Allure Trip Journal with Pics - June 5-12/11 (Solo!)

[Newbcruiser1]

Day 6 - Cozumel, Mexico

I woke up before 9 and we were already docked in Cozumel.

The Carnival Conquest was approaching the pier as well:

I once again decided to stay on the ship and enjoy it while it was empty. I went up to the zip-line first and there was nobody there, so I went on it twice - fun, as always! Then I went to the Windjammer for breakfast which was also deserted… again, breakfast was good.

 

[Newbcruiser1]

 

I decided to park myself at the beach pool in the morning so I could get a front row seat, AND shade thanks to the umbrellas. I went for a swim (the water in this pool is so salty that it dries up on your skin afterwards, so make sure to rinse off), and read a bit, and then it started drizzling. I had lunch at the Solarium bistro - it was just okay… the vegetable and goat cheese crepe had no flavor, neither did the jerk chicken salad. The gazpacho was great though, as was the Moroccan spiced shrimp kebob.

 

 

 

After I finished lunch, it was pouring rain, so I sat under the overhang for a little while, then in the solarium, and the sun came out again.

 

 

 

 

 

[Newbcruiser1]

I wanted to try a new pool since the beach pool is saltwater, so I went to the main pool since it was completely empty. The pool attendants dried off a chair for me, and I went for another swim. Once I got out, I ordered a Labadoozie, and then the rain started again! I sat under the overhang for a bit to enjoy my drink and dry off, grabbed some cookies from the Windjammer, and went back to my room to shower.

I hung out for a bit, and then went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D in the Amber theatre (and had my picture taken with Po on the way in!). Unfortunately I didn’t find the movie to be nearly as good as most Dreamworks movies, and I was falling asleep! After the movie I ran up to the public balcony on deck 12 aft and watched the tail end of our sail away from Cozumel, with the Carnival Conquest following behind. I also caught part of the fountain show down in the Aquatheatre.

 

 

 

 

[Newbcruiser1]

I had dinner in the Windjammer tonight to avoid the awkwardness of eating alone in the MDR, and ran into my tablemates from the first night - they apologized for not showing up again but mentioned they prefer buffets, and invited me to joint them for Day 7’s dinner. I declined and mentioned I’d be eating in the MDR so I could thank (and tip) the waiters.

Dinner was great! I had shrimp with sake sauce, teriyaki steak, tempura vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gratinated potatoes.

I was able to catch my first sunset of the cruise after from deck 16. While outside, I ran into the lady and her daughter who had been sitting at the table next to mine in the MDR. They graciously invited me to eat with them the following night. I accepted their invitation, however they didn't show up on night 7.

 

There was supposed to be a fountain show at the aqua theatre in the evening, however it was cancelled as they were showing the hockey finals. Instead, I grabbed myself an ice cream cone at the ice cream parlour - the hazelnut was delicious. I also took a ride on the carousel and had a great time. I once again saw the lady and her daughter who were not feeling great and regretted their dinner in the Windjammer. I also ran into another CC member and her son and spent some time with them.

I saw Blue Planet tonight, and it was great! I'll say it again...the shows on the Allure are SO much better than those on the other RCI ships! Blue planet was somewhat of a Cirque Du Soleil spin-off with singing, dancing, and acrobatics/aerial acts, and amazing sets and special effects.

 

 

 

[DontTreadOnMe]

I am learning a couple of things that I missed while on this cruise. Also, it was fun to see the heavy rain in CZM. We were down at Punta Sur and could see that it was raining North of us, but I didn't know how hard it was raining until these pictures!

[Newbcruiser1]

The tree came to life...

There was a sandstorm...

An underwater scene:

And some great trampoline stunts:

I even got another towel animal tonight... Any ideas what it might be?

 

[Newbcruiser1]

Day 7 - At Sea

 

It was an early day today since I had the Madagascar character breakfast in the MDR which I pre-booked (free) online. I ran into another Cruise Critic member with her son on the way in so we sat together. The food was good - I had the chocolate milkshake, and the Chocolate-Caramel and banana waffles. They brought a tray of chocolate muffins and pastries as well. The waiters did a little dance, and there were 3 characters that went around to each table for pictures. It was fun, even for an adult, and a good way to get some photos with the characters (and a free milkshake!)

 

As a side tip, you can pre-book as many character breakfasts as you want at no charge, and I believe they each have different characters.

