Allure Oct 5-12, 2014 Trip Review

[dp203]

Thanks for the review! My family will be making the same trip soon, so I'm always happy to read how other people found their experience.

 

So which were the 'hot' machines in the casino? I promise not to tell anyone else. ;)

 

 

Unfortunately the machines we usually play, Sex and the City and Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers, were in the smoking section! We played a few rounds with no luck on those. Non smoking side we had some luck (which of course we donated right back to the casino) on a More Hearts and Count something machine that were right next to each other a row or two over from the cashier. Good luck!!!

Edited October 13, 2014 by dp203

[linedancer]

I just double checked and it looks like we got twenty off the first night and then twenty off the back end when we did all three. We had booked chops and Giovanni's prior to leaving through the online reservation system. We booked Rita's fiesta day of. They had people walking through the promenade getting people to sign up for the fiesta. It was no trouble at all.

 

I don't know if you can help me, but maybe someone here can. If I book the specialty restaurants on line, can I then use my D+ coupon to get the BOGO dinner on the first night? Will they give me back the credit? I know I don't get the 20% off plus BOGO, but the other two traveling with us would get the 20% off. I hate to book it on line and then can't use the coupon, but if I book on line I can get the time I want.

 

Irene

[Clarea]

I don't know if you can help me, but maybe someone here can. If I book the specialty restaurants on line, can I then use my D+ coupon to get the BOGO dinner on the first night? Will they give me back the credit? I know I don't get the 20% off plus BOGO, but the other two traveling with us would get the 20% off. I hate to book it on line and then can't use the coupon, but if I book on line I can get the time I want.

 

Irene

Yes, they will let you use your BOGO coupon if you book online. They will give you a credit on your onboard account.

[linedancer]

Yes, they will let you use your BOGO coupon if you book online. They will give you a credit on your onboard account.

 

Thanks

[A Pisces]

Thank you for taking the time to do your review. It was Excellent, with a good amount of details!

Edited October 13, 2014 by A Pisces

[BillOh]

Lunch -- Windjammer. Crowded with a bit of a wait to get in. They were waiting to sit people and would walk you to a table. This was the only day we saw this and it definitely backed things up a bit. The selection of food was okay, this was my least favorite dining venue on the ship.

 

Interesting, they keep trying different things, but never sticking with them. The WJ on the Oasis class seems to have the smallest # of seats to# of passengers so its hard enough to find a table at peak times. I was there they seated me and when I came back to my table 5 minutes later someone else had taken it. We elected to breakfast at Johnny Rockets or the MDR. I don't know about the waiting in line outside part, that could work, but I'll bet there are a lot of couples eating at tables for 10 while you wait in line. (Maybe not)

[martini_guy]

Nice review! I was on this cruise too.

 

Had a nice time but wasn't as satisfied with the food as you were but everyone has different tastes.

 

The free wifi for an hour (and then extended another hour) was nice. It wasn't the fastest but was great to be able to download all of my emails.

 

I found the debarkation to be much longer than I expected but it's hard to judge based on one cruise, they really did seem backed up. Either way I still easily made it to my 12:15 flight at FLL.

Edited October 13, 2014 by martini_guy

[dp203]

Nice review! I was on this cruise too.

 

Had a nice time but wasn't as satisfied with the food as you were but everyone has different tastes.

 

The free wifi for an hour (and then extended another hour) was nice. It wasn't the fastest but was great to be able to download all of my emails.

 

I found the debarkation to be much longer than I expected but it's hard to judge based on one cruise, they really did seem backed up. Either way I still easily made it to my 12:15 flight at FLL.

 

Thanks! I agree that the food wasn't up to par as past cruises that I've been on, however, there were still plenty of yummy things to eat. We are not big MDR fans to begin with so we only ate three dinners in there. One (formal night 1) was poor. The other nights were okay, definitely edible but not amazing by any count. However, I found the appetizers in the MDR to always be delicious. Both the escargot and bay scallop gratin were delish (though not sure how anything dripping in butter couldn't be fabulous) and I really enjoyed the bite of my mother's shrimp goyza main, which while small was one of the best tasting things I ate all cruise. I found the specialty dining to be much better quality food wise, both of our meals in Chops and Giovanni's were on par with NYC restaurant quality food (though I will note I was not a fan of the pretzel bread or tater tots in Chops).

 

Anytime I was served something that wasn't tasty, I was actually a bit happy since I knew I would have more room for an additional cheesecake lollipop. :)

 

We remarked on our cruise survey that we thought MDR and Windjammer were lacking and hopefully they will step it up on future cruises.

[snorkelman]

About the food, one of my ongoing critiques is that the "cheesecake" always sucks. I have sailed on the Allure 4 times, including last week with OP and I was pleased to see that on deck 5 (Cafe Promenade) they have cheesecake lollipops, which were much tastier than then weak cheesecake offered in the windjammer.

