All things EARTH...

[mousey]

Mousey, you are so far from boring! Things tend to go in cycles, you've been in a crummy cycle, this will pass

 

Thanks Sally for the kind words. Yep, it's one crummy cycle and yes this too shall pass. Must say though...this is one nasty, nasty flu.

[laurspag]

We have been having some great spring-like weather the past few days. The sun is shining and it is pleasant. It's the kind of weather where you want sleeves, maybe, but you don't need a coat. I'm wearing short sleeves myself today. Yay!

 

I can't believe how full of cruise my head is, lol. Next weekend is a bit different, in that my husband is required to work the entire weekend, and pretty much morning until night on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, he goes in around 6:00 but gets home around 3:00. I'm going to use the time while everyone is out and about to get my clothes all organized. I'll keep them out of the suitcase until a day or two before, but I will have everything ironed, on hangers...just waiting! I can easily swap things around if needed too, in case the forecast is different than anticipated.

[awhfy]

We went paddle boarding today for the first time. I guess I'm going to invest in a Lands End zip front rash Guard!

Edited May 3, 2015 by awhfy

[Sailor_Sally]

Tomorrow I am going to a local mall to what I call the trifecta ( Jjill , Chico's & Talbot's ).

[laurspag]

Paddle boarding looks like fun! How was the temp there today? It looks pretty overcast from the picture. A rash guard sounds like a good thing for this, based on what Anita has said.

 

A trip to the mall is always a good thing! My daughter is talking about us going soon to

A mall she was at last month. It's a two hour drive though. Our local mall is really, really big. Sometimes too big, in that it's a big deal just to find a place to park. Then you're parking across the street and it just seems like such a chore, unless you

Plan to be there most of the day.

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , Have a great trip ! When We were in San Francisco a few years ago . San Francisco was cool but Napa valley was warm . We went on a wine tasting and it was so much fun .

[awhfy]

Paddle boarding looks like fun! How was the temp there today? It looks pretty overcast from the picture. A rash guard sounds like a good thing for this, based on what Anita has said.

 

A trip to the mall is always a good thing! My daughter is talking about us going soon to

A mall she was at last month. It's a two hour drive though. Our local mall is really, really big. Sometimes too big, in that it's a big deal just to find a place to park. Then you're parking across the street and it just seems like such a chore, unless you

Plan to be there most of the day.

 

 

It was fun, about 65. The clouds rolled in just as we were coming back to shore. I ordered two rash guards from Lands End this morning. A long sleeved tropical print & a short sleeve full zip. Melody

[mousey]

Melody,

 

Looks like fun! I must try that.:D

[Anita Latte]

A big hello to everyone!

 

We are home again...Mom and Dad are still with me here in Georgia; they fly home to AZ on Thursday. In the funny way that vacations have, the time spent feels simultaneously like "we've been gone for so long" and "how quickly time passed!"

 

I have over 1500 photos to sort...I took photos all over the ship, photos of food, photos of Malaga and Barcelona, and there ARE some photos of outfits to share.

 

The good report is that it was a fabulous vacation. Lovely time spent with Mom and Dad... The unfortunate news to report is that both Dad and Mom were ill while on vacation but we are not ones to let some bumps in the road deter us from having a lovely vacation overall. Some of the bumps were rather mountainous...Mom was in the medical center and there was talk of the possibility of admitting her and putting her on an IV because she was diagnosed with pneumonia. So there may not be quite as many outfit pictures to share...because there were, quite frankly, times when taking pictures of ourselves was not appealing based on the feeling of the day...and also times where we were simply enjoying ourselves.

 

Also...the weather was a bit surprising. It was flat out cold some days on the crossing. I was more in the Caribbean mindset when packing for the Transatlantic and I could definitely have packed more transitional clothing...more layers. Because of this fact, there also might not be quite as many photos as I would have hoped to have had to share...