[Newbcruiser1]

I went to the beach pool after breakfast and found a chair in the shade - I alternated between sitting there, and on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water throughout the morning, and had a quick swim. I heard my name being called… by some honey stung chicken which I hadn’t had yet on this cruise, so I went back to my room and ordered some room service to be delivered an hour and a half later, and then went down to the aqua theatre for the Madagascar “Let You Entertain Me” Show which was very cute.

[Newbcruiser1]

I went back to my room and started to pack, and my room service arrived right on time, which I enjoyed out on my balcony. The chicken was delicious! Much better than in the Windjammer on past cruises. I also had the spinach and cheese dip, and they delivered some complimentary petite fours.

 

After lunch I went back to the beach pool and found a nice spot under the umbrella where I sat for most of the afternoon, had a frozen mojito, and talked to some fellow cruisers, and then sent a video postcard from On Air. Just a little peeve about that. It's a wonderful system to be able to stay in touch with friends and family, however some people were very inconsiderate and spent a VERY long time in there, sending numerous videos and photos when they could see that there was a line up outside.

 

[ALSEAU]

Great Review and Fantastic Pictures! Thanks!

[2010_cruisers]

Newbcruiser1.

 

3 things. a) I too hae traveled as a solo (2x), in so many ways it is freeing and yet so lonely. The feeling of um....no one to share things with on a deep level or even laugh with. It is cool to have someone watch your back or assit at times, fill the void or just get goofy with (at times). I totally get it (at ties it did feel empty a bit).

 

b) I too, am a former Toronto person..so good on you for enjoying cruising....also. It is amazing that all those days at Ontario place and to Toronto Island...got me into the spirit for sailing (one day). 3) lastly, I just loved your candid-commentary, food pix and overall shots you took. It was like a travelogue like no other I Have read on here.

 

Thank you for caring enough to share.

 

ps You neer did mentio you ever meeting anyone fun, light or significant,.,how come you neer tired to solo meet and greet or singles evemts....(just aksing , if that is ok) . Bye for now

[UNV-IT!!!]

Honey stung chicken room service. Wooooooo

[Newbcruiser1]

Thank you for caring enough to share.

 

ps You neer did mentio you ever meeting anyone fun, light or significant,.,how come you neer tired to solo meet and greet or singles evemts....(just aksing , if that is ok) . Bye for now

 

Thank you for sharing your insight as well! I'm glad I'm not the only one who had a couple moments of loneliness when sailing solo! :) I do have to admit though, the fun far outweighed those times.

 

I did meet some great people - UNV-IT and his sister were kind enough to have a few meals with me and we had a great time! Also, I met some other CC members from the sailaway party and Meet and Mingle, one of which I shared the character breakfast with on the last day.

 

I didn't attend any of the solo/singles events because I have heard numerous times on here that they're historically poorly-run and virtually non-attended by passengers. Perhaps next time I should try that too though, as you never know. I did meet some great people around the ship as well though... a couple at the pool, a man and his son at one of the shows, a nice lady at a show who shared her solo experiences with me, etc. It was nice talking to those people, however being such a large ship, I never saw any of them again! ;) Now I see why many people recommend smaller ships for solo cruises. I did thoroughly enjoy the Allure though and am glad I chose that ship thanks to the variety of venues and activities.

[Newbcruiser1]

After sending my postcard, I watched the Flash Mob in the Royal Promenade. It was great! A good turnout too! As mentioned previously, I gave up learning the steps and opted to record it instead, so here is a video of it via YouTube:

 

 

I then checked in for my flight home using one of the kiosks in the Royal Promenade. These things are GREAT! I was able to check in, select my seat, and print my boarding pass. Just make sure to do it quickly, as I took too long trying to choose a seat and it booted me out, so I had to start over.

 

I caught one last "pre-sunset" as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I later finished packing, got ready for dinner, left my suitcase outside the door, and had my “last supper” (of the cruise, of course) in the MDR with my Cruise Critic friends UNV-IT and sister. I had the shrimp cocktail, Moroccan chicken salad, and the shrimp tempura which I requested without the Mahi Mahi, followed by the banana and crunchy nut parfait and some coffee ice cream… hey, I had to squeeze it all in while I could! I had a great time eating with my new friends, although my waiter and assistant waitress seemed less than impressed that they were eating with me at my table (even though it was the head waiter's idea). Oh well, not my problem, but it did make for a bit of awkwardness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Newbcruiser1]

Here is UNV-IT showing off his delicious dessert:

There wasn’t much going on tonight so I walked around the boardwalk for a bit - they were showing the Justin Bieber movie at the aqua theatre, and then walked around the Royal Promenade, watched a bit of karaoke, grabbed a last Miami Vice at the Central park bar, paid my account at guest services, and did some emailing before heading off to bed.

