Allure Review, Pictures and Other Great Information: Aug 7, 2011 Sailing

[ILuvCruisin']

Hello there ILUVCRUSIN it was great to meet you and your sisters ! so pleased you turned up for the M & M Did you get to eat your cadbury allure flake ? more important did you like it ?:D x

 

we just got back to u.k. yesterday.

wot an amazing ship as it was our first cruise its hard to know what ship will come up to standard with it for any future cruises.

we all had a fab time

 

I'll try and do a breif thread on our experience

 

sten28 glad you all made it home ok and sooooo glad to have met you and your family as well...I haven't eaten any of my wonderful Cadbury's on purpose as I am still enjoying looking at them and sharing the wonderful site with friends and family...It is such a beautiful gift...not to worry though, they won't let me do this too much longer as I have a lot of chocolatics around...thanks again...:p

 

Oh, you all are spoiled now...nothing will compare to Ms Allure!!! haha

 

look forward to reading your thread....

[ILuvCruisin']

Hey all: will work on the review this weekend (with plenty of pics)...

 

STAY TUNED!!! :cool:

[ILuvCruisin']

Please remember that this is my take on our Allure cruise…I am posting it with the hope that you can gain some useful info from it…please remember that not everyone’s view will be the same as mine…

 

Hopefully you won’t mind my writing style…sometimes I write in paragraphs and sometimes my writing will become just random phrase as my mind gets a little ahead of my fingers…between all of us in our group we have a lot of pics…I’ll post some here and post a link to view some on Webshots as well…..hope you enjoy everything

 

We were a group of 18…ranging in age from about 9 yrs old to about 70…we had a few teens with us…some singles and some couples…hopefully I can talk some of into coming to this thread and write some of their impressions…we stayed in a variety of cabins…oceanview…inside…oceanview balcony and Central Park Balcony…..we had veteran cruisers with us and severl newbies…most of us booked our reservations for a show each nite before hand but one couple had to book theirs once we boarded…we’ll talk about reservation booking later…

 

My cabinmates were my 2 sisters…one has cruised before one is one of the newbies…our cabin #6686 (deck 6) was right around the corner from the Boardwalk…not far from the exit to the elevator…as I said before every day we could see the Carousel when we left our cabin…6686 is Aft (bed by the closet) so the Windjammer was up to deck 16 and the Adajio the Main Dining Room (MDR) was down to deck 3…Guest services was just one deck down…Schooner Bar and the Photo Gallery were on our deck also Aft….It was a great location...pictures of cabin posted below

 

Our Cabin Steward (Majianne from Nicaragua) was excellent (except for the fact that she only gave us 2 towel animals and one of them we never were quite sure what it was…LOL

 

BTW: RCCL now suggests $5.00 per day per person tip and calls the category Cabin Steward/Housekeeping…..we assumed the Cabin Steward’s Assistant works for several Cabin Stewards so they each share their tips with the assistant…

 

next up the precruise hotel

[ILuvCruisin']

 

 

bed couch by the balcony

 

 

my sis that slept on the bed couch chose not to have it opened at nite so we had no problem getting to the balcony any time of day or nite

[ILuvCruisin']

 

 

 

[ILuvCruisin']

 

 

notice that trash can is under the sink

 

the shower...oh the shower...

[ILuvCruisin']

 

what a great photographer...haha

this is what I willingly do to get a great pics for you guys...:D

[ILuvCruisin']

 

what a great photographer...haha

this is what I willingly do to get a great pics for you guys...:D

[ILuvCruisin']

 

 

 

We asked our Cabin Steward if she wouldn't mind removing all of the items from the fridge as we had gallon jugs of water and our own juice and sodas...she checked with her manager and it was ok...

