Never say never.........you had me at the Allure Promenade 6/24/2018

"I will never sail a ship that size," I exclaimed to my dh about 8 years ago regarding the Oasis class ships. Well, never say never. After 17 cruises (Carnival & RC), I took the plunge and we set sail on the Allure of the Seas (6/24/2018). After months of planning, second guessing, reading CC and Allure reviews we were ready!

A little history....we love to cruise, especially my dh and I. My two kiddos ( 13 & 18) enjoy it as well. We have been on five RC cruises (Explorer, Adventure, Liberty and Freedom) and 12 Carnival (Vista, Dream, Breeze, etc.) We have stayed in balconies but for the past 6 years or so do inside cabins which allows us to cruise more frequently. I must confess....up until the Allure I preferred Carnival and my dh preferred RC.

Why did I finally decide to cruise with my family on the Allure? Honestly, my dh wanted this as a bucketlist item so I allowed it!;) Plus, my dd is going to college this August so this was our last big trip as a "family." Or that's what I was lead to believe.

Pre-cruise

So, originally we were going to drive down the week before to stop in VA to see family, attend my daughter's orientation in GA and finally make our way to Fort Lauderdale. But of course mother nature was a little uptight this winter and the district where I teach had sooo many snow days!!!! Instead of driving down with my family, I stayed north, finished the last week of school with my students and put my 16 year old cat to sleep (last day of school) the night before I flew to Fort Lauderdale. To say that I was distraught about our precious cat is an

understatement. Ok, my adult ADD is kicking in...need to get back about the cruise. My family did drive down without me and I flew out Saturday night.

In Fort Lauderdale we went with Homewood Suites. This hotel has a cruise/park deal which I thought was a great price. My kids and dh stayed there Friday night as well. Once I landed , my husband picked me up. So convenient for us to do that. Oops forgot, my family went to Mojo Donuts in Miami sometime Saturday morning. This was on my son's (13 years old) food bucket list while down in Florida. They enjoyed every single bite of their donuts. Of course, a visit to Miami would not be complete without stopping for some Cuban cuisine. Yes, we love to eat, well they love to eat. I love to eat and drink, but we will get to that later. After he picked me up from the Fort Lauderdale, we headed to the hotel and went to sleep.

Sunday morning is finally here after months of planning. The sun was out and we were ready to go. My dh decided to drop the three of us at the port and arrived around 9:30. He turned the car around, headed back to Homewood Suites and paid 10 bucks to take the hotel van to the port. It worked out well for us. We didn't too long in line and made it to the desk by 10:15ish to check in. I somehow made a mistake in terms of my last name, it's hyphenated so I wasn't listed as Platinum but my children were. When my husband made it back to the port , he realized the mistake with my last name which we later straightened out on board during the week. Why is this a big deal? When you are Platinum you are able to get on a little bit sooner only after the Diamonds, Pinnacles, etc have boarded the ship.

Well, we finally were allowed to board after our Platinum row was called. Remember, I wasn't really sure about a ship this size....the Allure had me at the magnificent Promenade deck. Once I stepped foot on the Promenade there was no looking back.:cool:

Will continue tomorrow since I have laundry to do and need to get ready for school tomorrow.

"I will never sail a ship that size," I exclaimed to my dh about 8 years ago regarding the Oasis class ships. Well, never say never. After 17 cruises (Carnival & RC), I took the plunge and we set sail on the Allure of the Seas (6/24/2018). After months of planning, second guessing, reading CC and Allure reviews we were ready!...

I am so sorry about your kitty! It is so hard to make that decision, even when you know it is best, and especially being by yourself. How stressful that must have been for you. I would type more kind words, but I would probably just end up crying all over my keyboard. It sounds like the vacation was fun, though. I am looking forward to your review.

And...you still have school?! How many snow days did you have?!

I am so sorry about your kitty! It is so hard to make that decision, even when you know it is best, and especially being by yourself. How stressful that must have been for you. I would type more kind words, but I would probably just end up crying all over my keyboard. It sounds like the vacation was fun, though. I am looking forward to your review.

 

And...you still have school?! How many snow days did you have?!

I still have to pack up my classroom and get ready to teach summer school which begins next week.

Thanks about my cat...honestly really thought about not going on the cruise. Still feel at a loss, especially when we walked into the house tonight and he wasn't there to welcome us home.

Aww, just put my 17 yr old cat down a week ago today. I miss him. Looking forward to hearing about the cruise. We also had reservations because of The Allures size,our cruise is in Nov.

