Allure Of The Seas-Advice for first timers

[doncruising]

My wife & I are cruising on the Allure Of The Seas in May 2012 doing both Western & Eastern Caribbean legs. While we've been on Princess (Mexico), P&O and Celebrity ships previously, we've never been to this region.

Doing the Mexican Riviera, we learnt it was better to NOT pre-book our shore excursions & just go with those we found when we got off the ship.

Is that the case with the Caribbean?

I've heard one of the Islands we visit is one of the best places in the world for diamonds...any idea which one it is & which is the best place to go? Is there a good website to research these ports of call?

We also enjoy our food so which of the "Specialty Restaurants" do you recommend? Are there any special nights in the Main Dining Room that we should be at? I see from the RCI website that they have 2 formal nights for cruises over 6 nights...is that correct for this ship? Any idea which nights they are? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!:D

[AlanAllyn]

I always pre-book my tours, usually with independent operators. Go to the Ports of Call Board

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

where you will find much information about each port.

 

Formal nights on the Allure are Monday and Thursday on the western and Monday and Friday on the eastern.

 

We have enjoyed Chops amd Giovanni's.

[OhioCruiserDude]

This ship is amazing as for the diamonds thing i have no idea i have heard that St. Marteen as good sales tho.

 

The shore excursion you should do what you think is best. Either booking through the ship or doing your own thing its up to you. I have done both i think the the excursions through the ship are better.

 

As for the ports I have been to all the port youll be visiting they are all amazing. All tho im getting tired of Haiti having been there 4 times now. My by far favorite port is the Cayman Island absolutly beautiful. Costa Maya was nice lots of shopping at the port. Same with Cozmeul.

 

As for the Specialty Restaurants the only one i did was Chops and jonney rockets. Chops was amazing had a nice big serloin and a baked potato that was about the size of a foot ball seriously it was huge.

 

The MDR was good the service was a little eh but it was the maiden voyage. Over all fabulas to more tips if you enjoy the bar the two best bartenders on the ship are Jearom and Gemma in the Chanpagne bar. You can not miss Blue Planet. Cant put it into word stunning.

 

Have a wonderful time

[Sequim88]

Most of the Caribbean stops you can do very well on own with local taxi drivers. Some ports there will be taxi coordinators but there will also likely be independents you can negotiate with. This works particularly well if wanting to do a beach day. Our general rule for ship excursions is if they involve great distance (and risk of not returning on time) or are something only available from the cruise line then we use them otherwise we go independently.

 

Chops is great for steak but although we have not tried it Giovanni's Table sounds like a step up from Portofino found on other ships. 150 Central Park is supposed to be the "foodie" place but costs more than the other specialty restaurants.

 

We tend to avoid shopping for expensive items in ports because if there is a problem then returning them is a non-option. Also a short visit like that is too much of a snap judgement purchase for our taste. Unless you really know diamonds well and can judge value accurately it might not matter if they claim to be the best place in the world for them.

[nancronin]

Join the roll call for both of these cruises and you'll be able to talk to others going on the cruises with you. Enjoy!:D

[The Big Booper]

We did a B2B on the Allure last May and, on turnaround day, were invited up to Giovanni's in Central Park for a complementary luncheon. Good food and service.

[MrChuckFL]

I would do your shopping for diamonds in St. Thomas.

 

In my experience I have found that the best deals to be had for jewelry are in St. Thomas.

 

I'm not a big fan of large chains and have found a couple independents we usually deal with when we want to make a purchase. We have made several purchases from Mac at Trident Jewelers. We always get the best price (after lots of haggling :D) and have even had to send stuff back for repair without hassle.

[Scecy]

I just got back from the Allure - Eastern. I will say that I enjoyed my meal at Giovanni's very much! As for the port excursions, I really think it depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. We played it by ear in Nassau--walked off the ship and then took a horse and buggy ride to look around. We then kindly said no to the many people offering us tours and walked around to Fort Fincastle and then to the Pirate's Museum. We did not go to Atlantis or any beach. In St. Thomas, we had pre-booked the parasailing excursion, thinking we would go somewhere to do this. I found out that we walked from the ship to the boat that takes us out, so maybe that is something that can be done independently because it is right there. In St. Martaan, we chose to take a taxi from the port to the French side (Marigot). Taxi's are readily available from both locations and are $18 for two people each way. Because one taxi went the long way and the other the short way, we ended up circumnavigating the whole island, getting to see it on our own timetable, which was nice. We did not go to the beach there either, but we walked by the beach on the way back to the ship.

 

I can't comment on the diamonds though.

[lannie180]

I just got back from the Allure - Eastern. I will say that I enjoyed my meal at Giovanni's very much! As for the port excursions, I really think it depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. We played it by ear in Nassau--walked off the ship and then took a horse and buggy ride to look around. We then kindly said no to the many people offering us tours and walked around to Fort Fincastle and then to the Pirate's Museum. We did not go to Atlantis or any beach. In St. Thomas, we had pre-booked the parasailing excursion, thinking we would go somewhere to do this. I found out that we walked from the ship to the boat that takes us out, so maybe that is something that can be done independently because it is right there. In St. Martaan, we chose to take a taxi from the port to the French side (Marigot). Taxi's are readily available from both locations and are $18 for two people each way. Because one taxi went the long way and the other the short way, we ended up circumnavigating the whole island, getting to see it on our own timetable, which was nice. We did not go to the beach there either, but we walked by the beach on the way back to the ship.

 

I can't comment on the diamonds though.

 

 

Since you just came back from the Allure by any chance do you remember what days they had things going on,on the promenade? We are booked B2B so I'm trying not to book any show for these days. Thanks

[doncruising]

Thanks very much to Scecy, MrChuckFL, The Big Booper, nancronin, Sequim88, OhioCruiserDude & AlanAllyn for taking the time to give me your feedback!!:D

[Kycruisefan]

Great Information! Saling the Allure Eastern route next summer! Cannot wait!

[Scecy]

Since you just came back from the Allure by any chance do you remember what days they had things going on,on the promenade? We are booked B2B so I'm trying not to book any show for these days. Thanks

 

What sort of things? Do you mean DreamWork Appearances? Or not DreamWork related? There is something going on every evening, so I can give you more info if I know what sort of events you don't want to miss.