 

Laurie...I have a lot that I can share about the Allure. I could go into some significant comparisons between the cruise lines...I am currently debating how much of this conversation to include here on this thread...I don't want to derail the train but I'm not sure that I really want to begin a debate about my opinions by posting anywhere else!

 

It will take a bit to get started on this project. I do want to enjoy the last few days here that I have to spend with Mom and Dad...but I do have another trip on the horizon, acting as a chaperone for the eighth grade music program trip to Disney next week...so WARNING...this will be a long and drawn out trip report.

 

I am excited to share though. :)

[awhfy]

Anita, welcome home! Hope Mom & Dad recover quickly. Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Anita , Welcome Back ! Can not wait to hear the trip report !

[laurspag]

Anita, welcome back! I hope your mom and dad are feeling better.

 

I would love to hear all about your trip, and see your pictures. If you want to keep some of the extra detail off the thread, we can make other arrangements, such as email, to share more detail about Allure.

 

I can imagine that the sea days were very relaxing! You had two cruises close together, and now you have Disney coming up. So much fun!!!

[MJC]

Anita, welcome home! So sorry to hear that your Mom and Dad were ill. I hope they are on the mend. There seems to be a lot of spring illness this year. Mousey, how are you doing?

 

I for one would love to hear your cruise comparison as I may book my first RCI for next year. I posted earlier that I want to take a four day Zumba cruise from Tampa on the Brilliance, so I am busy reading everything I can. It turns out I will have ½ day at home to turn around and leave for Baltimore where our annual teaching conference will be. Between the two I will have filled up my spring break.

 

It’s in the 80s this week, and on my walk home from the gym this morning it was clear that dress and sandals weather is here! So many cute dress outfits on the women walking to the subway. I will have to do my toes this weekend and break out some sandals!

 

I did not get to post any photos this weekend because we had another OMG moment at the apartment. Yes, I have another three-foot hole in my bathroom ceiling due to another major leak in the same wall. AND it happened on Thursday when my sister and her DH + DS were scheduled to arrive for a long weekend with us. No water for the whole building for a whole day, mad scramble to find a hotel room for our guests, plumbers working until 1am. So, we packed up everyone and went to the cottage for the weekend, which entailed renting a second car and frantically buying baby gates. Yikes.

 

After all the talk about Lands End, the LLBean catalog came yesterday and there are actually some cute things I am thinking about getting. When I sorted through my jewelry this winter, I realized that I have items I’m not wearing because I don’t have those colors in my wardrobe right now. So, I have been looking for something lavender and something periwinkle for summer. One of the items I’m considering is this seersucker blouse in lilac, but I’m concerned about how it will read with the white in it:

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/58863?feat=seersucker%20shirt-SR0&page=essential-seersucker-shirt

 

I also like this tee in cornflower blue:

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/87451?feat=sr&term=floral+jacquard+tee

 

And this top in wisteria:

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/86765?feat=wisteria-SR0&page=harpswell-tee

 

They’ve also added a bunch of new skorts:

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/82544?feat=skort-SR0&page=runabout-skort

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/86635?feat=skort-SR0&page=vista-trekking-skort

 

And I love these doggie flip-flops:

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/58442?feat=sr&term=dog+flip+flops

 

Enough procrastinating, back to work!

[Anita Latte]

Thank you everyone for the good vibes toward Mom and Dad. Both are much improved. We have been reading that recovery from pneumonia is usually somewhere between 5-8 weeks...Mom is feeling much better but it will be a process to return to "normal" following this episode...

 

To remind everyone, this was a Transatlantic cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Barcelona, Spain on the Allure of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean fleet. The Allure is now in dry dock and she needed to go back to her birthplace for such service because she is too big to be dry docked on this side of the pond. Hence, the unusual crossing for this Oasis class ship. Because of the size of the ship, and the speed with which we were crossing...this was a 12-night cruise...with a whopping 9 sea days in a row to begin the sailing. There was the one port on Day 10...Malaga, Spain...and then another sea day to reach Barcelona, our destination.