Will be watching tomorrow for more.....:)

Very sorry about your cat, but glad you and your family were able to cruise on the Allure.

We were hestitant before going on the Oasis last September. I absolutely loved it. So much so that we are booked on the Allure this September for my birthday cruise.

Looking forward to your review.

Following! Can’t wait to read more. I love the Oasis class ships, so glad you gave them a try and loved it! I will forever be a fan of the Oasis class ships, with Freedom class coming in at a close second.

Also, as a cat owner myself who had a cat put down at a very young age (the cat, and myself), I know what that feeling is like and I extend my full condolences. So sorry for your loss. Thank you for doing a review, I’m looking forward to the next installment!

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Looking forward to reading more.

Something tells me you really liked the Allure!!!

So sorry about your cat. Tough timing too.

Looking forward to your thoughts on Allure. The ship is amazing. We stayed in promenade too and loved the room. Extra bay seating/window is great.

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Following - DW and I board Allure in 152 days .... but who's counting? (me) :)

Also following, as we are booked on the Allure next April. I, too, find it hard to believe that we would ever sail on one of the largest cruise ships in the world but we are about to. Looking forward to the rest of your review!

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Following.

Welcome to O class. It's a fun way to cruise

Youre right. Never say never! I remember when Oasis was first mentioned, there was a whole group here (N.O.O.T.S.) that swore they would never cruise on one of those ships as long as they live. Im pretty sure 99% of them have gave in and love Oasis class now :) Me? I CANT WAIT til Harmony! Ive been waiting for years to board one of these ships!

So very sorry to hear about your kitty, I do cat rescue and we have a lot of cats. Having to put one down is such a terribly hard decision. My biggest worry when going on vacations is if something were to happen to any of my fur babies.

However I will look forward to reading more of your review. Honestly I never thought we would get to sail on one of these ships, mostly in the pricing has just been higher than I can typically afford. However we managed to get a boardwalk balcony in October for $1400, which overall was a price I was ok with doing.

Can't wait for the next instalment. Cruising on Allure in August for the first time so excited!.

Add me to the list of former nay-sayers to a ship of that size ... until my Oasis cruise (DS wanted to go for it) back in 2012. I was in love, hook, line and sinker.

Oasis class is AWESOME and I can’t wait to board Symphony this fall!

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report. Thanks so much for taking the time to do it 😊.

Thanks so much for all your kind words and condolences concerning our beloved cat. My dh will be picking his ashes. We have decided to spread the ashes across my parents' grave since my mother loved cats.

Spent about 5 hours packing up my classroom and transporting my stuff upstairs to my new classroom. Still have about 2 more days worth of classroom cleanup/set up to do. Thank goodness one of my great friends helped me. Did I mention I was given a transfer notice the morning I put my precious cat to sleep? :eek: So right now I am sweaty and sore so I won't be typing so much.

Cabin Selection

We decided on two inside cabins. Honestly, price is a factor for us. Although we loved being in a Promenade cabin on the Adventure of the Sea, it just wasn't in the cards for us. Our cabins were 9402 and 9404. We loved the location/cabins for a few reasons. The cabins were located at teh front of the ship (Aft) along an extra wide hallway. There were no cabins across from us so it was so QUIET!! There was little to no foot traffic which we loved. I would totally pick these cabins again. My family also lucked out with our room steward Ann Marie from Jamaica. She was simply fantastic. At some point on the first day my son returned to his cabin to grab something and asked her to separate his bed from his sister's. She started right away and my son joined along and helped her. Well, AnnMarie LOVED my son after that. It was the first time we have ever asked a room steward for their card (FB and email). We hope to have her some day again.

Meal Plan/Specialty Restaurants

We decided not eat at any of the specialty restaurants. Don't regret the decision.

Later tonight I will write about our decision for the drink packages.....need to do more laundry.

Please ask questions and I will try to answer. This review will probably take me a couple of weeks to complete. At the end I want to include pictures (if I can figure out how to do it) and a general RC/Carnival comparison.

Thanks so much for all your kind words and condolences concerning our beloved cat. My dh will be picking his ashes. We have decided to spread the ashes across my parents' grave since my mother loved cats.

 

 

 

Spent about 5 hours packing up my classroom and transporting my stuff upstairs to my new classroom. Still have about 2 more days worth of classroom cleanup/set up to do. Thank goodness one of my great friends helped me. Did I mention I was given a transfer notice the morning I put my precious cat to sleep? [emoji33] So right now I am sweaty and sore so I won't be typing so much.

