Easter Week on Allure of the Seas ~ April 16-23, 2017

[LisaLisa87]

Oh my gosh, I was just studying your Cruise Compasses and noticed that your headliner was Ronn Lucas! I am so jealous! (He is a ventriloquist and did a special on tv back in the 80's when I was a wee one...we had recorded on VHS, maybe even Beta, hah...and I must have watched it 100 times!)

 

OMG -- now that you say that, I remember him too! Wish I had made the connection while we were on the ship. :loudcry:

[Velvetqueen]

We returned on Sunday from the 4/16 Western sailing on Allure. It was our first time on an Oasis class ship and hopefully will not be the last! We stayed in a 1-bedroom ATS on deck 11, and both the room itself and the Sky Class perks were fantastic. I'll share my thoughts about our experience over the next few days. To get things started, here are links to our Cruise Compasses:

 

Allure Western - Day 1

Allure Western - Day 2

Allure Western - Day 3

Allure Western - Day 4

Allure Western - Day 5

Allure Western - Day 6

Allure Western - Day 7

 

Hi Lisa,

 

 

Thanks so much for posting the cruise compasses we are departing in July and this is exactly what we were looking for to help us plan. Two questions, day 2 seems to have a duplicate page and was missing the day time activities was this missing from your coy as well?

 

 

Is there any chance you or anyone else have a the adventure ocean program sheets? I know they have some of it listed on the compasses and can work with that if not :)... Thanks again for your review.

[LisaLisa87]

Hi Lisa,

 

 

Thanks so much for posting the cruise compasses we are departing in July and this is exactly what we were looking for to help us plan. Two questions, day 2 seems to have a duplicate page and was missing the day time activities was this missing from your coy as well?

 

Is there any chance you or anyone else have a the adventure ocean program sheets? I know they have some of it listed on the compasses and can work with that if not :)... Thanks again for your review.

 

Hi Velvetqueen. You're correct! I accidentally scanned the first page again instead of the last page. Here is the correct page 6:

 

 

Since my DD is 13, we got the Teen Compass (for ages 12-17). I'd be happy to scan it if anyone is interested.

[The Grumpus]

We returned on Sunday from the 4/16 Western sailing on Allure. It was our first time on an Oasis class ship and hopefully will not be the last! We stayed in a 1-bedroom ATS on deck 11, and both the room itself and the Sky Class perks were fantastic. I'll share my thoughts about our experience over the next few days. To get things started, here are links to our Cruise Compasses:

 

Allure Western - Day 1

Allure Western - Day 2

Allure Western - Day 3

Allure Western - Day 4

Allure Western - Day 5

Allure Western - Day 6

Allure Western - Day 7

Thanks for posting these!:)

[NSinMG]

I'm enjoying your report. Lots of great information.

[Cel_cruise]

I would love to see the Teen Compass if you still have it!

 

 

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[wolfegizmo]

Thanks for posting the daily planners!

 

 

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[LisaLisa87]

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm finally caught up on laundry. :)

 

Fun Off the Ship

 

LABADEE

When we booked this cruise, the first stop was Cozumel and the last was Labadee. At some point, those two ports were swapped. Normally I like the private island stop on any cruise to be last, but Cozumel worked out just as well this time as it was actually the more relaxing of the two days.

 

We had booked the zip line way in advance via the Cruise Planner, but the other family we were traveling with wanted to try the Dragon's Tail Coaster so we signed up as well. One of the concierges booked this for us the day before. Aside from those two activities, our plan consisted of hanging out at Barefoot Beach for most of the day. I toyed with the idea of renting a cabana, but we really like being on the beach near the water so we decided to skip it. I woke up early, excited to get my first look at Labadee.

 

I took this photo from the balcony as we were docking:

 

 

It was cloudy, but there were some blue skies showing, so I was hopeful about the weather. We finished breakfast in the Solarium Bistro and then headed down to deck 2 to disembark. Getting off the ship didn't take long at all, and before long we were making our way onto the island.

