Allure B2B **Double** Trip Review 5/4/14 - 5/18/14 (lots o' pics)!!!

[AZAficionado]

 

The view back from Dragon’s Lookout Point and a shot of the path back.

 

 

We were lucky enough to score a cabana at Nellie’s Beach. It was worth it, especially since it was really hot and humid. Naturally, the cabana comes with a cabana steward, Franklin who made sure we had everything we needed.

 

 

Refreshments began with Labadoozies (no, not Labradoodles – think drinks, not dogs). Island flavors, frozen, rum, what more could you want? Later we switched to beers. Notice the use of limes as a garnish? No lime shortage on this cruise.

[AZAficionado]

 

We lounged during the morning. This was our view of Nellie’s Beach, nice. You don’t need water shoes here. Of all the beaches, I think I like Nellies the best.

 

 

Lunch was the standard Labadee/Cococay barbeque. I went for the cole slaw, german potato salad, hamburger and a pork rib. All very good.

 

 

After lunch, we wandered to see some of the sights. There are plenty of places to see and things to do. I’ve been coming here for several years and each year they seem to add something new. For those who are mobility-challenged, or find the humidity stifling, or are lazy, or have had too many drinks of the day, there is a tram.

 

 

The first aid station. Hopefully, nobody will need to use this place while on vacation. And the kids’ water park, similar to the H2O Zone on board.

[AZAficionado]

 

This is Adrenaline Beach on the eastern side of Labadee. In the water there are some rocks, so water shoes are not a bad idea. Also, looking back at Dragon’s Lookout Point from Adrenaline Beach. Yea, that is someone on the zip line, which looks amazing.

 

 

Here is where they start. It is pretty high up and I’ve heard the ride on the truck is a little scary.

 

 

This is the far end of Adrenaline Beach.

 

 

The local Haitians give dance performances. I think this stage and theater are fairly new.

[AZAficionado]

 

This is Columbus Cove on the far west side of Labadee. It is a great place to hang out. There she is, Lady Allure. But the kids left all their toys out in the yard again…

 

 

Back on board, we hit Boleros for Patron Perfect Margaritas. I’m not sure about “perfect”, but they certainly didn’t suck. We also took advantage of our late dinner time for some $6 blackjack in the casino. That didn’t suck either – it was lots of fun without costing a fortune.

 

For reference, here is the Boleros menu:

 

[AZAficionado]

 

We hit the Champagne & Martini Bar for a Bombay Sapphire martini and Cosmopolitan. I’ve been a big fan of the Champagne bars from the first one I went to on the Monarch of the Seas back when she was the biggest thing afloat (she has not been decommissioned, but instead sent down to the minors with Pullmantur). Sadly, the one on Allure is slotted to be refit as an R Bar. Sigh.

 

 

Cosmopolitan and Bmobay Sapphire martini.

 

 

Then it was dinner at Giovanni’s Table, which was very good. We started with the antipasti for two (no pic – it’s basically cold cuts, cheese, and grilled veggies).

[AZAficionado]

 

We had the Veal and Osso Bucco, both were outstanding.

 

 

Dessert was the Cannoli (chocolate mousse) and Tiramisu. Fish, barrel, delicious, ‘nuf said.

 

The menus at Giovanni's:

 

[AZAficionado]

 

 

 

We decided to enjoy a drink at Rising Tide. This place is pretty good as a bar, but terrible as an elevator, especially if you are in a hurry. However, you’re on vacation. What’s the rush? Have a drink, relax.

[AZAficionado]

 

Next stop, Deck 8, Central Park, Chops, Vintages, ladies lingerie…wait, not that last one. That’s on deck 5. You’ll have to ride the bar back down to deck 5 – have another drink while you wait… And enjoy the view of the ceiling.

 

 

Later on, we went to Escape (sponsored by Malibu). It was in the Solarium and had a pretty good turn out. Worth checking out, if nightclubs are your sort of thing.

 

We messed our stateroom attendant up by changing our schedule (sorry, Kelroy), so he didn’t make a towel animal and turned down the room before we got dressed for dinner. No problem, mon! Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about Jamaica…

[SolsticeAZ]

Did they serve appetizers every night in the Champagne Bar or just on formal night?

It was every night. More food...just what I needed :eek:

 

Enjoying your joint reviews and photos, DW and I have a Jr. Suite booked this Oct. on the Allure doing the E Car., last year we did the W Car. on the Oasis.

Thanks! Enjoy your cruise:).

[SolsticeAZ]

Day 3: In Which We Sweat

 

Now that AZAficionado has told you all about Labadee, I will continue my “amenities” theme, this time for the cabana. Five bottles of water, two loungers, a couch in the back, ceiling fan, two electrical outlets in the back if you need to charge something, and a very attentive attendant. On a very hot day, all of this was much needed and appreciated.

 

 

I got to sweat again after leaving Labadee, when as we got ready for dinner, I managed to lock the safe with the wrong combination and could not get it open. Worse yet, after a couple of tries to get it open, it began flashing an error message and emitting a piercing alarm. Panic attack time. I called maintenance, and the nice gentleman on the other end told me to wait in the cabin, and someone would be up in about 20 minutes. More panic – we had dinner reservations in 20 minutes!! But what could I do?? Answer: we waited less than five minutes and a maintenance guy showed up, fixed the safe in about 10 seconds, and kindly showed us the list of people who had done the exact same thing that evening. It was NOT a short list. Crisis averted. However, the maintenance guy did recommend that AZAficionado not give me the new combination.

 

Dinner was at Giovanni’s Table, excellently described by AZAficionado. We ordered the Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella, which was spectacular. It had an earthy aroma, and flavors of plum and leather. Delicious.

 

 

We later moved on to the Rising Tide bar, where I enjoyed a glass of Caymus Conundrum. The orange blossom aroma translates into a beautiful flavor of tropical fruit, making this one of my favorite white wines.

 

 

SolsticeAZ's Art Corner

 

 

 

[IrishLassie]

LOVING your review & your pictures are GREAT !

 

Can you tell me if any of the bars do a Happy Hr.? Having been on Oasis twice, I don't recall them having any & at some point we want to do Allure.

 

Thanks again for this great review. :D

[AZAficionado]

LOVING your review & your pictures are GREAT !

 

Can you tell me if any of the bars do a Happy Hr.? Having been on Oasis twice, I don't recall them having any & at some point we want to do Allure.

 

Thanks again for this great review. :D

I'm really happy you are enjoying it and thanks for the kind words.

 

As for happy hour, there are specials from time to time in the bars - all are listed in the Cruise Compass. I believe this is true for every ship in the fleet. Some examples from various days:

 

Sunset Martini Hours (20% off) in Schooner Bar, 5-8 pm

Nightclub Happy Hour (BOGO select cocktails) in Blaze 10-11 pm

Martini Madness (BOGO 1/2 price martini & top shelf) in Viking Crown 9 pm-late

Mojito & Margarita Special (20% off) in Boleros 4:30-7:30 pm

 

I think the only bar doing a special every day is the casino bar, but even then the times and offers change from day to day.

[SolsticeAZ]

LOVING your review & your pictures are GREAT !

Thanks! As I go through my photos, I'm blown away by how many of them came out great, since I wasn't even trying half the time. Thanks, iPhone!

 

Can you tell me if any of the bars do a Happy Hr.?

Since my better half gave the more serious answer, I can respond with: isn't every hour at a cruise ship bar a happy hour?? Or does that make me sound like a drunk?

[IrishLassie]

Thanks for the info about the Happy Hr's to both of you, and yes your right! Any time you can be on a cruise is HAPPY HOURS !! :D

 

Looking forward to more of your review & pictures.

[mszmek]

Your review is amazing!

 

We were already thinking about doing a B2B on Allure in 2016; now I am convinced that would be the best idea!

[mjwcruising]

AZAficionado & SolsticeAZ ,

I am on post 78 and want to say I totally agree with SuitCaseBears:

 

Best Review Ever!

Love the effort you've put into organizing things - all the food stuff together, activities together, then chronological. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And having started several reviews and then not finishing them, I am in awe of the effort you've put in.... and the humor.

Thanks:):D

 

I am definitely looking forward to finishing this review and then looking up your Freedom review and reading it.

[mjwcruising]

 

We lounged during the morning. This was our view of Nellie’s Beach, nice. You don’t need water shoes here. Of all the beaches, I think I like Nellies the best.

 

 

Can those blue sun "shades" be rented? If so, how do you go about renting one?

Edited May 26, 2014 by mjwcruising

[b&wcruiser]

Windjammer Marketplace (Deck 16 Aft)

 

 

For those of you who are nautically savvy, the name is a little misleading. On most (all?) other classes of RCI ships, the Windjammer is at the front of the ship, "jamming" into the "wind". On the Oasis class, you'll find the Windjammer at the back.

 

Great review, great pictures, but I dont now any RCI ship with the windjammer in the front, they are all in the back.

[purplethorn]

Can those blue sun "shades" be rented? If so, how do you go about renting one?

 

they are free... just ask the attendant there to set them up for u

I was soooo excited they were free i did a little dance because it was. hot out

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[kmkristianson]

Thank you for such a great review! Helping pass they days! Your photos are great and love the commentary!

 

More please!

 

 

Karen

[AZAficionado]

Thanks for the info about the Happy Hr's to both of you, and yes your right! Any time you can be on a cruise is HAPPY HOURS !!

 

Looking forward to more of your review & pictures.

You are most weclome!

Your review is amazing!

 

We were already thinking about doing a B2B on Allure in 2016; now I am convinced that would be the best idea!

Thank you for the kind words. If you do a Caribbean B2B, I think West then East is the way to do it because you get a few sea days at the end to recover. But that's just me.

I am definitely looking forward to finishing this review and then looking up your Freedom review and reading it.

I'm glad you are enjoying it. You'll find a link to the Freedom review in my signature.

Can those blue sun "shades" be rented? If so, how do you go about renting one?

they are free... just ask the attendant there to set them up for u

I was soooo excited they were free i did a little dance because it was. hot out

There's your answer. I've heard mixed reviews on those. Some say they are fantastic because of the shade. Others say your roast because they block the breeze.

Great review, great pictures, but I dont now any RCI ship with the windjammer in the front, they are all in the back.

Soverign class and Vision class ships (7 total ships in the fleet) have the Windjammer at the bow and the Vitality Spa at the aft. Newer ships swapped that configuration.

Thank you for such a great review! Helping pass they days! Your photos are great and love the commentary!

More please!

Thanks for the kind words. As for more, here you go:

[AZAficionado]

Day 4 - Falmouth, Jamaica

 

 

What's happening today:

 

 

[AZAficionado]

 

 

Welcome to Falmouth, mon! I’ve cruised to Jamaica several times and each time I did the same thing. This time, I figured I’d try something new. Luckily, RCI had something new for me to try – Red Stripe Beach. It is an excursion through the cruise, which isn’t normally my thing, but it looked good.

 

 

This was our chariot for the 7 minute ride. Seriously, the beach is a few minutes from the port, so you don’t kill a huge chunk of your day in travel.

 

[AZAficionado]

 

A very nice beach looking either direction. We rented a couple of loungers ($5 each). They didn’t have umbrellas, which was too bad. There was shade, but it was first-come, first-served. If you are planning to do this excursion, pick the early time. This way you’ll be on the first buses and get you choice of spots. By the time the second wave arrived about an hour later, all the shade was mostly gone.

 

 

They had a few beach shacks for bathrooms, a small shop, changing rooms, and bar. And the menu of food and drink.

 

 

Where they cook the food, or make the magic – however you want to see it. Lunch was jerk pork and jerk chicken. Both were very flavorful, but not the best I’ve had. Of course, there were plenty of Red Stripe Lights to wash it down.

 

Overall it was a gorgeous day and the beach was plenty popular. Ok, review time: In previous visits, I’ve gone to Montego Bay, Doctor’s Cave Beach, and the Pork Pit. Red Stripe Beach was the “one step down” version of all that. The beach was very nice, but not like Doctor’s Cave. The food was good, but didn't compare to the Pork Pit. However, the up side was far less travel time and less worry – going to Montego Bay is a trip you do on your own. Another upside was that we were able to get in a full day of beach and still have time to enjoy Falmouth.

 

So, if you want the optimal Jamaica experience, go to Montego Bay and enjoy. If that is just too much for you and you want the next best thing, go to Red Stripe Beach.

[AZAficionado]

Some of the sights from the Falmouth port shopping area.