First time RCL cruisers

[fiasco6]

Good morning. We are booked on the Allure of the sea for September. I have put a lot of thought into this because we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and this is our first cruise just as a couple. We have cruised many times before but never with Royal Caribbean. I am curious to know who thinks we may be disappointed since we cruised with Disney on the Fantasy two years ago? Last year we did Holland and were honestly disappointed (after previously enjoying that line). Have we set the bar too high? I appreciate any feedback, thank you !

[champagne123]

Happy Anniversary. IMO....I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Allure is a GREAT ship with soooo much to do (or not, if you choose). The Oasis/Allure are IMO the best ships on the sea. I have never been on a Disney cruise (too expensive for us), but I really think you will love the Allure. PLUS....you picked the best time of the year!!! Kids are back in school and the weather is gorgeous!

[marys350]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! My best advice when trying a new cruise line is to enjoy the ship as a new experience and not compare every little thing to your previous experiences. Every cruise line and ship has its strengths and weaknesses. Go into this cruise with a positive attitude, expecting to have a good time. Unfortunately, people who expect to be disappointed usually are. Allure of the Seas has many positive reviews. There are also several recent reviews of Royal Caribbean ships by people who have taken Disney cruises in the past and were pleasantly surprised. Enjoy your cruise.

[frawnsay]

Allure will be our first "Royal" experience as well. From all of my research (CC, RCBlog, YouTube, etc.), I think we will be spoiled all week long! There is so much to do--seven days might be enough, if it weren't for those port stops [emoji12]

 

Happy Anniversary!

[fiasco6]

That's great advice-thank you!

[fiasco6]

How's the motion on the ship? We are considering upgrading to a balcony after reading many reviews about how you can loose your sense of being on the ocean since the ship is so large BUT...this may mean we give up our midship cabin. In your opinion,does location matter? Neither of us suffer terribly from motion sickness but we've definitely felt it more the last couple of cruises so would like to be smart when picking a location .

[Clarea]

How's the motion on the ship? We are considering upgrading to a balcony after reading many reviews about how you can loose your sense of being on the ocean since the ship is so large BUT...this may mean we give up our midship cabin. In your opinion,does location matter? Neither of us suffer terribly from motion sickness but we've definitely felt it more the last couple of cruises so would like to be smart when picking a location .

The ship may be large, but it is still infinitesimal compared to the ocean, so the motion depends much more on the sea and weather conditions. I'd go for an oceanview balcony on decks 8 through 12.

[JaniceB]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I think a cruise is great way to celebrate an anniversary!

[Amtrac]

The ship may be large, but it is still infinitesimal compared to the ocean, so the motion depends much more on the sea and weather conditions. I'd go for an oceanview balcony on decks 8 through 12.

 

 

 

If you take Dramamine or bonine or use the patch before you experience any motion issues you should be fine. We have done a few hundred cruises and have never been ill.

 

 

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[scottygirl]

Good morning. We are booked on the Allure of the sea for September. I have put a lot of thought into this because we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and this is our first cruise just as a couple. We have cruised many times before but never with Royal Caribbean. I am curious to know who thinks we may be disappointed since we cruised with Disney on the Fantasy two years ago? Last year we did Holland and were honestly disappointed (after previously enjoying that line). Have we set the bar too high? I appreciate any feedback, thank you !

 

We are taking our first Royal cruise this Saturday on The Anthem of the Seas. The Disney Fantasy was hands down my favorite cruise! I am going in with a positive attitude and going to try not to compare but just go with the flow and enjoy the experience.

[MSUFan5]

We (me, husband and 2 teenagers) loved the Oasis class and went on our first RCCL at spring break 2016 while the 2 previous spring breaks were on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Yes, we loved Disney cruising but were more impressed with the layout of the ship. There were so many more activities but the nighttime activities were much better on Oasis. I do agree with the weather conditions and location might dictate the rocking of the ship but we did not feel much movement on Oasis compared to the 2 Disney ships. When we went we didn't compare it to Disney, we looked at it as a new experience. Enjoy!!!!!

 

 

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[Wivian]

Good morning. We are booked on the Allure of the sea for September. I have put a lot of thought into this because we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and this is our first cruise just as a couple.

 

 

This could be my writing :D

We're going on the Allure on September to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Never been on a big cruise like this!

 

Happy anniversary to you!

