Just off the Allure (4/24-5/1)

[emen822]

Just off the Allure yesterday. Plan to write a simple review with my thoughts. My pictures are pretty much the same as everyone elses. In short, the ship is amazing and I was wow'ed all week. Nothing like stopping in your tracks and saying I can't believe we are sailing right now. Such a great feeling.

 

Background

This was my 8th cruise so now I'm super Emerald. :D I traveled with my husband and two daughters, ages 15 and 17. We flew down to Sarasota and spent a few days with the inlaws. Then headed to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon. We stayed at the Renaissance and it was ok. The last time I sailed out of Fort Lauderdale I stayed at Embassy Suites but since I wanted to switch things up a bit, we went for the Renaissance. The location was great but that's about it. I thought the rooms were just ok and didn't think the beds were that comfortable. There were plenty of eateries within walking distance and a Walgreens across the street. We were given a room with a view of the port but couldn't get a good view of the Oasis on Saturday or the Allure on Sunday. No big deal since we were going to see it up close and personal that morning. We decided to take a cab instead of the shuttle (which I believe was $6 pp). Hopped in the cab and the meter said like $10.00 (give or take a few cents or maybe dollars) but he charged us more anyway. I don't remember exactly what but I didn't care because vacation was starting. We moved our bags literally about 5 feet, handed them to a porter who put them on one of those wheeling racks, tipped him and headed into the terminal. The four of us checked-in in about 8 minutes flat. So quick. No line, no nothing. They really have their act together at this port.

 

First Impressions:

We boarded through the promenade and were wow'ed. (Although during the week, I kept saying it reminded me of an airport.) As others have said, the promenade is much wider and it was nice to just walk around and check out the new shops, etc. We headed up to the Windjammer for a quick lunch and surprisingly, that was the last time we stepped foot in there. I did have the honey stung chicken and it was really nice and crisp (I got it right as a new tray came out).

 

 

Rooms:

Rooms were typical but a little smaller. Beds were very comfortable. We had a D7 and my girls were in a boardwalk across the hall from us. Our room (10720) had the bed by the balcony and my girls room (10721) was just the opposite but it didn't seem to bother them.

 

Meals:

We had 6:00 main seating and our waiter Jonathan and Joan (pronounced John) were excellent. I like the personalized service, how they get to know your likes/dislikes and call you by name. We had a great table for 4 right by the window. We ate all the meals in the dining room except for one night when we went to Giovannis. It was ok, I was not overly impressed with my meal except for the tiramisu. That was to die for! :D

The Park Café was my absolute favorite for lunch. The make your own salad was a real hit! I also tried a Cuban Panini one day and that was tasty. For breakfast, they had some nice banana nut muffins. I ate almost all my meals here (except for dinner). I didn't get around to trying Rita's Cantina but the nights they had the fiesta looked like a good time! My girls had Johnny Rockets twice and loved it. They also liked the Ice Cream Shop. They tried a cupcake one day and wasn't thrilled with it. She said it was ice cold which never tastes fresh. And she didn't like the icing.

 

Ports (Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel)

Labadee: Very nice and I liked the new changes. They definitely need more trams taking people back to the ship. It was so hot that day and there were tons of people waiting, including some elderly. The "limo" for the suite people was going back and forth with just two people on it when it could easily fit another 4. I walked over (before I knew what that cart was for) and asked if we could get on and he put his hand up and said no, they are in a suite. (Translation: they don't want to be around any riff-raff. lol) I understand these people pay more but I felt bad for the elderly waiting in the sun. Do you think these people would really care if 'non-suite' people got on their golf cart? Anyway, I walked back to the ship because the trams would randomly stop and pick people up along the way that by the time they go to the stop to pick up the people waiting in the designated spots, they were full. Again, just my opinion. I did like the beach and my girls enjoyed the coaster. We waited for them over at adrenaline beach. I wish we had spent more time at that beach.

 

Falmouth: We stayed on the ship. I was going to get off to do a little shopping but it was just so hot. The pier basically looks the same as the photos show..a construction zone that has potential.

 

Cozumel: We took a cab to Paradise Beach and had a great day. We paid $2 pp for a chair/umbrella but we opted to stay at the pool so no umbrellas. The pool was great and refreshing. I thought I had read that they want you to spend $10 pp but no one said anything to that effect. We had some sodas and some chips/salsa but that was about it.

 

Shows/Entertainment:

I didn't think I was going to like the whole reserving of shows beforehand since we like to go with the flow. But I loved being able to walk up and not wait on line for the shows! Ocean Aria was great as well as Blue Planet. The headliner was Abracadabra who are a tribute band for Abba. I've seen them before and they are ok. The comedians were pretty funny. I also had reservations for Chicago but they were for 10:30 and I knew I was going to fall asleep so I didn't bother going. The ice show was ok. Love and Marriage was funny. There was an older couple on who were just too funny. The Quest was more risqué than any other that I have seen. Belly flop was great at the Aqua Theatre. Matt Yee was also onboard. I know people either love or hate him. I'm middle of the road. I think he is much funnier if you are drunk, which I was not at the time. I went to one show and that was enough. The casino was not kind to me or my husband. ;)