 

As we have our conversation here...I will share all my observations about this ship. Hopefully, this will be informative and possibly entertaining. If anyone has any specific questions they would like to address in the meanwhile...ask away.

 

The first thing to share is that the Americans on board were the most plentiful group, but we could not form a majority. Following were the Germans, with over 10% of the passengers being German...followed closely by the Canadians, I believe...also represented in great numbers were the Brits, the Aussies, the French, the Italians, and Spanish speakers. Every important announcement was first given in English, then German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian. I was often in the midst of non-English speakers throughout my voyage.

 

The next thing to share is that the weather was quite brisk on many days. For one day, while the Captain was giving his daily noon-time address, he announced that the expected temperature was a high of 63 degrees. He observed that he was hearing that this was quite cool for many passengers...however, the Captain says, "I am Norwegian...and I call this Summer."

 

I distinctively remember poolside on such a day...where many passengers had upwards of 4 or 5 towels and were bundled up like cocoons on the lounge chairs...and where the shade was at a premium and highly sought while we were near embarkation...the sun shine was definitely in demand as everyone strived to find a way to keep warm while enjoying the outdoors. Let me tell you that the Solarium on the ship was ridiculously crowded...those seeking a lounger would swoop down on a vacating passenger like a Vulture...

 

All this to say that...I will not be so dramatic as to say that I packed ALL WRONG for this cruise...BUT...I could have definitely left much of what I packed at home...and included some things that didn't make it to the suitcase. It's slightly frustrating because I knew that I was overpacking when I packed...and to know that I overpacked on things that were not so wonderful is something of a bummer.

 

I had wanted to pack in my new backpack carry-on only. I had high hopes. But after I packed and weighed it in at 28 pounds...I decided that this was a bad idea and after all, I should check a bag. This was an easy fix, having used my packing cubes. Unfortunately, my backpack could accommodate more than my suitcase...so not everything went into that checked bag. I worked it all out though... So a suitcase that could qualify for the largest roller style carry on possible when unexpanded, was expanded and checked...and I had several things in my backpack, which I did still use as a carry on (packed WAY below capacity) and my favorite crossbody bag for touring for my personal item:

 

 

For travel, I did wear pants. It was chilly in the Atlanta area that morning...and DS was actually participating in a parade. He was performing for the first time with the high school marching band (he will be a Freshman next year) in a small town celebration with booths of all sorts and a fun parade. It was early-ish in the morning...and it was cool. So I wore a great pair of pants with 4 pockets (2 zippered)...an exercise tank top...and a tech fabric pull-over. I also wore compression socks (not shown) and my trusty Zumba sneakers, which are well broken in and comfortable, yet still supportive:

 

 

Contrast the Earth green of my bag to the ICE green of my shirt...Oh well. I haven't found many exercise-related, technical fabric clothings to be in Earthy colors...it is the hardest thing to find for me. But Mom and Dad could easily track me in the crowds...

 

We flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before embarkation. I packed so that I did not need to open my checked bag that night. Everything I needed was in my backpack. This included necessary toiletries for overnight, pajamas, a change of clothing for embarkation, sandals, swimsuit, and related things like a cover up.

 

Notes: If you are using a backpack as a carry on, whether for a personal item or for a larger purpose...it's nice to have your shoulders fully covered. Hence, the pull-over...it was not worn for warmth alone. The straps of the backpack can be a bit irritating on exposed shoulders...

[laurspag]

Margaret, those are some cute things from LLBean. I especially like the flip flops with the dogs. So Cute! And that top in Wisteria looks like something I would love to wear.

 

Anita, I have shopped every store I can find on the internet, and I must say that finding anything in earth colors to exercise in is almost impossible. I suppose that I may see a thing or two in the fall?

