Questions on JS on Allure

I have some questions regarding the Junior Suite on Allure.

Do you have a favorite deck?

I notice a lot of the JS's that are on the middle hump:) are also connecting.:( We've had bad luck with connection cabins in the past and tend to avoid them. Is that also the case with Allure?

Do all the balconies have loungers or only those on mid-hump?

And now the biggie (for me, at least). The last time I was considering a JS on an Oasis class ship I was put off by Country Kitchen. Not the fact that JSs only get it for dinner, that's OK. However, I wonder if it's embarrassing to not have your card work to get into CK, that you basically have to knock, or sneak in behind someone else, and then wonder if you will or will not get reservations for dinner. Part of the reason for us booking a JS would be dinner in CK, which is an "entitled" perk.

Has anyone not been able to get reservations to dine there ..... at least a couple of times per cruise?

We like decks 8 and 9, but I'd take staterooms on other decks to avoid connecting staterooms.

You should not have a problem getting reservations for Coastal Kitchen for a couple of nights.

Thanks for the response.

Is there a reason you prefer decks 8 and 9?

Would you go for a center hump (not connecting) on another deck vs. non-center on 8 or 9? Is there any deck that you would avoid completely>?

I agree with your statement about CK, if makes you feel like they are doing you a favor, just off Allure today and only ate in CK twice, first time was ok second time they only had an 8pm dining time and it took a very long time to get our food. Either treat us like suite guests or take away the perk.

We like deck 8,quick walk to park cafe

I would avoid deck 14- too much noise from the pool deck

Sorry, everyone. For some reason I keep typing Country Kitchen. No wonder my Searches don't work.:confused:

Thanks for the response.

 

Is there a reason you prefer decks 8 and 9?

Would you go for a center hump (not connecting) on another deck vs. non-center on 8 or 9? Is there any deck that you would avoid completely>?

I like deck 8 because of it's proximity to Central Park. I also like deck 9 for the same reason. On our last cruise I noticed that it was hot and humid near the entrances to Central park on deck 8, so that's why I prefer deck 9 slightly right now.

Nothing wrong with higher decks, except I agree with Ellen that I would avoid deck 14 because it's right under the pool deck.

I agree with your statement about CK, if makes you feel like they are doing you a favor, just off Allure today and only ate in CK twice, first time was ok second time they only had an 8pm dining time and it took a very long time to get our food. Either treat us like suite guests or take away the perk.

 

We like deck 8,quick walk to park cafe

Pete,

Did you try for more COASTAL Kitchen reservations and two were all you could get?

No,I was fed up after the bad service and second class treatment, overheard the head waiter whisper to the manager,”junior suite” in a very condescending tone,we went to the main dining room after that and were treated amazing,walked right in with no reservations, food was great too.

Like I said if they don’t want JS guests in CK then take away the perk.

This was my experience last week,I hope yours is better,the food is usually excellent.

Good luck

We book cabin 8640 almost every year. It is a JS on the hump and there have been no problems with noise. We like having the two loungers plus the table and chairs since we often eat breakfast or lunch on the balcony. It is not a connecting cabin. Proximity to Central Park and the restaurants make this the ideal location for us.

As for CK, I totally agree with you! We could not get reservations at all on our last cruise and we were treated as second class citizens when we attempted to make reservations. We also got the same reaction. "Junior Suite passengers" was the way they put it when we asked. On our survey, we let Royal know how we were treated and told them to either make it available as a full suite perk or take it away. We would not play their game again. The MDR had excellent food and we were treated very nicely there and at all the specialty restaurants so we resented being treated negatively by the CK staff.

We could not get reservations at all on our last cruise and we were treated as second class citizens when we attempted to make reservations. We also got the same reaction. "Junior Suite passengers" was the way they put it when we asked. On our survey, we let Royal know how we were treated and told them to either make it available as a full suite perk or take it away. We would not play their game again. The MDR had excellent food and we were treated very nicely there and at all the specialty restaurants so we resented being treated negatively by the CK staff.

We had a similar experience last year on Oasis. We made reservations ( in a JS), and arrived on time. we waited at the host's table as she seated people who came in the door after us, showed the menu to someone who just happened to look in, and took phone calls- all while never once even recognizing our presence. It was as if we weren't even standing there. We walked out without ever eating there. And we won't be going back again.