 

Random thoughts

I loved Captain Zini. He was very informative with his announcements and not to mention that he's easy on the eyes. ;) Our cruise director was Ken Rush. I think this is the 3rd cruise that we've had him and he was just boring! Maybe I'm a little jaded but I wish they would get some new material. Of course it's funny for the people who are cruising the first time so I guess I need to remember that. :D

I LOVED the flavored water, the brownies at the cafe promenade as well as the coffee cake. Loved the birds chirping throughout Central Park. We did get chocolates on the pillow every night and my girls both received bags in their room one night, similar to something I got years ago as a crown and anchor gift. :confused:

 

I loved this ship and I'm sure I would "survive" on a Voyager class, but I think I would miss all the other options. We are putting cruising on hold since we have a daughter off to college in the fall and the other will still be in high school. So by the time I'm ready to book another cruise, maybe the next class of ship will be out (which they said would be in 2014) and hopefully the Oasis/Allure prices will go down. We paid a premium for this cruise but I didn't care since its brand new and I knew it would be our last for awhile.

 

Hope you don't mind my random format. I was trying to write things as they came to mind and I'm probably forgetting a ton of stuff. If you have any questions, ask away and hopefully I can answer you. And if I remember anything else that might be of importance, I'll post it.

 

Mary

[TheGenie]

Are you planning to post your Planners or Compasses on line anywhere?

 

Picasa is a nice free site if you haven't got an alternative:

 

http://picasa.google.com/

[jamscckmc]

Thanks for the review! Curious what you had for dinner at Giavannis. Some people rave about it.

[AF-1]

Thanks for the honest review. I sailed Allure in Jan. few things, we had Capt. Johnny and Alan Brooks, they were a good team; both very funny and nice to chat with. We were in 9723, did your daughters like the boardwalk view? We loved our room. Like u, we did not eat in Windjammer but twice in the seven days. Too many other great places. Glad u had a great cruise.

[Crazeecat5]

Thanks for the honest review. I sailed Allure in Jan. few things, we had Capt. Johnny and Alan Brooks, they were a good team; both very funny and nice to chat with. We were in 9723, did your daughters like the boardwalk view? We loved our room. Like u, we did not eat in Windjammer but twice in the seven days. Too many other great places. Glad u had a great cruise.

AF-1,

Could you answer a question for me? I am booked in 9723 also. Is the bed by the balcony or the closet? I use a small scooter that will fit if the bed is by the balcony but not by the door. My TA is waiting to hear if I need to switch cabins.

Thanks so much for your help!

[fantasticfran]

Could you please tell me if at Paradise Beach they checked to see if you were using the biodegarable sunblock. I will buy it before we leave if we have to have it. Thanks

[green eyed lady]

When you stayed on the ship in Falmouth, did you happen to notice if the flowrider was open? Or if you have the compasses, can you check the hours it was open that day? Thanks :D

[bajathree]

When you stayed on the ship in Falmouth, did you happen to notice if the flowrider was open? Or if you have the compasses, can you check the hours it was open that day? Thanks :D

 

Flowriders are open port days but they do book private lessons during ports days also...so at least one will be mostly tied up for that.

[bajathree]

AF-1,

Could you answer a question for me? I am booked in 9723 also. Is the bed by the balcony or the closet? I use a small scooter that will fit if the bed is by the balcony but not by the door. My TA is waiting to hear if I need to switch cabins.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

9723 has the bed by balcony

[Crazeecat5]

9723 has the bed by balcony

bajathree,

Thanks so much for your response. Did you stay in that cabin too? If so, what were your thoughts?:D

[emen822]

Are you planning to post your Planners or Compasses on line anywhere?

 

Picasa is a nice free site if you haven't got an alternative:

 

http://picasa.google.com/

 

I think I have all the compasses for the week. I will post what I do have.

 

Thanks for the review! Curious what you had for dinner at Giavannis. Some people rave about it.

My girls love the dining room and wanted to eat there all week. I wanted to try one of the specialty restaurants and we narrowed it down to Chops or Giovannis. Like you, I had heard rave reviews about it so we opted for that. Don't get me wrong, the food was good but I didn't think it was that much better than the dining room. Both my daughters had pasta dishes (I have one daughter who will try anything that sounds good and another that is basic penne with marinara, no cheese, plain jane kinda girl). I had the risotta for my entree. I believe it had grilled veggies on it. The risotta just seems like it was tossed in a plain marinara sauce. I felt like I had been eating so much beef that we wanted to try some italian. The tiramisu was really good though!

 

Thanks for the honest review. I sailed Allure in Jan. few things, we had Capt. Johnny and Alan Brooks, they were a good team; both very funny and nice to chat with. We were in 9723, did your daughters like the boardwalk view? We loved our room. Like u, we did not eat in Windjammer but twice in the seven days. Too many other great places. Glad u had a great cruise.

My girls usually have promenade rooms and they loved those rooms to people watch. I thought this would be a great option being able to see the Aqua Theatre and the action below. Surprisingly, the boardwalk was very quiet throughout the week at night. The only time it seemed noisy was when Rita's fiesta was going on or a show at the Aqua Theatre. So there was not much people watching going on at night and during the day, they were out and about. If given the choice on this class of ship, I think they would love that room again.

