Dinkachu

We choose Allure in December because of the hideous review of the show CATS and the men wanted Sambas, which in not on Oasis.

Mama Mia was terrific. Sambas was not as good as it was 4 years ago.

We live a lot closer to Canaveral. Decisions, decisions.

Maybe it is time to try Oasis. There is plenty to do even if we skip CATS.

Okay I just need to ask? I suspect the $35 goes to pay for some form of "alcohol" consumption at the actual event. That said why would someone who has the Ultimate Drink Package pay more $$$ to drink the liquor that "may" be served at the event (even the secret event). Inquiring minds want to know.........

They do provide all you can drink 20's themed drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You get light snacks, there is a Jazz band, some games with prizes, and you get a special lapel pin.

I am also interested in knowing about the mattresses.

We were on Allure this Christmas and it was a wonderful cruise - fantastic shows, acceptable food, super nice ship, but the mattresses in the 6 cabins our group used were rock hard!

Could you still see the ocean from your balcony? That is one reason we were considering it as a second best option. In hopes we could still see the ocean.

We turned our chairs slightly toward the back of the ship and could see the ocean. If you get close to the rear of the ship, you will have a view that can be blocked. It is not as wide a view as a regular ocean view balcony, but you never forget you are at sea. The wake from the ship was very visible.

I appreciate you taking the time to write this informative review.

We have now changed our Serenade meal to 1st traditional seating and

we are resist buying the internet package. (We had fantastic and fast internet service on Allure in December).

Being prepared with mini-mag flashlights is now on my list for possible power outages.

We just enjoyed our 9th RCI Cruise and the 2nd Allure Cruise, Christmas 2016 in the same Boardwalk Balcony cabin we enjoyed Christmas 2011.

You can get an oceanview room on any ship - but only a few have Boardwalk balcony rooms.

We book on Floor 14 and close to the center of the ship. That way we get a nice view of the water that is not blocked. We could see both the rehearsals and the Diving show from our balcony. By being so high up, we had no noise from the Boardwalk when our doors were shut. We were under the landing pad for the zip line and could hear passengers land, but that was very few hours and always during the day. Our room was under the mini-golf course - so no noise from above.

We enjoyed two Boardwalk movies from our balcony as well.

If you want to do some people watching - the Boardwalk is fascinating.

We also found it was a quick trip down to Boardwalk for a free Hot Dog at the Dog house, or a paid snack at Scoops and Cups, or even lunch at Johnny Rockets.

We will probably book Boardwalk Balconies next time we are on an Oasis class ship.

We ate at Chops twice on Allure in December.

The first meal took 2 hours, but the 2nd time we told the waiter we were heading to a show afterward. He had us out of there in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Let your server know you want to get to a show. Ask to see the menus right away.

We took 2 battery powered fans in our carry ons in December on Allure.

No problems getting them on at all.

This is a heartbreaking story that is now getting media attention. Please avoid Royal Caribbean. I have sailed with them several times and usually loved them. But, when our friend Derek Kinner was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer, we chipped in to send him on his dream trip. He is not well-traveled and wasn't told to bring more than his driver's license, so he was not allowed to board. His health has quickly declined. Royal will not refund his money an only offered him 50% off on a future cruise, which he is too ill to do. His doctor verifies everything. Here is a television and news story on him. Please share. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/%E2%80%A6/man-dying-of-cance%E2%80%A6/57618972

 

#royalcaribbean #royalcaribbeaninternational

it is so sad that your friend did not get to enjoy his cruise. All cruise documents and the website for RC state exactly what documentation is required to board the ship. Did your friend have insurance on the cruise? I missed a cruise after being rushed to the hospital hours before boarding. We got all money back. A future cruise could be a weekend away. Is there any way your friend could make a cruise in the very near future? Wishing the best for everyone and I am so sorry for your friend's disappointment.

We dined at Chops twice and Sambas once a few weeks ago on Allure - Christmas 2015.

We were pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere, service and food at Chops - we went back on Christmas Day. We did upgrade the steaks the 2nd night, but it wasn't necessary as the filets on the menu were also good. Desserts are not quite as good as they have been in the past.

