they did a good job!!! The kids and adults loved it. A short ferry ride, right outside the ship. Its on a barge with a roped off area to snorkel, with a helicopter, airplane, and something else for the fish to hang out. They had a diving board, that the kids had fun with and lunch for a reasonable price.

As a side note, my youngest daughter did not want to go after my husband bought tickets, he went to guest services and they were great, no problems and refunded money.

WE go back to ship and have dinner in the main dining room. This night was better and finally I convince my middle guy to try kids club. The two youngest ones were going and we had them picked up and dinner, This is GREAT!!! I know the Dream does this too but they do for the second dining, as Royal does for the first dining. SO, off they go!!! We go to check on him and he is LOVING it!!!! Actually, said, "that he wished he went sooner!!!"

And a side note again, the kids club have little shows that the kids put on, that are adorable!!!! I think the first night was the circus theme and they dress kids up and put face paint on them.

I think this is the night that I went to see Quest with my friends, so funny!!! again it did not disappoint. I thought Ken Rush was great! He seemed confident and really enjoying his job! I give him two thumbs up :D

I have to stop again, but hopefully can finish soon :)

[Cruisegirl6]

Nice review and thank you.

 

I do have some questions a few of them I ask everybody that came back from the Allure because many people have different opinions and experiences:

 

1- What type of cabin did you have and on what deck, what was the cabin number...did you find in the middle of the night the cabin on the warm side?

 

2- You mentioned somebody did the specialty dining arrangements, didn't they have anybody as soon as you walk on the ship taking reservations to the specialty restaurants?

 

3- Were there coffee makers in the room?

 

4- Do you have to have kids to get a phone? What is the charge for the phones?

 

5- What place for lunch did you usually find yourself eating at?

 

Thank you.

[trudisneylover2]

Day 6: We went by the pool in the AM, the kids enjoyed the whirlpool and splash area. Then the kids went ice skating and got ready for the kids club. WE went to Chops this night with the adults, wonderful dinner!!!! We all enjoyed it, the kids had a great time at club and then we went to pick them up to see Blue Planet. SO, most in my group did not enjoy Blue Planet. I thought it was fine, my oldest daughter enjoyed it, my son did not and my little one slept. Going back, I probably wouldn't mention the show and let them stay in the kids club because they were having fun but wanted to see show. So, off to the Bow and Stern... Kids go to bed and I went to the casino. This wasn't my first trip to the casino. I enjoyed the casino. I'm on nonsmoker so stayed on the non-smoking side, the smoke from the other side did not bother me at all. I was a winner :) That made the trip even better!!!

Day 7: Our last day :( Kids didn't want to go to pool so we got breakfast and hung out then went to the Dreamworks show at the Aquatheater. Again, adorable!! Loved it and kids loved it!! Then we hung out at Boardwalk until dinner. Had our last dinner in the main dining room, not too bad.

Just a couple of little things I forgot to mention in the day-to-day activities:

1. We did go to the Boardwalk often because they had the festivals everyday, which was great, they had games, popcorn, cotton candy, the carousel. I personally loved this ares.

2. LOVED Central park, so peaceful and nice. My friends discovered Vintages Sangria, highly recommend it, it was delicious, wish we discovered it sooner.

3. My kids did the cupcake decorating and LOVED it, it was cute, cupcakes were tasty, very sweet frosting though.

4. With regards to the extras you pay for, they did not bother me because you don't have to get anything and no one pushed you to buy anything.

5. Every crew member was kind and went out of their way to make you feel good.

6. The ship was clean and there is a Purell machine every spot you go.

7. We got two towel animals, I know its not necessary but did miss them, I always enjoy a surprise when you get to your room.

8. loved Park Cafe in Central Park, which I went sooner, I was confused with the "park" something in the promenade, many of you on Cruise critic mentioned the Park Cafe, but I didn't realize it was in Central Park, next time, heading there first :)

Overall, My family LOVED this ship and would do again in a heartbeat!!

With regards to comparing it to the Disney Dream, The Disney Dream is wonderful!!!! I'm a Disney lover!!! We went twice and my kids enjoyed it!!!

With regards to the kids club, Disney's is beautiful open area with lots to do and Royal's is separated into ages, I was nervous about this because of my middle guy, but honestly I think the separation works out well. the kids club is able to gear the activities specific to the age group.

I do love how Disney has three different dining rooms and I think the food was better on Disney, and they catered a little more to specific requests.

Disney has princesses all around and Royal has Dreamworks characters all around, both great n my eyes.

Also, I forgot to mention Royal had a character breakfast that was great and fun and the waiters really took to our kids :) Disney does not have a char. meal, which would be nice. PS, our waitress on the Disney Dream was wonderful too!!

