5thgirl

Thanks everyone for the great tips!

Hi All - looking for recommendations on best company to arrange MCO airport transfer to/from Port Canaveral area hotel. Was just going to Uber it, but thought I should at least check other options to compare. Will be on the April 6 Mardi Gras!  TIA!

Hi All! I am newer to Carnival, having done more Royal cruises, but we're planning a really fun girl's trip next April on Mardi Gras! Yay! Does anyone have or know where I can get any recent Fun Times for Mardi Gras so I can get a sample of what to expect?  TIA!

Thanks everyone for all the great tips and feedback. I think I will look into a private transfer and see what that costs. We are also thinking of changing our approach - arriving day of instead and just taking the RC transfer from airport to Ravenna, and then when we return that's when we will stay the extra day or two in Venice. Has anyone had any experience with flying in the day of for a European cruise coming from the states (Chicago). My rule of thumb for cruising was always to arrive a day early just in case, but might change that just because it seems a little bit of a hassle to get from Venice to Ravenna separately....thoughts?? TIA!

It has been a while! I am getting back to resuming my cruising, and can't wait to book. We are looking at the 7 night Greece and Croatia, departing out of Ravenna on Explorer. I called RC and asked if we arrive a day early to enjoy Venice beforehand, if they could arrange a shuttle to take us to Ravenna the next day - sadly, the answer was No. Is this really true? I wasn't sure how much experience the RC agent had. I was told they can only arrange from the airport the day of, or the other option was for me to get back to the airport the next day vs a pickup from my hotel. Would appreciate any advice on best way to arrange. I know the ride can be roughly 3 hours. Any recommendations on hotels for a 2 night stay in Venice beforehand would also be helpful. TIA!

On 9/14/2019 at 8:25 AM, AF-1 said:

5thgirl, I have cruised Allure during peak time.  Actually first sailed her when she was a few months old;  so everyone was booking this ship.  Anyway,  we were max capacity.  Never felt crowded.  I think with all the neighborhoods, boardwalk, central park, sports deck, solarium, etc,  you never feel that crowded.  When we got to a port, it could get backed up a little; but that was the only time saw the crowds.  Thank you for a wonderful review.  Brought back lots of memories of the ship and the ports.  Was in Roatan with Princess in Feb.  had a great time.  Be well and have fun with your next cruise.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question (that was buried in my wordy review!). That is good to know and I am looking forward to trying Allure again or maybe Harmony

15 hours ago, Wildcard50 said:

Greatly appreciate this thread. Thank you. Helps with our first time with Royal and on Allure in 8 days.

Enjoy! Allure is a great ship. I'm not sure how I can go back to other ship classes now, lol, but even the Freedom Class and Voyagers Class ships are really nice and due to be amped soon.

@Rogueperson enjoy your cruise in December.  I was a bit nervous trying the larger class ships mainly due to crowd concerns but we hardly ever felt overcrowded and loved all that Allure had to offer.  The only time I felt a slight difference was at dinner time. A bit of overflow each night

Sept 4, Wednesday - Debarkation

We had our last breakfast meal in the American Icon dining room. We chose to order from the menu instead of doing the buffet. The service was really slow for some reason, which made me anxious. Our debarkation time was 8:15. 

I must say that things have changed with both embarkation and debarkation in recent years. Both processes were super fast. Our debarkation time was 8:15. We were off the ship quickly. Although there were 2 lines for passports vs. birth certificates, we were not stopped at customs - no checking, no facial recognition, nothing. Everyone just walked through. Our flight from FLL was for 12:15. We had plenty of time to get to the airport. We had a pre-arranged shuttle through the Renaissance hotel we stayed at, again through Quick and Safe. They were very fast to get there and we actually had the same gentleman as when we arrived.

All in all, I really liked the Allure. I understand it will be in dry dock next year and enhancements made. I’m looking forward to trying other ships in this class. Has anyone sailed Allure in both high and low season? I’m wondering how big a difference there is in crowds.

6 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Regarding Labadee.   It's unfortunate that you went to Adrenaline beach, as like you said it's rocky and windy.  The rocks are like little land mines out in the water.  I've cut my foot on the bottom while walking out in the water there.  Didn't see it coming.

