smogfarmgirl

We were on Allure in September, we all had notifications turned on for their app in our phones. I would say maybe 20% of the time we received a notification of a message. Bottom line is….You can’t trust their notifications, check your app if you’re waiting on someone.

Sorry to resurrect an old topic, but anyone know the answer to this in 2023?

We went on our first cruise on allure in September. So we don’t have anything to compare it to, but we did not think it felt too big. It was quick to get on quick to get off, and I was very surprised that it never felt crowded.

We just did our first cruise on Allure in September, and are thinking about booking Symphony in January. What are your thoughts/opinions on the differences? What should I know?

I’ve appreciated all the replies! To add a little more info, we’re in our mid-40s, and hubby is not a fan of shows, per-se. We like live music, have fun with some karaoke, and want to dance a little. 
 

We thought most of the food in the MDR on allure was fantastic! A couple misses, but overall we were impressed. We did have The Key, so we got the Chops embarkation lunch and debarkation breakfast, which were both excellent. Hubby especially likes to have things to keep him busy, but a pool will do if nothing else. 
 

As we weren’t really planning another cruise, we will probably dive in and try X on the cheap end, just to give it a shot. Is it hard to be on X without doing Concierge or Aqua Class? The perks I’ve ready about (spa treatments, welcome lounge, etc) won’t be a big deal for us on this trip, but am I missing something that will ruin it for us going cheaper on this one?   

5 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

Oh yeah .. if you like bingo announcements blaring and don't mind being carded just to get a pool towel, then maybe Royal is better for you.

😂🤣 I had read a lot about RC before we left, but somehow I hadn’t read anything about those two things! Were people really stealing SO MANY junky pool towels that it makes that whole stupid system worth it?!😂

On 9/16/2022 at 9:57 AM, saintsfan777 said:

Do they play any Sunday NFL games on Allure? Was anyone on last Sunday that can comment on where they were played?

We were on Allure last Sunday, they played two games, Dolphins/Patriots outside in the Aqua Theater, the other in On Air and a couple other places, I heard. Plus in the rooms. 

We just got off the Allure yesterday for our very first cruise. We really enjoyed it! The question now… Do we do another Royal Caribbean cruise, or should we try Celebrity? Pre-pandemic we had booked a cruise on Celebrity, that was canceled in March 2020. So now we are thinking of giving Celebrity a try. For those who have cruised both, what are the biggest differences/similarities, or what puts one above the other for you?

We added The Key a few days ago, it wasn't much more than I had paid for internet. So now I have questions! We’re taking the train to the port, so we’ll have all our luggage. I’ve tagged it with Royal’s luggage tags. I know The Key lets you take it to a drop off on board (MDR?) and they’ll take it to your room. Is there an earlier place to leave your luggage? It’s our first cruise. 
 

Any other The Key info you think is good will be appreciated! I’m a little curious about the breakfast on disembarkation day. We’re not in a hurry to get off the ship so thought that would be nice! Do they take your luggage from your room? And if so, where do you pick it up?

42 minutes ago, rockmom said:

yep. And there are a lot of crew around that can help if you can't figure out how to access the schedule, maps, etc.  But it's pretty easy.  

We’re reasonably young and both work online, we’ll be fine 😆 Was just wondering about their app capabilities. 

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

In addition, on more and more ships, you can scan a QR code and have the full .pdf of the Cruise Compass on your phone.

 

 

I saw that. It’s an option. 

13 minutes ago, rockmom said:

you don't need the wifi package to access the app. The App is on the ship's intranet wifi.  If you want to access the internet, other apps outside of Royal's, then you need an internet connection either by purchasing a package or paying for a day or so at a time (very expensive cost per day compared to the cost per day for a package.  So as long as you both have the app, you can both access it whenever you want.  Hopefully that all makes sense.  

Yes, I understand the app works off their intranet.  So that means he doesn’t need to be logged in? Just opens the app?

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

It depends on whether or not he wants to use it.

 

my wife and I do everything using my account but she has her own login if she wants to use it.

I guess my question is…will it allow us to both be logged in at the same time? He won’t use it much, but he’ll want to see bar hours, events, etc. Some apps cause issues when two people are logged in. 