So, my personal opinion is if your children are into Disney, try the cruise at least once before they grow out of it, and if not, go for the Allure. also, each ship has their own gems and enjoy them all!!!! I also think the Allure is great for a big group of people!!! It has something for everyone to do and every moment. They had wonderful activities for the kids, from drawing, parades, pools, karaoke, etc.

almost forgot, my niece went to the nursery and LOVED it too, she wanted to go back and my sister regretted not putting her in earlier.

I think that's it, :D if you have any questions, I would be glad to answer :) Have fun planning your next cruise!!!! I know I will.

[trudisneylover2]

1- What type of cabin did you have and on what deck, what was the cabin number...did you find in the middle of the night the cabin on the warm side?

 

We were in 11158, please do not flame me!! Royal put us in this room and I did not know it was handicapped accessible until after, I tried to switch it and kept trying but could not because we are a family of 5 and all those rooms were booked up. The room was fine with regards to temperature until my kids turned the switch, so no compaints

 

2- You mentioned somebody did the specialty dining arrangements, didn't they have anybody as soon as you walk on the ship taking reservations to the specialty restaurants?

 

There was no one waiting with clipboards and the woman at guest services told me I had to go to Chops

 

3- Were there coffee makers in the room?

 

I don't think there was a coffee maker, but you can go right to deck 5 and get coffee, that is inculded

 

4- Do you have to have kids to get a phone? What is the charge for the phones?

 

We could not get the phones at all, I personally would of tried to get on e phone per stateroom and share them, I think they were 35. for the week

 

5- What place for lunch did you usually find yourself eating at?

 

we went all over, the boardwalk hot dogs, the park cafe and my parents enjoyed the windjammer :)

[MomToPrincePhillip]

Thanks for the review. I look forward to the rest of it. We are just back from the NOS, we've been on the Disney Fantasy and it just didn't compare, we new it would be different and tried not to compare the two but the service just wasn't the same. We did wonder how it might compare on the larger ships so I look forward to your take on that. My DSs loved the kids club too, it seemed like they go more personal time with the staff in the clubs than they did on Disney.

[Cruisegirl6]

Disneylover I certainly don't flag you, in fact, last month we went on a cruise booked up just two weeks in advanced and didn't have much choices on cabins, in fact, we always got a balcony cabin but there were none so we chose the best outside stateroom on what we feel was the best deck on the ship, we found out it was accessible just days before we left. I immediately called Carnival and they said it would be fine that if they needed the room (which at that time it was so close to my cruise they felt nobody needed it) they would have to move me or another person that was in a handicapped room and not special needs. If this happens cruise lines have to give you the same or better cabin. Don't feel bad these things happen and cruise lines allow them.

 

I assume the "switch" is next to the bathroom, is it different from the other switches, in other words, how will we know other than the ac going off that its the main switch? (is it larger/smaller, different color/shape?)

 

That is unfortunate that they had nobody taking specialty reservations when you board that you had to go to each individual dining room, this is what I dread because we have reservations at four different restaurants, were not able to get a table for 7 because my daughter and her bf were in a different group booking, so we had to get two tables, but have to now go to each restaurant to let them know we want to sit together ugh lol.

[trudisneylover2]

I'm curious which ship is NOS? I loved the big ship, I really thought the service was great, one big difference is the second time we cruised on the Dream, our waitress was one of a kind and she catered to all needs/wants. I really think overall the kids were happier at the kids club on Royal and I felt there was so much for them to do. It really depends on your child's interest, but I would give the big ships a try if you can.

[trudisneylover2]

The switch for the temp. was actually a round switch and very easy to turn. With regards to the specialty dining, we were able to link our reservations together, we had 6 rooms in our group and I could add any reservation and reserve the restaurants for them. You just need their reservation number. Or can you try to call before you go on ship?

[Clarea]

I'm curious which ship is NOS? I loved the big ship, I really thought the service was great, one big difference is the second time we cruised on the Dream, our waitress was one of a kind and she catered to all needs/wants. I really think overall the kids were happier at the kids club on Royal and I felt there was so much for them to do. It really depends on your child's interest, but I would give the big ships a try if you can.

Navigator of the Seas.

[trudisneylover2]

ooooh, thank you! I wasn't sure. Never been on that ship, only the Rhapsody of the Seas and Now the Allure!! :)

[BekkaW]

That is unfortunate that they had nobody taking specialty reservations when you board that you had to go to each individual dining room, this is what I dread because we have reservations at four different restaurants, were not able to get a table for 7 because my daughter and her bf were in a different group booking, so we had to get two tables, but have to now go to each restaurant to let them know we want to sit together ugh lol.