Our date is next Friday! :)

[ansoninc]

I am currently on Liberty of the seas deck 6 mid ship balcony. No motion problems.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

If you are disappointed..you are easily disappointed....RCI is great. Yes..Disney is, too..but any cruise line will suit for a CRUISE...

[fiasco6]

Happy Anniversary to you too!

[fiasco6]

We (me, husband and 2 teenagers) loved the Oasis class and went on our first RCCL at spring break 2016 while the 2 previous spring breaks were on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Yes, we loved Disney cruising but were more impressed with the layout of the ship. There were so many more activities but the nighttime activities were much better on Oasis. I do agree with the weather conditions and location might dictate the rocking of the ship but we did not feel much movement on Oasis compared to the 2 Disney ships. When we went we didn't compare it to Disney, we looked at it as a new experience. Enjoy!!!!!

 

 

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This is great-thank you!

[BEENSAILING]

Good morning. We are booked on the Allure of the sea for September. I have put a lot of thought into this because we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and this is our first cruise just as a couple. We have cruised many times before but never with Royal Caribbean. I am curious to know who thinks we may be disappointed since we cruised with Disney on the Fantasy two years ago? Last year we did Holland and were honestly disappointed (after previously enjoying that line). Have we set the bar too high? I appreciate any feedback, thank you !

 

I am a big fan of the larger Royal ships but they don't go everywhere we want. The Allure has so many great things to offer - The Aqua theatre water show is great!!! Mamma Mia! in the theatre is an extremely well done production. Great Solarium. Ice shows - lovely to watch (bring a jacket - its cool temps in there...) Central Park, the Tides bar (you don't have to drink on it - you can ride it from bottom to top or top to bottom.) You can have a great time and not spend extra money during the cruise - you can bring 2 bottles of wine (or since its an anniversary - maybe one should be a champagne.) Carry on the bottles rather than send thru your check in luggage. Your stateroom attendant can get you ice. Room service will bring you a deeper ice bucket for white wine or champagne. Get glasses from room service or just go to any bar and get wine or champagne glasses and bring back to your stateroom. Make sure Royal has in your reservation that you are celebrating your anniversary - pick a night and you will get a special desert (and maybe some waitstaff singing) in the dining room.

Happy Anniversary!

[fiasco6]

I am a big fan of the larger Royal ships but they don't go everywhere we want. The Allure has so many great things to offer - The Aqua theatre water show is great!!! Mamma Mia! in the theatre is an extremely well done production. Great Solarium. Ice shows - lovely to watch (bring a jacket - its cool temps in there...) Central Park, the Tides bar (you don't have to drink on it - you can ride it from bottom to top or top to bottom.) You can have a great time and not spend extra money during the cruise - you can bring 2 bottles of wine (or since its an anniversary - maybe one should be a champagne.) Carry on the bottles rather than send thru your check in luggage. Your stateroom attendant can get you ice. Room service will bring you a deeper ice bucket for white wine or champagne. Get glasses from room service or just go to any bar and get wine or champagne glasses and bring back to your stateroom. Make sure Royal has in your reservation that you are celebrating your anniversary - pick a night and you will get a special desert (and maybe some waitstaff singing) in the dining room.

Happy Anniversary!

 

Great advice,thank you!

[chanat]

We have only cruised Carnival and Princess once each. Have cruised 14 times on RC and love the Oasis/Allure. The shows are awesome and my DH is very sensitive to motion and esp loves these big ships bc the motion is minimal. Would like to try Disney but is too pricey for us. The only thing I find annoying on the big ships is the elevators are full at times and you will have to wait longer than on other ships. We try to use stairs as much as possible but when too tired or in heels will wait for elevator? Also, the Windjammer often has a line but we have never waited more than 10 to 15 mins. The only good thing about that is you will def. get a table after waiting where on other RC ships we have had to wait for a table after getting our food. Enjoy!

[BillOh]

Good morning. We are booked on the Allure of the sea for September. I have put a lot of thought into this because we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and this is our first cruise just as a couple. We have cruised many times before but never with Royal Caribbean. I am curious to know who thinks we may be disappointed since we cruised with Disney on the Fantasy two years ago? Last year we did Holland and were honestly disappointed (after previously enjoying that line). Have we set the bar too high? I appreciate any feedback, thank you !

 

I've ready many reviews of people who have done just what you are doing and had a great time. While any cruise can be just what you make it, I think you won't have to try hard. I enjoyed my 30th and 33rd on Allure and 35th on Oasis.