Just Back from Allure 8 day Southern Caribbean-thoughts

[kateg]

In no particular order here are my thoughts and observations for those who haven't cruised in a while (since Covid)  (like my family)

 

Food-the food was about the same.  We didn't notice any real deterioration.  Did notice more pre-portioned dishes in the Windjammer.  It was serve yourself for the most part.  My husband thought the pizza toppings at Sorrento's were more scant that in the past.

 

Service- We had great service all around....BUT our cabin steward looked exhausted.  It really felt like the stakes were higher for all the staff. They put on a good show-but the overall vibe was higher stress.  It's hard to put into words but I've never felt so guilty enjoying a vacation.  We tipped exponentially more than we ever have before.  

 

Boarding went very smoothly. We didn't experience any additional health checks or screenings.  It was very fast and very straightforward.  The only down side was we were only given a choice of a late boarding at 2:00 and our afternoon felt so rushed trying to get everything done before dinner.  It wasn't the best start to a cruise for us because of the time crunch.

 

My Time Dining -I am SO GLAD I listened to the advice on the board to avoid My Time Dining.  I switched to early dining about a week before our cruise.  It was lovely.  I thought it would be too early but it wasn't-at all.  As we left dinner each night, the lines for My Time (both with and without reservations) were out past the elevators some nights.  Compare that to the last time we had My Time (Dec 2019) and we never had to wait with a reservation-maybe we waited behind one other group.  

 

Booking Shows  I had no problem booking shows . That was part of the rush the first afternoon, getting the muster done, getting to our rooms, setting up WIFI and booking the shows.  I was able to get a seat to everything (I booked everything that could be booked) booking around 3:30 after boarding. And every show we attended  had extra seats after seats were opened to those without reservations.

 

Wifi-WIFI was as bad as others have said.  We had six devices worth of Zoom.  I was rarely able to open a web page, For some reason Facebook worked pretty reliably.  Checking email was a struggle some days.  Streaming hahahaha.  I mean if you are lucky or of you stay up really late it might work for you.  It was very hit or miss and mostly a miss.  And if you NEED to keep in touch with the outside world (work as it was for us) you can't count on the Voom.  We did get a nice credit because it was "down" for a few days.  We only learned this because we heard a few other couples discussing it...Because "down" and "working" ...there wasn't much difference.  We had better service on Labadee through Verizon than we did on the ship.  Bottom line-Its a LOT of money for very slow and very unpredictable internet.  Especially when we have had excellent service on other ships.  And not everyone has the luxury to unplug during a cruise.  If it weren't for internet we wouldn't have been able to go at all.

 

Traveling with a Minor (who isn't yours). Perhaps it was because the minor in question, my daughters friend, was 17...but no one seemed to care at all that she was with us and we were not her parents/guardians.  I really fretted over this prior to the cruise.  I had 3 separate notarized documents with me allowing her to travel with us and giving us authorization to make medical decisions etc.  No one ever asked to see it.  They let me sign her waivers without seeing it.  Let her board without it, disembark without it.  I thought it would have been a much bigger deal.

 

Illness-Unlike others have reported, I didn't hear coughing on our ship at all.  No one looked or acted sick   My group of 6 all made it through the cruise feeling fantastic.  It is true there are no OTC meds for sale in the shops except for antidiarrheals.    I have a sore throat tonight and will test myself tomorrow just in case.

 

Labadee-I thought Labadee looked great.  It seemed to be nicer than the last time we were there.  Lunch service was definitely better.  They had pre-packed salad options and I didn't see a single fly or bee.  

 

Over the Water Cabana-We got this on Black Friday for a deal!  It was $289 when we bought it and $1499 at the time of sailing.  For what we paid it was more than worth it.  The cabana came with a cooler of ice and Evian water, a sectional sofa, table, celling fan, electric outlets, two chaise lounges, an umbrella, 3 floating mats, and towels.  Sadly, our neighbors were unpleasant (lots of yelling at each other and their kids and the staff, 4 kids fighting with each other and lots of crying and screaming). Being so close to their drama really put a damper on what could have been a very relaxing and awesome day.  If you can get a deal and you have a small groups (we had 6) I would recommend it.  At 1499 I would not.  The beach area where they sit is pretty crowded...

 

Refreshment package -  We aren't big drinkers so on Black Friday (y'all they had great deals) we got everyone the refreshment package.  I told my kids and their friends 17,17,19,19 to go crazy and use it as much as possible and I think for us it was worth it.  We loved the fresh juice from the Vitality Café, The kids got milkshakes every day (be prepared to wait) and they drank tons of mocktails.  Everyone used the bottled water option and freestyle machines too.  The part I appreciated the most was the ease of getting a drink-no big wait except at Johnny Rockets.   