Sambas, we wish we had skipped. It is in the Solarium and was warm and humid - smelled a bit like chlorine, but that could have just been our table. The salad bar was nice with a good variety. You no longer get plates of roasted veggies - you get bowls of french fries and a few bananas and a couple of sliced pieces of veggie. Service for the meat was dreadfully slow. We sat with empty plates and glasses for 15 -20 minutes at a time. Several of the meat selections were tough and salty. We did like the lamb chops and the filet, but they arrived very late in the evening when we were tired and the ladies were full.

For a special occasion - I'd go with Chops.

We did have a great meal at Giovanni's - but it is family style and less formal.

We were just at Majo beach in December. Taxi cost us 8.00 per person each way.

The cruise line does not have an excursion to Majo beach. The party boat does not come ashore - so the taxi is the best way to reach the beach.

Sunset bar is still there - and posting the arrival and departure times of the planes.

There is some sand on the beach now - not enough for chairs, but enough to stand and take photos. I wish I knew how to post photos - I tried to post them and they are showing up as thumbnail attachments.

Be sure to leave enough time to get back to the ship - everyone tries to leave at the same time and with traffic jams it can take twice as long to get back to this ship if you wait too long to leave. We have heard that people have been left behind when they miss getting back to the ship.

Majo was a fun outing.

We just completed our 2nd Christmas on Allure cruise this December, 2015. We even booked the same cabins as our 2011 Cruise.

Our men love Brazilian steakhouses and were so excited to return to Allure and Sambas - it was the restaurant they were looking forward to the most.

Our Sambas experience was so wonderful in 2011, but it was not so great in 2015. I know taste are always subjective, but there were some changes in menu and service that made the meal less enjoyable for us.

SAMBAS 2011:

SERVICE: Great service - prompt and attentive - we barely had time to eat before the next meat arrived.

SALAD BAR: Nice salad bar featuring seafood, and fresh, crisp veggies.

VEGGIES At the TABLE: platters full of grilled veggies, bananas, etc. (best veggies at sea)

MEATS: A wonderful and varied selection of grilled meats AND salmon, which were all well prepared and tender. Lamb was a favorite.

DANCERS: Dancers dressed in Brazilian costume that danced with our men, Music played in the background.

DESSERTS: Desserts included about 8 choices, all we tried were delicious.

SAMBAS 2014:

SERVICE: Very Slow Service - we sat with empty plate, empty water glasses, etc. for at least 1 of the 2 hours we were there. We had to call waiters over and ask for some meat - 1 member of our party had their tummy growling and we sat for at least 20 minutes before the first meat appeared.

SALAD BAR: Still a nice selection of veggies and seafood - you serve yourself.

VEGGIES at the TABLE: Well - no more big trays of grilled veggies - now you get bowls of French Fries with one banana grilled on top and a few slices of veggies. We asked for more veggies and got an additional bowl of french fries with a handful of banana and veggie slices. Asked for just veggies and were told we still had 2 bowls of (now cold) french fries - so they could not bring more.

MEATS: NO SALMON or any other fish available now. We found the filet and lamb chops were good, but the other meats were overcooked, tough and salty

DANCERS: NO DANCERS, NO MUSIC - kind of boring.

DESSERTS: You now have only 3 choices - 2 of the 3 were good.

We won't be going Sambas on our next Allure trip.

Just off of Allure last Sunday. Room service breakfast still offers a pastry selection and coffee at no charge. You order the night before by filling out and hanging the menu with request on the door. We did tip the person who delivered breakfast.

The pastries were good as was the fruit, and my husband liked the potatoes, but the room service eggs were awful.

Our favorite breakfast spots were the Wipeout Cafe for made to order omelettes, Johnny Rockets for free made to order eggs and other breakfast selections.

Have FUN.

In the past I thought there was some place in the reservation to indicate that you are celebrating some special event on the cruise, I can't seem to find the place to provide that information. Can someone help or doesn't RCL care if I'm celebrating a birthday, anniversary, etc?

Just off Allure Yesterday. We sailed the day after my son's college graduation. I called RCI and told them about the celebration.

On the day of our choice and restaurant of our choice, the waiters put a candle in Chris's choice of dessert and sang, "for he's a jolly good fellow'. They offered him a free drink and a 2nd dessert.