[ILuvCruisin']

 

with 3 women..who bought a lot of luggage by the way...you might think we would have a problem with space....we really didn't...we all had plenty of shoes and plenty of shirts and blouses and pants and dresses and toiletries and make up etc etc but there was plenty of space for everything...I bought my hang up clothes on hangers and also bought some extra hangers...I imagine we may have had to ask for more of them if I hadn't bought the extras but as far as closets and drawers I think if 3 women (who are all born shoppers...we have opened and closed many malls...:p)if there was enough space for us then I would venture to guess that most other cabin mates wouldn't have any space issues.....the beds are high enough that we could put our luggage under it after we unpacked and there were a couple of nice corner spaces where we kept a couple pieces of luggage...even when all 3 of us were in the cabin,space was not an issue

 

my only issue with space in the cabin was the bedside table...see the picture above...I think they scrimped a little too much on this item...on other RCCL ships it was different...I like to keep a lot of stuff here and this item on Ms Allure was just not adequate...stuff kept falling off and I couldn't keep everything here that I normally keep in this area when I cruise..

[ILuvCruisin']

Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale Airport South

91 Southwest 18th Avenue [/color]

Dania Beach, FL 33004, USA

 

The good the bad and the ugly....

 

The good :p: Guest rooms had Excellent space....2 queen beds in one area...large sectional couch in another area...42 inch flat screen...fridge with great counter space over it...large desk and plenty of space to move around in....the bathroom area was also larger than normal hotel rooms with the "throne" and shower in a separate room from the sink...there is plenty of counter space n the area where the sink is located.....service was adequate (sometimes)

 

 

- Free Continental Breakfast

- Free Shuttle service from airport

- Free Shuttle service to Hard Rock Casino and back

- Exercise center avaialble onsite (very small)

 

The Bad: some of the Front Desk people and Managers need a class in customer service....at times we wondered if they were all new

 

- although they advertise wetbar we didn't have one in our room (and a microwave would be nice as well)

 

The Ugly :(: location, location, locaton, they advertise free shuttle service wtitin a 3 mile radius and when someone in our group called they were told that this is indeed a service that is offered...what they weren't told is that service is not avaialble on Friday and Saturday...of course we were there Friday and Saturday...the hotel only has one shuttle vehicle...we ended up having to spend a lot of unplanned funds on taxis and shuttle service and a lot of time waiting on them as well...

 

Taxi TGI" Fridays to hotel $6.00 (not too bad)

Shuttle hotel to restaurant for dinner Friday $4.00/person each way

Shuttle Hotel to Mall $8.00/person each way

Shuttle Hotel to Cruise port $10.00/person

 

Fact Sheet: http://fortlauderdaleairportsouth.place.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/fllzd/factsheet.pdf

Hotel Highlihgts:

§ This Fort Lauderdale Airport hotel features spacious guestrooms each with the Hyatt Grand Bed™ and a 42" flat panel HDTV

§ Complimentary Wi-Fi available throughout the hotel

§ Complimentary continental breakfast daily

§ 24/7 Guest Kitchen serves made-to-order snacks and entrees

§ Intimate Bakery Café serves Starbucks® specialty coffees, premium beers and wines

§ Grab 'n Go case offers muffins, salads, sandwiches and bottled beverages

§ e-room with complimentary computers and a printer at this Fort Lauderdale Airport hotel

§ Complimentary parking if less than seven nights

Virtual tour of Guestroom: http://delivery.vrxstudios.com/50326/VirtualTours.htm?package=680&id=57291&id_type=9&locale=1&container=1&

[ILuvCruisin']

First of all we requested a survey at techsupport@clients.medallia.com and they refused to send us one.[/color]

The Hotel was nice. The rooms were nice, clean and spacious

The location of the hotel made walking anywhere very difficult,...which is why we inquired about the shuttle before we arrived and were relying on the shuttle service. ...my sisters almost got hit by a simi truck we were crossing the major highway that you have to cross to get to the plaza...The shuttle to and from the airport was sporadic at best and two members of our group were stranded at the airport and had to catch cabs. As a matter of fact there were 8 of us that arrived at FLL at the same time on different airlines and we had to wait about an hour for the shuttle. When he arrived the driver was very upset that there were so many of us and he let us know so....he grumbled the entire time...at one point I decided to help him load our luggage as he was just complaining a nd groaning ad moaning so much and we had already been waiting such a long time and I wanted us to get underway quicker...

 

 

The shuttle service that was promised to us (free shuttle within a 3 mile radius) did not work on the weekend. Something they failed to mention when we made our call before arrival. We had to walk to eat and pick up any available items. It was very, very hot in Ft Lauderdale that weekend....scourching hot!!!!