First cruise, I’ve got the app and we’re all checked in etc.  My husband has not downloaded the app yet. Will he use my sign in info? He will need access to cruise planter etc. while we’re on the ship so he can see the schedules etc. Or does he set up his own account? And if so, just links our cruise to his?

On 8/6/2022 at 11:16 AM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Will you be carrying a small Crossbody purse? That’s what I do so I will be putting my card in my purse along with my phone.

I really wasn’t planning to carry anything, lol. True freedom! But I might need a little something it sounds like. 

4 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Will you be carrying a small Crossbody purse? That’s what I do so I will be putting my card in my purse along with my phone.

I hadn’t planned on it, I love the freedom of not carrying anything! But after reading everything,  I might, at least for some times. 

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

It depends on the ship. Some are RFID, some are magnetic.

We’ll be on Allure

We’re going on our FIRST cruise next month (had one booked for March 2020, lol). I have many questions about Seapass cards and lanyards. Hubby usually wears resort shorts, and they have a zipper pocket, so I don’t think he’ll wear one at all. But for me, what’s the best kind? I have Disney ones from pin trading, so those work? And what’s with people talking about punching a hole in the lanyard pocket? How do the cards work? Mag stripe/RFID/barcode? 

Plus, I’m not too crazy about wearing a lanyard around my neck all day, due to neck issues I have (weight doesn’t really matter, it’s the having anything hanging on, lol). What are non-lanyard options?

We have the DBP so I’ll need my card pretty frequently 😝

@cap’nflapjack appreciate the advice, thanks!

@bjlbbkThank you soooo much for the details! All of that sounds amazing! I’ll be sure to request GF French toast at least one day, I miss it sooo much!

Excited for our VERY first cruise in September, on the Allure (had a cruise schedule for March 2020, you can probably guess how that turned out😝). I have a gluten sensitivity (not Celiac, cross-contamination is OK but eating gluten ends my body for a week without steroids). I have already emailed special-needs, and they have noted it on our sailing, and I have read a little online about eating GF on Royal, but was hoping for some of everyone’s favorite meals/tips/locations/hints, etc!

On 6/5/2022 at 10:43 PM, kateg said:

 

 

Wifi-WIFI was as bad as others have said.  We had six devices worth of Zoom.  I was rarely able to open a web page, For some reason Facebook worked pretty reliably.  Checking email was a struggle some days.  Streaming hahahaha.  I mean if you are lucky or of you stay up really late it might work for you.  It was very hit or miss and mostly a miss.  And if you NEED to keep in touch with the outside world (work as it was for us) you can't count on the Voom.  We did get a nice credit because it was "down" for a few days.  We only learned this because we heard a few other couples discussing it...Because "down" and "working" ...there wasn't much difference.  We had better service on Labadee through Verizon than we did on the ship.  Bottom line-Its a LOT of money for very slow and very unpredictable internet.  Especially when we have had excellent service on other ships.  And not everyone has the luxury to unplug during a cruise.  If it weren't for internet we wouldn't have been able to go at all.

That is terrible, horrible news. Going on our first cruise in September, but I run an online business and have to be able to check in with customers, e-mail orders, handle issues while on board. I would never have booked if I knew the internet was unusable. I don’t need to stream video, etc, but need to have a decent WiFi connection for the basics. I don’t have the luxury of a week unplugged. 

19 hours ago, treehugr said:

Interesting read. Looks like the average cruiser isn't the only entity having difficulty getting paid....

 

Holding Onto Other People’s Money in Order to Stay Afloat:

"All of the cruise lines have been accused of holding onto their customers’ refunds for as long as possible. Excursion tour companies in the Caribbean have complained that Carnival has not paid their tour operators for services rendered for over a month."

At what point do we start asking for interest on these loans they're borrowing from us? I'm only half joking...

5 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

I agree!  Same cabin category guarantee would relieve a lot of concerns, build goodwill and loyalty! 

Same issue here. I’d take the FCC if I could get the same cabin category. It’s nearly double for a similar sailing for us...and there is availability so I’m tired of hearing the “well the popular cruises are already very full” etc. So let us fill them! Otherwise no way they’re keeping my money. 

1 hour ago, SusieV said:

125% is an insult for those of us cruising this weekend.

And next week. We’ve spent money we can’t get back, cancelled gigs, etc. They should have decided this earlier, or given something like Princess did. Show us they actually care.