 

Our favorite beach by far is Columbus Cove.  It's all soft sand with easy swimming and MUCH lower breeze.  Lots of loungers, palm trees, and close to the food and bathrooms.  Plus you get a very cool view of the ship in the background.  For us, it's a night and day difference in enjoyment.  We love Labadee for how relaxing and beautiful it is.  We would prefer a little better lunch offering, but it's o.k.

Dan

Yes unfortunately we didn't think to explore other areas, thinking that all of Labadee would be similar. I hope I get to experience it again. It was my first time there

Day 10 - Tuesday At Sea

Today is our last day finally and we are READY to go home. I never thought I’d utter the phrase “I’m done with pools and beaches”, lol. But that is how I was feeling at this point, although we did spend today at the Solairum, LOL. This was because our last pool day was a bit cloudy.

Kids decided they would sleep in. I had already started packing the night before. For lunch, I was craving pizza, so we ran down to Sorrentos, grabbed a bunch of slices and brought them back to the pool area. Would be nice for them to maybe have some small single serving pizzas and not just the mini slices on small plates, but hey, it’s still included.

We lazed around past lunchtime. The ship was moving extremely slow, I assume to kill time to allow Dorian to clear past FLL before we returned.  I had yet to fulfill my Allure bucket list of ziplining, so headed back to the stateroom first to change out of swimwear and put on the required closed toe shoes. Got there around 2pm with DD (so she could capture on video). It went off without a hitch except my landing wasn’t as eloquent as I would have liked!

There was also a diving competition in the Aqua Theater, so we went to see that. The Aqua Theater divers perform various dives and the audience scores them (similar to the belly flop contest if you’re familiar with that). There are 4 men and 2 women divers. They did individual dives first, followed by synchronized dives. This would have been much more enjoyable except for the heat. It was shown as a 30 min event, but lasted an hour and many people started to leave because the heat out there was unbearable. If I would have known, I would have grabbed a spot in the upper shade section instead.

Our last dinner in MDR was good. I noticed several times throughout the 10 days that we would be given the wrong menu, which was weird. I've seen some posts re: Harmony getting rid of formal night in favor of "Wear your Best". I have mixed feelings about that only from the viewpoint of nostalgia for the times when folks would actually dress up more, but it certainly fits the needs of my family and allows flexibility for sure.

Our dock time the next day was stated as 6:15am, but we must have been there early. I tossed and turned a bit, as overnight was the first time the ship actually came in choppy. We rocked pretty significantly, and I heard the clanks in the wee hours of the ship settling back in to Port Everglades.

@FirstAnthem, all the seafood was cooked. Shrimp, and crab meat mostly. I think they purposely ensure this for the very reason you mention.

Day 9 - Monday At Sea

Today’s agenda was just onboard activities. Taking a pool break.

Sushi Rolling Class - for those who are interested, I recommend you save your appetite for this. The timing is tricky - 10am class that lasts about an hour, so 11am by the time you are done and can eat your creation.We tried to have a little breakfast beforehand to tie us over, but the key is “little” - keep it light. Cost was $35 pp and I felt it was more worth the cost than the cupcake class.

All the ingredients are organized on the table for you, and an instructor guides you on how to make 4 different sushi types. It was fun and each person receives a certificate in the end!

Finished Product - this is the portion per person

DH and DS were going to the 1pm showing of AquaMan in 3D, so DD and I found a few things to do which included spectating at the Belly Flop contest (I always admire the sense of humor each of the contestants bring), Bean bag toss on the Boardwalk, and 2 rounds of Trivia at Schooner (Broadway Musicals and Male Singers). I never win the trivia (maybe one day), but usually come a good 2nd or 3rd place, I feel.

We all met up afterward and redeemed our “free” ice cream scoops (comes with the cupcake decorating class) at the Cup and Scoops place at the Boardwalk. 4 scoops, one for each. Tasty.

Tonight’s MDR dinner

Here is the feedback I have, and plan to share with RC - most of the dining staff are great, attentive, personable, etc. They do a good job. I have no big complaints ever. However, I feel there is too much pressure on them to obtain a “10” survey rating. During dinner, I would like to relax with my family. Tonight, the dining manager came by and asked how our dinner was going - customary, no surprise, that was fine. BUT he proceeded to ask us what score we would give them on the survey and when we did not immediately say “10” he would not leave us alone to enjoy our dinner until he got down to the bottom of it! Honestly, this bothered me a lot for several reasons 1) Let me enjoy my vacation in peace 2) I’ll provide my feedback via survey when I am ready 3) bugging me about it while I am eating won’t change my opinion 4) RC places too much pressure on staff in this area. 