 

 

We stopped to get ourselves oriented and then headed to Barefoot Beach.

 

 

Once at Barefoot Beach, we were asked to show our Seapass cards and were given special wristbands. We were among the first to arrive, so we had our choice of lounge chairs. We picked a spot close to the water where we could have both sun and shade and settled in. The weather varied quite a bit over the course of the day. At times it was mostly cloudy, and at other times it was full on sunny. I was just thankful that it didn't rain! We ate lunch at around noon. The food was average to above average for a beach BBQ. No one left hungry!

 

Our time for the Dragon's Tail Coaster was 2:00, and I think we headed over there at around 1:30. First we had to fill out waivers, and then we were directed to the line for the ride. The line was long and moved slowly. After 30 minutes, I started to get a little concerned as our zip line time was 3:00. Finally we made it to the front of the line and got situated in our cars. Unfortunately, I have no photos or video of this experience, but here is the description from RCCL's site:

 

Take a ride on the wild side! Roar down the side of the mountain on a thrilling alpine coaster ride through a series of dips, waves and curves. Enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Labadee from the beach on Santa Maria's lookout mountain as you reach 680 feet. Then, swoosh down 30 miles per hour racing through 360-degree turns.

 

This was a lot of fun, but I'm not sure we'd do it again. Partly because of the wait, most of which was in the hot sun. Cost: $25.75/person.

 

By the time we finished on the coaster, it was time to head over to the zip line area. Again, we started by completing waivers. Then we were sent to an area to be fitted for equipment. Once we all had our equipment, we were taken in a group to the practice area, where we were given some basic instructions and a practice run on a much smaller zip line. After our whole group completed their practice runs, we were loaded into an open-air vehicle and taken to the top of the mountain for the real deal. The ride up the narrow, bumpy "road" may have been the scariest part of the experience! The wait felt like forever, but finally it was our turn to go. DH, DD, and I all got to go at the same time. My one regret is that we didn't bring a camera or even a phone, so we have nothing to show for our bravery! We all loved the experience and, despite the cost, I think we'd do it again -- this time with a camera or GoPro. Cost: $95.75/person (although at one point it was offered in the Cruise Planner for $87).

 

FALMOUTH, JAMAICA

DD rides horses at home and had always wanted to ride in the ocean. DH enjoys riding as well, so I researched our ports and found a stable in Falmouth that got good reviews on TripAdvisor and offered a "Ride & Swim" tour: http://bracostables.com.jm/. Braco offers both group and private rides, and I signed DH and DD up for a private ride in hopes that they'd get the chance to really ride, as opposed to walking the entire time. They ended up having a blast, and DH said that the ride pushed the boundaries of his abilities (which for him is the same as saying that he was slightly terrified for a good chunk of the time). Cost: $70/person for a group ride or $100/person for a private ride (both include transportation). DH bought prints instead of a USB, so here are a couple of scanned photos from their day:

 

 

 

That was the day I spent time at the Beach Pool and then at the spa onboard. No regrets.

 

Next up: Cozumel

[LisaLisa87]

I would love to see the Teen Compass if you still have it!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Here you go!

 

Allure Western - Teen Compass

[plus1cruiser]

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm finally caught up on laundry. :)

 

 

 

Fun Off the Ship

 

 

 

LABADEE

 

When we booked this cruise, the first stop was Cozumel and the last was Labadee. At some point, those two ports were swapped. Normally I like the private island stop on any cruise to be last, but Cozumel worked out just as well this time as it was actually the more relaxing of the two days.

 

 

 

We had booked the zip line way in advance via the Cruise Planner, but the other family we were traveling with wanted to try the Dragon's Tail Coaster so we signed up as well. One of the concierges booked this for us the day before. Aside from those two activities, our plan consisted of hanging out at Barefoot Beach for most of the day. I toyed with the idea of renting a cabana, but we really like being on the beach near the water so we decided to skip it. I woke up early, excited to get my first look at Labadee.