The manager told us it would take 15 minutes to walk to the TGIFridays. It took about an hour. We were exhausted by the time we arrived at TGIF. I keep saying we had walked 3 miles...my sisters laugh at me and say it felt like it but it was actually only a mile or so...we sweated miles I know that...the manger described it as just ashort walk just beyond the Home Depot...even after we got to the Home Depot we didn't see the TGIF...

 

Once we arrived at the TGIF thankfully the service was good and the food was good...TGIF management called the hotel for us when we were ready to return and were told a shuttle would be there to pick us up. After waiting about a half an hour we called to confirm and the person at the hotel was very rude. The shuttle never showed. We had to take a taxi back to the hotel. We had to spend a great deal of extra money on shuttle services that we didn't plan for just to go to local places...my FLL budget got blown because of the extra shuttle service...

The shuttle service to and from Hard Rock didn't really accommodate large parties and failed to show until 1 and 1/2 hours after they promised to return for us. We got in very late on Saturday night and that blew any play time we could have had before we needed to retire...

 

The hotel restaurant didn't offer a variety of food. Breakfast was very limited, even the paying menu items were limited.

 

Most of the staff was not very friendly nor were they helpful or even willing to help. The exception was Jennifer. She was one of the friendly people and she went out of her way to try to help.

 

 

Next up Entertainment

[yj2cute]

Did you have any young adults in your group? My DD is 19 and I wonder if she will have fun since she won't be in the teen group anymore.

[ILuvCruisin']

Did you have any young adults in your group? My DD is 19 and I wonder if she will have fun since she won't be in the teen group anymore.

 

I know with my son he was ok up to 18 then "there was nothing to do" as he put it...

 

we had three with us this time in that age bracket...I think 2 are 18 and one is 17...we called them the Princesses...they seemed to be having fun...but I don't really know what they did to amuse themselves...Although one nite they joined us in Karaoke and sang "Single Ladies" by Beyonce' and got a standing ovation...that was a fun nite...

 

they actually do have some planned activities for the 18 to 20 year old group in the Compass...I thought I had that Compass with me here but can't find it...perhaps someone else does...

[ILuvCruisin']

Did you have any young adults in your group? My DD is 19 and I wonder if she will have fun since she won't be in the teen group anymore.

 

 

this is from a Januray cruise but it may give her an idea of what she can expect...

 

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_n-B8ozLmplZTdkYmYxOTYtZDBiZi00MmU4LWE1YjQtYTg3NTg0OTY5MjE1&hl=en&authkey=CKOqumA

[ILuvCruisin']

ALLURE of the Seas

7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise

07 Aug 2011 to 14 Aug 2011

 

 

7 Aug Sunday Day 1: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

05:00 PM Depart Port

 

09:00 PM - 10:40 PM CHICAGO

 

 

 

 

8 Aug Monday Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas

 

07:00 AM Arrive Port

 

02:00 PM Depart Port

 

09:00 PM - 09:55 PM OceanAria

 

 

 

 

9 Aug Tuesday Day 3: Cruising

 

At Sea

05:30 PM - 07:30 PM Dinner at Chops Grille

 

08:00 PM - 09:10 PM Stand Up Comedy Show

 

 

 

 

10 Aug Wednesday Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

 

 

09:00 AM Arrive Port

 

05:00 PM Depart Port

 

08:30 PM - 09:25 PM Headliner Showtime

 

 

 

 

11 Aug Thursday Day 5: Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

07:00 AM Arrive Port

 

05:00 PM Depart Port

 

09:30 PM - 10:25 PM Ice Games!

 

 

 

 

12 Aug Friday Day 6: Cruising

At Sea

09:00 PM - 09:55 PM Blue Planet

 

 

 

 

13 Aug Saturday Day 7: Cruising

 

At Sea

14 Aug Sunday Day 8: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

07:00 AM Arrive Port (Will Try Hard not to Cry!!!)

 

 

Next up a review of the Shows and Chops

[ILuvCruisin']

 

Rock Wall at nite - it's on the Boardwalk ad there are two of them

[ILuvCruisin']

 



 

 

 

The question is are we really on a Cruise Ship?

