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That will depend on a wide variety of factors, from the port in question to who happens to be working that day. 😉 Since it's technically against policy, you might get away with it or you might not. If you want to play it safe, you can always have them board with you rather than vice versa.

DH got one too, but I didn't. I told him he wasn't allowed to go without me, so he'll just have to risk getting kicked off of the cruise we're not on. 😁

Granted, I've only been cruising since 2004, so maybe there was some "golden age" of rule breaking that I missed out on ... but I think you hit the nail on the head, they are following their own rules, which has always been the case on every cruise line I've tried. I understand that you're disappointed and frustrated, but I'm sure you realize that you're not being penalized for wanting to cruise with your friends. You're being penalized for not verifying dates before you made your payment. It's a tough way to learn the lesson, but I'm guessing you won't make that mistake again!

I never miss Samba when I'm on the Allure, and I'm also a big fan of 150 Central Park on any ship 🙂 The only one I've been disappointed with on Allure is Sabor. Not horrible, but not worth paying extra.

Unfortunately, there's no way to guarantee a two-person table or any other request, so "definitely" isn't an option ... however, there are some ways to come pretty close if you choose traditional dining. The first is obviously to request a table for two when you book your cruise, or through your travel agent. But in my experience, that's kind of hit or miss. Like you, we really like to dine alone, so on embarkation day we always make our way to the dining room and check out our table assignment. It's printed on your key card, so once you get access to your cabin and get your cards, you'll see your table number. If we're seated at a larger table, we go to the podium at the entrance of the dining room and request a switch. Occasionally we find that we've been seated at a four-person table but we're the only ones assigned to it, which in some ways is even better than a two-person table. Again, this isn't a guarantee, but it has always worked for us.

I also have fond memories of the Sovereign. It was my first grand suite and I thought I'd hit the pinnacle of luxury. 😄

Ohhh boy, I can only imagine how awkward. 😳 Sorry you had to deal with that. Congratulations on your wedding and I look forward to following along!

Deck 7 is less than ideal since you can't cut directly across from one passenger hallway to the other, but as others have said, 6 is a pretty good location. There's one night called "formal" and another usually called "dress to impress" or "dress your best." And yes, there is a wide range of attire, but relatively little true formal wear. To be fair, my last Allure cruise had several families celebrating what appeared to be quinceaneras, so they were dressed to the nines. But that is definitely not the norm. 🙂

Most of the Allure's specialty dining is the same restaurants you find in the rest of the fleet, but there is one notable exception that we never miss: Samba Grill. It's located in the Solarium Bistro and only open for dinner. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where they come around to your table with all-you-can-eat meats that they shave directly onto your plate (similar to the Fogo de Chao chain, if you've been there. They also have a Mexican place, Sabor, but it's never been better than just so-so in my experience. Those are the only two that are somewhat unique. That being said ... probably my favorite place to eat on ANY ship is 150 Central Park.

I have a friend on the ship right now. I'll report back next week if nobody else beats me to it. 🙂

Thank you for sharing your experience. So sorry for your loss. Best wishes to your daughter and granddaughter.

A good tip whether it's Royal Up or booking a guarantee cabin: do your research, decide which cabin in that category is the least desirable (for you), and decide if you would be content with that cabin assignment. If so, and anything better is just an extra perk, go for it! If not, then ... yeah, buyer beware.

Yeah, I'm glad that most ships offer you the choice. For people like us who primarily use our photos for digital photo frames, social media etc., the digital version makes a lot more sense, but I know you're not alone in preferring the hard copy prints!

I also saved a bunch on photo packages and a fair amount on excursions. No discounts on dining, and I didn't pay attention to the rest. 😉 As always, there will be some wins and some misses. Definitely worth checking the cruise planner for anything you currently have booked!

Yes, that is an option as well.

Sounds like a reasonable guess. I've also wondered if that's part of the reason why cruise planner prices have risen across the board recently ... raise prices by 30%, then have a 30% Black Friday sale and break even. 😉

To answer your question ... yes. 🙂 These were from a December 5-day cruise on the Mariner some years ago: If cruising were once-in-a-lifetime thing for me, I probably would have been pretty disappointed. But the crew made the best of things, and so did we. Not a bad cruise, overall!

Also keep in mind that the 24 hour period isn't necessarily midnight to midnight, unless you want it to be. If you start it at 11:00 AM on Monday, it will end at 10:59 AM on Tuesday. So if you time your usage periods strategically, you can have internet access for a good portion of four days.

Glad to hear it. Some people seem to really enjoy it, and this will keep them out of the way for the rest of us. 😁

I hope so too! Would you please let us know if you run into any issues?

Unfortunately, no. It's only on the Allure and the Radiance. 😞

I had similar concerns, but as others have said, I find that the neighborhood concept spreads out the crowds remarkably well. To be fair, I don't recall ever having more than 6k passengers on a sailing so I've never experienced a TRULY full Oasis class ship. As on any ship, there are times and places where passengers accumulate and crowds form. But in my experience, crowding hasn't been the norm. I enjoy different classes for different reasons, so we tend to go back & forth, but I would never hesitate to book an Oasis class.

I've sailed out of Port Everglades twice this year and the ship wi-fi connection has been hit or miss. Often we can connect, but then get booted out before we actually accomplish anything. FWIW, DH's iPhone tends to do better than my Android.

Another difference is that Symphony doesn't have Sabor or Samba Grill. But at least that means that the Solarium Bistro is open for dinner, since that's where Samba Grill is located on the Allure.

It's four years old so some of you may have seen it, but I just discovered this documentary and thought I would share since I didn't find any references in a forum search. "The Secret Life of the Cruise," on Amazon Prime Video. It covers nearly every aspect of running a weeklong Caribbean cruise on a MSC megaship, just shy of the Oasis class in size. I also found it interesting to see how some aspects differ from lines such as Royal Caribbean that cater primarily to American audiences. Anyway ... if you have Amazon Prime and 67 minutes to spare, check it out! 🙂