[emen822]

Could you please tell me if at Paradise Beach they checked to see if you were using the biodegarable sunblock. I will buy it before we leave if we have to have it. Thanks

 

No one asked us anything when we walked in. First time I'm hearing of that.

 

When you stayed on the ship in Falmouth, did you happen to notice if the flowrider was open? Or if you have the compasses, can you check the hours it was open that day? Thanks :D

 

Here is page one of day 4 which lists the hours, not including private lessons.

Day 4.pdf

[CaptData]

AF-1,

Could you answer a question for me? I am booked in 9723 also. Is the bed by the balcony or the closet? I use a small scooter that will fit if the bed is by the balcony but not by the door. My TA is waiting to hear if I need to switch cabins.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

 

If you have a scooter you should get an H/C cabin. They will have lots of room for your scooter. Most scooters will not fit in a room because door is not wide enough.

[bajathree]

bajathree,

Thanks so much for your response. Did you stay in that cabin too? If so, what were your thoughts?:D

 

Not that exact....I have been in 11729, 11329 and 11717....absolutely love the 29's (very last boardwalk balcony by the aquatheater....the very last is the best experience on the BW balconies...try to get as close to the end as possible....you are good shape in 9723.

[Crazeecat5]

If you have a scooter you should get an H/C cabin. They will have lots of room for your scooter. Most scooters will not fit in a room because door is not wide enough.

Would have if there was one in the location and category I wanted. We already measured....without the arms it will fit through the door. Normally, I do take a hc cabin.:D

[Perki]

who was the Headline show the week you were onboard? I saw a week or so ago it was Earl Turner, just wondering if still the same or if that has changed. Thank you!

[emen822]

A few other tidbits I forgot to mention.

I couldn't wait to get to hang out in the solarium after seeing so many pictures ... except it was SO HOT in there. We ate twice in the Solarium Bistro for lunch but other than that, we stayed out of the Solarium.

 

We hung out by the same pool most days. I think it was across from the beach pool. Whatever they used on the floor by the pool is really hot. People were literally running to get into the pool. :eek: I always walk over with my flip flops and take them off right at the ladder. I don't remember any pool floors ever being this hot before. Maybe it was just hotter because Easter was so late and we usually cruise mid-March or early April.

 

Zipline was fun. I went for a walk in the morning (LOVED the track being on its own deck and not near the pool deck and chairs) and headed up to see if the line was long since I had sneakers on. Two kids were on line so I jumped on. Waited maybe 10 minutes. They really strap you in good.

[emen822]

who was the Headline show the week you were onboard? I saw a week or so ago it was Earl Turner, just wondering if still the same or if that has changed. Thank you!

 

Headliner was Abracadabra, tribute band for the group "Abba". I've seen them before. They are pretty good.

[green eyed lady]

 

Here is page one of day 4 which lists the hours, not including private lessons.

 

Thank you for this! Not sure if those hours will be enough to convince them that we should stay on the ship :eek:

[RaiderFaninNM]

Thanks, we are soooooolooking forward to our cruise in 33 days..........:D

 

I noticed that your daughters are in their teens, did they go to the teen club at all? My son who will be 14 when we travel, is wondering about it, did they go at all, let me know, thanks!

[tropiclvrs]

Would you know if the Solarium Bistro is limited to adults only?

[Ballymote381]

There seem to be lots of questions as to "what is permitted" when it comes to "age limits for the Solarium" "shorts and flip flops in a Specialty Restaurant", "wrinkled jeans and a t-shirt on formal night in the MDR" :eek:. The truth is that Royal Caribbean has trained their crew to NEVER insult or offend passengers. Almost all of these shipboard offenses will be overlooked. We never had a problem finding chairs in the Solarium and although you may, at some point, find children or teens, it won't be many, and it won't interfere with your enjoyment. Same goes for the Dining Room, you may see all kinds of bizarre dress. Be content that YOU are doing the right thing and don't let others ruin your enjoyment.:)

 

Hope this helps.

[YachtMama]

Would you know if the Solarium Bistro is limited to adults only?

 

There is no minimum age in the Bistro, the signs are only posted in the lounging and pool areas. Our kids (14 and 15) ate in there with us several times, altough they prefered the more fattening and sugary offerings of the Windjammer!

[emen822]

Thanks, we are soooooolooking forward to our cruise in 33 days..........:D

 

I noticed that your daughters are in their teens, did they go to the teen club at all? My son who will be 14 when we travel, is wondering about it, did they go at all, let me know, thanks!

 

My girls did not go to the teen club at all. Luckily they are close in age and get along well (at least 90% of the time :rolleyes::D). His best bet is to go the first night. I also think the flowrider was a great places for teen boys to meet.

 

Would you know if the Solarium Bistro is limited to adults only?

 

To be honest, the two times I ate in there I did not notice any children. It has more healthier options so maybe that is why! But I did not see any signs, nor anything posted in the compass about it being adults only.

[roger1955]

did they have Sushi any where on the ship and was there a fee for it?