 

Either way, I know that I very much love the technical fabrics, and close fitting exercise wear. As much as I thought I would like looser things, I do not. In the process of moving around, I want my clothes to stay put. And I find that I don't feel overly self conscious about it. I just do my thing and forget about not looking like I have a perfect shape. I find that brights really boost my spirits. I have a very similar pullover in a neon like coral color. It's great for cooler mornings until I start warming up.

 

Your trip sounds really relaxing, minus your parents not feeling well. I can imagine it must have made you a bit nervous, being out to sea and not being close by land.

 

Did you feel bored with the sea days?

 

I liked that tote/purse you were carrying. I think I would like something such as that to carry. I find that certain shades of green or orange go surprising well with many other colors.

 

Keep sharing! I will be patient - your time with your parents is the most important!! :)

[Joby]

Welcome home Anita and Pam et al! Looking forward to your musings :)

 

Sorry to hear about the illness. What a bummer to be sick on vacation :(

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...I definitely prefer a more fitted shirt for exercise. I go back and forth on the bottoms...I have some baggy ones that I do find very comfortable, but I prefer the more fitted capris for several activities.

 

My bag is Overland Equipment brand and the style is "Donner." I love this bag. I think the newer styles have done a welcome update to the organizer pocket in the front. Mine is a full flap that can lay flat and I think they have made that part into a more accordion style. One of the big bonuses for the bag are the two side pockets that hold water bottles (or whatever) but can lay flat when empty. I bought this bag with a Disney trip in mind several years ago. It was something of an investment at the time. I did find the color on clearance at REI which turned out to be a great color...so I didn't pay full price, however, I can vouch that the bag is very well made and has withstood being used without being coddled.

 

I was not bored with the sea days. There was a tremendous variety of activities available. But also, I was focused on my rehab with my knee and so I was happy to have relaxing time with no set schedule and the ability to do my physical therapy whenever I was up for doing it during the day without feeling like I was missing out on something else.

 

Embarkation was on a Sunday. Our hotel provided shuttle service to the port. We had received the email requesting that we arrive at a specific time related to which deck we would abide on for the cruise...but of course, loyalty members are allowed to come whenever they feel like it. We had a leisurely morning...that is, we didn't hurry except to be awake in time to eat breakfast and otherwise be ready to check out by check out time.

 

Check in was very well organized. For each deck, there were designated lines for different loyalty levels. It divided the mass of passengers into manageable subgroups that allowed the process to proceed smoothly. We didn't really wait at any time, but worked our way through the embarkation process steadily going from point to point to eventually head

 

 

Walking onto the Allure is a bit like walking through the terminal to board a building. It doesn't feel like a ship at all. Approaching the ship, catching the profile of the ship...if the bow or stern were not in view...you could easily convince yourself that you were simply accessing an apartment building or a hotel through a glass tunnel that crossed the street below...hence, the why for not entering the building on the ground floor...

 

Reinforcing this is the fact that while we were walking around the ship later...we were walking outside somewhere and I could see the maze of walkways to access the ship and I actually said..."we haven't seen that part of the ship yet..." because all of that white railing and glass and walkways appeared as an extension of the ship...until you looked down and realized that it was a working area where forklifts were moving palettes around and onto the ship.

 

You enter the ship on deck 5...the Royal Promenade. I believe this is a signature of Royal ships. I recall this area on the Mariner. It's like walking into a shopping mall. The soaring ceiling...large skylights overhead...the wide path bordered by shops and food joints...tables and chairs for people watching. There was nothing about this area that resembled a ship.

 

There were crew members greeting us as we boarded. Smiling and saying welcome. There was live music playing...it was very good background music...there's a kind of open space, similar to a balcony that overlooks the Promenade from deck 6 near the Schooner Bar and above the Cupcake Place. Whenever there was music playing in the Promenade throughout the cruise...this is the place where the musicians would set up:

 

 

If I were boarding a Celebrity ship...I would also have been greeted with a complementary glass of champagne or mimosa. Nothing fancy...or expensive...but certainly drinkable and I would have shared a toast and a clink and a sip in immediate celebration of the official beginning of our cruise vacation. It's not a big thing...but it is something that I guess as I look back, I've come to assign as the time stamp for the idea of "Let the vacation commence!"

 

The cabins weren't ready...finding a place to sit with your carry on luggage seemed to be the order of the day...for everyone boarding. At the far end of the Promenade is a Starbucks. It's like an island with seating. Knowing this was on board...we had headed to the ship without our morning coffees...so this was our first order of business...a latte and a sit...time to soak it all in while we waited for the cabins to be released:

 

 

I'm wearing the same exercise tank and overshirt as on our travel day...my new black Athleta skort...a compression sleeve...and my Tevas. I actually bought new Tevas that are a wonderful terracotta color...very Earthy and coordinating well with Earth colored clothing. However, those are new sandals...and just because, I felt that I should bring my trusty Tevas...inherited from my DS...well worn...I can walk all day in them.

 

The cost of Starbucks was actually slightly less than my hometown Starbucks. We learned that it is a franchise on board. The employees are Royal employees. They are considered part of the bartending branch and have been trained under the franchise agreement as to the proper making of the different Starbucks drinks.

 

While sitting, conversing, and people-watching...I decided to share my chosen nail color with you...one of my favorites...Channel brand "Peridot"...it's a duo tone...at some angels it looks gold/bronze and at others it looks green:

 

 

I did decide to travel with my wedding ring for this trip. I normally don't because I don't wear it for sport or swimming. I designed my ring and had it made. The diamonds had belonged to my Dad's Mother and DH's Dad's Mother, one from each lady...and I had them set in this ring. It is my only marriage ring. I reset the diamond from my engagement ring into this ring. I liked the idea of having a ring like men have...ONE ring.

 

It's hard to see...but Mom's hand is in the background. She wore OPI's "Skating on Thin Iceland" which is one of my colors. It was one of the most Fire friendly colors in my collection...she was ready for a change from what she wore on the Summit.

 

If I were on board a Celebrity ship...I would be at a coffee bar called Cafe Al Bacio. I would be sitting in a lounge with a wall of windows that would have a view to the outside world. I would sit first and a server would approach me for my order. My drink would be served in a porcelain cup with a saucer...I would see the cute design on the top of my latte...and there would be a small biscotti biscuit served on the saucer with my drink. Depending on the time of day...there might be live music playing.

 

I have to admit that there something more special about drinking lattes in Cafe Al Bacio. Celebrity wins for latte enjoyment...service, real cups/saucers, and an outside view.

 

We had time to enjoy our coffees and peruse the schedule of shows that required reservations to attend. This would include Chicago (the main show in the theater), Headliners in the theater, the Aquatheater show, the Ice Show, and the Comedians.

 

When Mom had done the Oasis sailing the previous fall...she spent hours trying to organize their time...planning which shows on which nights...at what time...when to make dinner reservations based on their plans, etc. etc. It was something of a nightmare to try to figure it all out. And when they sailed, the schedule changed...some changes were just changes that the director made for no apparent reason...some changes were necessary based on sea/weather conditions. And the website was a nightmare to use...so this time, Mom just determined to wait until boarding. She went off and accomplished all our reservations for the sailing while Dad and I stayed in our Starbucks lounge.

 

Lattes enjoyed. Tickets reserved. People observed. The cabins were ready and we headed up to our Central Park Balcony staterooms. We were in 12235 and 12237. We dropped off our carry on luggage and set off to explore the ship. I took off my overshirt...and we were ready to go!

 

 

My exercise shirt is a charcoal gray color. I like to think it is a warmish gray... Mom is wearing an Athleta sports top with a sports bra and Cache cargo capris and Rika athletic sneakers. The sneakers are very good for walking, but Mom does have a wish to find something "cuter" than these sneakers. While I agree that there are cuter sneakers in the world...especially after observing the footwear in Spain...I like the fun colors of these sneakers.

