Review of the Allure OTS October 15-22 Sailing, Bahamas and Western Caribbean

[Dvday86]

Hello all! I am a long time lurker and first time poster. We just got off of the Allure OTS (for our honeymoon) on Sunday so I thought I would post a review. Keep in mind that my opinions and preferences may be different from yours so what works for me might not work for you. These are just my observations from my cruise. Thanks for reading!

 

Airport: Ok, so we messed up on the whole airport thing. We flew into Miami because Ft. Lauderdale wasn’t an option given to us, by Expedia, and stayed in Ft. Lauderdale.However, it was really easy to get an Uber to the Ft. Lauderdale/Pompano Beacharea. The cost was around fifty dollars. Keep in mind that is a really longdrive. For those you worried about getting Ubers to go that far, don’t. OurUber driver told us that he frequently goes from the airport to Ft. Lauderdale and back again. We also took an Uber from the port to the Miami airport on our departure day for the same price. No problems getting an Uber for that trip either.

 

Pompano Beach: We stayed at the Marriott in Pompano Beach.The hotel itself was really nice, although our view overlooked a parking lot and construction on the apartments next door. The pool and access to the beach was great but Pompano Beach itself was not for us. There were very few restaurants actually within walking distance. This meant that you had to order an Uber to go anywhere. We decided to walk to a restaurant I wanted to try thatwas 3 miles away and it was absolutely brutal in the Florida heat. If you don’twant to walk or Uber you’ll pay about 8 dollars for a miller lite and 15 dollars for a hamburger (typical hotel prices) at the hotel. It seemed like this area is a lot of retired people so it was very quiet but that also meant there wasn’t much nightlife. So, if you are younger and would like to stay out past10:30 pm, I would recommend staying closer to downtown Ft. Lauderdale or in Miami.

 

Cabin: We had an ocean view balcony. #7628. Our room was comfortable and spacious. The AC didn’t work as well as we would have liked but other than that I was really impressed. We really should have done more research on the room location. We ended up being at the very end of the hall which proved to be quite the hike some days. Additionally, we had some really loud teenager’s next door, but no way to avoid that other than luck of the draw. The walls are REALLY thin! Our room steward was fantastic. The room was cleaned twice a day unless we told him we didn’t need anything in the evening and he was always polite and smiling.

 

Food: We ate at the MDR 4 out of 7 nights. We had my time dining and had no problem getting a table for two every night. The waiters were efficient but not exactly personable, but that may have been because we had a new one every night that we were there. The food was hit or miss. Some items were very good and some items (like the strip steak that tasted like steak jerky)were not so good. Our favorite meals were definitely in the specialty restaurants. Chops was amazing. We shared a crab cake and both got shrimp cocktails. The 9 oz. filet was delicious and perfectly cooked. Giovanni’s was equally wonderful. Our waiter was very personable and helpful. Izumi was my favorite, but I love sushi. Overall, I would HIGHLY suggest getting the dining package. I found that not only was the food so much better but the service was also much better. All of those meals would have been well over $100 per meal at a regular restaurant so it’s a great deal in my opinion. Windjammer was ok, butit’s what you expect from a buffet I guess.

 

Ship: Guys, this ship is truly incredible. If you haven’t been on an Oasis class ship, you are missing out. The Allure is a beautiful, modern, and massive ship. There were parts of it I didn’t even see. We spent alot of time in the Solarium. Although it got loud, I didn’t see any kids (even though I had read a few reviews about kids being in there). Also, we never had any problem getting loungers or seats anywhere on the ship, even though the ship was sailing at capacity. Although both of us are suffering from a little post cruise swaying right now, you could barely feel it on the actual ship.

 

Shops: Heads up everyone, they do not carry anything for tummy issues in the shop except for motion sickness products. I say this because somewhere (whether it was FL or the Windjammer) I picked up some nasty little food poisoning bug and I was not feeling so hot. That being said, don’t be stupid like me. Make sure you pack some meds just in case because you won’t be able to get them on the ship and I wasn’t willing to take a trip to the medical center to get immodium.

 

Entertainment: Ok, so I’m a slacker. I was really bad about booking shows so we didn’t get to see many of them. That being said, make sure you book early, especially the comedy show (it booked up all week!) We saw halfo f Mama Mia (which was really good) before I was feeling yucky and wanted to go lay down. We didn’t miss the shows but I would suggest you do them because I’m kicking myself that I didn’t make the time to see some of the other ones. However, we did spend a lot of time in the Karaoke bar and that was really fun.I did not sing but there were a lot of talented people who did.

 

Drink Package: I didn’t get the drink package because I’m not a huge drinker, but my husband did and he definitely got his money’s worth. If you intend on drinking 5 or more drinks a day, it really pays for itself. My husband can drink 8-9 miller lites in a day so it worked out well for him. I only drink a couple of martinis or the occasional bloody mary a day so it wasn’t cost efficient for me. It seems really expensive up front but it’s well worth it. I did get the ten dollar drink card halfway through the cruise though and I used up every one.

 

Service: Service is hit or miss on this boat. Some of the crew members really go out of their way to be accommodating and nice and provide exceptional service, others not so much. We didn’t get great service inthe MDR and I found a lot of the bartenders and wait staff to be short bordering on rude. There was one really bad experience that I would like toshare. I went up to the specialty dining reservation desk to make our last two reservations and encountered three men standing at the podium. I was there by myself as my husband had run to the cabin. All three of the men were very rude and belittling and made be feel uncomfortable. Then, a little later on in the reservation process I was giving the main guy my room number and he creepily said “Now we know where you live.” Following that they told me that I should smile more because I would be prettier if I smiled. The whole interaction made me feel uncomfortable and gross and it was completely unprofessional. I hate to say it, but I got creep vibes from a couple of other male crew members as well. Not much that can be done about that other than reporting it, which I did on my survey, just wanted to share the experience so others know that that crap happens.

 

Ports: We were rerouted because of the storms from Eastern to Western (just wanted to preface that before launching into the port reviews)

 

The Bahamas: I’m not sure why everyone is so against Nassau,I really thought it was a beautiful port. We did the Blue Lagoon beach day and loved it. The water was clear, the Blue Lagoon was clean and really breathtaking. The food was good. I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a place to just relax and maybe hang out in the water a bit. It seemed the perfect excursion for families with small children. Afterward we walked around the port a little bit but didn’t get to see that much of it because we were pressed for time.

 

Cozumel MX: I’ve been to Cozumel before. It’s ok. We got a taxi from the port to the Money Bar. There was hardly anyone at the Money Bar and the food, drink, and service was really good. Additionally, we went snorkeling a little bit in the shallow part of the ocean. If you are going to snorkel further out, I highly suggest renting or bringing fins and some sort of life jacket. The current was really strong. All and all though I couldn’t suggest this place enough. We spent about a hundred dollars on taxis, food and drink and had a really relaxing day with very few other tourists.

 

Costa Maya MX: Oh Good Lord. Costa Maya. I may not be very popular for saying this and you are welcome to disagree with me, but you could not pay me to go back to Costa Maya. It is the city equivalent to a port apotty. I booked Maya Chan because it had such fantastic reviews. In hindsight, I would have stayed on the ship. The port itself isn’t terrible. If you just want to get off and walk around, I would suggest doing that. We, however, had to walk all the way out of the port and down quite a ways to the Maya Chan meeting area. I had not seen a mosquito this entire trip but suddenly, waiting for a taxi, I was attacked by about six of them. So, of course, I’m whipping on that OFF spray like a crazed woman and gunning down every mosquito I could see. Unfortunately, it was too late and a few of them got me. This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but just in case it’s not: put on your bug spray BEFORE you leave the ship.

After getting attacked by a swarm of mosquitos we piled into a taxi with about six other people to make the couple of mile trek to Maya Chan. Those couple of miles took 30 minutes. This is because there were pond size pot holes filled with water all throughout the road. I think we all started to wonder where the taxi driver was taking us. Eventually though, after going through a bumpy ride from Hell, you will arrive at Maya Chan. Personally, I hated Maya Chan, but a lot of people seemed to really enjoy it. When we got there were led to “loungers” which were very uncomfortable wooden beach chairs. The whole place smells like sewage (apparently due to the rotting sea weed) and the sand is teeming with sandfleas (who eat the rotting sea weed). Well, I politely sat there for forty minutes, not being aware of their money back guarantee and then decided I couldn’t take it anymore. My husband and I asked that a cab be called for us,which took a while because it started pouring right when we asked. We were probably there a total of an hour and a half. Now, keep in mind, the staff at Maya Chan are incredibly nice and I have nothing against them. Lots of other people seemed to enjoy themselves but it wasn’t for me. The taxi ride back was equally as long and terrifying. We walked through the port a little bit and then hustled back onto the boat.

 

Internet: We had the internet package for one device. I highly recommend it. We went on a Carnival cruise two years ago and the internet was worthless but RC’s internet is incredibly reliable and fast.

 

TV: I know, I know,you’re on a cruise so you shouldn’t be watching TV, right? But sometimes I just enjoy chilling in my cabin and watching something before bed or a nap. That being said, there is nothing on these TV’s. Either buy the internet package soyou can stream entertainment on your phone or ipad or make sure you download plenty of stuff on Netflix…..if you’re the TV watching type.

 

People on the Boat/Dress: Everyone we met and encountered on the boat (passenger wise) was incredibly nice. The thing that was so refreshing about this experience though is that people really dressed up for formal night.In fact, many people (myself included because I like getting dressed up) dressed up for every night. There were a few casually dressed people but I didn’t see many in the MDR or the specialty restaurants.

 

All and all, I had a great time on the Allure. I’ll definitely be back with RC on another Oasis class ship. However, I’ll probably wait for the Eastern Caribbean to rebuild and skip MX at all costs.

 

PS: I have A LOT of cruise compasses and various other announcements that I will try to take pictures of over the next few days and post.

 

 

PSS: Edited because of all the words running together when I converted this review from word to this post. Sorry if I missed any. : )

Edited October 24, 2017 by Dvday86

[easyboy]

Glad you had a great time! Thanks for the review.

 

 

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[beckerooni]

Thanks for the review! We went to the Money Bar once while Cozumel to meet up with some family and service/drinks were great (in fact I'm using one of their souvenir cups right now, dreaming of cruising :) )

[Shonna]

The cruise Compasses would be great. We are sailing in July of 2018. Glad you had a great time.

[DignCruzn]

Yes, please post your compasses. We are going Nov 5. :-)

[kadeycat]

We were also on the Allure a few weeks ago. We only reserved one comedy show and the headliner show. Which turned out to be the Three Tenors. a really great show. we waited in the standby line for Aqua Theatre. It was the best show of the week. We also got to watch the rehearsals from our Boardwalk Balcony. also went back to Comedy in the standby line on the last night. Never had a problem getting in. Always be sure each person who reserved a seat has their sea pass card. They scan each one as you go in to the venue. Blue Planet was really 'meh'. Ok but nothing we were thrilled about.

Edited October 25, 2017 by kadeycat
forgot one detail