On the Morning show, we had a very nice announcement read by the announcer. They read it every half hour from midnight until noon. It was really nice.

We brought decorations and the room steward hung them up for us to surprise our son when he returned from dinner (you can buy decorations from RCI - but not for graduation). We gave the room steward an extra tip.

Did they offer midnight mass this year?

There was no midnight Mass this year on Allure - there was a 'non-denominational' service on Christmas Day.

WE've continued to have excellent service in the MDR on MTD after our first 2 rough experiences.

The head waiter sees us coming and runs to greet us. We have had, at our request, the same waiters and table by the window on subsequent nights and couldn't be happier.

It was a rough start, but can now say we have had a good experience with My Time Dining.

Were we to choose MTD again, we would skip the first night.

We will be boarding the Allure on Sunday morning- have been on this ship a couple of times and also the Oasis. I would like to know on boarding day, which restaurants will be open-free and pay. Is the MDR open boarding day? Looking foward to sharing this adventure with my DH, my son, dtr in law and three grandchildren. Love seeing this ship throught the eyes of the kids.

 

Thanks

The MDR is not open until dinner time. Lunch selections included: Park Cafe, Windjammer, Wipe Out Cafe, Boardwalk Hot dogs and Cafe Promenade for free. We paid to eat at Johnny Rockets for lunch on boarding day and it was practically deserted. Everything is open for supper. Enjoy! The ship is magnificent.

CHRISTMAS at SEA is a tradition for our family. This is our 6th Christmas at Sea and our 2nd on Allure of the Seas.

We've enjoyed the festive decorations.

Being at Sea on this magnificent ship is a treat in itself. That being said,

Christmas on Allure is not nearly as festive as it was in years past.

The following were a part of our ALLURE CHRISTMAS in 2011, but are GONE and no longer part of RCI's Christmas on Allure in 2015:

~ NO incredible midnight buffet with butter and ice sculptures

~ NO egg nog party

~ NO caroling with special song books led by the captain

~ NO gingerbread cookies in our room on Christmas Eve

~ NO GIFT of ANY KIND FROM RCI - this is the first of our Christmas cruises with no gift. The first time we got really nice, rolling luggage bags, then backpacks, then RCI Items, and last time on ALLURE, a free dvd of the history of the ship.

~ There used to be a special Christmas ice show

~ Chocolate Candies on the bed from RCI for Crown and Anchor members on Christmas

~ A Christmas Eve religious service

What you still get on Christmas

~ Lovely decorations throughout the ship, including Christmas trees, poinsettias, and lights

~ Santa arrived and passed out gifts to kids 18 and under just like before

~ There was an ensemble playing Christmas carols on the promenade

~ There was a special menu in the main dining room for supper today, with roast turkey and other traditional items available.

~ Employees still wear Christmas hats.

~ Christmas day service

We pay A LOT more for the Christmas cruise, we kind of miss the little extras.

I know the incredible midnight buffet has been gone for many years. Deemed a waste of time and money. Other than the decorations and one special meal, it did not feel nearly as much of a Christmas celebration week.

We miss the egg nog party with the captain, caroling on the promenade, the special Christmas ice show, etc.

We still loved our cruise - just thinking we might sail the week before Christmas next year - it will be cheaper and we'll still see the decorations.

Our first two attempts to use MTD resulted in frustration and 3 hours without food on the first night, and walking out the 2nd night (resulting in being gifted a Giovanni meal by the RCI guest services desk).

Tonight was our 3rd attempt to use MTD and we are pleased to announce that our experience tonight was delightful. We had been down earlier to confirm reservations, and this time the head waiter recognized us and greeted us.

Upon our arrival at 6:15 for 6:30 reservations, we were greeted and seated IMMEDIATELY. We had both an assistant waiter - who brought us fresh rolls, and kept our glasses full - and a waiter, who could not do enough to keep us happy. It was lobster night and upon finding out the men in our group were lobster eaters, he brought a plate of extra lobsters, lifted each out of its shell, and left the platter of lobster tails in the center of the table. When my prime rib arrived a bit undercooked (I thought I heard it mooing), he had a fresh, and perfectly cooked offering of prime rib at the table fast. My son wanted duck soup and got a duck tureen. When he mentioned it to the waiter, again, the correct dish appeared instantly. The waiters did their job splendidly, and were present constantly without hovering. The food was tasty, a good temperature, and very good for mass catered faire.

