SSFrance73

The rule is two bottles per stateroom, no matter how many guests are in the stateroom. The kid's stateroom does not count as there are no adults there.

Dec 29 2013 in Ft Lauderdale, boarding the Allure...

We had 2 connecting staterooms, one with 2 adults and a child, and the other with 2 children. We carried our wine in carry-on bags. We were stopped by security and asked to show our wine bottles. We had 4 bottles. They asked us to show that we had booked 2 rooms. They never asked if each room had an adult assigned. Once we showed them that we had two rooms, they let us proceed with 4 bottles. No idea if "connecting rooms" made a difference or not.

Your mileage may vary, but in our case they interpreted the rule to be... 2 rooms and 2 adults (regardless of configuration) = 4 bottles.

We were on the Allure over the New Year holiday and brought on 11 bottles for 3 families (6 adults; approx "5 1/2" wine drinkers :D), with a total of 5 staterooms. We also bought the 7 bottle package. My learnings...

- During the boarding process, they did check four of the adults in connecting staterooms to make sure that we had 4 rooms for the 8 bottles we brought (they asked us to show the check-in docs to prove we had 4 rooms). Luckily the other couple (in a single room) that had 3 bottles wasn't checked.

- We bought our wine at "Total Wine and More" in Ft Lauderdale (great selection and prices). Also bought a corkscrew there for $5.

- 3 bottles were consumed in the rooms, and the rest at dinner. We ended up drinking 15 bottles at dinner for the "5 1/2" wine drinkers. So, we usually drank 2 bottles per dinner.

- I believe we were only charged corkage for 2 of the 8 bottles we drank in the dining room. Early tipping and building up a good relationship with the waiter probably helped, but who really knows.

Hope that's helpful. Your mileage may vary, of course.

I wish they would do what they Sheraton in waikiki does. They walk around every 30 minutes and put a note on the towels saying they'll be removed at X time (they allowed two hours).

That was exactly what I saw an attendant doing on the Allure a few weeks ago for the New Years cruise. Not sure what the time limit was, but it was clear that it was a warning that the towels would be removed soon. [note: this cruise still had the "old" $25 charge per towel process] Seemed to be working/helping, as finding chairs on the Allure seemed easier than my prior experiences on the Freedom and Independence.

2nd - Billing at Chops. Made reservation; was told it was $30 PP. Got a receipt; $60 for us as a couple. Signed it. Added a generous tip of $25 (Emrah really did deserve it). Later in the week I saw that they reversed the $60 charge and then charged me $70 instead. I called Guest Services who referred me to Chops. The Chops manager said I was undercharged. What?! Never heard of that in my life. Sorry, you told me a price, I agreed, I signed a receipt. That doesn't give anyone the right to go back and raise the price after and tack it on to my account without so much as a phone call or note. TACKY.

Thanks for the very helpful and honest review. We are on the Allure this Sunday for the New Years cruise. Your note about Chops made me look back at our reservation, and I did find that our reservation also only cost $30 per person. I then looked online and see that within our reservation (if we want to make another reservation) it now says that the cost for reserving Chops is $35 per person. I hope this isn't an issue. I'll definitely bring a printout of our reservation and pricing email - hope that helps. :rolleyes:

On the plus side, there is also a note in our reservation that for parties of 4 or more, there is a 30% discount ($35 * 70% = $24.50), so I'll also be asking about that option when we get on board!! :D

Really looking forward to the cruise, and will do our best to have a great time!!!

You would need a minivan taxi, but that's what I would do. Cheaper than a shuttle, especially for 5 people.

Thanks! That's what I figured, but good to get a confirmation.

Are they likely just available waiting after the cruise, or should we figure out a company to call as we disembark? We are three families, so we'd need 2 vans (2 families of 5) and a normal taxi (one family of 3).

Hope it's OK to piggyback a related question :rolleyes:...

Is the best way for a family of 5 to get to the Ft Lauderdale airport from the port a taxi? Any other good options?

A perfect example of why cruising is great, something for everyone. We don't like the same routine/table, same server, same salad, same bread routine:D For those that like MDR it's great, for those that don't there are other options:)

Agreed! :)

I´m not a fan of the specialty Restaurants. The few times I went were ok, but frankly I don´t think they are worth the extra Money to me.

 

It just Shows how subjective Food is. I also like the new menus.

 

I guess what I want to say here I don´t see the popularity on the ships as much as I see it on CC.

I agree with you, but perhaps for a slightly different reason...

We went to Portofinos and Chops on our last cruise (Freedom), and enjoyed them, but I didn't like missing out of the MDR experience. One of the things I really like about cruising is that you can have the same servers each night (we aren't doing "my time"), and you can build up a relationship with them (and neighboring tables). Having my "usual" drink available immediately, for example, is sometimes more special than a better quality steak.

We are cruising on Dec 29, and currently have one reservation for Chops, but I'm considering canceling and just ordering the Chops steak from the MDR menu. :)

We sailed the Freedom last New Years. It was really fun. There was a special MDR souvenir menu, with lots of hats, beads, etc on the table. A huge party in the promenade. Most were really dressed ( lots of tuxes) and everyone was friendly and festive.

 

Also- the college bowl games are shown on the big screen by the pool.

 

Had a great time, hope you do also

 

M

We were on the Freedom last NYE as well. We had a great time (repeating this year on the Allure)!

I fondly recall a crew member rocking out with an electric guitar on the bridge across the Promenade during the countdown to New Years party. And then realized...wait...that's the captain! Very impressive (and fun!)!

I also highly recommend eating dinner in the MDR on Dec 31. It's a great festive atmosphere.