[martini_guy]

Thanks! I agree that the food wasn't up to par as past cruises that I've been on, however, there were still plenty of yummy things to eat. We are not big MDR fans to begin with so we only ate three dinners in there. One (formal night 1) was poor. The other nights were okay, definitely edible but not amazing by any count. However, I found the appetizers in the MDR to always be delicious. Both the escargot and bay scallop gratin were delish (though not sure how anything dripping in butter couldn't be fabulous) and I really enjoyed the bite of my mother's shrimp goyza main, which while small was one of the best tasting things I ate all cruise. I found the specialty dining to be much better quality food wise, both of our meals in Chops and Giovanni's were on par with NYC restaurant quality food (though I will note I was not a fan of the pretzel bread or tater tots in Chops).

 

Anytime I was served something that wasn't tasty, I was actually a bit happy since I knew I would have more room for an additional cheesecake lollipop. :)

 

We remarked on our cruise survey that we thought MDR and Windjammer were lacking and hopefully they will step it up on future cruises.

 

I agree that their strong suits were the appetizers and desserts in most cases. Towards the end I did give up and just got the steak from the "classics" menu and it was decent, maybe 7/10.

 

Sorrento's was a pleasant surprise for me too when they did have fresh slices available with the toppings that I liked.

[gaiamother]

I would love to know more about the Culinary Tour you took in Falmouth. We leave on Dec. 14:). Thanks so much for the review!

T

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[lotus land]

I would like to hear more about the culinary tour in Jamaica. Planning on doing this on our Feb/15 Allure trip for 8 of us.

 

 

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[sunsetswizzle]

Great review!!..we were on 7th floor too and our friends were in 7116 and part of the WPT! After 22 cruises, this was the most fun and entertaining! Awesome captain!!

We disembarked self assist and we went off with no wait at all, took about 30 min to get to the car in the parking lot. We had been to Labadee before, so we went to Sandbar Island getaway..what an experience..relaxing, not crowded..a fun boat trip over and back and beautiful! In Jamaica we did Martha Brae river rafting and enjoyed it tremendously! The Jamaican lunch afterwards was very good! In Cozumel we swam with the manatees...that was awesome!! Still wishing we were there!!

Edited October 23, 2014 by sunsetswizzle

[dacsmom]

Loved the review, I was on the same sailing and had a wonderful time. Those cheesecake lollipops were tasty weren't they. I alternated between them and the pink lemonade tarts. The only drawback was debarkation, we did not get get out of the port until almost 12:00. I was talking to some of the crew about the two periods of free wifi and it seems they were testing out the new system and went through a dry run. It worked out well for the passengers.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoyed your review. Sounds like you had a great time.

[dp203]

I would like to hear more about the culinary tour in Jamaica. Planning on doing this on our Feb/15 Allure trip for 8 of us.

 

 

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I would love to know more about the Culinary Tour you took in Falmouth. We leave on Dec. 14:). Thanks so much for the review!

T

 

Sorry for the delayed response but I was in LA for a dear friend's wedding! The Culinary Tour was fabulous and a highlight of the trip. It is run by Jamaica Culinary Tours: http://jamaicaculinarytours.com/tours/view/falmouth_food_tour_868291713#.VFAHGskhAmQ. It was $45/pp, which I paid in advance through the site, and lasted about three and a half hours. We meet at 11 am Jamaica time (one hour behind ship time) at the information booth in the center of the shopping area in the port. From there we visited our first stop in the port area (delicious fresh fruit and sugar cane) and thereafter we walked out of the port area into Falmouth town. We made several stops at local vendors and had fresh beef patties, jerk chicken, coconuts, and some delicious baked treats. The whole thing was probably a mile and we never felt unsafe. The tour guides were in control of the group the entire time and seemed to know everyone in the town. It was very hot that day, low 90s with little cloud cover and both my mother and I burned. I would definitely recommend slathering on some sunscreen and wearing a hat if you take the tour. It was a unique trip that combined two of my favorite things: history and eating! Let me know if you would like any additional information.

[dp203]

Loved the review, I was on the same sailing and had a wonderful time. Those cheesecake lollipops were tasty weren't they. I alternated between them and the pink lemonade tarts. The only drawback was debarkation, we did not get get out of the port until almost 12:00. I was talking to some of the crew about the two periods of free wifi and it seems they were testing out the new system and went through a dry run. It worked out well for the passengers.

 

I need to break my cheesecake pop habit next time and try the lemonade tarts! They also looked delicious. Interesting about the wifi, I felt that it took a few minutes longer than it should have to log on but it worked smoothly for me once logged on.

[Yorkvillain]

Great review. I love the way you break it down.

[dp203]

Great review!!..we were on 7th floor too and our friends were in 7116 and part of the WPT! After 22 cruises, this was the most fun and entertaining! Awesome captain!!

We disembarked self assist and we went off with no wait at all, took about 30 min to get to the car in the parking lot. We had been to Labadee before, so we went to Sandbar Island getaway..what an experience..relaxing, not crowded..a fun boat trip over and back and beautiful! In Jamaica we did Martha Brae river rafting and enjoyed it tremendously! The Jamaican lunch afterwards was very good! In Cozumel we swam with the manatees...that was awesome!! Still wishing we were there!!

 

Sounds like you had a great time! I think we will try self assist next time as regular disembarkation was a pain this time. We loved the captain too! Thought he had a great sense of humor and was very approachable.

[spearmint]

Thanks for your review; it is appreciated.

[lotus land]

Thank you for the review. We will be doing the Jamaican Food Tour on our Feb. Allure trip - so excited.

 

 

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