 

That's all I put in my notes that I think of that might be interesting to someone with an upcoming trip.  I'll try to check back to see if there are questions but I have a giant pile of laundry to work on.

[Illbcruzn4life]

Thanks for taking the time to post about your cruise. I haven’t been on RCI in about 3years. 
 

From reading your review I have a question about booking your shows. Can you only make reservations once you get on the ship now?

[brillohead]

3 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Can you only make reservations once you get on the ship now?

This is correct, for all ships that require reservations.

[UNCFanatik]

@kateg Thanks for great review. I am headed out on Allure on June 19. A couple of questions:

 

1. I am traveling with a 14 year old minor who is a friend of my daughter and have just downloaded the Royal Traveling with a minor child consent form. What other documents did you travel with for those "just in case" moments?

2. Did they have milkshakes to go in Johnny Rockets? Or did you have to dine there to get milkshakes?

3. Wipeout cafe. Did they serve breakfast there? What kind of food did they have for lunch? My understanding is burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and fries. Any grab and go sandwiches?

4. Boardwalk donuts. Did your teens enjoy this?

5. And lastly, did the 17 year olds in your group go to the teen club? 

[Ocean Boy]

Good to read your thoughts. I've had two excellent cruises on Allure this year.

[RRTcruiser]

Thanks for sharing, Allure has become one of our favorite ships. 

We have done 2 b2b sailings on Allure and look forward to a 

September cruise this Year. 

[Anton]

I was on this cruise too.  The WiFi situation was very frustrating.  Even though I get my internet free I'm still going to register my disappointment in the cruise survey when I do it today.  Other than that it seemed to be as close to a pre-covid cruise on an Oasis class ship that I've had in my several cruises since last July.

[Big_G]

We were on the May 14th and although my wife was getting frustrated with the WIFI, mine seemed to be working fine. After listening to her complain for days I finally told her it might be the frequency that's the problem.

Her: Can you fix that?

Me: Look at your phone less.

Her: 😡😡😡

[monorail81]

40 minutes ago, Big_G said:

We were on the May 14th and although my wife was getting frustrated with the WIFI, mine seemed to be working fine. After listening to her complain for days I finally told her it might be the frequency that's the problem.

Her: Can you fix that?

Me: Look at your phone less.

Her: 😡😡😡

You’re lucky she didn’t throw you overboard. 

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, Big_G said:

We were on the May 14th and although my wife was getting frustrated with the WIFI, mine seemed to be working fine. After listening to her complain for days I finally told her it might be the frequency that's the problem.

Her: Can you fix that?

Me: Look at your phone less.

Her: 😡😡😡

Thats the best way to fix it for sure…

[doppelganger2621]

Heading out on Allure in two weeks—thanks for the write up!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

12 hours ago, kateg said:

Illness-Unlike others have reported, I didn't hear coughing on our ship at all.  No one looked or acted sick 

are you kidding me? I have never been so triggered in my life, well, maybe, at the beginning of the pandemic. Nobody wore masks, yet, there was an enormous amount of coughing and sneezing onboard. People didn't cover up when spewing their bodily fluids, and rarely would someone actually cover up by coughing or sneezing into their HAND and then touching everything. Our neighbors had the medical team at their door on day 5 because they reported their covid symptoms. We didn't see these neighbors for the rest of the trip.

 

This particular cruise was one big coughing party. There was no social distancing of any kind, and performers and crew encouraged passengers to engage in activities which were a direct conduit to spreading all sorts of infections. It was like the pandemic never happened and nobody ever died of covid.

 

During all the shows people were sitting right next to each other, and people around us coughed non-stop. We even changed seats during one of the performances, because we couldn't enjoy it next to the heck-your-lungs-out-but-don't-bother-covering-up or wearing a mask group.

 

We wore masks at all times when indoors, yet, but my kid and I are coming down with something now.

 

12 hours ago, kateg said:

Sadly, our neighbors were unpleasant (lots of yelling at each other and their kids and the staff, 4 kids fighting with each other and lots of crying and screaming).

were you the family full of redheads? 🙂

Edited June 6, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[MiniChunks]

3 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

are you kidding me? I have never been so triggered in my life, well, maybe, at the beginning of the pandemic. Nobody wore masks, yet, there was an enormous amount of coughing and sneezing onboard. People didn't cover up when spewing their bodily fluids, and rarely would someone actually cover up by coughing or sneezing into their HAND and then touching everything. Our neighbors had the medical team at their door on day 5 because they reported their covid symptoms. We didn't see these neighbors for the rest of the trip.