We are so pleased to be able to say that we have finally had a good MTD experience.

Let's see if we can get a re-peat performance tomorrow, on Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas from Allure of the Seas!

What do we need to bring to charge cell phones, etc. Sorry, I'm terrible at the lingo, but is there something that we can put the charger straight into, or do we need to bring a plug that has one? Yeah, sorry, I know I'm not using the right terms..

There are little slots on the outlet near the television that you can plug your cell phone charger right into. No adapter needed.

THE WINDS ARE WICKED STRONG and the ship is rocking and rolling. We are enjoying the motion as we cruise toward St Thomas. The dive shows and ice skating and zip line were all cancelled. Isn't it marvelous that on a ship this size there is so much to do that bad weather cancellations just give us a chance to find other things to do that we might have missed otherwise?

MY TIME DINING DISASTER TAKE 2: If you read my Sunday post, you know that we left the MDR after a 2 hour wait with only bread and a couple of appetizers being served because we wanted to see Mama Mia. We had a reservation for 5:30 (booked 8 weeks ahead of time). We notified waiters we had a show to get to - but to no avail. We figured it was a first night issue.

MONDAY NIGHT DINING was at CHOPS - and we were so glad we did NOT pay attention to the many negative reviews of CHOPS. We had marvelous service, fork-tender steaks that were cooked perfectly, and while the sides were heavy on potato choices, we were happy with them. The new Red Velvet cake is a disappointment if you can remember the heavenly 7-layer version from cruises past - but not enough of an issue to make us unhappy. CHOPS was a success.

TUESDAY NIGHT MTD ROUND 2: We arrived at 5:15 for a 5:30 reservation. We were told we had no reservation and had to get in the 'walk up' line. Sent son back to the cabin to get my paperwork (yes, I carry paper copies of all reservations and confirmations). Son returns (we are still in line). We show proof to the head waiter. He leaves and returns to say that since we did not 'show up' Sunday, our reservations were cancelled and we are not in the system - we must wait in the 'walk up line'. My friend - who had been bored on Sunday - showed him photos she took of other tables eating Sunday - clearly eating from the 1st night menu - and pictures of us sitting with bread. We explained we had spoken to HIM about having no entrees after 2 hours. He shook his head and said he was sorry - no reservations.

Off we went to guest services - after hearing our story - they gifted us - all 6 of us with a meal at Giovanni's for tonight and said to come back in the Morning to give them a chance to contact the head waiter and work out the issues. Guest services called ahead and Giovanni's greeted and seated us immediately. Nice save, RCI!!!!

Stay tuned for MTD round 3.

We made it to the stand up comedy show tonight. They comics were each very funny for the first 15 minutes of their set. The first one kind of ran out of steam and jokes at about minute 16, but the 2nd comic kept us laughing right up until the end.

Midnight means bedtime - St. Thomas tomorrow.

We LOVE most everything about ALLURE. Small glitches just don't bother us - we work around them. But, these mattresses are like sleeping on slabs of concrete.

We asked for mattress pads the first day - they were put on last night and barely made a bit of difference.

The six of us cruising plus numerous others we've talked to all agreed that the post-dry dock mattresses are not comfortable. The 20 year olds in our party camp a lot and they said they would rather sleep on the ground with their camping pads.

We really try not to complain, but waking up in pain and not sleeping well does affect the quality of our vacation.

We are going to town in St Thomas to see if we can find some type of foam or thick mattress we can buy. Anything to make the cruise a success.

We'll be on Allure in 3 weeks. I'll be interested to hear how MTD goes for you for the rest of the cruise. We have MTD and have made dinner reservations based on the time of the shows we've booked. Hopefully last night with dinner and seeing a show was a one time thing. How frustrating that must have been for you. It sounds like you were more than patient and understanding .

We try not to let little things ruin our fun. We figure one meal is just not that important. We are going to try MTD again and I'm hoping for better results.

