Mike sails the Western Caribbean on the Allure!!!

[Yorkvillain]

Great review!

 

I could go for one of those brownie/fudge things right about now.

[lovelife]

And I could go for the fried chicken!

 

Thanks for all the work put into this review. It is appreciated.

[unseemlygamer]

Sunday, July 17 - Disembarkation and travel day

 

I got up by the time we got into port. By 7:30am, we were off the ship, and we boarded a taxi to Miami airport. Of course, it rained during the ride.

 

Our gate was rather far from security. While Dad was elsewhere, Mom and I took the skytrain to our gate.

 

Boarding began at 9:25am. Mom and I were onboard by 9:35am, but Dad got some coffee before embarking.

 

 

An old plane - a 767-300 from 1992 to be exact. Definitely not the kind of plane I'm used to, but at least I had more legroom.

 

 

We were scheduled to take off at 9:55am. Departure kept getting delayed further and further - due to mechanical problems of the plane. At 11am, we still weren't in the air. So delayed, in fact, that they deplaned us around 11:15am.

 

Toward 11:45am, they announced that the problems were fixed, and that re-boarding would begin as soon as possible, but due to something wrong regarding the crew, this happened:

 

 

<insert Italian expletives here>

 

At least they were providing free snacks and drinks at the gate.

 

 

While we were stuck in the airport, I kinda went around the terminal a little bit. During this delay, there were times when Mom and I distracted each other with Airplane quotes:

 

"Nervous?" "Yes." "First time?" "No, I've been nervous lots of times."

 

"A hospital? What is it?" "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."

 

"Surely (we'll take off soon enough, etc.)." "(I don't know when we'll take off, etc.). And stop calling me Shirley." We made up so many scenarios out of that quote.

 

"What do you make of this?" "This? I can make a hat, or a brooch, a pterodactyl..."

 

"You can't take a guess for another two hours?"

 

"Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home."

 

They started re-boarding at 1:45pm, and by 3, we finally were in the air. I played some games on my 3DS and Game Boy throughout the flight.

 

It wasn't the smoothest of flights out there, but we landed at 5:25pm. Our luggage didn't take terribly long to arrive. We were home by 7:30, and so the vacation comes to an end.

 

Vlog for the final two days:

 

But it's not over yet! I still have yet to post an overall review of this trip. Stay tuned for that!

[riclop]

Hey guys, just tonight I came home from a western Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas.

This sailing went to Cozumel, Falmouth and Labadee - but usually it's the other way around. I went on this cruise with my parents as my big high school graduation gift.

 

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mike. I am 18 years old going on 19 in August. I live in Pennsylvania - about 65 miles north of Philly, and I have 2 sisters - Nicole (age 20) and Jessica (age 33). Just like the last cruise I was on, neither of my sisters went on this one - it was just me and my parents.

 

Some of you might remember the last cruise I was on, when I sailed the Eastern Caribbean for my 18th birthday. If you didn't see that, you can check it out right here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2248578

 

I will be reviewing this cruise, and I will also be editing vlogs to put up on my YouTube channel - MichaelsiCast.

 

If you remember my Eastern Caribbean review on the Oasis last year, I have some differences between that cruise and this cruise to point out:

- Nothing was hectic at the airport this time, and my luggage didn't get lost again ;)

- I hadn't been on the Allure before, but I'm not going to extensively tour it, because as of May 2015, the Oasis and Allure have become more identical, aside from a few small differences.

- I didn't get trapped on deck again! 😅

- The flight home from this cruise was even more delayed than last time 😖

 

So I hope to get started on this review and the vlogs by at least tomorrow morning. Stay tuned! :D

Can't wait.

[deanman02]

Loved the review, pics, and videos! Thank you!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[unseemlygamer]

Loved the review, pics, and videos! Thank you!!

 

I've still got some things to wrap up this review. Stay tuned! :D

[katiel53]

The restaurant is in an enclosed section of the Solarium and is air conditioned.

 

Thanks so much. You are definitely a wealth of info.

[jimbri]

Great review and photos!

[unseemlygamer]

The ship: This was my first time on the Allure, but I've been on the Oasis three times in a row, and to me, aside from some small differences, they're pretty much the same ship. Nevertheless, they're both fantastic ships.

 

Our cabin: We all stayed in room #1726, a Crown Loft Suite. Now, how could you go wrong with one of these suites? But last time I was on the Oasis, I was in an inside cabin myself, and my parents stayed in a Grand Suite. Admittedly, during this cruise I missed having a nice, comfortable room to myself.

 

The shows: I didn't see Mamma Mia, but I thought the shows that I did go to were fantastic - even more so than the shows I went to on the Oasis, for that matter.

 

The people: This class of ships is pretty crowded. There definitely were a lot of Spanish-speaking guests onboard. Everyone was really nice - definitely including the crew. And I don't think I'll ever forget Sandy and Joe, or the Norwegian family I met.

 

The ports and excursions: In Cozumel, the ruins of San Gervasio were a great stop, and Punta Morena was fantastic as well. Falmouth was probably my favorite stop of this entire cruise. The Green Grotto Caves were interesting, but Dunn's River Falls, hands down, was the best experience, and sans a GoPro in one hand, I'd totally climb the falls again! Labadee wasn't much aside from a beach day, but maybe we'll do more next time we go there.

 

Would I cruise on the Allure again?

 

This was my fourth consecutive time on an Oasis class ship. My dad seems to like this class of ships the best. Maybe he might consider taking us on the Harmony for one of our next cruises, but I personally think that next time, I'd feel a little more comfortable on the Freedom or Voyager-class.

 

Thanks so much to everyone who enjoyed this review of my Western Caribbean graduation gift aboard the Allure, and of course my vlogs! I sincerely hope to hear from you again in the near future!

[lincur25]

Thanks for the great review!!

 

 

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