 

You can't do it in the promenade but you don't have to go to each restaurant, just to one and they can do all your bookings there. Even if you did go to each restaurant, they're all within about 50 meters of each other in Central Park.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure you will be able to get your dining sorted out easily once you board :)

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you Bekka!

[trudisneylover2]

It's me again! I forgot to mention that the ship never felt crowded, even if it was a little crowded by the elevator, you can just walk up or down one flight of stairs and catch it there. There are 12 elevators on each end. Also, with regards to the ship rocking, to me it felt the same as any other cruise ship, we did have rough waters the last two days and you could feel it, talking with a couple of crew members though and they said the big ship handles the waters better. I know these questions are asked frequently in cruise critic. Thank you and hope you enjoyed my little review :)

[trudisneylover2]

I'm trying to post some pics for you but every time it uploads to 100% and then says there was an error. Any hints of what I might be doing wrong?

[jticarruthers]

We did Allure in late March, there were a handful of "Waiters" on the promenade on embarkation day trying to do Specialty Dining reservations, we ended up going up to Chops where there was no line and doing all of the reservations we wanted at Chops.

 

Phones are first come first serve to anyone who wants them (but there aren't a lot). For our cruise you had to go to the Card room on deck 14 to get them.

[laedw]

Did you get an opportunity to ride on the bar while having a drink? That was one of my favorite bars.

[trudisneylover2]

I knew the phones were first come first serve, just didn't realize how quick they would go. No big deal, next time, I'll just run to deck 14 ;)

That's great that they had some waiters in the promenade for the specialty dining, we didn't see any and I believe it was guest services who told us to go up to the restaurant but it was very easy.

[trudisneylover2]

We did get to do the rising Tide bar once and enjoyed it!! So much to do and not enough time, I think two weeks on the ship would be great ;) Also, I forgot to mention that we did the piano bar one night and that was nice too! The piano player also had a nice following at his piano.

[trudisneylover2]

http://s1310.photobucket.com/user/dcwilly51/library/cruise

[trudisneylover2]

Just an FYI, I bought the photo disc and when I got home to look at it found that all the pictures had borders on them. As much as I do enjoy the borders, I don't like them in all my pictures. I'm in the processing of trying to get a new disc but I'm having little success. Nobody mentioned that the borders were included and I know that they can removed because someone in my group had the border removed for the pictures he bought.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[roe2ship]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Can you give me some detail information regarding the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter? Did you book though the cruise line? Ferry rides and times, etc. Do you know if one in your party does not purchase the encounter, how it works with the ferry ride and beach time? I can't decide whether its really worth the cost with such short port times in Nassau.

[2kiddomommy]

Following along.....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[trudisneylover2]

We did book through Royal Caribbean, the prices were: Deluxe beach break is 65. p/adult and 49. p/child, infants were free. The dolphin encounter was 132. p/adult and child, and the dolphin swim was 215. per adult and child. We got up first thing and were off the ship VERY early. Walked out of ship and the ferry was a very short walk, right off the dock. Ferry ride was 20-30 minutes. the ride was nice, they served drinks and food on the ferry (for a fee), on the way home you see all the big beautiful houses, Oprah's house was pointed out to us. Everyone in your party does not have to participate with dolphins. They can do the beach break and hang out there and/or even watch your party interacting with the dolphins. I'll try to describe the island the best I can. Its a nice a small area, serves food, there are shops, and they serve drinks. There seemed to be two areas of the beach one side, we were on, had three big floats in the water for people to relax and/or kids to play on ;). The other side, which I assuming is included in the Deluxe Beach Break, had about ten huge floats, with slides, and lots of fun things. Also, they have hammocks to relax on and they have a ton a games (corn hole, checkers, horse shoes, etc.) On the island they have a board that tells you what time the ferry leaves, I think we went on the 12:15 ferry. Even with the dolphin encounter, we had about 2 hours to relax by the beach. We did not eat lunch there, so I can't comment on the food. Drinks were good though :D If you don't do the dolphin encounter you have about 4-5 hours there, also when we were there, it was very quiet and not busy. At about 11:30, another cruise ship came in, but the island was still quiet and peaceful. Personally, I thought it was well worth the money and would do it again in a heartbeat. We all left the island, saying next time we come we'll do the dolphin swim, but I would also do the beach day. I think its a private island, you don't have to deal with people trying to sell you stuff. I hope I answered all your questions, if you have more, I would be more than happy to answer them :)

[roe2ship]

Thank you so much for the information, it is greatly appreciated.:)