Allure of the Seas - August 21 to 28 2016 - Trip Notes

[Yankee123]

I wanted to thank everyone at Cruise Critic for helping us plan the great cruise we just had. Without the information I gathered here, either I would have been lost on board or would have missed out on everything that we could have / should have done. I will say that we were able to do everything that we were aware of and that we wanted to.

 

I am very bad with reviews or keeping notes or even taking pictures for that matter. Most of our pictures were taken with our smart phones. I still wanted to share our experience (to the best of what I recall) and maybe someone might benefit from this blurb of our trip. Hopefully someone will catch something that they hadn’t planned on. Again this is not a review but feel free to ask and if I have an answer I will try to respond. I will be all over the place because I am writing as I recall what is important to share.

 

We (DW and I) travelled with our DS (9) and DD (4). Took me sometime to actually understand those acronyms – lol. My FIL and MIL decided to join us on this cruise also. All of us have sailed before but all our sailing were with NCL. We have sailed on Pride of America, Pearl, Dawn and Epic. This was our first cruise with RCCL and we were really excited to try Allure – go big or go home right??? For those interested, she is a beautiful ship and we LOVED it. I had read that one week is not enough to do everything but in my opinion, if you plan right, you CAN do everything. We did everything we planned to and more.

 

Just as an FYI, after reading all the reviews here, we had pre-booked everything we wanted to do. We had pre-booked and prepaid for dinner at Sabor, Giovanni’s and Izumi. You cannot prepay for dinner at Sabor as it is a la carte but we made reservations online. We had booked and prepaid for boogie board lessons for my DS and I. We also booked and prepaid for the cupcake decorating classing for my DD and DW. We had the DreamWorks character breakfast reserved. Other items that we had pre-booked and prepaid was the Dragon Flight Zipline and Aqua Park at Labadee and all the shows that we wanted to see (Comedy, Ice Games, Ocean Aria, Headliner, Blue Planet). We also booked and prepaid for the “All Access Ship Tour”. Finally we had booked and prepaid for our spa reservations also. We had purchased the unlimited print pictures and USB online. Oh I forgot, we also prepaid our gratuities. Prepaying for these items helped us plan for these costs and getting them out of the way so we wouldn’t have a sticker shock at the end of the cruise. When we reserved our cruise we got the Voom package for free (as part of the deal). We didn’t know if it was just “Surf” or “Surf and Stream” but for us it was the “Surf and Stream”. Voom is amazing (as already mentioned by many). I should also mention there are no reservations for the “How to Train Your Dragon” on Ice show. They are listed on the cruise compass and first come first seated bases.

 

Many people have mentioned that the ship never felt crowded. It’s true – I don’t know if the ship was full to capacity or not but it never ever felt crowded. Never saw the rush at any place, not when getting off the ship at any port or getting back on, not at dinner, not at activities or entertainment – never. Even when we were disembarking, we had a comfortable breakfast at the Windjammer and then went back to our room and waited for our time slot. When we got downstairs our number had already been called and we walked right off. We collected our luggage and the line for immigration/customs took maybe five minutes - if that.

 

For Giovanni’s and Izumi – when we made the reservation online, we had to pay full (adult) price for the kids. When we got to the restaurants and mentioned that we had prepaid for our dinner, they immediately refunded us the adult price for the kids and charged us $10 for the kids at each restaurant.

 

With all the cruise compass posted online we had an idea of the daily activities we had an idea of when the DreamWorks characters would be available for pictures, and when the flow rider and zip lines would be open plus all the other activities. Can you tell I like to preplan a lot?

 

I had wanted to board later in the day to avoid the crowds and be able to eat peacefully at the Windjammer Marketplace, but the family did not want to wait. We checked out of the hotel at 10:00 and had to go to the airport to return our rental car. We then requested an XL car via Uber to port everglades. We arrived at the port around 10:45. We immediately passed our luggage to the porters (tipped them) and went inside. I would like to add that if you do not have your luggage tags (stapled or taped), don’t worry, the porters have luggage tags and they will tag them for you. Another note, is that we had a case of water bottles and they tagged them also and it was delivered outside our room with the rest of the luggage.

