androckb

Thank you for posting the Fun Times! Will be on this same itinerary later this year and was hoping someone would share so I can get an idea of the schedule and different activities that might be available (first time on Carnival). 

Appreciate your review! Will be sailing this exact itinerary later this year. 

Do you happen to have copies of the Fun Times? This will be my first time cruising Carnival, and I'm interested in getting a feel of what the schedule and activities look like on the ship. 

Maybe this is why or maybe the app is truly worth little? ......

 

Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Not sure, but it's available via Google Play so it's obviously being marketed for Android devices as well. Our phones are both up to date, and we were running the latest version as downloaded while we were on the ship.

Sailed 11/26 to 12/3 on the Allure, and the new app was pretty much useless. Currently, it's just a digital version of the cruise compass and deck plans. But it's woefully inaccurate based on our experience. It only has some of the activities listed in the day by day guide, not all of them. Many times the information didn't match the paper Cruise Compass. More troubling, it had the wrong all aboard time at our first stop in Nassau (app listed 2:30, but it was actually 12:30). It also had us arriving at Labadee at 8 a.m. on Day 4... except we were actually arriving in St. Thomas at 1 p.m.

Besides that, it is supposed to work via the ship's wifi for free (no package needed). We didn't purchase any internet, and found very often the app wouldn't connect (it gave a generic error stating such), or if it did, it wouldn't show the daily planner information, just the deck plans. We found if you backed out to the choose your ship/date screen, that would sometimes correct the issue, but not always.

At this point, based on our experience (two different android phones with the same poor results), I would say it isn't even worth downloading.

Where does the time go? Been a busy week back home, including two days basically spent laying in bed due to a back issue that flared up. Thankfully it flared up after the cruise and not during it.

Anyway, onto the trip report!

Day 0 - Traveling to Fort Lauderdale

As a quick reminder, there are four of us traveling. Myself (Bill), my husband Matt, his mom Julie, and my mother Sue. See my first couple of posts for the backstory if you would like.

Julie joined us in Tampa on Thanksgiving Day, and we enjoyed a nice standing rib roast for dinner. Our apartment complex has guest suites, so she had her own space for two nights, which was good since Matt had his regular shift on Friday and I had several thing to wrap up at home in preparation of the cruise.

My mother drove down from Macon on Saturday morning, and arrived around noon. We had planned on driving down in Matt’s car. But the staff at our apartment complex wasn’t willing to issue a parking pass for the 8 days for my mothers car to stay here. Not the end of the world, as my mother was fine with us using her car so long as she didn’t have to drive from Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale. Only downside is Matt had put together a “pre-cruise” playlist of music over the last few months to play through the phone using bluetooth in his car. Unfortunately my mother’s car wasn’t capable of that, and we couldn’t locate an aux cord before leaving to hook it up that way. So having to switch through radio stations across the state is what we ended up with. Oh well.

Matt drove down, and the ride was fairly uneventful. No traffic delays, and we found our hotel for the evening with no trouble. We made one pit stop along Alligator Alley. It’s really a boring stretch of highway. Neat to drive through the Everglades (at least the first time, and this was our second), but it’s really just a very straight shot with not much to look at.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Miramar, about a 25 minute drive from the port and pretty close to I-75. We got a great rate for a Saturday night on Thanksgiving - $77 per room including taxes through Priceline. We had booked two rooms with a AAA rate at a Marriott property in the north Ft. Lauderdale at what was a good rate at the time several months ago - about $130 per room. And that was on the lower end of prices for a decent property in the area. But as I do, I kept checking and the Hilton was similarly rated with the same amenities at a much better rate. Only thing is it required pre-payment and no changes, which was fine.

So just a few turns off the interstate, we thought the Hilton Garden Inn was just fine for our needs. Rooms were spacious, clean, and fairly updated. Had a Keurig, small microwave, and mini-fridge as well. As long as it’s clean and quiet, I’m a happy camper. Wi-fi was pretty slow, but it was free.

