Allure/Oasis Breaking Tradition?

[wallypbear]

I will be sailing on the Allure next month and am wondering if I will be able to break my usually traditional sailing day pattern. Upon boarding an RCI cruise I traditionally would make a beeline to the Windjammer for the Welcome Aboard buffet. I always look forward to seeing the Crown&Anchor ice sculpture illuminated in blue light, the fresh carved prime rib with those buttery mashed potatoes and delicious gravy to pour all over it. Will I be able to divert to Central Park, Rita's, Solarium Bistro etc. I am concerned that I will be spending the week not knowing which way to turn and what to do first with all the different options. Is having to plan out the entire week prior to boarding the best and perhaps the only option in order to take in the full experience? The reason I love cruising so much is that is pretty much a mindless relaxing vacation.The only thing I have to think about is that dinner is at 8:30pm. Will I be able to break tradition and disembark saying "Royal Caribbean has done it again. Another OUTSTANDING vacation"?

[shipshape sam]

Such a problem! :)

 

We were on Allure of Seas in December and it was a great experience/cruise. It is a huge ship, but for us, it never seemed as such. There are lots of options which is great. You can be busy every minute of the day OR as we did many days, go to solarium and relax. I found a nice lounge chair close to the bar and got my Boddington's each morning as they opened the bar.

 

So, you can still do a lot and have a mindless vacation! :) Go to Solarium Bristo for lunch on your embarkation day for a great sandwich/soup.

 

If I had to make one recommendation as one thing to do, I would recommend going to Samba's for dinner. We did not 'pig' out, we did eat more than normal, but it was fantastic! I loved the lamb chops the best. We liked our dinner experience so much, we went back to Samba's a second time. For the record, we tried all the Speciality restaurants. Our second favorite was Chef's Table.

 

Have a great cruise.

[BrianAlt]

Will I be able to break tradition and disembark saying "Royal Caribbean has done it again. Another OUTSTANDING vacation"?

 

I don't know you personally, but my response is, "I do not see why not!" (And I don't mean it as a pun on the commercial.) You will have a fabulous time.

 

Enjoy!

[dfishner]

You will have a great vacation, On Oasis we tried the Solarium Bistro the first day instead on the windjammer and we enjoyed it so much that is where we had lunch most days, then we snuck down to CP later in the day for a roast beef sandwich for a snack and those sandwiches are ever bit as good as everyone has said on here. We never did see the MDR and did not miss it at all. We had a great cruise.

[burritto]

Is having to plan out the entire week prior to boarding the best and perhaps the only option in order to take in the full experience?

 

During my experience on Oasis last year, this was the opposite of the way I felt (and I know it's not what you're actually expecting too ;)). This isn't to say that we didn't plan at all, it's just that any of the micro-managing we had engaged in got totally blown out the window and we were able to relax and go with the flow from the minute we boarded the ship. We usually do the WJ plan after boarding as well, but if I'm remembering correctly, we ended up hitting the Central Park Cafe instead just because everyone here told us about the great beef-on-weck and that's where our wandering legs took us. The most meal-centered planning we did all week was checking wait times on the TV if we had put ourselves on a schedule or were torn between the many options.

 

Your terrific attitude has me convinced that there is a 0% chance you won't enjoy your cruise :)

 

(And I'm stealing shipshape sam's Boddington's for breakfast idea. It's like oatmeal in a can. Brilliant!)

[denamo]

I will be sailing on the Allure next month and am wondering if I will be able to break my usually traditional sailing day pattern. Upon boarding an RCI cruise I traditionally would make a beeline to the Windjammer for the Welcome Aboard buffet. I always look forward to seeing the Crown&Anchor ice sculpture illuminated in blue light, the fresh carved prime rib with those buttery mashed potatoes and delicious gravy to pour all over it. Will I be able to divert to Central Park, Rita's, Solarium Bistro etc. I am concerned that I will be spending the week not knowing which way to turn and what to do first with all the different options. Is having to plan out the entire week prior to boarding the best and perhaps the only option in order to take in the full experience? The reason I love cruising so much is that is pretty much a mindless relaxing vacation.The only thing I have to think about is that dinner is at 8:30pm. Will I be able to break tradition and disembark saying "Royal Caribbean has done it again. Another OUTSTANDING vacation"?

 

The great aspect of cruising on the Oasis or Allure is if it's time to eat, whatever activity you are doing there is a unique dining opportunity close by. If your tradition includes the WJ the first day, go for it. Actually, I think you will begin to see that the WJ is usually very busy, so this makes going to other places an easy decision. Also, since the ship is so large, eating at a nearby restaurant is just easier.

 

We did book ahead online for the shows so that we had no worries about getting into them. If you don't show, no worries. These always fill up with those not making reservations. If you are ok with..."well, we'll just go if we are in the mood," you will probably be ok. The only thing there is you will need to get in line early to have a chance at getting in.

 

One thing I think is helpful is to pretty much knowing the ship before going. Most all of the major eating places are in the aft area of the ship. Of course, there's always the Promenade very centrally located.

 

Entertainment - theater, Studio B, Jazz Club, Comedy Club, Blazes nightclub are all in the forward on Deck 4 (except theater) are in the forward area of the ship. Deck 5 is Promenade. Deck 6 aft is Boardwalk, and Deck 8 aft is Central Park. I think the easiest way to navigate the ship is to keep forward and aft in mind as to where "neighborhoods" are located.

 

You can have your carefree mindless relaxing vacation, you can have a super structured vacation, or you can pretty much strike a balance. Whatever your choice, it's ALL good! :) Have an absolutely wonderful time on your vacation!

[wallypbear]

Thank you everyone for your great input, ideas and well wishes. :)