nenner1

Thank you all for your replies! I work nights and wanted to put this next part up quickly before going to bed. I will have more for you from Day 1 later this afternoon plus address your comments and questions individually then! :)

Thanks so much for reading!

Jen

Lt. Dan’s Drunken Shrimp $16.59

The kids’ meals come in a cute “Jenny” boat: ($4.99-$5.29)

Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae $7.50 (enough to share!) This was AMAZING!!!

We were so excited it was hard to go to sleep, and once we did, even harder to stay asleep- a problem exacerbated by a very noisy party going on across the hall that did not quiet down until well after 4 AM. The noise did not bother the kids and actually once I realized it was close to 5 AM and I could watch Allure arrive on the webcam my enthusiasm only built more!

(Photo screenshot from http://www.portevergladeswebcam.com)

Up Next: Embarkation Day and Rita’s Fiesta

The crowd on the rocks (Photo courtesy of inletphotos.com)

And as seen from Oasis! (Photo courtesy of Trainman-2)

We headed a few blocks north on A1A to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for dinner. There was a nice breeze so we elected to eat outside on under the covered porch. Food and service was good, if a little pricey.

Shrimper’s Net Catch Peel ‘N Eat Shrimp (1/2 Garlic, ½ Cajun) $12.49

Shrimp Po Boy $10.99

Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp $17.59

After some fun in the sun, we went out to the jetty to watch Oasis leave. We did not have very good directions on where to go so we just kind of drove around until we found the area that looked like it might lead out to the beach area by the jetty. There is street parking here which is allowed and free of charge between 6 AM and 6 PM. I have read that parking tickets are given out promptly at 6 PM, so be careful to quickly retreat to your vehicle after the ship sails if this is something you decide to do.

Street Parking near Beach Access:

It is still a little bit of a walk to get out to the jetty. First you have to walk east about a block past the condos and you will find this gate to a public beach access path:

It’s a long path

You emerge out onto the beach very close to the jetty. Be very careful, as the rocks are quite dangerous, and very slippery when wet.

The view is quite spectacular. We could hear the passengers on the boat cheer as they passed, and it was quite exciting! There was also a wise guy who decided to moon Oasis and he generated a lot of hoots and hollers from onboard as well.

This is my Review/Trip Journal for our Eastern Caribbean cruise on Allure of the Seas September 19-25, 2011. If you have never read any of my reviews before I will let you know upfront this will be long and it will contain a lot of pictures-with an emphasis on drool inducing food porn-and hopefully a lot of information that you will find useful and enjoy. We tried to get a lot out of this cruise and we pretty much kept going until we dropped, and I will focus on all of these experiences and how it all worked out for our family. This review will be formatted chronologically, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have so please don’t hesitate to ask at any time! So what are you waiting for? Let’s get Cruising!

Friday September 16- Travel

We live in Tampa, FL which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive to Ft. Lauderdale. Our family consists of 5 members, my husband Ron and myself (both age 37) and our children: Brendan 11- (almost 12), Savannah (10), and Sarah (3). We left home at about 2:30 PM and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at about 7:30. It is our cruise tradition to start off our vacation with a meal at Cracker Barrel, so we had a good meal there before heading to our pre-cruise hotel Hyatt Place Airport South.

Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?

We had previously stayed at the Hyatt Place North , but we like to get deals through Hotwire and Expedia and this time the deal was at South ($49/nt). The big difference was obviously the location. We much preferred the HP North, as it was just minutes from the Port. South is about 10-15 minutes away- so not as convenient. One other thing we did not like about HP South is the Lobby had an extremely strong fragrant odor to it that smelled as if someone had just dropped a large bottle of cheap perfume. It gave us a headache and clung to us every time we passed through. I am normally not sensitive to fragrances at all, and it bothered me.

Our room was pretty typical. We were given one of the 2 Queen- plus pull-out sofa bed rooms (normally an additional $10/night, but we were not charged). This was enough space for all of us. The rooms were comfortable and spacious, though the beds were extremely firm, which wasn’t to our taste and left us stiff and achy in the morning.

Hyatt Place South

Our Room:

By the time we got settled in the room it was getting late, and we had a big day planned for Saturday so we hit the sack!

Saturday September 17-Beach Day, Oasis Sail Out

We started off this day leisurely. Hyatt Place does offer a free continental breakfast including the typical offerings of cereals, fruit, pastries, bagels, etc. It was not remarkable- what you would expect from a low end chain.

After breakfast we went to the store and picked up a few last minute essentials (soda, etc. ) and made a trip to pick up the Port Everglades Webcam banner to use at sailaway the next day. We then headed out to the beach, using the nearby Ft. Lauderdale South Beach Public Access. This is a well appointed beach area with a large playground and swings- even a tire swing. There are picnic tables and grills available. Parking is by meter stations and costs a nominal amount (a dollar or so an hour or thereabouts).

Fun at the Beach:

Totally enjoying your video tonight! It is really getting us pumped up for or cruise in Sept!!:D

Thanks for taking the time to share with us, it's wonderful!

Wow, Brian terrific review!! Thanks for taking the time to post all of the detail!! I am thankful I did not short out my laptop from all the drool! :p

I sincerely hope you return with a similar write up for your upcoming Allure cruise! ;) Have a magnificent time!

:) Jen

Wow, Brian terrific review!! Thanks for taking the time to post all of the detail!! I am thankful I did not short out my laptop from all the drool! :p

I sincerely hope you return with a similar write up for your upcoming Allure cruise! ;) Have a magnificent time!

:) Jen