 

After we got inside, the terminal looked busy but everything went very fast. There was no one waiting in line and we were immediately routed to the next available agent. She checked us in and got our cards and asked us to follow the line to wait to board the ship. When we got our cards, we also got a card with the Voom access code. For those who pre purchase this (or get it for free), once onboard, after you connect to the Royal Wi-Fi, open the browser, select the language and then toward the bottom of the page there is a link for “I have an access code”. Select this link and it will ask you to enter the code that you received earlier and voila, you are done. The one slight annoying thing is that when we got off of the ship at every port, after a certain amount of time, we were automatically disconnected from the Royal Wi-Fi and had to go through this process again. Not a nuisance but slightly annoying.

 

For those who are new and don’t know after you take your pre-boarding pictures, families with kids are routed to a line (which was very fast and short) were our kids got their wrist bands with their muster station listed. After that we were directed to a seating line but we could already see people being asked to board. We had barely sat down for 5 minutes (if that) and it was our turn to board.

 

After we boarded and the awe of the promenade had settled down, I had read in one of the reviews that we should go to guest services and get our activity bracelet. The activity bracelet is a wrist bracelet that you can get which will give you access to the flow rider and wall climbing and maybe other stuff. From my understanding (and I could be wrong), this is for all activities that require a waiver form to be completed and signed. We had filled out the waiver form online and it was on our records that we had it completed. With the activity bracelet they didn’t scan our cards at the flow rider or the rock climbing wall every time. Unfortunately guest services was unable to provide us with the bracelet and asked us to go to the flow rider area later where they would scan our cards and gave us the bracelet. This was an easy process later. We then head over to the kids club and had our kids registered with them in different groups.

 

Now we were ready to tackle the Windjammer. When we got there, there was a line coming down the half the stairs of people waiting to get in. I knew there are other places to eat on board the first day but the family wanted to eat there. I don’t know if it was our luck and that’s how it is, but we couldn’t have waited more than 5 to 7 minutes. Someone kept coming out and looking for a certain number of people. After five or so minutes he shouted if there was a party of 6 and that was us. The place was packed but comfortable. Alright – I know this has been said a few times online but I will write it also – Food is subjective – We think that NCL does buffet better than RCCL. I am not saying that it wasn’t good, I am saying that NCL does it better. We always found something to eat and are not complaining about the variety or quality of food. If anything, we always over ate.

 

While we are on the subject of food – Windjammer did change the variety of its food but not too much. On the nights we went they had a crepe station one night, pasta station another, lamb chops one night, and shrimp one night and they changed the Indian food menu also with different options and variety. They did have fried chicken one day also but I am not going to list the menu here – lol.

We had breakfast here every day. For those who don’t know they do not have an omelet station here but they do fry eggs sunny side up constantly. With that said, they did have a different variety of omelets every morning, one side was ham and the other was different vegetables like parsley or green pepper and so on. For omelets made your way you can go to the main dining room, Solarium Café, or Wipe Out Café. There may be more places, but these are the places where we dined.

 

For lunch we always got a sandwich or salad from the Park Café (in Central Park) or Café Promenade (Promenade). We preferred the Park Café for lunches and snack from Café Promenade.

 

Again, in our opinion, we didn’t like the donuts from the Boardwalk Donut Shop. To each their own, we tried it once, and checked it off our to do list.

 

The Ice-cream and cupcakes from the cupcake shop were OK. Nothing to really visit a second time but better than the donuts in our opinion.

 

Popcorn was sold at various places on the ship for $2.50. It just regular popcorn.

 

Giovanni’s food was good. I have had better Italian food, but the food was good. We enjoyed our meal and finished everything. Now the service – I couldn’t begin to tell you how OUTSTANDING their service was. There wasn’t anything they wouldn’t do for you. Ask politely and they will bend over any which way you ask. Just because of their service we would recommend everyone to try it at least once. We now wish we had dined there a second night or maybe even try their lunch menu. I guess next time.