 

 

 

I took this photo from the balcony as we were docking:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was cloudy, but there were some blue skies showing, so I was hopeful about the weather. We finished breakfast in the Solarium Bistro and then headed down to deck 2 to disembark. Getting off the ship didn't take long at all, and before long we were making our way onto the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped to get ourselves oriented and then headed to Barefoot Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once at Barefoot Beach, we were asked to show our Seapass cards and were given special wristbands. We were among the first to arrive, so we had our choice of lounge chairs. We picked a spot close to the water where we could have both sun and shade and settled in. The weather varied quite a bit over the course of the day. At times it was mostly cloudy, and at other times it was full on sunny. I was just thankful that it didn't rain! We ate lunch at around noon. The food was average to above average for a beach BBQ. No one left hungry!

 

 

 

Our time for the Dragon's Tail Coaster was 2:00, and I think we headed over there at around 1:30. First we had to fill out waivers, and then we were directed to the line for the ride. The line was long and moved slowly. After 30 minutes, I started to get a little concerned as our zip line time was 3:00. Finally we made it to the front of the line and got situated in our cars. Unfortunately, I have no photos or video of this experience, but here is the description from RCCL's site:

 

 

 

Take a ride on the wild side! Roar down the side of the mountain on a thrilling alpine coaster ride through a series of dips, waves and curves. Enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Labadee from the beach on Santa Maria's lookout mountain as you reach 680 feet. Then, swoosh down 30 miles per hour racing through 360-degree turns.

 

 

 

This was a lot of fun, but I'm not sure we'd do it again. Partly because of the wait, most of which was in the hot sun. Cost: $25.75/person.

 

 

 

By the time we finished on the coaster, it was time to head over to the zip line area. Again, we started by completing waivers. Then we were sent to an area to be fitted for equipment. Once we all had our equipment, we were taken in a group to the practice area, where we were given some basic instructions and a practice run on a much smaller zip line. After our whole group completed their practice runs, we were loaded into an open-air vehicle and taken to the top of the mountain for the real deal. The ride up the narrow, bumpy "road" may have been the scariest part of the experience! The wait felt like forever, but finally it was our turn to go. DH, DD, and I all got to go at the same time. My one regret is that we didn't bring a camera or even a phone, so we have nothing to show for our bravery! We all loved the experience and, despite the cost, I think we'd do it again -- this time with a camera or GoPro. Cost: $95.75/person (although at one point it was offered in the Cruise Planner for $87).

 

 

 

FALMOUTH, JAMAICA

 

DD rides horses at home and had always wanted to ride in the ocean. DH enjoys riding as well, so I researched our ports and found a stable in Falmouth that got good reviews on TripAdvisor and offered a "Ride & Swim" tour: http://bracostables.com.jm/. Braco offers both group and private rides, and I signed DH and DD up for a private ride in hopes that they'd get the chance to really ride, as opposed to walking the entire time. They ended up having a blast, and DH said that the ride pushed the boundaries of his abilities (which for him is the same as saying that he was slightly terrified for a good chunk of the time). Cost: $70/person for a group ride or $100/person for a private ride (both include transportation). DH bought prints instead of a USB, so here are a couple of scanned photos from their day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was the day I spent time at the Beach Pool and then at the spa onboard. No regrets.

 

 

 

Next up: Cozumel

 

 

 

Thank you for all the information, especially the Labadee activities as I am doing both the zip & the coaster. I cannot stop reading and preparing! 20 more days!

 

 

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[LisaLisa87]

Thank you for all the information, especially the Labadee activities as I am doing both the zip & the coaster. I cannot stop reading and preparing! 20 more days!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think you'll enjoy both -- as long as you're not afraid of heights! I had fun on the coaster, but I was probably overly conservative with the brakes. I got some heat from the rest of my group when as I finished well behind them! Make sure you look around as the views are incredible. Regarding the zip line, I definitely recommend using a GoPro if you have one. Some people were holding phones, but I would have been too afraid I'd drop it.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[LisaLisa87]

COZUMEL

This was the port I was most excited about, partly because we'd never been there and partly because I've heard and read so many positive things about it. As much as I would have loved to see Tulum or visit Xcaret, I knew I would not be able to withstand the ferry ride to the mainland. I've always suffered from motion sickness, and I take Bonine for all of our cruises. In the end, we narrowed our choices came down to a beach day or Chankanaab. I gravitated toward Nachi Cocum because our DD isn't into inflatables and would likely spend most of the day reading. Once I learned that there would be 5 ships in port, we decided that Nachi Cocum was definitely the way to go. I booked online way in advance to lock us in.

 

The weather for our day in Cozumel was supposed to be terrible. Both the weather app on my phone and the Compass predicted rain for much of the day. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened our curtains to find sunshine and a beautiful blue sky. We disembarked shortly after the ship was cleared and headed to the taxi stand. It took us a few minutes to figure out where the line started, and then we waited (mostly in the hot sun) for 10-15 minutes to get to the front of the line. The taxi fare was $17 each way and the ride took about 15 minutes. When we arrived at Nachi, we were greeted by a very friendly woman and asked to pose for a photo (which we later purchased for $12).

 

 

When we arrived there were probably about 20 people already there. We were lead off to the right and selected a palapa near the water. Our waiter stopped by to introduce himself a little while later. We asked for a few bottles of water and said that we'd be ready for some drinks in about an hour. When he returned, he brought menus and explained how things worked with regard to food. We would each be able to order one appetizer, one salad or soup, one entree, and one dessert. We ended up ordering a round of appetizers at around 11:30 and then lunch about an hour later. I realized after we left that we had forgotten to order dessert! As I mentioned in the Food portion of my review, the food was all good to very good. DH and I enjoyed our entrees in particular (grilled grouper and grilled shrimp, respectively).

 

Here are some photos of the beach, from various angles:

 

 

 

 

And here we are re-boarding the ship and watching the Liberty back away from the pier:

 

 

 

We had a fantastic, relaxing day at Nachi Cocum, and we wouldn't hesitate to go back if we're looking for another beach day. I've read about how great Cozumel is for snorkeling, though, so we 'd have to consider that option as well.

 

Next up: Sky Class Suite Perks

[lynn_sa]

Gorgeous photos, looks like you had a nice relaxing time!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[LisaLisa87]

Sky Level Suite Perks

 

When I noticed that the cost of the full suites had been reduced and an ATS cost about $2,000 more than we had paid for our JS, DH and I started discussing whether we should upgrade. We spent several weeks debating whether the larger room and extra perks were worth $2,000. After factoring in the free drinks in the suite lounge and the free Voom, along with the other perks that are harder to quantify, we decided to go for it.

 

As a quick aside, we had booked through a TA and for a couple of weeks we had a second reservation with the same TA. Even though the TA canceled the correct reservation (the JS), RCCL somehow did not. I won't bore you with all the details, but after hours on the phone, we ended up getting the ATS for the price we had paid for the JS!

 

Here is the letter that was in our room regarding Sky Level perks:

 

 

And here's how the perks played out for us:

 

CONCIERGE SERVICE

Dexter and Nancy were the concierges for our sailing, although Nancy disembarked at the end of the cruise. I'm not sure who replaced her. I had made our show and specialty restaurant reservations ahead of time via the Cruise Planner, but we ended up shifting things so we could hang out with DH's coworker's family. Dexter was incredibly helpful in making our dinner plans line up. He also booked the Dragon Coaster for us the day before we went to Labadee. The other family hadn't made any plans at all, so Dexter recommended and booked excursions for them as well. Dexter also printed our boarding passes for us on Saturday after I checked in for our flight home.

 

ALL DAY ACCESS TO COASTAL KITCHEN

We ate at CK twice for breakfast and twice for dinner. We're not really sit-down-lunch people, but in retrospect we wish we'd eaten there one or two more times for dinner instead of going to specialty restaurants. If I could do it again knowing what I know now, I'd skip dinner Chops and possibly Samba Grill and go to CK instead. The food and service were very good, and it was just a relaxed environment for meals.