Dinner was at a nearby Texas Roadhouse. The whole throw the peanut shells on the ground concept is just odd to me - I was raised better than throwing trash on the floor. So I politely put my shells on a plate instead. After that it was back to the rooms for sleep - we’re not exactly big nightlife people, and we all wanted to try and get a good night sleep before embarking on the cruise.

LOL growing up in S Fl i never understood the big deal of palm trees and lizards

It really is all relative. We've talked to native Floridians who have never seen snow and wonder in amazement what it might be like. Since we grew up with it and escaped from it, I always tell them it's pretty as its falling and right after.... then it's gross, wet, cold and miserable lol.

Back to the real world. Always a hard first day back after any vacation.

I still plan on doing a detailed report in the coming days (or weeks depending on how much time I can devote to pulling my thoughts and our pictures together), but wanted to share a few quick thoughts on the overall experience:

- Yes, the ship is as massive as everyone says it is. Being the over-planner, I did study the deck plans before going, so I had a relatively good idea where things were in relation to one another, so I only got turned around on occasion. But all week long we saw people who genuinely looked lost all around the ship.

- Crowds - our experience I would say was somewhere in the middle of many of the reports I've read. We had 5,900 passengers on board, and occasionally we encountered lines or crowded conditions, usually in relation to the beginning or ending of an event. That said - we also experienced many more times where there was hardly anyone around in certain areas, even just minutes after walking through/past a crowded area. Elevator waits weren't too bad - a few time we had to wait two or three elevators that were full to go by before getting on. But there were also plenty of times we got into an empty or nearly empty elevator with no delay. We did generally take the stairs when walking down or only going up one or two flights.

- Pushy salespeople - I had dreaded a bit the reviews that mentioned the constant upselling some experienced on Allure. We were out around the ship often and other than the ship photographers asking if we wanted our picture, I don't think we were approached once by anyone trying to sell us anything. That includes while walking through Promenade when they often had tables or stands set up for specialty dining, spa services, etc.

- Food & service - We ate dinner in the main dining room each evening, and found the food to be above average overall for the week. A few dishes that were quite good, but nothing that really had the wow factor. Our wait staff was very hard working, but was a little hit and miss during the week, with one poor service on the fourth or fifth night. Based on how much the head waiter and other senior staff were running around that night, I think it was a larger issue than just with our servers. But in comparison to our last cruise on Vision of the Seas, where our service was spectacular, it just wasn't quite up to the level of expectation we had going into this cruise. We avoided Windjammer for the most part. The food was fine, but the layout and crowds were a turn off. Too much craziness to enjoy a meal. Will detail our food experience more in the expanded report.

- Stateroom & attendant - As I mentioned earlier in this thread, we stayed in a Boardwalk Balcony room. For two, we found the cabin great in terms of space and storage. Some bleed through of noise from the Boardwalk into the room, but it quieted down by 11 pm and didn't really affect us. But if you're a light sleeper, like to go to bed early and/or nap in the daytime, you may want to consider other options. I'm a fairly light sleeper, but it didn't bother me much. Even brought earplugs in case, but didn't use them.

- St Thomas still showed signs of the hurricanes, but everyone was very vocal in thanking us for visiting and saying they need the tourists back. I was a bit worried about feeling like we were intruding or inhibiting the recovery process - but the reality is quite the opposite. Since they rely so much on tourism, and since 90% of the hotels remain closed, the cruise ships visiting are very much a neccesary part of their recovery.

Any other questions, please feel free to ask. Just wanted to cover a few of the highlights while I had a few minutes.

So, was on Allure last week, the first Eastern Caribbean itinerary since before the hurricanes for the ship, which included a stop in St. Thomas.

Just about every single local we encountered while out on our tour of the island (booked through the cruise line) actually said "thank you for visiting us" because they needed the help. Our tour driver and a few locals we encountered detailed to us just how much they need visitors right now, as without the cruise ships, they would all be out of work. 90% of the hotels are still closed, so cruise ships coming in is essential to these people.

They do not need or want "time to rebuild without visitors coming." They want the money flowing so they can go on with their lives, make a living, and actually speed up the rebuilding process.