I’ll end by saying I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience and appreciate the hard working staff, but they really need to ease up on this whole perfect “10’ thing. It's good practice to motivate staff to do well and strive to exceed in customer satisfaction, but sometimes it comes off the wrong way.

I am glad a few folks are enjoying my review/trip report.. I find these boards so informational for myself, so I am trying to return the favor!

A few more random notes and we will wrap up Day 8!

The Mamma Mia cast - saw about 5 of the main players at the ruins doing their own private tour. VIP benefits, I'm sure.

Love and Marriage Game Show - can’t recall which night, but we attended. We’ve seen this before, as it’s a staple for every RC sailing. Is it me, or has this run its course and needs a refresh? Similar “audition”, similar questions. The cruise director, Mike, did not wow me. I think the CD, as host, can make or break this show. And in this case, he seemed to really just want get it over with. 

Artwork - One of the things I really liked about Allure and this class of ship was the artwork throughout. I thought they did a great job in this area and being so large, you can see plenty of great stuff at every corner and stairwell.

Extension Waivers - Because we were forced to stay 3 more days, anyone who had purchased the beverage, dining or VOOM packages would get it extended for the additional days at no extra cost. So, I paid for 3 days of VOOM, and I got 6. They also did not auto charge the additional days of gratuities, but allowed guests to tip at our discretion.

Drink Package - I noticed a sign on Day 7 of 10 at the bar, offering a 10 drink beverage package for $79pp.

Some of the artwork and exhibits. So much more to see that is not captured here.

They very quickly booked new entertainment for the extra days. The headliner for the next 2 days was Tony Tillman, described as an all around entertainer/singer/dancer/comedian extraordinaire. Not sure what to expect but again, I went in thinking sounds a bit cheesy….I was WRONG. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me and judging by the audience reaction, for them as well, he was fantastic! Now, in real life/on land I would normally not pay to see this man perform, but he knocked it out with his energy and attitude. I’d describe him as what a true entertainer is all about. He sang and danced to a little modern stuff, some classics, and did an interesting bit with country as well! I highly recommend. Plus you can't go wrong with a live onstage band/orchestra.

I think tonight was also an additional Adult Comedy show (18+) with Louis Johnson - this time in Studio B, followed by an 80's dance party. Louis Johnson's adult set was so FUNNY, and I laughed so hard. It was raunchy, and I saw one or two maybe 18ish year olds and was wondering if they were still a bit young for his set.

Louis Johnson's family comedy show the next night - not funny at all. What a big difference. I raved about his comedy to my kids, so they were looking forward to it, but it was a disappointment. It literally felt like he was winging it, and making up stories as he went, and inserting some old jokes into his set as he progressed. My DD and I realized half way through the show that we'd seen him before on another RC sailing a few years ago and he used some of the same jokes.

We stayed a bit for the 80's dance party which was fun, then called it night.

7 hours ago, Coralc said:

What is that animal in post #35 at Xcaret on the side of the tree? I was trying to quote a single photo, but I couldn't. Great review and nice photos. 

I think that is a Coati. I love snapping photos but get nervous around animals that aren't behind a wall - this one was just running up a tree as I walked the path towards the end of the cenote swim

I just used this myself on my recent sailing, My experience is that the app has about 85-90% up to date info at any given time. I've tried logging out and then logging back in, which worked sometimes. I just found it to be hit or miss and sometimes I'd randomly see my calendar pop up suddenly. Good luck. I hope it wakes up for you soon, lol.

Day 8 - Costa Maya

We’ve never been to Costa Maya so decided to see what types of excursions we could sign up for. At this point we didn’t want to do another beach (got enough sun by now!), so was looking for a cultural or city tour. Since Costa Maya isn’t as developed as some of the other places in MX, there wasn’t much to choose from other than the Mayan Ruins tour. This would normally be right up our alley, but as I looked at our current tab$$ onboard, plus the thought of 3 more days spending more money drinking and what not (yes, I know, no one is forcing me to have that glass of wine…… ) I couldn’t wrap my head around the cost of this excursion. BUT…...YOLO!