Day 8 - Disembark in Fort Lauderdale :(

It was an early morning for me. I was given 10:15am luggage departure tags the day before, however I exchanged them at Guest Services for 8:15am as I had a friend picking me up at the port. I woke up around 6am, got dressed and packed my last-minute items, and then headed to the Solarium for breakfast in hopes that it would not be jam-packed. Luckily it was very empty, so I enjoyed my last breakfast of the cruise. I then took a last walk around the ship, and went back to my room to relax for a bit before heading out. My phone rang at 8:20 and it was my room attendant calling to tell me that I had to be out of the room by 8:30am. I'm not sure if that's a Royal Caribbean policy, or his own policy, but I did need to head out anyway so that's when I left. The parking lot was already starting to clear out by that time too.

Disembarkation was very easy. I walked down to deck 5, there were 2 gangways set up on the Royal Promenade, and with a quick swipe of my seapass, I was off the ship and heading back into the terminal where it all started. I spotted my luggage quickly in the terminal thanks to the neon strap I had around it, grabbed it, and was in line for customs. The line for non-US citizens was moving a bit slower than the US line, but I was through customs and out the door to the pick-up area within 10-15 minutes of leaving the ship.... a big surprise since the Guest Services agent told me to expect it to take up to an hour.

This was by far, the easiest embarkation and disembarkation of all of my cruises. Kudos to RCI and Port Everglades for managing it so well despite the Allure being such a massive ship!

Just some general observations about the ship:

- Elevator wait times varied significantly from about 1 second, to a long wait during “peak” times. Also, it’s almost impossible to get to where you’re going without stopping on every floor, which is quite frustrating when trying to go from deck 4 to 12, for instance. Going down, I always took the stairs and found it faster, however if I was going up more than 3 decks, I did take the elevator. On port days, they had a few “priority elevators” which would only start on deck 3 near the gangway, and go up to whatever floors people pushed, without stopping to pick up additional passengers along the way.

- Almost all of the crew members were extremely friendly, smiling and saying hello when I passed them in the hallways. Their efficiency however, varied a little bit. My room attendant was somewhat inconsistent with the chocolates, towel animals, opening and closing of the curtains, making the bed with decorative pillows during the day, etc, however my room was kept clean at all times. Also as mentioned above, I have had better dining room service on past cruises.

- There was ice in my stateroom every day, and no, I didn’t have to ask for it like some people have mentioned on some of the other ships. It came in handy as I was not a big fan of the taste of the tap water on this cruise, so I often just poured the remaining ice water from the ice bucket into a glass to drink, and it tasted much better.

- The Western itinerary felt WAY more hot and humid than the Eastern cruise I took at the same time 2 years ago…. It was almost unbearable at times, particularly when the ship was docked and there was barely even a breeze. I found myself needing to cool off inside after only short periods of time outside. I met a lady from Puerto Rico who told me it was even unbearable for her in Labadee.

 

- I found the Boardwalk, Central Park, and the solarium quite hot, humid, and stuffy - there didn't seem to be as much airflow in these areas as there was on the upper decks and outside facing balconies. Even with my balcony being high up on deck 12 of Central Park, it was still uncomfortable to sit out there most of the time. Having experienced this type of room, I'd definitely prefer an oceanview balcony in the future.

[Newbcruiser1]

My overall impressions of the Allure and sailing solo:

I had a wonderful cruise and could not have chosen a better ship! I had been dreaming about sailing on the Oasis or Allure for a couple years since the Oasis was being built, and it was nice to finally do it! It was a great ship for a solo traveller since there were so many activities to do and places to go to keep me busy, however I DO see why many prefer to sail solo on smaller ships in order to more easily keep in contact with the people they meet.

The Allure succeeded at WOWing me, and I have been raving to my friends and family since I got back, telling them that they HAVE to sail on this amazing ship!

Would I sail on the Allure again? DEFINITELY! Hopefully with friends or family next time so that I can share all I have discovered with them, and experience it a little differently.

Would I sail solo again? Probably! I'd once again make sure to get on the Roll Calls to try to meet some people and make plans in advance since that made a big difference in my enjoyment onboard. I also would stick to cruises 7 days or shorter, as I was ready to come home to my family and friends after the 7 days (whereas I prefer slightly longer cruises when sailing with others).