 

SPECIALTY BOTTLED WATER (UPON ARRIVAL)

This one is kind of a joke. There was ONE bottle of water in the room when we arrived. It was a fairly large bottle, but still. I think it would have been nice to have one of those per day.

 

COMPLIMENTARY VOOM

I didn't realize it until we were in our room, but we were not given our access codes when we checked in. Dexter was able to help us with this. We felt that the speed was great for what we were doing (mainly checking email and searching for info online). It was nice that each of us had our own code. Great perk.

 

PRIORITY BOARDING AND DEPARTURE

I've already covered embarkation (which was a breeze), so I'll focus on departure here. Dexter told us on our last full day that we should plan to be in the suite lounge by 8:40 and that he would be walking our group off at 8:45. Apparently there were 3 groups: one at 7:45, one at 8:45, and one at 9:45. He said that there were about 220 total suite guests. Incidentally, he also shared that there are 88 suites and 10 of those are Star Class and thus work with their Genies. We got to the lounge at about 8:20 and ate breakfast right there in the lounge. We could have been seated in CK, but we didn't want to hold anyone if we ran long. The buffet was small but nice, and included eggs and bacon. At 8:40, Dexter made an announcement letting us know what would be happening, and a few minutes later he asked for everyone to head down to the Champagne Bar to wait for him. Once everyone was assembled, Dexter lead us off the ship, to the luggage area, and then to customs. The whole process was very fast and we were at the taxi stand before we knew what hit us.

 

 

PRIORITY DINING RESERVATIONS

I'm not sure exactly what this entails, but we had mixed results trying to coordinate our dinner reservations with our friends. Dexter was able to get us all into Samba Grill, Giovanni's, and Sabor at the same time, but he was not able to get us all into CK on night 2. He was also not able to get us all at the same table at Izumi Hibachi on night 5. I felt that both of these were understandable since both venues have limited seating (especially Izumi), but it does illustrate the point that the concierges do not have unlimited power.

 

RESERVED SEATING AREA IN SELECT ENTERTAINMENT VENUES

This was an interesting one. The gist of it is that suite guests can show up 20-25 minutes before a show starts, with no reservation, and take a seat in one of 2 or 3 designated rows. We loved this perk and used it for every show. The negative aspect of this perk is how other people reacted to it. Without fail, at least one group of people would argue with the poor crew member who had the unfortunate job of controlling access to these seating areas. One time a group of people attempted to sneak in the other side when that crew member was distracted, but they were turned away again. This was awkward all around, and I was a little baffled by it as there were usually plenty of other seats available. They opened the reserved seating up to everyone 10 minutes before show time, but up until then there were generally good seats available in other parts of the theater.

 

SUITE LOUNGE ACCESS (+ the next two items in the list)

If I had to choose one favorite perk, this would be it. We went every day before dinner for snacks and drinks. Some nights were more crowded than others, but we were always able to find seats. The very generous "cocktail hour" runs from 4:30-8:30 pm, and I think that helps to distribute the crowds. We also went up there several mornings for a little something to eat and a cappuccino, and several times during the day for a quick beer or glass of wine. I think we would have utilized the lounge even more if we had been on deck 17. Here are a couple of photos taken in the lounge and in CK:

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

[NSinMG]

Thanks for all of the suite information. Not sure if we want to pay the additional amount, but am very tempted.

[LuCruise]

Omg. Thank room, view and balcony looks amazing. How was the noise?

 

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[LisaLisa87]

Thanks for all of the suite information. Not sure if we want to pay the additional amount, but am very tempted.

 

We agreed after the cruise that the larger room and perks combined were worth the price difference! We have a lot of travel plans for next year already, but we've booked Harmony for spring break 2019. The ATS were too expensive, so we booked a GS to get the Sky Class perks!

[LisaLisa87]

Omg. Thank room, view and balcony looks amazing. How was the noise?