We went for it. We’ve been to many ruins before and were looking forward to comparing these to Chichen Itza, Tulum, Belize and Copan. These ruins were called Chocchaben. 

The drive to get there was about an hour. Because it is underdeveloped, the tour guide was really good about speaking the whole time giving us lots of information about Costa Maya (not its real name, btw, its “stage name” - locals know it as Mahahual), and its culture to keep us occupied. The ruins themselves were interesting and lots of photo ops around the various areas. Unlike some ruins, we were allowed to climb up to a certain extent. Not quite as interesting as others, but I did like these better than Belize. We were glad we did the tour.

Allure as we got off

Frida Kahlo mural

Look for the sign with your tour name and stand in queue

Our tour bus, very Jurassic Park-ish

We were allowed to climb up about 6 steps

Smaller ruins

So, On our way back, I am used to seeing the usual vendor shops and such right by the cruise port. We did see these shops, many of them. What was so strange to me, was that right smack in the middle of these shops was this giant swimming pool with crowds of people hanging out like it was spring break. I can’t describe it really, I had not seen anything like that before. Does anyone know what this was? A connected hotel? A free pool and lounge area? It was right in the plaza

What was supposed to be Day 7 - Sea Day, turned into a port day!

After we heard of the extension to Wednesday, I was wondering what they were going to do with us for the next 4 days. Again, I didn't get any info yet from RC (if it was mentioned on the PA announcement, it escaped me) HOWEVER, with the newly added VOOM, I went on RC's facebook page and found a place where they announce changes due to weather. It was there that i saw that we would be going to 2 additional ports - Roatan and Costa Maya! So Day 7 - Roatan, Day 8 - Costa Maya, Days 9 and 10 would be sea days. This helped to ease our anxiety. We LOVE Roatan, been there twice before. Costa Maya would be new for us.

Arrival time to Roatan was 11am. We had previosuly reserved the Sushi making class for today at 10am when it was originally supposed to be a sea day. We decided to keep the reservation given the port time. We all hustled and arrived at Izumi's only to find out that the class had been moved to Monday. This is where the RC App loses points as these types of changes do not relfecct on the App.  😞

We decided to just take a taxi on our own to a closeby beach in Roatan. Last time we were there on Princess a few years back,. we ported near Mahogany Bay. Since Allure is too large to dock there, we ended up in Coxen Hole. Closest beach would be Sol y Mar, seemed decent per website reveiws and such. A 10 min taxi ride and a daily resort fee. We really prefer West Bay beach - it's gorgeous out there, but a bit farther and we decided to stay closer for some reason. Anyway, long story short, we arrange a taxi to Sol y Mar for $40 round trip total for 4 people. We get there, the fee to enter the resort is $17pp and they do not take credit cards! Not enough cash , so we decided to go further to West Bay after all. I think it was all meant to be. It's one of the most beautiful stretches of beaches (IMO), water super blue and clear. We went to Henry Morgan resort for $20 pp, including WiFI.

Had lunch at the beach restaurant - you cannot get seafood soup anywhere in the states for $10 bucks! Only bad things - lots of bees flying around as well as too many vendors. There are many nice hotels on West Bay - we stayed once at La Sirena - just lovely, but Henry Morgan seemed to have the best day packages for cruisers. I highly recommend Roatan.

View from the ship as we docked at Coxen Hole. They seem to be developing something.

West Bay - Henry Morgan Hotel

10 dollar seafood soup! So yummy.

American Icon Dining Room - you can see the multi tier balcony up into the other levels.

7 hours ago, Glide_Path said:

Is there a way to hear the announcements from inside the room?  Like turning the TV on to a certain channel?  We did both xPlor and XCaret before, both fantastic parks... perhaps a bit rushed as a cruise excursion though.

All the other announcements came through fine in our room PA, so I wouldn't have thought to search for other options like you mention on  the tv, etc. Just odd that this one did not. I have never heard of XPlor - what is that? 