ALLURE DEPARTURE: Dec. 20th from Ft Lauderdale. The port was crowded. We were told Allure was sailing full and had already checked in 6100 people. RCI employees were so helpful, especially Carmine Williams, who maneuvered my wheelchair past lines and got me checked in very quickly.

Our Allure departure was delayed a bit by some blustery winds, but once your on the ship it does not really matter if we are docked or moving, we started enjoying our cruise.

ALLURE is just breathtakingly beautiful. Everything is clean and fresh after dry-dock. Christmas decorations made the ship even more beautiful.

LUNCH was at a deserted Johnny Rockets since both Windjammer and Park Cafe (our 1st and 2nd choices) were full. We had great burgers at Johnny Rockets - no complaints on that account. We did miss the singing and dancing waiters and service was very slow. The fee is 6.95 and the milkshakes (an extra charge) are now served in water glasses instead of the tall milkshake glasses we had last time. But quality remained high and we were happy with our lunch.

The sail away party was so cute! Dancing, singing, etc. We watched from our Boardwalk balcony and blew bubbles as we watched the wake of our ship and the buildings disappear in the background.

We booked over a year ahead of time, but still got put into MTD. We looked forward to trying MTD for ourselves. Sadly, our experience was not a good one. We had 5:30 reservations, booked way ahead of time. We arrived at 5:15 and stood in a long line for reservations. We were seated at 5:55 - yikes that was a long wait with a reservation. Bread was already on the table when we sat down. An assistant waiter came to take our drink orders. We told him we were ready to order our meals as we had Mama Mia Tickets and needed to be out by 7:30. No problem was his response. At 6:11 we got drinks and asked if we could order our appetizers and meals and have them served at the same time - reminded him about he show. We were told he was not THE waiter and he would go get The waiter. At 6:16 we asked the head waiter about our non-appearing waiter. He apologized and left to find the waiter. Assistant waiter showed up with drinks and left to find our waiter. Waiter finally arrived - out of breath - at 6:25. He took our order and we told him we wanted appetizers and entrees delivered together as we had Mama Mia show tickets. He said he understood and left. Some of our party began eating the bread that had been on the table when we arrived. Our waiter showed up at 6:50 with 4 of the 6 appetizers and no food. He said he was sorry. He left again - returning at 7:10 with the other 2 appetizers and no entrees. One of the appetizers was not correct. We left. On the way out we told the head waiter why we were leaving. We had a 5:30 reservation and should have been done with dinner no later than 7:30. It was now 7:20 and we had not seen one entree and were on our way to a show. He said he was sorry and that it was the first night. We'll give the MDR another try on Wed. We booked Chops for tomorrow night. Can't make any comments on the food - I only had a roll.

MAMA MIA - Marvelous. Those 2 1/2 hours flew by. I thought it would be a long time to sit, but it was great! The singers are very talented. It was fun!

ROOM SERVICE - When we first started sailing with RCI, anyone could order from the MDR menu for room -service. Now, we have a limited selection - but that is okay, we just wanted a snack - since we missed dinner. I ordered 'Honey Stung Chicken' and Hubby had a Pizza and Spinach Artichoke dip with chips. This is NOT the HONEY STUNG CHICKEN from cruises past. That was real, white meat chicken breast with honey sauce. This was 2 frozen, over fried, processed chicken with NOT ONE HINT OF HONEY. The CHEESE PIZZA was COLD (as in ICY) in the center and BURNT on the bottom - how do you even do that? The highlight was the SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP - it was delicious. It's just food, not a big deal. Just make sure we don't rely on room service for the rest of the cruise.

We tried to get comfortable on our VERY HARD BEDS and enjoyed being rocked to sleep by the wavy motion of ALLURE as we sailed toward Nassau.

Great, thank you!!!

 

One more question since you just got off the ship. Did they have a sail away party? I've read they have one at the Aquqtheatre and then I've read they do it on the pool deck as well or something similar. Can you shed any light on this by chance?

My kids love to dance during the Sail Away Party and I'm concerned they can't participate if it's all done on the stage at the Aquatheatre.

 

Thanks!

We are on Allure right now. The Sail Away Party was a lot of fun. They had Characters from Madagascar and Shrek and there was singing and dancing at the back of the ship on the Boardwalk. We brought bubbles to blow as we sailed away.