This is the last of the pre-cruise posts! This is also the final reminder that if you have any questions/requests for pics/info while I'm on the cruise, to leave a post by the end of today. After tonight, I probably won't be checking in here until our return.

Part 4 - The Plan Onshore

We live in Tampa, and Matt’s mom flew in yesterday for Thanksgiving. My mom is driving down Saturday morning from Macon. Then we’re driving down to Fort Lauderdale Saturday afternoon, and staying overnight so there’s no worry about driving down Sunday. No specific plans Saturday evening - probably just dinner somewhere near the hotel and an early night. We plan on arriving at the port around 10:30 and parking in the lot at the terminal.

After a number of weeks of uncertainty, it looks like we’re keeping our Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Which I’m very happy about - we cruised Western Caribbean last time (including Costa Maya and Cozumel), and would have been disappointed to have the same itinerary this trip. First it was the propulsion issue (which did change a number of itineraries - our cruise was “lucky” in that we only had a change of times and reduction of hours docked in Nassau and St. Thomas). Then the back to back hurricanes leading to a lot of unknowns.

Yes, we would make the best of it wherever we end up going. Yes, I am aware the cruise contract says they can change any or all of the ports. And of course I would expect the captain not to take us anywhere deemed unsafe due to storms or other emergencies. But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t be disappointed if we ended up with an itinerary drastically different than what we booked. And with all due respect, the Western itineraries have generally been priced at least a bit lower, so yes, those who had their itineraries switched from an Eastern with no alternatives (in the case of the propulsion issues, at least) have a legitimate gripe in my opinion. End of rant.

So as of now, we’re visiting Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Kitts.

We’re losing 90 minutes in Nassau due to the propulsion issue, but really that’s not a big deal to us. Our plan is to walk around the downtown area and over to the Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle - just a two or three hour tour hitting the major sites in the immediate area. None of the shore excursions through the ship looked all that exciting, and they all looked far too overpriced. Atlantis looks very pretty, but since we’re only in port from 7 to 1, just don’t see the value of any of the packages or excursions there. So self-guided walking tour it is.

In St. Thomas, we were originally booked for the Secret Sands and Skyline Drive excursion for 10:45 a.m. Only problem is with the itinerary change due to the propulsion issue… we don’t arrive until 1. Finally at the beginning of this month, they updated the time in our Cruise Planner to a 1:50 start - but that would mean we’d arrive back at the ship right at the start of our dinner time. I wrongly assumed that one night in the buffet would be ok, but was quickly set straight by the rest of the group. So we ended up cancelling that excursion and booking a less expensive one that is basically just the scenic drive part with a second stop at Mountain Top. That one is shorter and doesn’t impact dinner, so all is well.

Our last stop is St. Kitts, and we have the railway excursion booked. I’m a bit of a train geek, so that was probably the deciding factor on why we booked this one. Figure it will be a good way to see a bit of the island as well. This is also the only stop that none of us has ever been, so it’ll be a new experience for everyone to share. It looks like we’ll have enough time in the afternoon to possibly take a short taxi ride to one of the beaches and hang out for an hour or two as well, but I imagine that will be a decision made based on our energy levels at that point.

That about wraps up the pre-cruise reporting. Again, this won’t be a “live” report, as outside of St. Thomas where we may have cell coverage, I don’t anticipate spending any time online once we depart Fort Lauderdale. If there are any more questions or requests ahead of time, please feel free to add them. As I mentioned in the first post, I make no promises on being able to fulfill any requests since I tend to zone out once I get into vacation mode - but I will be writing down all the questions/requests so there’s always a chance!

One last pre-cruise picture to break up all the text. This time it's the Carnival Valor and the setting sun off the coast of Belize in November 2015.

Part 3 - The Plan on the Ship

I don’t anticipate us visiting any of the specialty dining options, except maybe for Johnny Rockets since a meal will be included with our Boardwalk Balcony cabins. To channel “Cheapo dad” again, we just don’t see the need to spend extra money when so much food is already included.