Day 6 -

Today will be a long day. We are going to Xcaret, a Nature Adventure Park in Cozumel. We’ve been to Cozumel twice before and have visited Tulum. I’ve heard good things about Xcaret. It is an 8am start to an 8.5 hour excursion. Travel time is 1-1.5 hour each way, as you have to take the ferry to Playa del Carmen followed by a bus ride. DS and I were prepared with our Bonine just in case. We don’t get seasick on the cruise ship, just ferries or small boats in choppy waters. (BTW, I never once felt any rocking while onboard until the very last evening returning to FLL, Never felt like I was even on a large ship the entire time!), Once off the ferry there is a rather long walk to the bus.

Xcaret was wonderful. First activity was to swim the cenote from one side of the park to the other. Highly recommend you bring your own water shoes. An experience to remember that everyone does when visiting Xcaret - except me. I do not swim, believe it or not, so DH, DD and DS suited up in their life jackets and away they went. They have these humongous duffle bags that you put all your things in (can fit 2 large backpacks plus more) and they transport it to the other side and it’s waiting for you when you get to the end. They give you a key you wear around your neck while swimming.

There were paths I walked to meet them on the other side and could see the swimmers down belo

In the meantime, I walked the long path to meet them on the other side and there was plenty to see and take in. The scenery and the way they built their park is beautiful. In about 4 hours we managed to do the cenote swim, lunch with awesome views of the water, swim in the natural pools, visit the cemetery, saw the jaguars and cheetahs, went through the aviary, saw many flamingo and birds. You get a wristband with a barcode that you can scan at various photo op points and they have cameras that will snap your photo automatically. I thought this was a great idea that many parks don’t have. Cost to purchase all photos was $49 and they send you a url link. You can also buy individual photos at a hefty price per. We got the package. They also have colored lines that you just follow to get from point A to B without getting lost - why doesn’t Disney have this?

Ruins

Animals everywhere, both behind walls and out in the open

Natural Pools. This was the veiw from our lunch spot.

Waterfalls everywhere

I really enjoyed Xcaret and will definitely go back to experience what I missed. The excursion through RC was pricey at about $100pp, but when I look at the Xcaret website, their entrance fee is advertised at $99 pp, so not sure how that adds up!

On our way back, my kids were amazed at how large Allure was compared to Empress. This is such an amusing photo!

It was so HOT, we probably could have done more if cooler. 

Back at the stateroom getting ready for dinner is when the announcement came in the hallway that were going to be at sea until WEDNESDAY. Again, this did not come through into our room. I had to pop my head out of the room like most of the others (a bunch of heads hanging out the doors, lol) and when the work WEDNESDAY was announced, the neighbor to my right and I locked eyes and freaked out together for a split second.

Last item I'll mention for Day 6 is the Blue Planet Show. For those who are wondering what this is: 

Main singers were all from Mamma Mia Cast, so, great vocals all around. Not sure the concept worked for me. Didn't quite get it. Random popular songs thrown together with some sort of eco nature theme. I did enjoy one part where they simulated an undersea experience. The production was well done, just not my thing.

Goodnight

A few random notes before I move to Day 6:

RC App - Worked well for our main purpose which was to text with the kids. Calendar, Daily Planner and ongoing charges/bill all worked okay. I’d say it was accurate 85% of the time. Issues were reservations not always showing up, especially when you have to change or reschedule. Also, on Day 8 we were issued new cards due to the extension and that seemed to recalibrate a bunch of things on the App

VOOM - Worked well. Fast enough for us. We only used to surf/google, check emails and social media. 

C&A coupons - we just made Platinum after this cruise. Coupons were standard. Adults - BOGO Wine, BOGO Johnny Rockets Milkshake, 10% discount at stores, Buy One 8x10 Photo, Get one 50% off + Casino stuff. Youth - Spend 50 at Arcade, get 25 OBC. Starbucks discounts, can’t recall the others.

Arcade - I did not realize you have to open your kids seapass for access to your onboard spending tied your credit card in order to receive the 25 dollar arcade credit. I loaded 50 on my DD’s card but I paid for it with my card. This does not work. I had to go to the loyalty desk to sort it out. The lady there was no help, promised to call me later in the day with a resolution but never heard from her. I did put her name on the survey afterward. What I DID like was that the system caps each child at 50/day. 

Guest Services - Lines were never crazy long like I am used to seeing. Decent service, but some new reps that weren’t fully up to speed. That’s ok, everyone is new at some point.

