BearClaw28

Ok back to day 5.

Got up late and got breakfast at windjammer. They have fried eggs (2 to an order), scrambled (with or without ham), premade omelettes, bacon and sausage (pork and turkey), oatmeal, grits, lots of fruit, cheese, small boxed cereals and baked goods. I don't think I saw an omelette station but I bet they'd make one for you if you asked. Probably by where they were making the fried eggs.

They also have small school sized containers of whole, skim and chocolate milk. I always grabbed a couple to keep in my cabin fridge. Breakfast is the only time I saw milk in boxes. Other complimentary drinks served in windjammer were lemonade, unsweetened ice tea and of course water. That was fine for me as I didn't have a beverage package.

After that I caught up with family doing the flow rider and zip line. Lines were longer as we were at sea but not too bad. Weather was good and would be for rest of trip. We really lucked out. Don't freak out if you're going to Caribbean the next few months and see a lot of thunderstorm symbols. I did too and for the most part we had great, but hot, weather. Mini golf was next to the zip line and flow rider so a few of us played a round.

Went to windjammer for lunch. By now you're starting to see the same foods but it's quick, plentiful and easy to sit a large group. But most importantly it's a great place to sit and watch the water without being in the sun and heat. For those without an oceanside balcony that's no small thing. You really do forget sometimes that you're on a boat. Few windows and little motion on such a large boat will do that.

As for food my go to quick lunch was scooping out a long dinner roll and sticking a hotdog inside of it. Basically a full sized pig in a blanket.

Pretty much just chilled in the Solarium the rest of the afternoon until it was time to shower up and get dressed for the second formal night.

I had the Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup. It was very good. Just the right amount of spice.

The Royal Seafood Salad. It was good but a small portion. Nothing special though.

For my entree I had the Prime Rib medium rare and the Fisherman's Plate. I was hungry, sue me. Prime rib was well cooked. No complaints. I was surprised at how well the lobster tail was cooked. Normally previously frozen and mass produced lobster tail gets a little dry. This was fairly moist and tasty.

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Hi,

 

Did they have the 'Escape Room" on this sailing? If so, what day was it offered? Also was there a parade/marching band on the Boardwalk? Years ago when I sailed Oasis they had carnival games and a band etc at certain times on the Boardwalk.

No Escape Room. Other than the Art Auction when you're trying to get out of there without them trying to get you to bid on something.

It really would be a good place for one though. I was thinking that on the ship.

Ok, got off the Allure this morning and I'm back in NY. Been a busy day. Just need to unpack a bit and then try to knock out the rest of this review.

Day 5 - Sea Day

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Day 4 continued

After dinner I went to the Michael Kors store to buy my niece a watch for her birthday. Now they say that the prices were 10-15% off but when I found the Watch she wanted I looked it up on my phone and the "discounted" price was pretty much the normal price. But I didn't pay tax so I guess I saved something.

This was the first night that we didn't have a show reservation. There was a Neil Diamond thing going on at Dazzles on the 8th floor so we decided to check it out. It lasted about 30 minutes and we got Sweet Caroline so everybody was happy. Here's a pic.

Dazzles is a cute venue. It's like an old time lounge with a live band playing. The singer played other venues including the pub on the Royal Promenade. He's very good.

After walking around a little we found ourselves on the 4th floor which is the entertainment floor. At Comedy Live the show was starting in half an hour and there was a bench for my parents to sit so we just started waiting. The standby line formed behind us and soon they were letting reservation holders in. A guy would come out every 5 minutes to let the standby line know how many seats they had left. According to them they usually have 25-40 seats available for standby on any given show. 15 minutes prior to the show they start letting standby people in. Maybe 15-20 made it including my party.

There were 2 comedians. The first was ok. The second, Jim David, was absolutely hysterical. His act wasn't clean but what you'd expect in a comedy club. It was really a great time.

After that we grabbed some pizza and everyone but me went to bed while I went to casino.

This guy was waiting for me in my cabin.

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The official stance is they don't allow it. There are numerous threads about sneaking things on the ship if you are interested.

 

As for the creme brulee, I was hoping they had changed it, because it just wasn't that good before, sounds like it might be better now.

 

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I brought some small bottles of water from the ports. Nothing was said when I came back aboard. I have two large water bottles that I fill with ice water every day. Didn't touch the 2 Evian bottles in the room.

My mom ordered the creme brûlée every night I think. And from what I tasted it was good. Not really a creme brûlée person though.

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Well, since you are offering, Days 1 and 2 didn't have the evening part (with the dinner info). If you wouldn't mind posting those, that would be great! But what you have posted has been really helpful, so thank you!

 

 

 

I've taken photos pieces of the compas during my trip but never thought to take pics of the whole thing and REALLY never thought to post them. I'll have to do that next time. Thanks for the tip!

 

 

 

I realize this is too late to help you, but for your next cruise, go into the settings on your iPhone (General -> Date & Time) and swich "Set Automatically" to off before you leave the original port on day 1. This will leave your phone, and by extension your watch, on whatever time zone you were on when you left - which is usually the same as "ship time" I think.

 

I am really, really enjoying your review. Thank you!

Geez I feel stupid now. I know about that Set Automatically feature but didn't put 2 and 2 together. Thanks so much for pointing that out. Next time will be so much easier.

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I am loving your review, but I do have one question - did you ever try the creme brulee? When we were on jots in february, it was called bbb creme brulee and had bananas and bailies, but on the menus you have posted, it seems more normal, which would be much better imo, so just wondering.

I didn't order it but took a pic of my cousin's and tried a bite. It was good. Just regular creme brûlée though in classic menu every night. Your version sounds great.

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I hope you are having an amazing trip! When you get a chance, could you post the day 3 compass? I think that one got skipped. :D

 

 

 

Your review is amazingly helpful. Thank you! <3 :ship:

We really are having a great time thank you.

I though I missed one of those compasses. Here ya go:

If I've missed any others or anything in general please let me know and I'll post it.

I know I'm taking pics of compasses for my review but I've found it very helpful to have the pics on my phone to refer to around the ship instead of carrying them around. I've found it really helpful.

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Some random thoughts:

You have to stay on ship time when leaving the ship but you change time zones when you get to Jamaica. I have an Apple Watch and my iPhone as my only time sources and they adjust automatically to what time zone you're in. So I had to figure out how to adjust my Apple Watch to move up an hour to stay on ship time. Just a heads up to maybe bring a normal watch that you set the time on so you're always on ship time.

Also for some reason in Cozumel the time changed again where my devices were back on ships time. It was really confusing. I really had no idea what time it was at one point. I had to ask at guest services and they thought I was crazy. Just set your watch to the clock in your room under your tv. That's always on ship time.

Here are pics of the room service menus (service charge is real) and mini bar options:

FYI The last full day there are long lines at the flow riders, guest services and especially the zip line.

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For my entree I had the braised beef duo.

I normally had high expectations for braised short ribs and this dish fell so far short of even the lowest acceptable expectations. It was honestly terrible. The worst thing I ate on the boat. Short ribs weren't cooked enough and were tough and dry. You should be able to cut thru them with a fork. I almost bent the fork. Terrible.

But the kitchen staff was nice enough to bring out to us some traditional Filipino dishes since they found out that some of our party came from the Philippines. As most cruisers know, there are a lot of Filipinos who work on cruise ships. Well they love to see fellow countrymen on board as guests and take, let's say extra good care or us. So I ate that food and was very happy and satisfied.

For dessert I had simply a scoop of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Nothing to complain about.

I took pics of the Jaffa Cake and Cherries Jubilee.

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Woke up a little late and grabbed something quick at windjammer. Most of my family didn't do an excursion and just wanted to disembark and walk around the port which has a bunch of stores. When today was the worst weather of the trip. There must have been 30-40 mph winds for a brief period when I started walking around, with really dark storm clouds. Was able to meet up with family members and shop around for an hour before we heard loud thunder claps. When you leave the ship don't forget to bring a photo ID. It's easy to walk off with just your seapass card. Needless to say I forgot mine but the nice lady saw me with my cousins and let me they anyway. But don't be stupid like me.

Went back to work out at gym and then grabbed something to eat before going back out with my parents so they could check it out. Stores are pretty much right there when you get off ship.

Got back for our early 5:30 dinner.

I had the Summer Fruit Medley which was good. I'd have preferred it without the yogurt sauce but fruit was fresh.

Crab cake

Solid lump meat crab cake. Surprising for a mass produced item.

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Day 4 Falmouth Jamaica

Cruise Compass

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Thank you for the reply. I'll definitely keep my kids away then, as they are 16 and 14.

 

 

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16 and 14 are a little too young for shows in Comedy Live but there is a comedian show on the last night that they advertise as "Family Friendly".

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As for the show, it was very good and entertaining. There was high diving, acrobatics and aerial tricks. Only complaint is that it was too short.

Here are some pics of show:

After the aqua show we walked around the ship a little, then played in casino until it was time for the Love and Marriage game show in the Amber Theater. We sat there while they hosted a Bingo game. I like to gamble but Bingo is just throwing your money away. Anyway, after Bingo they started "interviewing" couples to be in the show. For anyone not aware this game is like the Newlywed Game. But instead of 3 newlywed couples they have one newlywed couple, one couple married between 10-24 years and a third couple married a very long time. This couple just celebrated their 50th anniversary.

I've seen this on other cruises but this was the raunchiest thanks to the newlywed couple. I'm trying to keep this review PG rated but their answers were basically very descriptive sex acts. And their response to the standard "Where is the craziest place you've ever made whoopee?" question was a very public area on the ship. I won't say as to not turn anyone off to that particular area.

Here's a pic of the contestants:

After that my family went to bed and I headed to casino then to get late night snack and then bed.

Random thought:

Not sure if I brought this up before but the elevators have the day on the floor as you step in. Kinda interesting.

I also bring this up because the comedian onboard made a joke about it tonight (Friday). He said he was in the elevator and some guy walked in and looked down at the day. Then the guy says "Oh shoot! I need the Wednesday elevator!" And runs out.