 

You can see my camera in my hand...and we were off to explore the ship and find a bite of lunch.

[awhfy]

Enjoying your in depth review. We're considering Oasis for January, this will help the decision! Great picture of you two!

[laurspag]

Anita, you and your mom look so cute together. How did you like your room? We are booked for a sea view balcony. We find the water really relaxing, and we sometimes snooze out there! Actually, I can only do that in a junior suite...the regular balconies only have regular chairs. But I can doze a bit while sitting up!! ;)

 

One thing about sailing on Allure, Oasis or Quantum...they really aren't like the rest of the RCI ships at all. It will be interesting for me to see what I think.

 

One of the things being done in dry dock is the change over the main dining room format. You will have your choice of dynamic dining or classic dynamic dining...With dynamic, you have to make reservations for each night. With the classic format, you, your waiters and tablemates move from dining room to dining room each night. This is new, so I'm not sure how much is fully ironed out yet. Our reservations simply say traditional late seating.

 

I look forward to hearing more!

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...please double check your information regarding the change over to Dynamic Dining on Allure. My research shows that the plans for that change were postponed in an announcement in December 2014 and that the introduction of Dynamic Dining was going to be introduced "later in the year" with no definite date given.

 

http://www.******************.com/category/category/allure-seas#.VUrIhvlVikr

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipCode=AL

[Sailor_Sally]

Really cute picture of you & your Mom . You looked like you were having a great time . It is interesting to hear your opinion of the Allure .I have wondered if I would enjoy such a massive ship .

[Anita Latte]

Melody...I'm glad this review may be helpful to you! Post any questions that arise as we go...I'm happy to answer if I can. Also, keep in mind that Mom and Dad sailed on Oasis last year...both said that there were differences for sure in the sailings...questions may help to pin point where and why those differences were felt.

 

Sally...I will definitely be addressing the idea of how massive this ship is more directly as we go.

 

How did you like your room? We are booked for a sea view balcony. We find the water really relaxing, and we sometimes snooze out there! Actually, I can only do that in a junior suite...the regular balconies only have regular chairs. But I can doze a bit while sitting up!! ;)

 

Mom normally books an ocean view balcony...the only other time she hadn't was for the Oasis last year for that TA crossing. The pricing was such that the deal for the Central Park Balcony made the cost of the Ocean View seem unreasonable. Depending on your viewpoint...you may or may not enjoy several aspects of overlooking Central Park. For my part...I enjoyed the room a lot.

 

Here's Central Park from above.

 

 

This is from the vantage point of the pool deck...Deck 15. The photographer is standing just outside the forward elevator bank looking aft toward the stern...so the right side of the picture is the port side and the left side of the picture is starboard. The port side has the main pool and the sports pool and the smoking section. The starboard side has the beach pool and the splash zone for the kids.

 

The first deck of cabins below the pool deck is deck 14...duh...and the second deck down is deck 12...because there IS no deck 13...we were on deck 12...so only two decks below the pool. And yes...we could hear water. We couldn't pin point the origin of the sound and exactly WHY we were hearing flowing water...it sounded like a shower, sort of...I think it was overflow? from the pools above? I wasn't annoying necessarily...it was the kind of water sound that you generally don't want to hear in your house...and so to hear it at all...you had to mentally adjust to realize that it wasn't a problem sound to hear.

 

You see how the balconies face each other...You can people-watch other people on their balconies and in their staterooms (especially at night if their lights are on and their drapes are open...one guy across from us seemed to not care too much...and Mom caught him in his birthday suit at least once or twice at night...what do you do? You aren't really trying to see...)...

 

And you can people watch the park. Whether it's day or night...