Favorite Bar - Trellis Bar in Central Park.

Day 5 - At Sea   

Being that this was our first cruise in which the kids were old enough to take care of themselves and wander about, DH really wanted to spend time in the Solarium. I personally prefer the vibe of the Main Pool, but went along. There are worse things to worry about!!

This also included our first experience with the Solarium Bistro. Loved it! I really like that it is RIGHT THERE, and you don’t have to go far. Smaller spread but I thought it did the trick for breakfast, however, for lunch not as many options as I’d like. 

Solarium Bistro is right in front of pool behind the circular glass 

It was a bit of a cloudy start, but I had confidence that the Captain would steer us into the sun. We’re still waiting on formal announcement at this point re: Hurricane Dorian impacts to FLL.Captain says he’s closely monitoring the situation with Van Fleet. I am getting a bit worried, not knowing what the outcome will be. As mentioned earlier, I did not purchase VOOM, but am considering it for the remainder of the cruise just in case….

On the schedule today for DH and DS - Avengers End Game at 3pm. Bring a jacket! They said the Amber Theater was chilly. Being formal night again today, they had to hustle back to change for dinner afterward. The movies onboard were very much family oriented - Avengers, Captain Marvel and lots of animated movies. 

DD and I caught the Ice Show and a trivia game in the meantime. The Ice Show was entertaining, but took me a while to understand the Monopoly concept (they "roll" the dice, land on a "property/place" onboard the ship and perform a number that highlights that place). We got a kick of seeing all the Mamma Mia cast members sitting in front of us enjoying the ice show. I’m assuming they all receive VIP treatment while onboard. During the remainder of the cruise, we’d see them out and about everywhere we went.

Dinner tonight was formal night, and the standard “Lobster Tail” entree was offered as I remembered from prior cruises. Although, I must say, the size of the Lobster Tails keep getting smaller and smaller! It was also RC’s 50th anniversary so each table was presented with a special dessert. Fun to look at, full of sugar though LOL. I’m sure this was a hit with all the little ones onboard.

Evening “headliner” was described as a comedian/juggler. SO, I was expecting some sort of cheesy act, but to my surprise, it was actually very good! Adam Kario was funny, engaging, provided lots of excitement and was, according to my kids, “super buff” ha!

So tonight, I broke down and headed to the Promenade to inquire about VOOM access for the remainder of the sailing - primarily due to the anticipated Dorian impacts, having to contact friends, family, work, school, etc about any extension, and rebooking flights through United. Thankfully I had already received texts and emails from United stating that all flight changes for select airports would be fee waived. I decided to purchase for the last 3 days of the sailing. Total price for one device was $47.99 for surf and $49.99 for surf + stream. Because of the minor differenvce I went ahead and got the surf + stream. Our family of four just took turns using the signon and it worked for us.

Day 6 would bring Xcaret in Cozumel, and final confirmation of Captain's decision on what would be happening in the coming days....

2 hours ago, depot72 said:

Thanks for your review! Which of the three dining rooms was your favorite?

I liked Silk (lots of red, asian themed) and American Icon (loved the US Map using state license plates), but food was the same in each. I did not understand what Grande was all about, must have been me?

1 hour ago, SRV FAN said:

We are booked at this hotel for our upcoming cruise on Allure! Was it a nice hotel? 

It was decent for a one night stay. Very close to a lot of restaurants of various $$ levels, Walgreens across the street. The pool was not fancy, but it did the trick for us, and there was a hottub with a mild jet (could have been stronger). We did not eat there, just a cocktail or two in their lobby bar which was comfortable. They have a cruise shuttle service in the lobby for $6pp I think, and can also provide airpoirt shuttle back from Port Everglades if you wish to do that. Nice people.

43 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

Enjoying your review.  

Glad you guys kept a good attitude with all the changes...

 

Looking back, what is really funny is that the FIRST change (months back) when St. Thomas became San Juan, Puerto Rico due to Allure propulsion issues is what upset me the most - at that time. The entire itinerary change from Eastern to Western, and the additional days at sea did not upset me as much, believe it or not. This is because IMO, those 2 were out of RC's control, whereas the propulsion issue, I still believe they knew about and could have better handled. But that's water under the bridge and I've gained experience from it.