Anyway I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has to the best of my abilities. Thank you all for following along! I hope you enjoyed it! :)

[kath00]

Thank you so much for the wonderful pix and for the great video of the flash mob. I surely will be doing that with my dancer/daughter (in 500 days!).

 

I am really concerned about your last comments about the public areas being hot and stuffy. Being a middle aged woman, I am ALWAYS hot so I am not excited hearing about this. We are planning on sailing in Early April in 2013. Do you think it would be better then? We are doing B2B East and West.

 

Were the restaurants and other areas well air-conditioned at least? How about the theaters? Thanks!

 

Katherine

[Chester & Brewster]

Thanks for a great review. I have serious PCD, so this certainly helped me re-live my trip last month :)

[bobmacliberty]

Fantastic review and great pictures! I was on the fence about writing a detailed review for that cruise. Now I don't need to because you covered things very well and I agree with almost everything that you said. :D

[yj2cute]

Thanks for the great review. I'm now even more excited for my Allure cruise in January. I didn't watch the flash mob video, I want to wait to be surprised. I made a few notes from your review that I'm sure will come in handy. I never knew you could get honey stung chicken from RS. I've only seen that on day 1 in the WJ. Maybe now I can avoid the WJ on embarkation day and still enjoy my HS chicken!

 

I'm heading out for a solo cruise myself on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it. I've sailed solo in the past, once eating exclusively in the WJ for dinner. The food is actually better there sometimes.

 

Enjoy your future cruises and don't ever be afraid to enjoy your travels solo again!

[Newbcruiser1]

Thank you so much for the wonderful pix and for the great video of the flash mob. I surely will be doing that with my dancer/daughter (in 500 days!).

 

I am really concerned about your last comments about the public areas being hot and stuffy. Being a middle aged woman, I am ALWAYS hot so I am not excited hearing about this. We are planning on sailing in Early April in 2013. Do you think it would be better then? We are doing B2B East and West.

 

Were the restaurants and other areas well air-conditioned at least? How about the theaters? Thanks!

 

Katherine

 

Hi Katherine,

 

The indoor public areas were very well air-conditioned, so make sure to bring a sweater, particularly for the theatre. It was the outdoor public areas that didn't have the best air flow... particularly the Boardwalk, Central Park, and the Solarium. I think the extremely high humidity last week played a large part though, so it probably won't be as bad in April. I will say, the A/C in my stateroom worked amazingly! I think that was the first cruise that I didn't have to keep the thermostat turned all the way to "cold".

[Newbcruiser1]

Thanks for the great review. I'm now even more excited for my Allure cruise in January. I didn't watch the flash mob video, I want to wait to be surprised. I made a few notes from your review that I'm sure will come in handy. I never knew you could get honey stung chicken from RS. I've only seen that on day 1 in the WJ. Maybe now I can avoid the WJ on embarkation day and still enjoy my HS chicken!

 

I'm heading out for a solo cruise myself on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it. I've sailed solo in the past, once eating exclusively in the WJ for dinner. The food is actually better there sometimes.

 

Enjoy your future cruises and don't ever be afraid to enjoy your travels solo again!

 

Yup, I think the room service menus were recently revamped. I actually enjoyed their honey stung chicken more than that in the Windjammer, and it was nice to eat at a slightly less crowded place on day 1.

 

I agree that the food is sometimes better in the Windjammer. I think it depends on what they're serving on any given night. I was hoping for the dining room to be a more social experience, but it didn't exactly turn out that way.

 

Enjoy your cruise on Saturday! I hope to hear about it when you get back! :)

[Newbcruiser1]

I forgot to mention that some of the specialty restaurant prices seem to have gone up recently, and I'm not sure if it's only on the Allure, or if it's fleet-wide. Chops was $30 instead of $25, 150 Central Park was $40 instead of $35, Giovanni's was $20 instead of $15, and the Chef's Table was $95, however I thought I recalled it being closer to $75 before?

[yj2cute]

Yes, it was posted that all of the specialty dining fees had been increased. :( It's fleet wide. I don't normally do much specialty dining, but had planned on doing 3 nights during my 12 nights on the Allure cruise. Oh well, guess I'll have to pay a little extra.

[texascat]

I can tell that I will need to reply to this tread!!! I normally don't log in to read, but so far this is wonderful!!!

Thank you for talking about your day of the cruise departure, I am also doing this in Oct. and it is totally freaking me out!!! (normally I travel in the day before)