 

 

 

Cabin Selection

 

We decided on two inside cabins. Honestly, price is a factor for us. Although we loved being in a Promenade cabin on the Adventure of the Sea, it just wasn't in the cards for us. Our cabins were 9402 and 9404. We loved the location/cabins for a few reasons. The cabins were located at teh front of the ship (Aft) along an extra wide hallway. There were no cabins across from us so it was so QUIET!! There was little to no foot traffic which we loved. I would totally pick these cabins again. My family also lucked out with our room steward Ann Marie from Jamaica. She was simply fantastic. At some point on the first day my son returned to his cabin to grab something and asked her to separate his bed from his sister's. She started right away and my son joined along and helped her. Well, AnnMarie LOVED my son after that. It was the first time we have ever asked a room steward for their card (FB and email). We hope to have her some day again.

 

 

 

Meal Plan/Specialty Restaurants

 

We decided not eat at any of the specialty restaurants. Don't regret the decision.

 

 

 

Later tonight I will write about our decision for the drink packages.....need to do more laundry.

 

Please ask questions and I will try to answer. This review will probably take me a couple of weeks to complete. At the end I want to include pictures (if I can figure out how to do it) and a general RC/Carnival comparison.

Loving it so far! For pictures, you can download the Tapatalk app for free, register for the CC forum using your CC username and password, and it lets you post pictures, I believe 5 per post. I have been using Tapatalk ever since it was recommended to me when I was in your same predicament while writing my first cruise review, and I’ve loved the app ever sense! Hope this helps you, can’t wait to read more!

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Following! We're on the Oasis of the Seas this fall, and I think that the Allure and Oasis are in the same class... and we're in the same boat, so to speak, about having previously said "we'll never cruise on a ship that big!!" LOL!! So far it sound like you're really glad you decided to try it out... and we hope we will be too. :D

Celine

I’m looking forward to your review!! We’re going on Allure in September for my birthday!

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Yes Allure and Oasis are in the same class as is Harmony and Symphony. Allure and Oasis are pretty much the same. Harmony and Symphony have some differences from Allure/Oasis and even among themselves.

Following! We're on the Oasis of the Seas this fall, and I think that the Allure and Oasis are in the same class... and we're in the same boat, so to speak, about having previously said "we'll never cruise on a ship that big!!" LOL!! So far it sound like you're really glad you decided to try it out... and we hope we will be too. :D

Celine

Hi this is the OP. Now onto the drink package.

Drink Package

The last two Carnival cruises (Breeze and Vista) and the last two RC cruises (Freedom & Liberty) we did in fact purchase drink packages. What I love about RC are the different choices

that are available like the Soda only, Replenish and the Deluxe Drink package. Now on Carnival there isn't really much of a choice...Soda package or the Deluxe package or don't purchase anything. I really wish Carnival would offer something like the Replenish because not everyone drinks alcohol and it is great for kids. On our last Carnival cruise my husband (not a big drinker at all) felt like he was forcing himself to drink because he had spent the money. I, of course, did not have that problem. For 10 months we put money away to purchase the various drink packages right before the cruise. Now, I know people like to debate this but honestly if you are not a big drinker don't get the Deluxe Package. Here is what we purchased and what a "typical" day looked like. Sorry I did not take pix of the prices but I have a pretty good memory.

DD-(Replenish package)- Vitality smoothie, FRESH OJ, ice coffee, Sprite, bottled waters, Mudslides and other virgin frozen drinks

DS0( Replenish package) two fresh OJ's, smoothie, Coke, bottled waters, frozen virgin drinks

DH (Replenish)-3 Fresh OJ, two coffees in AM, bottled waters, frozen virgin cocktail, Cappuccino after dinner

***If my hubby wanted an alcoholic drink he would just order.

Me (Deluxe of course) ice coffee in AM, 2-3 Bloody Mary's, lots of bottled water, 2 or so glasses of wine and cappuccino after dinner. Then, I discovered Mudslides by Thursday...not a good situation.

As you can see totally worth it for us. Go Big or Go home is my vacation philosophy.:')

Hi. Love your review! We sail on Allure next month. I have the alcohol package and always come out ahead or at least I try lol

Anyway, I only drink black iced coffee each morning. Where did you get your iced coffee? Did they have the actual coffee already chilled or was it just hot tea over ice, which I just hate lol

Thanks so much!

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