My family owned a restaurant, so when it comes to feeding mass amounts of people, we try to set our expectations at an appropriate level. As long as the food is cooked properly and served at the correct temperature, we’ll be ok. If we want a 5 star gourmet dining experience, we know to go to a restaurant (on land) that specializes in that. We felt the food on our Vision of the Seas cruise two years ago ranged from good to excellent overall, so hopefully with as many choices as there are on Allure, we’ll be fine in terms of food.

Our intention is to eat all of our dinners in the Main Dining Room; we decided on the early seating, and I requested The Grande on Deck 4 at a larger table via email about three weeks before sailing. (It took five days for a response.) While the flexibility of My Time Dining is enticing, we really enjoy knowing we’ll have the same servers for the duration of the cruise. We also enjoy dining at a larger table and getting to meet and then getting to know our dinner companions over the course of the week.

For breakfasts and lunches, we plan on trying out the various options available. I prefer breakfast in the main dining room, and on sea days I imagine that’s where we’ll end up. Yes, it can be a bit of a slower service (we experienced that on Vision and I’ve seen in a number of reviews on Allure it can be that way as well) but if we don’t have anywhere to be, then I don’t need to rush through it anyway. I’m also looking forward to trying out Park Cafe as I mentioned above.

I’m sure we’ll hit Windjammer at some point, but with all of the other options and mixed reviews (at least in terms of it being too small for a ship this size), I don’t see this being our go to option.

As mentioned in my last post, we’ll be enjoying the Classic Soda Package that comes with our Boardwalk Balcony staterooms. None of us are big drinkers, so the Deluxe package is just too much money for what we’d get out of it. We’re fine with paying out of pocket as we go for any alcohol or other specialty drinks. I will keep an eye out for the 10 Drink Card though, as we’ll probably get some value out of that, especially since it can be shared. We also plan on bringing wine with us and carrying a glass to dinner each evening while the supply lasts.

I have no intention of visiting the spa (or the fitness center, for that matter) on this cruise. We looked into a couples massage, but landside we can do much better on the price, and avoid the high pressure sales pitch at the end I’ve seen in so many reviews. We do enjoy walking a few laps in the morning and/or evening around the ship, so we’ll have some physical activity. I look forward to trying out the track on Deck 5.

We’ve booked our entertainment (I mentioned I’m big into planning), and we’re looking forward to seeing as many of the shows as possible. There’s a good chance one or two of the nights that at least one of us will end up deciding we’ve had enough and skip a show, but I’d rather have a plan to see them and not have to hope for standby. As for the non-reservation shows, looking forward to seeing the belly flop & sexiest man competitions, as they are always a hoot. And after being introduced to The Quest on our last cruise, will definitely make an effort to be there for that one as well. With a drink in hand.

Otherwise, hope to explore the ship as much as possible, and hit whatever events or activities we’re in the mood for as we go along. I found on the last cruise I enjoyed just sitting and watching the world go by, whether out on the open sea or inward while people watching.

Some more eye candy to help break up all the text of the pre-cruise stuff... NCL Jade off the coast of Belize in November 2015:

Part 2 - Intros and Cabins

Ok, now that the basics are out of the way, let me introduce myself and my traveling party.

I’m Bill, a travel professional, writer, and tour guide at Central Florida theme parks. This will be my second cruise; my first was on Vision of the Seas sailing a Western Caribbean (Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya & Cozumel) in November of 2015. I’m sailing with my husband Matt who is a professional photographer, so expect some pretty pictures upon our return. My mother (Sue) and his mother (Julie) are joining us for this cruise.

My mom has been on one cruise about a decade ago on Carnival, but Matt & his mom have both done several cruises, including Royal Caribbean and Carnival. In fact, his mother has also done river cruising, and her last “cruise” was an expedition to Antarctica. Traveling the world is a priority for her, and she works a second part-time job and uses the money from that to fund her hobby. She’s been to every continent at least once now except Australia - she anticipates visiting there after retirement in the next two years.

We originally booked two Large Interior cabins on Deck 7 back in January - one for my husband and I, and one for his mother. A few weeks later my mother decided to join us, and we were able to add her to the second cabin (and we actually both got better rates at that point, so it worked out just fine). I continued to check about once a week for any better rates or offers all the way through final payment due date, but the rate we booked into in early February was the best through the final payment date.

I’m fine with an interior cabin. We tend to be the type of vacationers who go somewhere to see and do, not to relax and lounge around. (Although I do enjoy a bit of lounging on a longer vacation, we just aren’t the “sit at a beach for a week” type of people.) Similarly, we tend to book relatively inexpensive, no frill hotels when we travel because they are usually only used to sleep and shower, not to spend much time in. Same on the cruise - I’d rather spend our vacation budget out on the ship or on shore than in the room, since we won’t be spending a whole lot of time in it besides sleeping.

Being the over-planner I am however, I continued checking past final payment date just in case there was an opportunity to upgrade for little or no money. At the beginning of October, it looked like Boardwalk Balcony Cabins were going for about $140 more than what we were paying, so we all decided it was worth the cost to upgrade. It ended up being $137 more for our cabin; the cabin for our moms ended up being a free upgrade due to a resident rate that was lower than what we were already booked at. So they made out even better! For us it’s really a wash - by getting the two free soda packages, which we were planning on purchasing anyway, we pretty much break even and get the nicer cabin.

We have two cabins pretty close together on Deck 8 around the carousel area. I’ll detail the cabins and specific room numbers upon our return. While I think I would like to be down closer to the end near the Aquatheater, the only option at the time we changed into this category would have been to go up to Deck 14 to do so, and we just didn’t want to be that high up or directly under the Sports Court. The location on Deck 8 also puts us at an easy walk to Park Cafe, which based on all the reviews we’ve seen, seems like it will be a good spot for a quick breakfast or lunch.

Once again, an image to balance out wall-o-text. This time, Celebrity Equinox off the coast of Belize in November 2015:

Looks like a lot of us going out together on Allure this Sunday!

If any of you haven't already, be sure to join the roll call: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2370084

Sweet! We are from Tampa on the same sailing (11/26). This will be our 2 DD first time on Allure, we are looking forward to this cruise!

Howdy neighbor! First time on Allure for all of us. Beyond excited at this point!

We're in the Orlando area. :) Our first Oasis class cruise - so very excited.

Our's too! Been doing lots of research and planning (it's my thing). Almost there!

We're on the same Allure cruise. Can't wait to get out of this chilly Chicago weather. I am so NOT ready for winter. Very ready for blue skies and the beautiful ocean!

We moved from Pennsylvania six years ago... one reason was to get away from the winters. I miss snow around Christmas, but I do not miss the cold, gray, bleak conditions of January every year. But I suppose coming from up north for a cruise like this does make it a little more special!

I'm reminded of our visits to Florida before we moved here. Always loved seeing palm trees each visit; such a novelty. After living here for just a few weeks, let me tell you, that novelty wears off. Not to make it sound like a bad thing, but they're really everywhere. When family visits us from up north, though, they always marvel at the beautiful palm trees a few times once they arrive. All relative to what you're used to seeing on a daily basis.

The wife an I will be on the 10 Dec cruise driving across from Naples

That's not too bad of a drive. We've got a bit longer of a drive from Tampa, but it's still better than having to fly!

Would love to hear about your cruise. Love Allure. We'll be in Boardwalk rooms on Symphony so always interested in others thoughts. Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks! Will be my first time in any sort of balcony, so I'm curious how much I'll actually use it.

Will you be taking pictures of the menus in the Main Dining Rooms?

I will add it to my list of requests. While I won't be connected to the outside world, I do plan on having my cell with me most of the time to take some pictures. (I'm leaving the real photo taking to my better half, who does it professionally). So as long as the battery holds out, I'll give it a shot.

We would appreciate knowing the condition of St. Thomas after the hurricanes.

Certainly on my list of things to report on when we return :)

I too will be on the same sailing as you :)

Just saw your post in the roll call. It's almost here!

