A few thoughts on our Allure cruise - 11/27 to 12/4

This is a cruise my husband wanted to do. He wanted to try one of the "big ships," while I'm a die-hard fan of the Radiance-class ships (or smaller.) Allure has the WOW-factor, for sure. She is beautiful, and she has so much to offer--something for everyone. We originally booked a CP balcony cabin, but lucked into an oceanview balcony, in a great location, just weeks before we sailed.

Entertainment: I reserved all the shows as soon as it was available online, about 4 months prior to sailing. We were able to change around a few things once we were on the ship. The entertainment was some of the best we've ever seen on a cruise.

Dining: We did MTD, which has been our preference for several years. I didn't pre-reserve before we got on the ship, but did make reservations for the week as soon as we boarded. And it's a good thing. The line each night for those who didn't make reservations was literally out the door. We did Chop's Grill one night, and was pleasantly surprised at how excellent it was. In recent years, we found it to be hit and miss. The Windjammer, IMO, has drastically gone downhill. We went to breakfast and lunch there one time, and then made a concerted effort to avoid it the rest of the week. There are other, much nicer options to grab a quick meal--Park Cafe and Solarium Bistro became our "go to" places.

Crowds: We had been told my several people that because the ship is so big, that crowding is not a problem. Not always true. Elevators were challenging a lot of the time, and finding chairs in the shade at the pool was not easy on sea days.

Ports: We enjoyed a beach day in Cozumel, did a little shopping in Jamaica, and spent a little time at the beach in Labadee.

We had a very fun week on Allure. I'm glad DH talked me into it.

Thanks for posting.:)

Bice to hear of a positive experience at Choos, we are sailing on Allure in January and currently have Hiovannis and Chops booked. With the menu cutbacks at Giovannis I may switch that to Chops as well.

Thanks for posting.:)

 

Bice to hear of a positive experience at Choos, we are sailing on Allure in January and currently have Hiovannis and Chops booked. With the menu cutbacks at Giovannis I may switch that to Chops as well.

I'm sure you will enjoy Chop's. Everything was prepared to perfection. Have a great cruise!

Last time we were in Jamaica, store staff were too intimidating for one to buy. How was your experience? Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the feedback.

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Last time we were in Jamaica, store staff were too intimidating for one to buy. How was your experience? Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the feedback.

 

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The sales staff in all of the stores we went into in Jamaica (in the terminal shopping area) were very aggressive. I also found the sales people in Cozumel to be more aggressive than I remembered from previous trips.

Thanks again. Appreciate your response..

Awesome ship...

Thanks for the feedback.

We were also on this sailing. We did windjammer for 2 breakfast which were no problem except I couldn't find any lox.

We had no reservations for MTD but we went in within 5 minutes both times we went. We did specialty dining the rest of the week.

In Jamaica we went to Royalton White Sands and had the best day ever. It is an all inclusive. We had a taxi driver assigned to us when we booked the excursion. He picked us up at the assigned time and was there when we left the facilty. The AI was very very nice with a lazy river, water slides, great service, nice buffet lunch and open bar. Also had a very nice beach.

Bill

Was lobster offered in the MDR on your sailing?

Was lobster offered in the MDR on your sailing?

Yes, on 2nd formal night. I had 2.

Bill

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We were also on this sailing. We did windjammer for 2 breakfast which were no problem except I couldn't find any lox.

 

We had no reservations for MTD but we went in within 5 minutes both times we went. We did specialty dining the rest of the week.

 

In Jamaica we went to Royalton White Sands and had the best day ever. It is an all inclusive. We had a taxi driver assigned to us when we booked the excursion. He picked us up at the assigned time and was there when we left the facilty. The AI was very very nice with a lazy river, water slides, great service, nice buffet lunch and open bar. Also had a very nice beach.

 

Bill

The Diamond Club had lox every morning, as did the MDR. I found the Windjammer to be very unappealing.

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Was lobster offered in the MDR on your sailing?

Yes, on the second formal night, day 5.

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I found the Windjammer to be very unappealing.

Agreed - I found WJ on Oasis to be the worst in the fleet for several reasons (my opinion). I much prefer Radiance-class ships, as you do.

Thanks for the review. :)

Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

KeywestK, so are you saying even though you have My Time Dining you need to make reservations ahead of time. Do you do that on line or after you board the ship. We don't sail until April 2017. Thanks