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

[miss.jackie]

I'm loving the review so far, especially the pictures. I do have some concerns though because I will also be staying at Hyatt Place for one night before my Sunday sail date. I know everyone's experience will be different but I just want clarifications on some things: there is a shuttle from the airport to the hotel but how often it runs can vary, correct? Is there a hotel directory that I can use to call the hotel about how often the bus runs?

Another thing, I read on the website that there is a shuttle service from the airport to the Port Everglades for around $6/per person. Can you confirm if this is true?

[ILuvCruisin']

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

 

TLC535 thanks so much for stopping by. Glad you are enjoying the ride. You should be excited! You are going to have the time of your LIFE! She is an awesome Vessel!!!

 

May I ask who you are traveling with? Do you have any questions/concerns that I can help with? Is this actually your first RCCL cruise?

 

More to come! :D

[ILuvCruisin']

I'm loving the review so far, especially the pictures. I do have some concerns though because I will also be staying at Hyatt Place for one night before my Sunday sail date. I know everyone's experience will be different but I just want clarifications on some things: there is a shuttle from the airport to the hotel but how often it runs can vary, correct? Is there a hotel directory that I can use to call the hotel about how often the bus runs?

Another thing, I read on the website that there is a shuttle service from the airport to the Port Everglades for around $6/per person. Can you confirm if this is true?

 

miss.jackie thanks so much for taking the time to read my review and type up a response. I'm glad you are finding the info useful.

 

you are correct...Hyatt Place South does offer a FREE shuttle from the Airport to the Hotel..the Hotel only has one shuttle vehicle so the time it takes for pick up will depend on your arrival time and where the shuttle is at the time you call...it actually broke down at one point on Friday the day of our arrival...thank God it was after everyone in our group had arrived at the hotel for that day...best to call them ASAP when you land...

 

yes, the website provides a number to get your questions answered which I can not post here for fear of the posting police shutting us down...;)...remember they failed to tell us the shuttle was not available for the 3 mile radius on Fridays and Saturdays so just keep that in mind...

 

the hotel also uses an outside shuttle service as needed which you have to pay for...It was more realiable than the Hotel Shuttle...the desk will be glad to call that service for you...the paid Shuttle is what we used for the restaurant on Friday night ($8/person each way), the Mall on Saturday afternoon ($4/person each way)and the trip to the Port on Sunday ($10/person)...the hotel does offer a FREE shuttle to/from Hard Rock Casino which we used Saturday night...it was on time for transport to the Casino but was an hour and a half late for pick up...:o

 

we paid $10/person for our trip to Port Everglades

 

hope that helps...

 

Please Stay Tuned...:cool:

[ILuvCruisin']

 



 

 



 

 

This is an AFT view

[ILuvCruisin']

In St. Thomas

 

[ILuvCruisin']

 



 

 



 

 

To watch Captain Johnny "parallel park" her is AMAZING!!! special piers were built to accomodate her size....my understanding is that they wanted to especially be sure there was no tendering....can you imagine having to get 6,000+ guests off and back on and be able to leave on time....

I am grateful for no tendering...I do not fair well with tendering because I am prone to sea sickness... can you believe that? iluvcruisin' prone to seasickness? why oh why me? :( :o ...of course I don't let it stop me...just use the patch and drink plenty of gingerale :p

 

 

[TLC535]

May I ask who you are traveling with? Do you have any questions/concerns that I can help with? Is this actually your first RCCL cruise?

 

More to come!

 

 

Just DH & myself...and of course our new CC roll call friends ;):D

Yes' date=' this will be our first trip with RCI, we have wanted to try them out since we discovered crusing in '06 but as you can see by my sig. we became Princess fans quickly :D then once these MEGA ships came out, I just had to try one....I am hoping that we have as good an experience with RCI as we have Princess, as that will give us even more cruising options ;)[/color']

Any tips you can give will be greatly appreciated, I can't think of any questions right now as I have been reading EVERYTHING I can on RCI & the Allure since last September when we booked, but Thank you for the offer...If I think of any I will be sure to ask ;):D

[ILuvCruisin']

Another thing, I read on the website that there is a shuttle service from the airport to the Port Everglades for around $6/per person. Can you confirm if this is true?

 

Hi miss.jackie: sorry forgot to answer this one...not sure about shuttle airport to Port....I know a taxi from the Port to the Airport cost me and my sisters $14.00 for the 3 of us and that was with drop off at 2 different airlines...I thought that was a pretty good price

purhaps someone else has info for Shuttle/Taxi Airport to Port Everglades

[StrangeD]

Hi

 

ILuvCruisin', great review so far. I'm a cruising newbie even though my parents have owned and run an Expedia Cruiseshipcentres for 6-7 years (go figure lol). I may be going on Allure of the Seas Oct 30th.

 

Quick question: when's the latest you can board the ship on the embark port if it set to depart at 5pm? How many cruises have you been on? Would you say that Royal Caribbean is the best cruise line?

[hgmizzou]

I'd like some input on this one as well. We are already booked on Allure for March with a group and I'm kind of concerned about this as well... I guess I should specifiy that my concern is this sailing will be super kid-oriented as it seems that not only the characters but a lot of the shops and activities are geared more toward families.

 

I can't speak to Allure, because we were on Oasis, but I think they are basically the same. My husband and I went without our kids and WE LOVED IT!!!! We tended to stay in the Solarium (which was WONDERFUL) and ate in alot of the specialty restaurants. There were kids on our cruise but they didn't bother us at all. There were so many shows and activities that I think every cruising experience will be satisfied. You can do kid things, family things and adult events!!! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to go back and this time we will be taking our teenagers and their friends!! Don't worry...you will LOVE IT!!!!

[momesu]

ILuvCruisin' thanks so much for all your reviews and posts. I will be on Allure next March and it really is getting me excited ewven though the cruise is still 6 months off.

I have a question about show tickets. Is it necessary to sign up for tickets prior to the cruise? I've never had to do that before, but then I've never been on sa ship with over 8000 sailing. :D

 

Suzanne

[Havingfun2010]

You mentioned no kids in the specialty restaurants, my son will be 16 when we cruise, is he still considered a "kid"?

 

No kids over 13 after 7 pm. You have no worries.

[curiouscat]

ILuvCruisin' thanks so much for all your reviews and posts. I will be on Allure next March and it really is getting me excited ewven though the cruise is still 6 months off.

I have a question about show tickets. Is it necessary to sign up for tickets prior to the cruise? I've never had to do that before, but then I've never been on sa ship with over 8000 sailing. :D

 

Suzanne

 

 

Was on the Oasis... ABSOLUTELY get your tickets before.... as soon as they become available or you may miss the shows.... Chicago, Aqua show...not to be missed

 

CC

[ILuvCruisin']

Just DH & myself...and of course our new CC roll call friends ;)

Yes, this will be our first trip with RCI, we have wanted to try them out since we discovered crusing in '06 but as you can see by my sig. we became Princess fans quickly :D then once these MEGA ships came out, I just had to try one....I am hoping that we have as good an experience with RCI as we have Princess, as that will give us even more cruising options ;)

Any tips you can give will be greatly appreciated, I can't think of any questions right now as I have been reading EVERYTHING I can on RCI & the Allure since last September when we booked, but Thank you for the offer...If I think of any I will be sure to ask ;):D

 

Hi TLC535: thanks for sharing...

 

Hope you and your new CC freinds have signed up for your Meet & Mingle...ours was a pretty nice event...it was great meeting all the folks we had talked with on CC over the months...I'll post more about our M&M later and hopefully can post our pic here as well...

 

IMHO you will find some differences between Princess and RCCL some good some you may not like....but of course it all depends on what you cruise for...if you like to have fun, want plenty of choices when you cruise, want places to just cool out and have quiet time as well as places to hang with others then RCCCL will work...and Ms.Allure will not disappoint!!!....please be sure to come back here and post your thoughts after your cruise...would be very interested in hearing your take...

 

I can't think of any questions right now as I have been reading EVERYTHING I can on RCI & the Allure since last September

 

here you sound like me...I am Type A...:p...I am a sponge... I will research and research and reserch about what ever it is that I want to know about and with cruising I have to know it all!! haha

[ILuvCruisin']

Hi

 

ILuvCruisin', great review so far. I'm a cruising newbie even though my parents have owned and run an Expedia Cruiseshipcentres for 6-7 years (go figure lol). I may be going on Allure of the Seas Oct 30th.

 

Quick question: when's the latest you can board the ship on the embark port if it set to depart at 5pm? How many cruises have you been on? Would you say that Royal Caribbean is the best cruise line?

 

Hi StrangeD: Glad you are enjoying the ride! Great having you onboard :cool:.

 

They usually suggest that you board at least an hour before sail time on embarkation day but you should check the time with the cruise line for your particular ship and sail date...

 

I stopped counting my sailings at about 30...

 

as for "Best" line...that is a personal choice...depends on what you are looking for in a cruise...for me the ship line depends on who I am sailing with and for what reason I am sailing...also I am finding that sometimes the ports are a reason for me to take a certain line...that said there are still plenty of lines I have not tried yet and may never try...reasons: vessels too small (I am prone to seasickness)...price... also, some are great lines for seasoned citizens but iluvcruisin' is not interested...

 

for example I have had wonderful cruises on Carnival, Royal and Disney all for different reasons...if I want a quick 3 dayer with some girlfriends and we want to party all weekend that will probably be a Carnival cruise, can't miss...with Royal it's hit and miss with the Dance Club and my one cruise on Celebrity they rolled the rug up at 9:00 pm...the ship was DEAD...every night the "Dance Club: had me and 20 other people in it :o...but if I'm going with a group it wouldn't matter as we will make our own party...

 

just curious, why did you choose Allure for your first cruise..

[Messunderstood]

I saw mention that an adult slept on the sofabed but opted not to have it opened up at night. Did the cabin steward prep the couch each night with linens? Was she comfortable sleeping this way?

 

My daughter is booked in my sisters cabin next door as we needed to sleep six people in side-by-side rooms but there are no 3+ rooms configured side-by-side so we simply booked her as the 4th passenger in my sister's room with her family. She will likely end up on the sofa in our cabin though when we go and this info sounds encouraging! I'd LOVE not to have to bring along the traveling Aerobed!

[ILuvCruisin']

I'd like some input on this one as well. We are already booked on Allure for March with a group and I'm kind of concerned about this as well... I guess I should specifiy that my concern is this sailing will be super kid-oriented as it seems that not only the characters but a lot of the shops and activities are geared more toward families.

 

I can't speak to Allure, because we were on Oasis, but I think they are basically the same. My husband and I went without our kids and WE LOVED IT!!!! We tended to stay in the Solarium (which was WONDERFUL) and ate in alot of the specialty restaurants. There were kids on our cruise but they didn't bother us at all. There were so many shows and activities that I think every cruising experience will be satisfied. You can do kid things, family things and adult events!!! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to go back and this time we will be taking our teenagers and their friends!! Don't worry...you will LOVE IT!!!!

 

I totally agree with hgmizzou :D...there is plenty for all to do on Ms. Allure!!!

[ILuvCruisin']

ILuvCruisin' thanks so much for all your reviews and posts. I will be on Allure next March and it really is getting me excited ewven though the cruise is still 6 months off.

I have a question about show tickets. Is it necessary to sign up for tickets prior to the cruise? I've never had to do that before, but then I've never been on sa ship with over 8000 sailing. :D

 

Suzanne

 

 

Was on the Oasis... ABSOLUTELY get your tickets before.... as soon as they become available or you may miss the shows.... Chicago, Aqua show...not to be missed

 

CC

you are welcome Suzanne and curiouscat is correct...you should make your reservations when they open...it was especially important for us as we wanted to do them as a group....they scan your SeaPass card for entry into the show if you have a reservation...please know that you can change your rez once onboard but for some shows it may be difficult getting your first choice times if you do not prebook...without a rez you can always stand in line and they will open up the show 15 to 10 minutes before for any one who does not have a reservation

 

and it is true...the shows are not to be missed...

 

one couple in our group did not make their rez's before hand as they waited too late and they were all closed for preboard bookings but as soon as we boarded (about 11:30) they had the schedule that we all had booked and they went to ON AIR and made their reservations there...they said there wasn't a line and they were able to get the same times and dates that we had prebooked...

 

You can go to the clock tower on the promenade deck (5) during the cruise to make reservations...BUT BE AWARE THAT SOME OF THE SHOWS MAY CLOSE OUT

 

The Clock Tower for making show and restaurant reservations

 

[ILuvCruisin']

I saw mention that an adult slept on the sofabed but opted not to have it opened up at night. Did the cabin steward prep the couch each night with linens? Was she comfortable sleeping this way?

 

My daughter is booked in my sisters cabin next door as we needed to sleep six people in side-by-side rooms but there are no 3+ rooms configured side-by-side so we simply booked her as the 4th passenger in my sister's room with her family. She will likely end up on the sofa in our cabin though when we go and this info sounds encouraging! I'd LOVE not to have to bring along the traveling Aerobed!

 

Messunderstood not only did the cabin steward prep the couch every night but she left the linens folded neatly on the couch after the morning cabin clean up in case sis wanted an afternoon nap and sis was very comforatable sleeping that way....we explained how many sheets, pillows and blankets sis wanted and Magijean took care of it...no issues at all

[ILuvCruisin']

With Captain Johnny: one nite we found Captain Johnny near the Aqua Threatre (Boardwalk, Aft , deck 6). he didn't seem to be doing any thing in particular :rolleyes: (don't know who was driving the ship at the time ;)) so we asked if he would take a picture with us and he politely agreed, this was native attire nite, I like theme nites and will try to talk my cabinmates in to dressing in particular themes for dinner, this time it was Native Attire Nite (African theme outfits) Caribbean nite (pastels and big flower shirts -that's me, the big flower shirts, my sisters said not their style but they agreed to do an outfit with the pretty pastel colors for that particular nite...lol), 70's nite (Afros wigs and bell bottom pants with platform shoes), All White Nite and of course Formal nites

 

On White Nite

[TLC535]

You & your sisters are just BEAUTIFUL !!!

Thanks again for sharing...I did not know about "theme nights" :eek::D

please keep it coming........

[ILuvCruisin']

Thx TLC535 and you are welcome...I'm glad you are enjoying the ride

 

Just so you know the cruise line will have some theme nites (70's, Michael Jackson, etc) but the theme nites I mentioned were my idea...We saw some people wearing all white on some nites but we were the only ones who dressed for the other nites

 

stay tuned!!! :cool:

[ILuvCruisin']

 

Of course it's Fiona (Shrek's wife). Her pic is prominently displayed near Guest Services (Promenade Deck 5) like all the other Godmothers of RCCL ships.

[graciepuppy]

Thx TLC535 and you are welcome...I'm glad you are enjoying the ride

 

Just so you know the cruise line will have some theme nites (70's' date=' Michael Jackson, etc) but the theme nites I mentioned were my idea...We saw some people wearing all white on some nites but we were the only ones who dressed for the other nites

 

stay tuned!!! :cool:[/quote']

 

We'll be on the Allure Sept. 11 and would certainly love to know more about the All White Night. You all Looked Beautiful! Thank you so much for posting about the ship and posting your photos. Nice work to get a photo with the Captain.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

 

Barb

[ILuvCruisin']

We'll be on the Allure Sept. 11 and would certainly love to know more about the All White Night. You all Looked Beautiful! Thank you so much for posting about the ship and posting your photos. Nice work to get a photo with the Captain.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

 

Barb

 

Barb: thanks so much for stopping by and thank you for your comment about our pic...as for the All White Night we as a group just decided to do some theme nights and every one wearing all white one night was one of them...I guess other people decided the same thing because we saw others wearing all white as well that same night and other nights too...guess it's a poplular theme...:p

 

I think it makes for a great picture...I have several cruise pics, some with as many as 200 people in them dressed in all white and they are always favorites...

 

yes, we were at the right place at the right time to catch that opportunity to get a pic with Captain Johnny.

 

I love sharing my pics and info with everyone, thanks again for posting and please do come back for more :cool: