Is it Live or is it Memorex?- Allure of the Seas Review September 18-25 with Pics!

[nenner1]

Thank you so much for the great review! Our daughter will be 11 when we sail in April for Easter, is the 70's Dance Party approriate for her? She loves 70's music and would have a blast :rolleyes:

 

The 70's party is fun for all ages. Your daughter will love it!

 

I absolutely agree with the above response. :) If it wasn't for Sarah already sleeping and Savannah wanting to sleep for sure we would have brought them along!:D

 

The "worst" it gets you can see in the video is Ken's "shaking his booty" on the glass and the thrusting in YMCA (you can see it in that video I posted too). The only reason I think there weren't a lot of kids there is I just think they were all exhausted, like ours! Haha! :cool:

[negrilbride]

Hooray for an update! I was beginning to worry about you! We set sail next weekend! I hope you are able to finish your review before that!!! :-D

[livingis2me]

Thanks for the update. It was worth the wait! I can't wait to get to the Cupcake cupboard. Also, everyone looked very nice in their formal clothes.

 

Question; did you happen to notice the largest size of men's skate that had at the ice rink. DH would love to skate, but he wears a size 14! :eek:

 

I wear men's size 12 and they definitely had bigger sizes. I did not notice exactly how high they went, sorry.

 

Ron

[wingnutphl]

Yay!! I was hoping to see an update. Poor Justin needed a bigger construction worker costume! lol

[skrapngal]

Oh say it isn't so... just one more day left???

 

Whatever will I do to pass the time until my cruise!!!:(

[roe2ship]

That 70's party looks like fun and Ken Rush certainly looks entertaining.

 

Your Rising Tide drink looks so pretty....I love a pretty drink;) was it good and do you happen to know what is in it?? Thanks!

[ropomo]

Just curious, a question for anyone. With all the issues some of the folks on these boards have with gratuities, do you get charged the 15% for a glass of wine from the "self serve" wine station?

[Cupcrazy]

I love this review. Looks like your family had a FANtastic time. I can't wait to go on Oasis or Allure. Hoping to book very soon

[SueCan'tWait]

Thanks for posting that! It really is easy to find, there is a cross street ther with a parking lot (metered) right there too!:D

 

 

 

Awesome! You will have an amazing time! Thanks so much for reading!!!:)

 

 

 

We usually bring a power strip and this time did not. We never did need it. one of the biggest outlet savers though was the ipod/iphone dock- that right there cleared up 2 outlets.

 

We found the one on the desk (a multi-plug) sufficient. supposedly there is one under the bed (for C-Paps) but we never even needed to look for it. I think you will be fine unless you have different phone chargers and maybe need to recharge batteries a lot or anything like that.

 

 

Yes- it has a $3/pp cover plus each item you buy is a la carte. Since we did the Fiesta we did not see a menu, so I don't know individual item prices but I believe they are in the $2-$5/range each.

 

 

Yes, they do. they don't have as much selection as they do in regular land outlets but they did have a few, including the insulated cups.

 

 

 

LOL!!!! YES!!!! Ha ha!!! :p

 

Hope those answers help a bit! Thanks for reading!!!!

 

Thanks for the answers. Less than a week from our Allure cruise!

[Jayfo]

Thank you Nenner! The map you provided to watch Oasis on Saturday is beyond the call of duty, girl...thanks!

 

Your review has been super helpful for my own trip planning and for that I thank you kindly. Your pictures are a nice touch, too.

 

BTW, my absolute favorite pic so far HAS to be the one on your Capt Alan trip of everyone smiling after their mud bath but in the background is your little one gleefully doing her own thing. That's just precious! :)

[momesu]

Are the wine dispensers outside of the MDR only before dinner seatings or other times during the day? I've seen them before at a restaurant andthey are awesome.

 

Suzanne

[wingnutphl]

Are the wine dispensers outside of the MDR only before dinner seatings or other times during the day? I've seen them before at a restaurant andthey are awesome.

 

Suzanne

 

They are there all the time but I can't remember if they are before or after the doors. I think before. On my sailing they weren't working properly so we only tried once and never again. We had to get a head waiter so they could have the charge removed from our seapass acct.

[yj2cute]

Nenner1, we're patiently waiting for an update. Well, maybe not so patiently. But we need a fix!

[pinkcruiserNC]

I can't wait to read this whole review. I'll be on her in Oct. of next year, and I can't wait! :D

[Atty]

Quest was also this evening, at 11:45. We were just way too exhausted to even consider it though. I don’t know how everybody does it, we were literally about to drop once we got back to the room. While I am bummed that we missed Quest –AGAIN- at least on our next RCCL cruise we still have something “new” to look forward to. C’mon Royal throw us a bone and move Quest to a Sea Day, would ya???? Please?

 

Back in our staterooms, we had a cute little frog and the kids had a stingray!

 

 

 

 

 

Up Next: St. Maarten and Capt. Alan’s Wild Ride!

 

Enjoying the review....one thing about Quest. IMHO Quest on the larger (Voyager Class and above) are not nearly as good as it is on the smaller ships. On the bigger ships, there is not as much chance for audience interaction as when its in a smaller showroom. I won't give away any details but I highly recommend that you go to Quest on a smaller ship. DW and I have skipped it on every large ship we've gone on since our first experience with it in Studio B

[tomko2]

Hope you got some great photos of your family on Formal night; you all looked terrific. Loved that all the ladies were in black and white attire. You must be an awesome Mom.:)

 

Thanks so much for all your hard work in sharing this with us.

 

I pasted the link on our Roll Call (January 3rd 2012) as we are getting nearer to our sail date and the excitement is building.

 

Kathy

[socialbutterfly]

I am on the cruise with Tomko2 (Kathy) and she is right - - she posted on our Jan 3rd thread - - I am so excited about our trip even more so since reading and seeing your post and pictures!!! Great job and thank you so much for taking the time to do this!! I will be on the Allure with my two nephews, one niece and her boyfriend and when I got home last night I called each of them up to tell hem about your write-up and pictures!!! They were getting excited just listening to me!!! Thank you again for your write-up and pix!!!

 

Pat

[nenner1]

Thanks so much everyone for hanging in there with me. It's been way busy around here, with 3 kids and working nights as you can imagine sometimes time has it's way with me.

 

I'll be back with more shortly, hoping to finish this one up with a bang! ;)

[f1mauro]

Thanks Nenner, you've left us floating out at sea. ;)

Your review has been fantastic!!

[KENLORJUS]

Thanks for the photos and the time you spent on this review.

[dans0202]

Thanks Nenner and Ron for what is easily the most informative review I have ever read as it relates to me, my family and our upcoming trip on Allure in December.

I shared portions of the review with my wife who felt after hearing about your family, the way you do things and your expereinces that if you had just 2 kids that you would be our twin family.

I have just a few questions that you may be able to answer given your experiences.

1) What sort of activities were offered for the 9 to 11 year olds in AO. Do you know off hand if there were video game systems for this age to play with? My son has been reluctant in the past to play with new kids and video games for an hour a day might be my only way for a small break each day. The think the video arcade might break me financially.

2) I think you said your son was 11 close to 12. Did you consider allowing him to join the older age group? Was this even an option with RCCL?

3) What can you tell me about the kids menu and did you see if it was offered in the speciality restaurants?

4) You noted you parked off site for I think about $7 a day. How tough was it getting back to the lot at the end of the cruise and would you consider the lot somewhat secure.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review and taking the time to answer people’s questions. I learned a lot from what you have to say and look forward to seeing everything first hand.

Dan

[Makaimom]

Love your review!!! Thank you for taking the time to put it together. Just wondering if Rita's served any flavored margaritas or just plain. Thanks!!!

[livingis2me]

Thanks Nenner and Ron for what is easily the most informative review I have ever read as it relates to me, my family and our upcoming trip on Allure in December.

I shared portions of the review with my wife who felt after hearing about your family, the way you do things and your expereinces that if you had just 2 kids that you would be our twin family.

I have just a few questions that you may be able to answer given your experiences.

1) What sort of activities were offered for the 9 to 11 year olds in AO. Do you know off hand if there were video game systems for this age to play with? My son has been reluctant in the past to play with new kids and video games for an hour a day might be my only way for a small break each day. The think the video arcade might break me financially.

2) I think you said your son was 11 close to 12. Did you consider allowing him to join the older age group? Was this even an option with RCCL?

3) What can you tell me about the kids menu and did you see if it was offered in the speciality restaurants?

4) You noted you parked off site for I think about $7 a day. How tough was it getting back to the lot at the end of the cruise and would you consider the lot somewhat secure.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review and taking the time to answer people’s questions. I learned a lot from what you have to say and look forward to seeing everything first hand.

Dan

I'll try to handle some, if not all of these questions since Jen is on her way to work.

1. Activities- they both enjoyed a game called gaga ball. My son explains it as kind of like bowling where you roll a bouncy ball towards the other kids and their legs are the pins.(I didn't really get why they liked this so much, but they couldn't get enough of it.) Another game called crazy tag which was a hybrid tag/dodge ball type of game. Another dodge ball type of game called King of the Court.

 

They had several Wii game systems for those who didn't want to participate. Normally this would be my son, however the staff did such a good job engaging them making the activities exceptionally fun.

 

2. Brendan turned 12 just a few weeks after our cruise. They told him that he had to first try a session in the club and then they would give him the option to move up to the teen club. They were very clear with him that once he moved they couldn't move him back. We fully expected him to do it since he loved the young teens club on our last Disney cruise. But he really enjoyed the club so he didn't switch. I can tell you that he never regretted it.

 

3. Kids menus- Always the same. And no they didn't have them in the Specialty restaurants. It was grilled chicken breast, grilled minute steak, beef burger, turkey burger, grilled catch of the day (Ha!), chicken fingers, Spaghetti with tomato or meat sauce, mac and cheese and cheese or pep pizza. My girls mostly had spaghetti with meat sauce and enjoyed it. One night my youngest had chicken fingers and didn't seem to like them much. They both would either have fresh fruit or raw veggies each night for appetizers. They enjoyed them. The 3 y/o would eat ice cream pretty much every night and the older ones would eat desert off the main menu. Brendan ate dinner off the main menu every night, mostly steak. He had lobster on lobster night. He was happy with his choices.

 

4. Park n' Go seemed very secure. I noticed security cameras throughout the lot. The place was well staffed. Drivers were pleasant and very helpful with our luggage. They had a few shuttles so when one leaves another is there within a couple of minutes. Upon debarkation and once we got through customs we were on the shuttle is less than five minutes. Just tell your porter that you want the Park n' Go shuttle and they'll take you right to it. The driver that brings you to the port will tell you where they will be in case you do not use a porter. We were back to our van in less than 5 minutes. We did tip the drivers both ways. I don't recall seeing any sign asking for tips and the guys never requested one which I really appreciated.

 

We handed the guy at the exit booth our printed coupon and paid. We had a $5.99 a day rate, so it was less than $50 total. He gave us each a free bottle of water and we were on our way. I highly recommend Park n' Go. For us it was much less of a hassle and cheaper than parking in the port garage as we'd done in the past. Make sure you do a google search for park n' go discounted parking. I believe their coupon rate is $6.99 per day after 11-1-11. Still an awesome deal!

 

Hope this helps.:cool:

 

Ron

[metairiegal]

 

I'll try to handle some, if not all of these questions since Jen is on her way to work.

 

4. Park n' Go seemed very secure. I noticed security cameras throughout the lot. The place was well staffed. Drivers were pleasant and very helpful with our luggage. They had a few shuttles so when one leaves another is there within a couple of minutes. Upon debarkation and once we got through customs we were on the shuttle is less than five minutes. Just tell your porter that you want the Park n' Go shuttle and they'll take you right to it. The driver that brings you to the port will tell you where they will be in case you do not use a porter. We were back to our van in less than 5 minutes. We did tip the drivers both ways. I don't recall seeing any sign asking for tips and the guys never requested one which I really appreciated.

 

We handed the guy at the exit booth our printed coupon and paid. We had a $5.99 a day rate, so it was less than $50 total. He gave us each a free bottle of water and we were on our way. I highly recommend Park n' Go. For us it was much less of a hassle and cheaper than parking in the port garage as we'd done in the past. Make sure you do a google search for park n' go discounted parking. I believe their coupon rate is $6.99 per day after 11-1-11. Still an awesome deal!

 

Hope this helps.:cool:

 

Ron

 

Hi Ron,

 

This will be our 1st cruise on the Oasis/Allure. We are planning to park at the port garage. (I always save up for it - it's my splurge. When it is all over, I like to go directly to the car.) Why was parking at the port garage a hassle? :confused:

[livingis2me]

Hi Ron,

 

This will be our 1st cruise on the Oasis/Allure. We are planning to park at the port garage. (I always save up for it - it's my splurge. When it is all over, I like to go directly to the car.) Why was parking at the port garage a hassle? :confused:

1. You don't have to deal with security at the entrance to the port. It's not the biggest deal, you just have to show your docs and identification. When your on the shuttle we were pretty much just waved through.

 

2. At the garage it can be a decent walk to and from the terminal especially if you have kids and luggage (even carry-ons) in tow. At park n' go you park your car and the shuttle drives right up to your car helps you unload the luggage from your car and loads it onto his shuttle for you. A few short minutes later you are at the terminal entrance. Much faster and easier than the walk from the garage to the terminal.

 

3. The time when we used the garage we drove up to the luggage drop off area. It was extremely hectic and not organized. We had a traffic cop rushing us and not being very nice. He was yelling at us to hurry and there wasn't a porter very willing to help. We wound up putting most if not all of the luggage into the rack ourselves and then the porter showed up when we were pretty much done to collect a tip.

 

4. Upon debarkation the porter will usually drop you and your luggage off at the curb while someone in your party goes to fetch the car from the garage. The one who goes to get the car will usually have to wait in line to get to their party waiting at the curb as everyone else is doing the same thing. With park n' go the porter will take you over to a less busy area and again the driver will load your luggage right on to the shuttle and within a matter of a few minutes drop you off at your car.

 

From our experience at Port Everglades it was so much easier to deal with park n' go than navigate the heavy traffic in the port and deal with the port parking garage on our own. We had quite a surprise our first time at Port Everglades. Started our embarkation day on a sour note for sure. Park n' go made for a much better experience. All in all it was much cheaper (*as long as you use the internet coupon) and we were back on the road much quicker with Park n' Go than doing it on our own. Plus no headaches!;)

 

Ron

Edited November 5, 2011 by livingis2me
coupon disclaimer.