amygutman

@Laszlo I am SO EXCITED to read this - my family is getting on when you are getting off, so this is just an amazing appetizer for us. Have a wonderful time...and as a former Portlander, have an amazing time! The fireworks display was epic in the past! Warmest Amy

We are on the Friday 6/14 sailing as well - our 5th on the Gem and we are just so excited. She's not the biggest, fanciest or most "wow" factor ship - but just a lovely, well-laid out and (to us) perfectly-sized ship. Plus, it's an excuse to go visit Boston again - we used to live in Cape Cod and now in Orlando, we miss our Sox (and yes...hoping to grab tickets Thursday night when we fly in). We lived in Bermuda for years, so for us it's incredibly bittersweet to go back and visit with friends as well. I know you and your entire group will have a wonderful time! Thank you @ggTexasGal for the review!

@Queen of Oakville The Gem is our favorite ship across all cruise ships / lines. We love smaller ships in general, but the Gem just has a particular charm about it. It is small enough to enjoy every one of the specialty restaurants. You never feel too crowded in the buffets or dining rooms, and the crew just are some of the lovely folks we’ve met on any ship across any cruise line. You can see from my signature that we’ve been on her many times, and going back to Bermuda on her out of Boston in about a month. Yes, we’ve seen all the shows a few times, but they do bring guest performances on board for every sailing. The activities on board are fun as well… Because it’s a small ship, you actually get quite a friendly competition for the quizzes, etc. It does not have a lot of bells and whistles, and if that is your sort of thing is probably not the ship for you. She is also showing a bit of wear And has not as many of the technological advancements as the newest ships in the NCL fleet. But we have wonderful grand adventures for our entire family on this lovely vessel - even without fancy bracelets, electronic elevator, shafts, and interactive, sci-fi arcade games. As much as we appreciate the Havens on the bigger ships, I truly think this ship has the best Haven of them all. It is small enough to feel crowded, has a wonderful, indoor enclosed swimming pool, which is perfect for winter months to just enjoy, and incredible personalized attention. I encourage you to try this lovely “gem” of a vessel! Warmest, amy

We are boarding the Allure on Friday for my son's 15th birthday (whooo!!!). I know it's not the Harmony but as a similar Oasis class ship we chose the 2 bedroom Aqua Theater Suite 10th floor Star class both for the Genie and view of the Aqua shows. Honestly, I love a good balcony no matter where I am on the ship, but the opportunity to have one view of the ocean and one view of a cool show is a huge bonus to us. Plus, my family can cheer me on when I climb the rock wall right next to the balcony! It's been almost years since we were last on Royal on the Anthem and cannot wait to try out this class of ship (and have kiddo spoiled for his birthday). Warmest Amy

@Denversail and @Mr. IT Thanks for bringing us along on such a fantastically entertaining Live Review. So glad you had a nice time in Winter Park - we've lived here for 2 years and it's just such a wonderful place (and bougie-people watching is the best entertainment). 7 days until we board for kiddo's 15th birthday. Can't wait to experience the Allure for ourselves and crossing our fingers for smooth seas for the aqua shows as we are in an aqua suite! Glad you made it back safe, and again, thank you for a fun read. Warmest Amy

@puckliny Curious about this myself so checked online: According the the US State Department website: (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html) Apply early for your passport, or make sure your current one will be valid at least six months beyond your travel dates and has two or more blank pages. Your cruise company may also require you to have a passport even if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or foreign port of entry does not. Looked at the Royal Caribbean website as well it follows the State Department rules. I know it's not the news you want, but hope it's helpful. Warmest Amy

@ninjacat123 Thank you so much for the advice on both the cruise and on the cellphone. It wasn't a "live" review so I unfortunately couldn't be as dextrous as I wanted with the cellphone. And honestly, as much of a perfectionist as I am, after hour THREE of trying to make the perfect post, I threw up my hands and did the best I could. I was just happy that I could post the actual video as my travel agent was very much looking forward to an updated room tour (not too many on the internet, and none recent). Appreciate the MG advice - and yes, I really enjoy posting. Considering how much great information I get from CC, if something I enjoy doing can help someone else, then that's great karma + great fun! Warmest Amy

@jimbo5544 I love good cruise memories - thank you for sharing!

@apugeau I may be biased, but I do think our kiddo is fabulously cute too!!! Thank you!

Have to say this is the most fun-and-drama filled review I've read ever. I am having so much fun with my figurative popcorn in hand. Honestly , the ship is not the main character here - it's you!!! Can't wait to hear more; warmest Amy

@klb1978 We live in Orlando as well, and no matter how many times we see a launch (great view from our condo's parking lot), it still gives me a thrill! Our last sailing we were so excited as there was a launch scheduled but scrubbed at the last minute. Crossing our fingers for our upcoming Allure the week of the 19th! Warmest Amy

@A&L_Ont ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is the coolest thing - a private concert? Holy moley. I would be in heaven. I asked our Genie if he could possible arrange a dance / singing lesson for our son's birthday. He loves performing but is super socially shy and hoping to get him to at least try sharing interest. If our Genie comes through like yours did, I think I would just start crying mom tears. Thank you so much for sharing! Warmest Amy