OK, that is just about what I recall reading last year about CK and Junior Suites. If anything, it seems it's gotten worse. Last year I ended up going to Celebrity and booking Aqua so we could get Blu. I know some feel Blu is not as good as Coastal Kitchen, but at least we felt welcome there.

I'll do more research and perhaps save some $$$ by just booking a balcony if one of the JS perks are not available.:loudcry:

We were just going to do a JS since DH likes Oasis class ships, and we recently made Elite on Celebrity and wanted to try Diamond on Royal. But a balcony will suite us just as well, I guess.

Have to say we were on Allure in May in JS on Deck 8 and loved the location by Central Park. We also had 2 nights in Coastal Kitchen and had no problems whatsoever with reservations or service. Granted we were always after 7 pm but that didn’t bother us. Came off Anthem in November in JS (prefer Oasis class JS) but also had no problems with reservations or service.

I really like deck 10 for my cabin (on Oasis class ships), and enjoy the JS on hump (for the larger balcony). Rationale is that we can go either up or down via the stairs, and am within an easy walking distance (stairs) for all the decks that activities.

Just of Allure today 12/17 in a JS I agree with most here Treated like a 2nd class citizen It all starts when

your sea pass card wont open the door The best we could do all week was 8pm Also we were seated for a table for two up against the wall when other tables were available We had to complain to be moved

Thanks, everyone.

I appreciate all the comments. I had a feeling it was like this, but didn't think it was this bad.

I'm in "re-think" mode right now.:confused:

I have always thought that "benefit" was kind of strange, maybe it's a benefit and maybe it's not. I just know if I booked a JS and could not get into CK I would not be too happy. (Not that I can afford one:halo:)

We booked Junior Suites before the CK was opened to JS guests so it really didn't bother us that it was not an included perk. However, once they started offering it, JS guests should be able to take advantage of it and not be treated shabbily. We prefer a JS for the larger room, larger balcony, and better bathroom. Personally, I would rather they come up with different benefits for a JS and do away with the CK perk since Royal won't give JS guests total access to CK.

On Oasis 8240 is a non connecting JS, center hump. Loved it.

As far as CK, we sailed 4 weeks prior to attainment of PC level and had 6pm reservations every night except one. That one was for 7pm. All ways treated well and never looked down upon.

The knock on the door was odd, but no big deal. Never, ever, ignored.

Now that we are Pinnacle, lunch and breakfast are awesome. Probably better than dinner.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

No,I was fed up after the bad service and second class treatment, overheard the head waiter whisper to the manager,”junior suite” in a very condescending tone,we went to the main dining room after that and were treated amazing,walked right in with no reservations, food was great too.

Like I said if they don’t want JS guests in CK then take away the perk.

This was my experience last week,I hope yours is better,the food is usually excellent.

Good luck

I was on Allure in August and although we were in a Crown Loft Suite, I overhead more than one conversation involving guests in JS where it seemed like they got lower priority when it comes to booking CK.

Problem is that CK is popular and not big enough to meet demand. Even as full suite guests, we had difficulty getting the bookings we wanted. The difference was that they tried harder to accommodate us whereas the JS guests would have been simply turned away.

I would like to see them get this figured out, the coastal Kitchen is a great venue and when it’s done right makes your really glad you chose a JS.

I thought the JS was a total waste of money. It didn't seem much bigger than a regular cabin in a practical sense. How much is a little extra closet space worth to you? And if you want special dining, I think it would be cheaper to get a regular balcony and then visit the specialty dining restaurants, which provides more options and probably a better experience. We did the JS one time, won't ever do it again. Well within our budget but thought it offered nothing of value. We either go for a real suite or regular ocean balcony now.

I did an extensive Search on Coastal Kitchen before I asked this. It seems it's OK to bring non-suite guests there but Junior Suite people are (sometimes) treated like ..... well not well.

Is this a deal breaker for me? To be honest, I don't know. I had that pre-cruise booking excitement going on and now I think I'll wait awhile.

Glad I asked though. Appreciate all your responses.:hearteyes: