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Newtoncruise

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    The allure of Allure.....a brief suite review.....

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Allure of the Seas is a magnificent ship. Cruising her last week in the Caribbean was my first time on an Oasis class ship. I love cruising with Royal Caribbean having taken 10 cruises over the past few years. I have cruised on most classes of ship now and enjoyed them all.

     

    Last week we cruised in a Grand Suite as Diamond in C&A. Thank goodness we did! I don't think the Allure can handle all 6500 guests in the style and comfort they deserve and pay for!

     

    Positives first.

     

    The ship is wonderful. The facilities on board are fantastic......better than every other class. The restaurants, the theatres and arenas, the pools, the bars, sporting facilities, in fact most physical elements of the ship are awesome.

     

    The shows are exceptional. Very professional and entertaining. Mamamia, Ocean Aria and Blue Planet were brilliant.

     

    Negatives....

     

    There are too many passengers to be catered for by the basic restaurants. The MDR and Windjammer where chaotic every time we tried to use them.

     

    The other free eateries were fine. The Park Cafe, Sorrentos, Promenade Cafe, Wipe Out Cafe etc. But when is comes to mass catering of breakfast dinner and lunch the ship was severely lacking!

     

    Queues were commonplace and very long.....Ive never seen queues at the WJ before on any class of ship. Something was wrong!

     

    Luckily they cater for suite guests in a separate suite lounge and give them their own speciality restaurant and space away from the madding crowd. I really enjoyed it! Suite perks generally are better on Oasis Class than other ships.......I guess Royal quickly realised they had issues and upped their offer for suites...

     

    The food served in the exclusive Coastal Kitchen is on par with the speciality restaurants and of a way better standard than that served in the MDR. Windjammer food is still good but it is too small and too busy to be enjoyed.

     

    Staff have less responsibility to ensure excellent service. The personal service you get on the smaller ships was often lacking.

     

    Even the concierge service for suite guests didn't work so well. On smaller ships a single concierge looks after all suite guests. They get to know them and look after them with a personal touch that goes appreciated.

     

    Allure has two concierges because of the numbers of guests! Logical but flawed! They each devolved responsibility to each other and neither excelled in the roles. The maitre d was the single point of contact for all the suite guests dining in Costal Kitchen. He excelled because he was responsible, eager to help and charming too!

     

    Please RCI look at this concierge issue!

     

    The diamond lounge was also very very busy but we did not use it too much this cruise because the suite lounge was a nicer space with a better view of the ship and ocean!

     

    I am glad I sailed Allure.....but I would not sail her or her sisters again in anything less than a grand suite.

     

    New cruisers might find everything ok. But for me It might be time to move to Celebrity or another line? I'm not sure! I love Royal but maybe the overall experience is better for me on the smaller ships........

     

    Nothing booked yet but would welcome advice based on this recent experience.

     

    Thanks for reading! Please ask any questions or make comments as you see fit!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Tips for Western Med Cruise

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Some ideas and suggestions:

     

    1) Tipping onboard the ship ( a common question) - generally speaking the crew like getting tipped in US dollars (easier to use on the ship, send back home to family unless you're from Europe). Also it's tough if you tip with Euro coins (I think they go up to 5 Euros in coins and then bills from 10 Euros and up) they can't exchange them, only use them in European ports.

     

     

     

     

     

    1). I have to disagree here. The crew prefer tips in euros so they can spend them in the countries where the ship is based. Ie Spain, France and Italy!

     

    2) Some of your ports will be a fair distance from the attraction city. For example for Rome you dock in Civitavecchia

     

    Agreed. It is very easy to use public transport to get into Rome from Civitivecchia. THe direct train is very cheap. Less than 10 euro. Get off at St Pietro for Vatican city.

     

    Same with Marseilles. Get the train to Monte Carlo.

     

    Book private tours for Florence and Pisa in Livorno.

     

    Have fun. ATMs or local banks are best for currency exchange. Not airports or cruise ships!!!!!

     

     

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Colors of SeaPass Cards

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    No one really cares what color your card is....unless you care, and carry it around your neck for all to see. Most folks won't notice at all...really....no one cares what your "status" is, or what cabin you might have booked.

     

     

     

    I would never carry my card round my neck or flaunt it for all to see. But when I book a suite.....most of the time now (except for a forthcoming shorty cruise)....I like the queue jumping, easy access, benefits it brings very much.

     

    I pay for the suite perks because my holidays are few in frequency and when I'm away I want to make the most of it.

     

    It will be interesting to have a few days without the perks......I wonder if I will miss them.....I'll miss the real estate for sure.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    An Englishman on Grandeur - Baltimore Bermuda 21 July 2016

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Here is part two.......thank you all for reading.......

     

    The Crew

     

    Cruise critic rated the Lady G crew one of the best crews on the fleet. Once again the advice was sound. We were wowed continually by

    Alroy the waiter and Ludovic his assistant in the MDR. Actually the whole crew seemed to go the extra mile most of the time.....

     

    And I think I know why!

     

    Michael Landrum, the hotel director was highly visible for the entire cruise. We had several conversations with him during our stay. Twice in the MDR on his rounds. Twice in the concierge lounge, and again in the centrum and South Pacific.

     

    His has a strong presence, is blessed with a fun personality and his deep brown eyes don't miss a trick.

     

    I believe his love of his job rubs off on the entire staff. Brilliant!

     

    Francis the Concierge Lounge host was wonderful......the way he magically whisks you past the disembarkation lines has to be seen to be believed.....

     

    I might be a touch controversial in thinking that perhaps Paul the cruise director has lost his sparkle a little. He is a lovely man but I think that some of his entertainment team might be positioning themselves for the top job.......

     

    All of the crew were lovely though.....they helped make our cruise special.

     

    Oh and how young is Captain Anders? 47 actually but when we suggested he looked young he cleverly stated that he believed that 18 was old enough legally to captain the ship........cool dude.

     

    The Sailing and the Ports of Call

     

    We had previously sailed two days from Southampton to the Med. it was cold and we experience rough seas both ways.......how would the Atlantic Ocean treat us?

     

    Well the sun shined brightly for most of the two day voyage to Bermuda and the ocean was as smooth as glass. A wonderful trip......both ways......

     

    Bermuda

     

    It was our first visit to the islands....and we had an overnight stay......I was somewhat disappointed at the late arrival which just about gave us time to visit the wonderful pink sandy beach of Horseshoe Bay.......this is one of the prettiest beached we have visited ....ever! We dined aboard that evening but the elder DD escaped the ship with some teenage party people to dance the night away and have a few legal drinks in a nightclub ashore.

     

    The next morning bright n early we had booked a tour of the island thanks to cruising curious. Thank you. It was a pleasant and informative tour by guide Ricky/Brian. Marred slightly by the damp rainy day and with it being Sunday a lack of activity generally. One or two of our group got a little tetchy with the lunch break! Sorry!

     

    Nassau

     

    We found a beach, got hassled by local traders and had a swim. A lively island with a hint of danger in the air.......ticked off!

     

    Coco cay

     

    We love this laid back RCI owned island.......such a chilled day.........we got the very last tender back to the ship.........

     

    We all loved the itinerary and would cruise it again in a heartbeat..

     

    I just captain would burn a little more fuel and get us to the islands earlier in the day to spend more time on the beaches on day one!

     

    Tomorrow I will tackle to food and dining experiences aboard.....hasta manana..........

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