OH MY G-D!!! This is EXACTLY what we were hoping for. Kiddo is going to be so happy (as are we). Cannot thank you enough for the photos @RobInMN! Warmest Amy

@Denversail Remember that it's Spring Break / Easter here in Orlando - it has been EPICALLY crazy at the airports and all of the theme parks. The pictures posted out of Disney Springs over the past few weeks has looked like cattle being (angrily) herded. As some of the Northern states still are on their Easter breaks (Florida schools are mostly back in session) you may run into some serious crowds. If I may suggest a nicer quiet town with awesome shopping and restaurants (plus, only about 20-30 mins from the airport depending on traffic), try Winter Park. We live here and it's paradise on earth. A cute little town that yes, has some tourist crowds but is charming, good parking (use the garages), and outstanding small-town vibe. Warmest Amy

@Denversail Am following along eagerly - we board the Allure on the 19th so excited to (metaphorically) travel with you a few weeks early! Warmest Amy

@LittleMissMagic Thank you for the lovely review! What a great way to spend the bachelorette party and what an amazing room! You should be an ambassador for the Star Class! Warmest Amy

@irishgal432 Makes a lot of sense. Actually, I think it's crazy that the Wonder and the Allure and so many other of the very large (>5000 passenger) ships have such short itineraries. Talk about crew exhaustion. Embarkation day is just crazy for them and cannot imagine doing it twice weekly. Definitely my stress about the "perfect birthday" for kiddo is a first world problem, so thank you for putting my anxiety into perspective. It's going to be a lovely cruise! Warmest amy

@cured Wow...that's high praise! I am so excited to hear you had a great experience. warmest Amy

@wdwkings thank you for the kind words. Cruising is so personal - likes, dislikes, and opinions are varied and actually really interesting. Ultimately, it's an expensive product that we do have high hopes for not so much as an alternative to NCL / MSC or other "suite-focused" ships, but because it's really the first cruise my son has specifically chosen for something HE wants to do / see vs something his boring parents have planned. I am always excited to sail, especially on a ship new to us - our only other Royal ship was the Anthem and I worked on the Empress for a contract ... oh, she was a lovely old lady. A true ocean liner who I was so sad to see decommissioned. But that was a job (certainly no butler there in my 90 sq foot room), and this is for fun so I am cannot wait for April 19th! Warmest Amy

@klakrad thank you. I know the butlers run crazy on MSC and NCL, and it seems even more so on Royal as the suites seem very spaced out. Did you love watching the aqua show from the balcony? It looks like an incredible experience. Warmest Amy

@bajathree FIFTY SAILINGS!!! That's amazing. Watched Gary Bainbridge's comparison of the "ship within a ship" concepts on my night off work tonight, and I think he has the same thoughts as you do. But, it seems like Royal is less focused on the "suite neighborhood" than the entire Star Class experience. Just my initial thoughts based upon CC reviews and youtube videos. Cannot wait to experience it ourselves though! Warmest Amy

Thank you @LittleMissMagic- this was such a lovely review!!!!

@bajathree @irishgal432 @LittleMissMagic @cured @wdwkings @RobInMN @smokeybandit and @klakrad My humblest thanks and deep apologies for the late replies. Night shift worker that got slaughtered in the days since I posted (can you see why I am really, really looking forward to this vacation!!!). As always, this amazing cruise critic community has been super helpful and I and so grateful. Out butler Mr Chinegadoo actually reached out via email today regarding specific birthday wishes for our son. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and all of the wonderful suggestions. I hope some days to offer assistance should you ever have a question I can help with! Warmest Amy

@cruiseDH22 We did it! We went from "never cruising in anything but a suite" to an old Carnival ship, the Liberty, for a last-minute cheapo long weekend cruise in an aft balcony. Did we love it? YES!!!!!! We were honestly so surprised - none of the amenities we were used to, and still, we ate well, were incredibly entertained, had a hideously decorated but incredibly clean and comfy circa-1980's pink and orange room, and some of the nicest crew you have ever met. Carnival's tributes to our military and first responders and fund-raising for St Jude's were added benefits. We loved it so much we've booked 2 more Carnival cruises. It's a different experience than we have been used to, and if we had such a good time on such a small, older ship, than I cannot wait to experience some of the newer models. Different strokes for different folks though - each cruise and each cruiser are really different so try something new...you may love it! Here's a link to my review: Warmest Amy

Good morning - So excited to be boarding the Allure for the April 19 sailing out of Port Canaveral. First time in Star Class and booked the 2 bedroom Aqua Suite for our son's 15th birthday. We completed the questionnaire sent out last month by the Genie (quite interesting, I must say) but had a two specific borthday requests we want to confirm prior to boarding the ship that we asked for in the questionnaire. Is there an email / phone number to reach out to the Allure Genies? I tried the regular guest email and received a "general" reply about the Genies contacting me via email 30 days out from the sailing - no info about a specific email address. It's past 30 days, so that's a bust. The regular guest relations email and phone number have also given the same "30 days email" reply and no Genie email information. We don't have high status on Royal so the Crown and Anchor line has not been helpful either. It's a bit frustrating, actually - in comparison NCL and MSC both have dedicated pre-concierge emails / contact numbers for their suite guests. Not complaining, just contrasting. Any help would be appreciated.