 

Sorrento’s is easy cheap Pizza. Our kids ate there almost every day in the evening. They always had one slice but it was small and easy food. Do not expect this to be a fancy Pizza place. They will make you a fresh pie with the ingredients you want upon request. All the ingredients that they have are in front of you. It took maybe 20 minutes for the fresh pie.

 

We had Dream Works character breakfast. The menu was plenty but we were really there for the kids and characters. The characters that came out where Shrek, Fiona, and Puss in Boots. It was nice for the pictures but you will have an option to take pictures with them throughout the ship. Check the cruise compass. If I had to do this all over again, I would skip the breakfast and just look for the characters around the ship, but it was a good one time experience. This was held at the Silk dining Room.

 

Sabor – Alright, without trying to piss off people – the service here was also very good. The food in our opinion was not worth it at all. We didn’t like one item on the menu. I wouldn’t recommend it, but then again we found others on the cruise who enjoyed their meal there. So this one is up to you.

 

Izumi – we had the hibachi here. The show was OK – they try very hard and their service is very good. The food was OK also, naturally we have had better hibachi on land – but for the entertainment and for the ship, we would visit this venue again on our next cruise.

 

With all my research of location and cabin type, we had reserved an ocean view balcony port side in between mid and aft of the ship on deck 12. The reason for deck 12 was higher deck for less ship movement and we had staterooms above and below so noise would not be an issue. Let me add that this ship did not feel like it moved at all. Not once did any of us feel the ship movement and on multiple occasions all of us joked that we missed the slight rocking back and forth. A surprise for us was that without realizing we had the extended balcony on deck 12 and LOVED IT. We did spend a lot of quality time on the balcony. Our neighbor was a smoker, but we crossed paths only twice. The first time she smoked, we ignored her but on the second night I voiced that you could not smoke on the balcony and she quietly went inside. I knew she smoked on the balcony but she made sure we were never there. I wanted to complain but in my opinion it wouldn’t have been worth it.

 

Shows are subjective also and just because I enjoyed a show or not doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go judge for yourself. I would recommend to go see all the shows that you would like and be the judge yourself. We are close to NYC and have seen a great amount of Broadway plays. We have also seen at least 12 or 13 different Cirque du Soleil shows over the years, so we have been spoiled with entertainment. With that said, if you do not have access to Broadway shows than please go see all the shows. They are entertaining. If you are as spoiled as we are, still go see the show as it is entertainment but don’t expect to be WOWed.

 

My DW and DD thought that the cup cake decorating class was fun and was a great first time experience and quality time with DD. They allowed my MIL to sit in and watch as there were empty seats.

 

The All Access Tour – I was contemplating this for quite some time for the price. My verdict is that if you haven’t done this and have the money to spare, go have fun. It was very informative and we got to see a lot. I am not going to mention what we visited as some people might be scheduled to visit soon and the surprise would no longer be there. I will mention that you have to walk a lot. I mean a lot. Be prepared. You do need full pants and close toe shoes. Make sure to wear something comfortable. If you are on a budget and this isn’t the top priority, then use the money elsewhere. We thought (our opinion only) that it was worth it one time and it’s a great way to appreciate all the hard work that gets done day in and day out by all the workers to please all the guests. There is so much done behind the scenes, so many people you will never see, so many positions you never knew, so many……. and the list goes on. If only people knew how many crew members work so hard all day long, then they wouldn’t remove the auto gratuity. I now understand why so many people get upset at people who remove the gratuity – I should stop here as I am getting off topic.

 

My DW and MIL enjoyed their spa experience. They were pushed to purchase additional stuff that would make their lives so much better but after so many spa experiences they know better how to politely refuse and walk away – lol.

 

I did miss the cigar lounge from NCL. I only smoke cigars and I only smoke on vacations. I am by no means a seasoned smoker at all. We could only smoke cigars on the pool deck port side (if I recall correctly). We were not allowed to smoke cigars at the Casino. What made me laugh (only because I don’t drink) is that the bar close to where you can smoke cigars on the pool deck closes at 9:00 PM. Every night we got there, the bar was closed which seemed to piss off a lot of smokers. They had to get their drinks from other places. It didn’t bother me at all.