Ok next day is Falmouth Jamaica.

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Sorry for slacking off on the review. Resting in cabin after an excursion in Cozumel so I have time to catch up a little.

Ok I have to finish up Tuesday.

The desserts:

I had the sticky bread and butter pudding which was good.

After dinner we hurried back to the aqua theater in the back of the ship. If you're not there by 15 minutes to showtime the standby people are let in.

There was a long line of standbys when we got there. I think most were able to find seats or could stand in back to watch.

Here are some pics of stage and back of ship, including suite balconies.

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Any rain on the trip so far?

The forecasts had thunderbolts for almost everyday of our trip but we've really lucked out with the weather. Everyday has been hot and mostly sunny. Just some cloud cover at times. The only exception was Falmouth where when I got off the boat I had to walk thru what seemed like 30-40 mph winds. And then later some serious clouds went by. Had to run to get back on board. But more threatening than anything else as it only rained minimally. They have shuttles to help those who have trouble walking the distance but it's really not far. I had both my parents walk it and my mom is only 6 months removed from serious leg surgery.

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Yahoo!

Love your review!

Have you been to the gym early? If so, were you able to get a treadmill or are you going before/after lunch.

There doesn't seem to be too many treadmills from your picture, is that correct?

Can you please let me know if there is/are rowing machine(s)? If so, is it chain or with the water.

 

Besides the casino, is there a bar at night that you would prefer to hang out in more than another? Does the pub on the promenade have a singer/guitar guy?

 

Is there anything open at night on the Boardwalk? We have an ocean view balcony on the Boardwalk and wondered about getting food at the end of the night before going to cabin but I guess I can always walk one flight down to promenade for pizza LOL

 

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your vacation to post especially with pictures! LOVE it!

I haven't been to the gym early but some of my group have and they said it was really busy. I've been going after lunch around 3-4pm. Not busy and no wait for equipment. There are quite a few treadmills. Around the corner from my pic there are a few more along with ellipticals and a few bikes. I haven't noticed a row machine but I will look next time I'm there.

There are so many bars that you can always find one to suit your mood. I personally enjoy the schooner bar where they have a piano player at night. The Central Park bar is nice and quiet plus it's outdoors. The pub does have live entertainment as well.

I'm not sure what's open on the boardwalk at night. I think only Cups and scoops is open past 6pm. Closes at 11pm. As for food late at night I've been a little disappointed. I would have thought there would be a greater selection. I normally sail NCL and I like the O'Sheehan's with cooked to order hot food. On Allure it's either pizza at Sorrentos or cold sandwiches and desserts at Promenade Cafe.

Glad you're enjoying. :)

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Just realized I forgot the garlic tiger shrimp so here it is:

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Forgot to mention that the lines for the flow rider, zip line and rock climbing wall were so much shorter on port days.

Ok dinner. Here are the menus:

I ordered the:

Roasted Garlic Soup

Pretty good. I love garlic.

Arancini Balls

Pretty good. Risotto was cooked well. My cousin really liked them.

Garlic Tiger Shrimp

They were ok but it was really annoying that they were still in their shells. The first one and I had shells in my mouth. They also needed to be deturded. I asked for extra shrimp when I ordered and my waiter gave me a plate full.

Here's a pic of the pork tenderloin:

I didn't eat it but I heard good things.

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The rider on the port side is for stand up boarding. You have to be older or bigger to do this one. On the starboard side is the body boarding one.

Here's a pic of my nephew wiping out:

After that I sat by the pool and got some sun. No worries about chair hogs as I could have sat anywhere I wanted. It was so hot I only lasted 2 hours. Grabbed some lunch, walked around and took a nap. My cousins texted and told me they were back from the beach so I met them at the flow rider and zip line. The zip line runs from the body board flow rider level, across the boardwalk, to the mini golf area.

Here's a pic of my cousin on zip line:

From there we went to get ice cream down on the boardwalk. The ice cream parlor has Ben and Jerrys. For $2-4 it was great on a hot day.

We walked to the amphitheater and my cousin and his son wanted to try the rock walk. Here they are climbing to the top.

They were getting ready for some kind of show with Shrek and other characters in amphitheater. Didn't stay for it. Had to get showered up for dinner.

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I'm not a beach person so I planned on enjoying the day exploring the quiet ship.

My cousin and nephew wanted to try the flow rider so I joined them. They're located on deck 15 in the rear of the ship, up some stairs behind the mini golf, zip line and sports court.

There are two flow riders, one on each side of the ship.

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Day 3 Finally found my way to the Solarium for breakfast. It was a very hot morning and it was already quite warm in the air conditioned cafe. Probably because it later and people were already leaving the ship for Labadee but my large group found seats pretty quickly in the small space. Solarium Cafe has a smaller buffet breakfast but it had more than enough choices.

Took a few Solarium pics while I was there:

Here are a few pics of Labadee:

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We are sailing on Oasis on Aug. 20. The Solarium Cafe is semi-open. How hot/warm will it be on embarkation day for lunch?

I'm on Allure now and had breakfast there 2 days ago. It was pretty warm on a very hot morning.

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