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

 

We could hear noise from the Aquatheater when there was a show, but not enough to keep us awake. When there was not a show or movie in the Aquatheater, we didn't hear any noise from outside. As I mentioned, there was no noise to speak of from inside the ship.

[lynn_sa]

Great info! Thanks so much!

 

Did the suite lounge have complimentary bottled water?

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Forums mobile app

[LisaLisa87]

Sky Level Suite Perks, Cont'd

 

ACCESS TO SUITE SUNDECK

I wasn't sure how much we would use the sundeck, but this turned out to be another of our favorite perks. The suite sundeck is on deck 17, forward. You access it via two sets of stairs, one on the port side and one on the starboard side of deck 16:

 

 

As you can see from this photo, the doors were slightly ajar. This was the case fairly often, as you had to turn around and give them a good pull to make them shut all the way. Somehow it felt kind of obnoxious to do that since there were people in lounge chairs just steps away from the gate!

 

Here are a few more photos of the sundeck:

 

Starboard side. This is where we spent most of our time because it was generally less windy than the port side. There were restrooms on this side.

 

Port side. This is where the bar was as well as where the towels were most days. There was also a shower on this side.

 

There were a handful of these comfy chairs in the shade. Our DD spent a lot of time in one of them!

 

There were several cabanas at the very front of the sundeck. This area was pretty windy most days.

 

The suite sundeck offered a great respite from the crowds on decks 15 and 16. We loved that we could be in the sun and our DD could be in the shade and still be close to us. Aside from the towels that were available for the taking, there was always ice cold flavored water, along with snacks (bags of chips, cups of fruit, etc.) available at the bar.

 

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO BAREFOOT BEACH CLUB

We spent a few hour at Barefoot Beach and enjoyed it. The area is fairly large for the number of people it needs to accommodate, and it never felt crowded. The beach itself was nice, but a bit on the rocky/shell-y side. The water was pretty and the temperature was nice -- maybe just a smidge on the chilly side. The buffet for suite guests at Barefoot Beach is supposed to be "upgraded," but I have no basis for comparison. It was good, but nothing special. One thing that we found a little annoying is that we were told we needed to take our Seapasses with us when we left the beach area to go to the restrooms across the road. It wasn't a huge deal, but we didn't understand why it was necessary since we had BB wristbands. We liked BB, but this definitely won't be a huge selling point for us going forward.

 

 

SPA BATHROBES FOR USE ONBOARD

This is a relatively little thing, but all three of us loved our robes and wore them frequently when we were in the room!

 

LUXURY PILLOW TOP MATTRESS

I'm not sure about the luxury part, but there was a pillow top and it was VERY comfortable. No complaints at all about the mattress or linens. The pillows were nice as well. We had two firm pillows and two softer pillows on our bed. DD said the sofa bed was comfy as well, and she liked that it was bigger than other sofa beds she's slept on.

 

LUXURY BATHROOM AMENITIES BY L'OCCITANE

I guess this is a pretty fancy brand, but we didn't love it. The bar soap was fine, but none of us cared for the shampoo, conditioner, or lotion. DD and I ended up using the shampoo and conditioner I brought from home, but DH used the provided products because he's a sucker for free stuff!

 

COMPLIMENTARY PRESSING SERVICE ON THE FIRST FORMAL NIGHT

Our clothes looked pretty good when we unpacked them, so we didn't bother using this service. If we had wanted to use it, we would have had to act quickly as the first formal night was on night 2!

 

In the end, our favorite aspect of the suite perks was the ability to get away from the crowds and avoid waiting in lines. It's hard to put a price tag on those things, but I think we'd really miss them if we were to sail on an Oasis class again in the future and not have them!

 

Next up: Odds & ends and final thoughts

[LisaLisa87]

Great info! Thanks so much!

 

Did the suite lounge have complimentary bottled water?

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Forums mobile app

 

We never asked and I don't recall seeing anyone with bottled water, so I don't know for sure. Sorry!