 

The only recommendation I have for everyone is – planning is key. If you want to experience everything and not miss out on the ship, do your homework and plan. I know I will get criticized that you are on vacation and take things easy. I agree with you, if that’s what you want then great. We wanted to experience everything Royal had to offer on this ship and thus we planned accordingly.

 

We always noted the times when the activities were open and we got lucky that the weather was great and my kids got to try everything they wanted to do multiple times. We did the zip lining, rock climbing, carousel, sports deck, table tennis and on and on and on….

 

After this all is a blur, the week flew by. Before we knew, it was day 7 and time to get off.

 

Please feel free to ask questions about the ship or our experience. If I can answer, I will and I am sure the gurus here will help also. I hope our experience helps someone else.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Thank you for sharing your awesome cruise!!!! It was very interesting and sounds like you did get to try everything!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[lisabbscott]

Thank you for your review! I really enjoy reading the reviews and I learn so much. Did you do the western or eastern itinerary? Did you do any excursions?

[jamesr3939]

Thanks for the review, we are sailing her for Halloween with DS, DIL, and two GD's (4 & 2). We missed the ice show on our last Oasis cruise. Is it worth it and can we RSVP or just show up?

Edited September 1, 2016 by jamesr3939

[Yankee123]

Thank you for your review! I really enjoy reading the reviews and I learn so much. Did you do the western or eastern itinerary? Did you do any excursions?

 

We were on the Western itinerary.

First stop was Labadee - we did the Dragon Flight Zipline and I he Aqua Park. My wife and I were very comfortable with the Zipline and we were not scared at all. It is 450 feet high and less than 1/2 mile long from what I recall. I might have heard him wrong. The aqua park is hard. It is tough but a lot of fun to play on those inflatable toys. We spent the rest of the time on the beach.

 

Second stop was Falmoth Jamaica and we did a city tour with Real Tours Jamica. It was a waste. The service and tour company are great and I will recommend them but don't do a city tour, do to Dunn Falls or Secret Falla.

 

Last stop was Cozumel, Mexico and again we did a city tour with Tours Plaza. The same applies here, absolutely nothing to see in the city and it was a waste but the service was great. I would recommend the tour company.

[Yankee123]

Thanks for the review, we are sailing her for Halloween with DS, DIL, and two GD's (4 & 2). We missed the ice show on our last Oasis cruise. Is it worth it and can we RSVP or just show up?

 

We enjoyed the ice show. It was monopoly themed. The kids loved it. I recommend reserving the show because there was a huge line for the wait list of people without reservations when we showed up. When we went inside the place was almost full. I don't think everyone waiting made it in. Granted the venue is small.

[cruzin76]

Thanks for the review a lot of good info.Do you have any advice when are the best times to zip line onboard.

Edited September 1, 2016 by cruzin76
Forgot to thank you for review

[Yankee123]

Thanks for the review a lot of good info.Do you have any advice when are the best times to zip line onboard.

 

Thank you for reading

 

The line (waiting time) for Zipline onboard was always reasonable. We went on the Zipline four times each. The wait was always five to seven people ahead of us and we waited at least 12 to 15 minutes each time. In my opinion the best time was when it opened in the afternoon at 2:15. Nobody was waiting and the one time we went at 2:10 we were the first people in line. The line started after others realized that the Zipline had opened again. Hope this helps.

[easyboy]

Thanks for your review.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[packercruising]

Good review, thank you!

[seetosea]

We were on also. I liked your review and as you stated, many things are subjective.

 

The best advice you gave was "The only recommendation I have for everyone is – planning is key." We second that.

 

I think if more people did that they wouldn't be disappointed.

 

Jackie

[cruiser82]

Thank you for your review, especially the information about the ziplines onboard and on Labadee as my mom and I are planning to do both.

[Yankee123]

Thank you for reading and the kind words.

 

I have received a great amount of information from these boards. All questions were always answered here.

 

Just as an FYI for those who want to zipline, please wear closed toe shoes. We saw a lot of people get turned away who didn't have the correct shoes.