 

This particular cruise was one big coughing party. There was no social distancing of any kind, and performers and crew encouraged passengers to engage in activities which were a direct conduit to spreading all sorts of infections. It was like the pandemic never happened and nobody ever died of covid.

 

During all the shows people were sitting right next to each other, and people around us coughed non-stop. We even changed seats during one of the performances, because we couldn't enjoy it next to the heck-your-lungs-out-but-don't-bother-covering-up or wearing a mask group.

 

We wore masks at all times when indoors, yet, but my kid and I are coming down with something now.

 

 

Sounds like you're better off staying home. I sat in the theater, hung out in a huge group in the pool, ate in crowded restaurants on land and didn't stress about it once. If you are this uncomfortable still, maybe you should wait it out a little longer until you feel better about it. 

[eabplus2]

Thanks for the information. We are sailing on July 9th. We have MTD. What times are early and late dining?

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

21 minutes ago, MiniChunks said:

Sounds like you're better off staying home. I sat in the theater, hung out in a huge group in the pool, ate in crowded restaurants on land and didn't stress about it once. If you are this uncomfortable still, maybe you should wait it out a little longer until you feel better about it. 

well, that's the thing - we felt very comfortable on Harmony in November, so I booked the May cruise after we came back from the November cruise, thinking that, surely, by May things would be even better.

 

Alas, not better, but worse instead, imho... Now we are not going to sail until November again, so, perhaps, by then all things covid will quiet down once more.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 minutes ago, eabplus2 said:

Thanks for the information. We are sailing on July 9th. We have MTD. What times are early and late dining?

 

we made MTD reservations at 6:30 pm every day. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes, despite a seemingly long line, except for the first formal night - about 20 minutes until the table was ready. People without reservations were waiting for much-much-much longer, and were complaining about it a lot.

I believe the early dining is 5 to 5:15 pm, and late dining is at 8 pm. If you go for 8 pm, you will miss all the shows before 10 pm.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Illbcruzn4life]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

This is correct, for all ships that require reservations.

Thank you. That is very different from the last time I cruised.

[kateg]

On 6/6/2022 at 2:32 AM, Illbcruzn4life said:

Thanks for taking the time to post about your cruise. I haven’t been on RCI in about 3years. 
 

From reading your review I have a question about booking your shows. Can you only make reservations once you get on the ship now?

Yes!  You have to be on board and connected to their app.

[kateg]

22 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

 

were you the family full of redheads? 🙂

None of my family or group have red hair?  Were you on the same cruise (Allure May 28-June 5)?  I was so tuned in to coughing because my daughter has a sever inner ear/sinus issue (surgery scheduled in a few weeks) and her cough is awful (not sick though) and I was so worried people would assume she had covid...so I was always listening for coughs...but I agree there was no social distancing.  We all went with the full knowledge we could get sick.  And we had a great time (generally).

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 minute ago, kateg said:

None of my family or group have red hair?

oh, ok. There were two families in the cabanas to the right on Nellie's beach. One had a lot of kids they yelled at and the other had lots of people with red hair. 🙂

 

2 minutes ago, kateg said:

Were you on the same cruise (Allure May 28-June 5)? 

yes. My kid even sang a song "Everyone was confu-coughing...", lol, because everyone was...

[GrumpyandMimi]

Is the Windjammer open for dinner................. if so, do you know what time they start dinner ?

[doppelganger2621]

4 minutes ago, GrumpyandMimi said:

Is the Windjammer open for dinner................. if so, do you know what time they start dinner ?

6-9 pm usually

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, GrumpyandMimi said:

if so, do you know what time they start dinner ?

Welcome to CC.

 

Most dining venues have their operating hours listed in the app and the info should be fairly accurate for the current sailing.

[The Fun Researcher]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:43 PM, kateg said:

Booking Shows  I had no problem booking shows . That was part of the rush the first afternoon, getting the muster done, getting to our rooms, setting up WIFI and booking the shows.  I was able to get a seat to everything (I booked everything that could be booked) booking around 3:30 after boarding. And every show we attended  had extra seats after seats were opened to those without reservations.

 

Thank you SO MUCH for mentioning this.  This was one of my main concerns since we can't embark Saturday until 2pm.  (also 8 night southern)  We'll make sure to book shows right away and it's good to know we should be fine.  Happen to have a show schedule that you could post?

Dan

[bucfan2]

On 6/6/2022 at 12:12 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I believe the early dining is 5 to 5:15 pm, and late dining is at 8 pm. If you go for 8 pm, you will miss all the shows before 10 pm.

Never been the case for us.  We do late seating, and mention to the waiters what time our evening show begins.  We're there in plenty of time (after changing clothes enroute).