[ILuvCruisin']

Just a few Random thoughts before we get into the Entertainment Review:

We flew JetBlue...at one point the pilot came out of the cockpit and went to the bathroom and one of the flight attendants went into the cockpit...WTH...my sis said it's time to get off cause I don't think a flt attendant knows anything bout flying a plane...haha...later, of course, I just had to inquire and the flt attendant told me that there always has to be 2 people in the cockpit even if he couldn't actually fly the plane he could at least call the tower...learn something new every day

we purchased the picture CD...great buy as we usually spend over $200 together on pics any way...prepay before cruise $239.95...onboard $299.00...more later on pic CD

SeaPass will have the following info on it: cabin number but not first number as if you lose it you don't want anyone to get in your cabin but the first number is your deck number, Muster Station, Main Dining Room Table number, dining time, and Photo Binder Area Number (more later on PBA)

no longer have to don orange vests for Muster Drill and while at your Muster Station during the drill on Allure they use videos to tell you what to expect and how to put on the vest

per Captain 8,467 cruisers on Aug 7th sailing

it cost a pretty penny to use the pool or visit the Aquarium at Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas

Always stay on ship's time when going to port, as our Cruise Director Allan (CD) said "Don't ask the Locals the time unless you want to become one". St Thomas for instance was an hour behind ship's time.

Viking Crown Lounge on Allure was disappointing to me....not because of the entertainment or the drinks but because you do not get the uninterrupted view that I so love

Several Clubs for night time dancing on Allure including Dazzles (2 decks high), Blaze, and Boleros (Latin themed)...if you just want to listen to music go to Schooner Bar, Jazz on 4 or maybe the Bow and Stern..

when you have to walk the length of the ship to go somewhere always go to Deck 5 (Royal Promenade) there is so much to see on that deck that it won't seem like such a long walk. our cabin was Aft...whenever we went to the Amber Threatre or the Ice Rink, comedy club, etc which are Forward we always walked on Deck 5

they have added plugs on the desk area but we still did not see any near the bed…bring battery alarm clock etc

[ILuvCruisin']

Royal Promenade

 

 

[ILuvCruisin']

 

[lmracing8l]

ILuvCruisin' - How did you get your water and soda's on board? Did you fly and if you did, how did you package them to get through the flight? We are going on Allure Nov 27, 2011 and I would like to take water and soda, but we have to fly so I'm not sure how to package them to make the flight.

[ILuvCruisin']

chk your Compass every day for Restaurant openings...which is what I kept forgetting to do and that 's how I kept missing the Boardwalk Dog House...

 



 



 

[ILuvCruisin']

ILuvCruisin' - How did you get your water and soda's on board? Did you fly and if you did, how did you package them to get through the flight? We are going on Allure Nov 27, 2011 and I would like to take water and soda, but we have to fly so I'm not sure how to package them to make the flight.

 

lmracing8l thanks for stopping by and thanks for posting.

 

we flew but we stayed 2 days precruise in Ft Lauderdale so we went to the Publix Grocery Store and purchased a few items including water, soda and juice...we had no problems getting them onboard...we each carried a big jug of water and I also had my cranberry juice and a couple of gingerale's....we had them in full view in some of those recycled bags

 

I have to do cranberry juice for medicinal reasons when I travel and gingerale is great for my sea sickness tummy...usually I buy the juice when we get to the precruise city but don't take it onboard...I normally just purchase more when we get to the first port but ever since Venice, Italy where they had no idea what Cranberry Juice was I have been trying to carry it onboard with me...this time it was a half used bottle that I had originally purchased at the Publix and they shook it and looked at it closely but let it thru security...I will probably buy the 4 pack of little ones next time so I don't have to carry an opened bottle onboard...I'm surprised they let it thru this time...

 

when we stayed at the Hilton for our Oasis cruise we walked up the street and purchased water at the Walgreens...there are several places to get it once you arrive in FLL

[TLC535]

Thank you so much for the review & pics Lillie...helping to get me even more excited for our turn in November....food pics look YUMMY ;):D please "keep it coming" :D