My daughter, grandson, and I will be on the Dec. 10th sailing, so looking forward to your thoughts. Have a great cruise!

Thanks!

Since we'll be back on December 3rd, I doubt I'll have the entire report done by the time you go the following Sunday. But I'm sure I'll have at least some of my overall thoughts up by then.

Was on Vision two years ago on Deck 7, and I don't recall there being any public space forward on that deck. robtulipe is probably right - overhead for the theater and storage/crew space is most likely what's there.

Hello all! We will be cruising on Allure of the Seas starting this Sunday, November 26, 2017, and as we’re getting closer to sailing away, I’m getting more and more excited! There are a total of four of us going on this cruise, and we’ll be in two Boardwalk Balcony cabins. First time on Allure for any of us, though we have all cruised at least once before. We’re scheduled to visit Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Basseterre, St. Kitts.

I wanted to start this thread before actually going on the cruise to allow for anyone to ask questions or make requests for pics/info ahead of time. I don’t anticipate having much internet access once on the cruise, and frankly I’m looking forward to disconnecting from the real world for the week. So it won’t be until after we return that I really begin working on the report, and I’m sure it will take me some time to write about everything. Expect a number of photos (and possibly some video as well).

One note about any requests ahead of time: I will do my best to get information or snap pictures as requested while on the cruise, but ultimately since I’ll be on vacation, it’s not likely I’ll go too much out of my way. Sorry, just want to be honest and not promise anything ahead of time. As much as I enjoy the planning process, once I actually get to the vacation, I tend to end up going with the flow and forgetting about the real world.

Pulling some inspiration from Cheapo Dad’s thread back in 2014/15, this will be more of a report of what we did before, during, and just after the cruise, with my own views/reviews thrown in where appropriate. I encourage anyone reading this report to take everything with a grain of salt, combine it with other reviews for perspective, and understand this is just one point of view… in short, your mileage may vary.

Lastly, a big thank you to all of the posters here on Cruise Critic. I’ve done a lot of searching and have read a lot of different threads and trip reports/reviews, and they’ve helped immensely in the planning process. I hope in turn this thread will be able to help others in their planning going forward.

Just a few of the other Allure reviews/reports/threads I’ve found to be helpful:

harryfat1: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2146596

A&L_Ont: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2394389 & https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2327226

Canadian Disney Mom: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2493664

I will be posting more about who we are, our planning process, and what we plan to do on the ship and on shore in additional posts.

In an effort to make up for the giant wall of text above (I promise there will be pretty pictures on the back end of this when we return!) here is a photo of Vision of the Seas at Costa Maya back in November of 2015.

Here's a recent thread on St. Thomas including a visitor's account of what they saw and experienced:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2564058

I just read a 2-star review of Allure of the Seas where the author's gripe was all about the lack of options on the in-room television. I had a good chuckle.

On a more serious note, I've seen several negative reviews on Allure here on Cruise Critic - to say they aren't posted just isn't true. But I don't have the slightest idea how long they take to be posted or what would keep them from getting posted.

As a few others have said, if there's an issue with getting it posted through their Review portion of the website, post it here on the boards.

I'd suggest contacting the port parking facility directly. There is a phone number on the port's website: http://www.porteverglades.net/cruising/parking/

This is a great post and something my wife and I were wondering which night to use our specialty dinning that we received when booked through our travel agent. Our ship is Allure, Western, Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel. If anyone has a copy please provide. I will update once we are off of our sailing on November 19.

Last one I've seen on that itinerary was from July 1 2017 -

Mojo, Saffron (Formal), Pimiento, Basil, Jasmine (Formal), Shiitake, Pomodoro

Nassau,St Thomas and St Kitts

Last Allure Eastern report I have is from this past June:

 

 

Mojo, Saffron (Formal), Pimiento, Basil, Shiitake, Jasmine (Formal), Pomodoro

To follow up on our awesome host's post, the August 27 2017 Eastern Caribbean sailing with this exact itinerary had the same menu sequence.