 

But first, in the photo above...if you look to the "bridge"...which, if you are looking at a Deck 15 plan, is the area between the Pool and Sand Bars... you see the Calypso Band EXTRA:

 

 

This was a great Poolside Band!! A guitar player, a bass player, a keyboard player, and the singer. One of the two keyboards was set to synthesize the sound of a steel drum. It worked well! Lots of fun music playing on many days...and when we opened our balcony door...or sat on our balcony...we could clearly hear the poolside music...sitting on my balcony...this is how I could see the band:

 

 

And back to the people watching...again from my balcony...looking down at Central park during the day:

 

 

Looking aft...on the other side of the great wall of windows is the aft elevators. The white-roofed "building" with glass wings below is the enclosure for the Rising Tide Bar. (Every photo I took of this area during the day has this blue cast to it?)

 

Looking forward:

 

 

The usually-shaped, greenhouse-looking buildings in the middle have tables and chairs and other comfy seating. I believe the smaller of these two buildings (the one furthest away in this photo) is where musicians often set up in the evening for the Central Park concerts. Again...it's easy to hear this music from the stateroom and especially the balcony. During our voyage, we could hear "Piano Melodies in the Park," "Sting Serenades at Moonlight with the Rosario Strings," and a few other musicians. The times would vary...I could study my compasses to see exactly...but the first latest one that hit me was the moonlight concert which occurred from 10:00 pm to 10:45 pm.

 

Honestly...you could hear music playing from either the Poolside stage or the Central Park location even if your balcony door was shut...not clearly...but definitely still a part of your ambiance in your stateroom if music was playing.

 

For my part...I enjoyed it. I thought it was a treat. For Mom's part...especially on the evenings when she didn't leave the stateroom, but stayed in bed and rested...we came back to the staterooms to check on her and she said, "I have a love hate relationship with the violin..." And she didn't understand why the piano player had decided to play such sad songs... Overall though...I think it was a perk to the room style and location.

[Anita Latte]

Central Park in the evening is truly lovely. The lighting of the park...it changes. The area under the band stage has these spheres that light up and change colors...they gradually change colors...from blue to a warm white to a red to a purple like color to blue. And sometimes the effect is an all over effect like the new color is bursting from within the sphere and gradually takes over the sphere...and sometimes it's a ripple effect where the spheres work together as a whole and each sphere may be a variation of the color...and the color waves through the spheres like water flowing and receding...

 

 

Again...looking forward...here are the "greenhouses" where the evening concerts are staged. The reflection of the spheres above in Central Park below is the glass enclosure of the terrace area of the Specialty Restaurant Chops.

 

 

Looking above to the Poolside Stage:

 

 

The color of this lighting would also change...but I only caught the blue. I distinctly remember a kind of red/violet, magenta-like color.

 

Rippling color in the spheres:

 

 

The aft elevators. There are two areas of elevators on Allure. One is kind of middle of the aft side and the other the middle of the forward side. Each bank has 12 elevators...6 on the port side and 6 on the starboard side. Half of the elevators in each bank are glass elevators...the ones that you could call "inside elevators." The big middle section of the window is where the glass elevators are. The two columns of windows on either side of that are the "elevator lobbies" on the port and starboard sides.

 

 

Here...you can see the Rising Tide Bar at high tide...that is...at Central Park level. This bar goes up and down between Central Park and the Royal Promenade. You can also see one lone worker...cleaning the glass late at night:

 

 

Central Park never goes dark...The lighting gradually turns on in the evening so that when the sun finally sets and all twilight has passed...the park is fully lit.

[aoknkentucky]

Anita, I love your PICTOdiaries. You use such great descriptive words and pictures that I feel like we are there to see and hear it all with you. I distinctly heard Pam talking about her love/hate relationship. Thanks for taking us with you. (I'm trying to wait patiently for your next installment.)

 

P.S. I'm wearing my Missoni Converse tennies today. Thought of you.

[awhfy]

Thanks so much for all the pictures & commentary. I now know I'll need to get an ocean view balcony. I need to see the sea [emoji41][emoji173]️ melody