Our first cruise. Allure March 18th

[toto6]

First review and first cruise so be gentle. Not even sure we can post a picture just yet but going to give it a shot. Ha

There were 7 in our party. Jeanette and Johnny 43 & 48, writing the review. Our children, Sage 15, Hunter 13 and Lakin 10. Our moms, Brenda and Karen. All from Wichita Ks except Brenda who is from Whitesboro TX.

We started off on Saturday morning at 3am. Early but excited to finally be headed to the Allure. We had booked April 7th in 2011.

We met Brenda in Fl, we went thru Denver and she thru Houston. We had booked the Holiday Inn Express on 17th for our pre night to Allure. Our shuttle to the hotel took quite some time. We were all very tired and so ready to get there. If we stay in FL again we would choose another hotel. We booked this hotel same night as we did the flights. So price was a factor. The hotel was not bad but just OK. The front desk staff were very nice. The breakfast was ok. Rooms just ok, some water damage on ceiling, shower head...2 waterfalls and try to pretend that your face needs rinsing as you try and wash your hair. We had planned to eat at Bubba Gump on the beach. However, there was a shooting or something right in our path. 2 blocks from the beach and denied. We asked our driver another suggestion. Headed to the popular area (cant remember what it was) Very busy and more delays due to bridges, traffic. So dropped off at Outback. Just tired and hungry. Over an hour wait...walked back to hotel for some room service. Plan B for next time..back up plans.

[toto6]

Finally the day has arrived!! After some much needed rest we headed to the Allure. Our shuttle there was quick (also booked our return airport ride thru Ace tours at the hotel, convienent) Boarding process was super fast and organized. Staff friendly and helpful everywhere we went. On board within 20 minutes. We were not asked for any papers. We had them all ready, marriage license, birth certificates, passports, death certificate...everything not taking any chances. Still will bring them next time also. Never worth taking the risk.

WOW...such a beautiful ship!! Unbelievable! Well worth the wait!!

We headed to the windjammer for some lunch and wondered around looking at all there was to see. We decided to hit the flow rider before all the lines. The kids went in the hot tubs and we wondered around some more in awe!Our cabins were ready by 1:00. Nice! Rooms were larger than expected. Plenty big enough for 2 passengers. We had 3 ocean view balconys. Kids in connecting and moms down the hall. Stateroom attendant was amazing. Always had a true smile on her face and very sweet. 3 towel animals per cabin, ice when requested and opened balcony divider. Could not ask for any better. Always very gracious and friendly. The beds were very comfortable. Shower head has a massager button on back. (eveyone may know this, but we do not remember ever reading about it)

Sail away with tasty adult beverages. Good bye Ft. Lauderdale.

Dinner at Windjammer. Nice selection and food just fine for us.

Hard to remember what all we did but trying.

[shonandsuzie]

Nice start! Love it. Your group picture is adorable :)

[lrn2cruise]

Death Certificates!!!!!:eek:!!! LOL!!!!

 

A shooting?:eek:

 

Wow! You can turn this into a novel! I am enjoying your review and I promise everyone will be kind. You are doing a great job!

 

 

I am with you on the WJ. Food was good enough for us and if I had to do it over again, we would have gone to WJ on the 1st night. We didnt have our luggage yet and we went to MDR with pool hair and the same sweaty clothes we boarded with. They were so gracious in the MDR:) but for my own dignity, I will hit the WJ if we do not have luggage in time for MDR.

 

We are WJ fans anyway:D

[Yakiman]

Looking forward to your next installment. Nice to see a big family having fun together :)

 

Curious what time you boarded? Was WJ crowded?

[toto6]

Tour booked at Blue Lagoon for the Sea Lion Encounter.

Hint..take the wet suit. We assumed from you tube that we would be instructed to keep our hands together and down. No..that is because the water is very cold. Ha. Winston was the trainer and PJ was our sea lion. Very very cute. We purchased the pictures and video for $375. Well worth it. We can always look back and see everyones smiling faces and really remember being there. After our encounter we passed the dolphin push and stopped at the gift shop. For lunch you purchase a ticket at the beach bar.

We spent a little time at the beach before our enjoyable ride back. One of the tour guides was very informative and friendly. He told us who owned several of the homes and that the center archway of Atlantis is the Michael Jackson suite, which rents for $25,000 a night.

Dinner at Sambas. Son loved it. Some did not. Staff was friendly and fun. Tried the lamb chop..never again. After we (well kids did their own thing quite often) walked around Central park. Beautiful and windy that night. Ship photographer was there and we took some pictures. We pre purchased the package. We thought that 399 was high but we were only charged 349. We came home with over 100 prints and the cd. It really is a good deal when you take home so many quality prints.

[toto6]

Nice start! Love it. Your group picture is adorable :)

 

Thanks!! We are trying.

[toto6]

Death Certificates!!!!!:eek:!!! LOL!!!!

 

A shooting?:eek:

We are assuming. Johnny saw a cop run across the street with his shotgun on his shoulder and people laying on the ground. Death cert was due to kids father passed away 3 years ago.

 

Wow! You can turn this into a novel! I am enjoying your review and I promise everyone will be kind. You are doing a great job!

 

Thanks and hope so. Sometimes it is like a wild facebook cat fight in this forum. Ha. But we learned so much info and we want to try and give back.

 

 

I am with you on the WJ. Food was good enough for us and if I had to do it over again, we would have gone to WJ on the 1st night. We didnt have our luggage yet and we went to MDR with pool hair and the same sweaty clothes we boarded with. They were so gracious in the MDR:) but for my own dignity, I will hit the WJ if we do not have luggage in time for MDR.

 

We thought the staff was AMAZING all over the board. We are simple and the WJ suited our needs just fine.

 

We are WJ fans anyway:D

 

Looking forward to your next installment. Nice to see a big family having fun together :)

 

Curious what time you boarded? Was WJ crowded?

 

Thanks We were there by 10:30 and on board by 11. So very easy and quick.

[Club19]

Thanks for posting your reviews. It's something new to look at each day until we leave :) We are leaving on Allure next Sunday, April 15, (100 anniversary of the sinking of Titanic!) and I'm so excited.

 

ps: DH and I saw Titanic last night in 3D. It was as good as it was 15 years ago.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Good start! I am anxious to see more. I loved your family picture with the sea lion.:D

[toto6]

Finally some time to gather thoughts and relax. Traveling with 5 other people is new for us and quite a bit more work than we had thought.

Tuesday is the day we laughed about on Thursday. Could not remember what we did. Ha. Yes we did drink throughout this trip but NOT that much. We do remember thanks to Cannon and Kodak..

It was a cloudy and windy day. Lots of ship movement. Joked about whether it was the ocean or the drinks. We walked around the jogging track and took pictures of the wake. We rode the carousel. More ship photographer pictures.We also did some shopping that day. MDR for dinner also celebrate 1st anniversary and Johnny's bday. MDR staff were very attentive and even though we only went there 3x that week they remembered what we liked, where we were from and our names. Our waitress was Shree from Jamaica. A wonderful lady.

We went to the Bow & Stern. Nice option for smokers. Fun staff and always joking. We caught the comedy show and tried the casino that night. Not big on gambling but fun anyway.

[toto6]

Thanks for posting your reviews. It's something new to look at each day until we leave :) We are leaving on Allure next Sunday, April 15, (100 anniversary of the sinking of Titanic!) and I'm so excited.

 

ps: DH and I saw Titanic last night in 3D. It was as good as it was 15 years ago.

 

You will have a great time. Allure is amazing. The staff is phenomenal! Way exceeded our expectations. We loved reading eveything we could before we went!

Have a safe and happy trip!

[toto6]

Good start! I am anxious to see more. I loved your family picture with the sea lion.:D

 

 

Thank you! PJ is so cute! We also received a framed 8x10 of that picture as well as a 5x7 of each family member hugging and standing beside PJ.

[toto6]

Day started off by Johnny waking Jeanette at 5:30 to see a rainbow forming. Joking with him now but it was beautiful to see.

Gathered our group and headed down towards our adventure to St John. We booked a Truck Bay excursion through RC. Not quite as beautiful as we had hoped. Snorkeling was not what we expected. The kids loved it, it was their first time. They really want to snorkel again. The reef has alot of damage and we did not see very many fish. Also learned that wanting to see so much on our cruise it is hard to really relax. It is a hurry and wait to next location. The tour guides were good. Too late to eat lunch there so cannot comment on that. We did shop before our tour left and found a nice selection of things to bring back home. Once again watching a bigger group..little crazy. But it was all good!

Dinner at Ritas Fiesta. Lots of fun. Food was good and Johnny got in the dance contest to win his 'favorite' a shot of tequila. :eek:. Haha. Karen rolled her ankle there. So we had both moms with ankle problems. Brenda's ankles would swell after walking.

Having trouble remembering what we did on what day. Think we will post more pics and thoughts at the end. :D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I hate to say it, but those swollen ankles are a common problem for many of us. I have seen whole threads on it. I walk all day at work & while I swell up a bit at work I don't swell that much. Plus, I probably walk less on a cruise. Some people think it's the salt in the diet, but I don't have that problem on land based vacations and all restaurants are high sodium. I even requested a low sodium diet on one cruise and that didn't help. Others have suggested the high humidity and that may work for me since I live in a dry climate, but does not explain other people's swelling. It's a mystery.:confused: But I will not stop cruising. I will just keep taking a diuretic while on vacation and pack loose fitting shoes!:D

[toto6]

Shopped before Benards Tour. Sexy was our quide. Iguanas, shopping, Orient Beach, Maho Beach.

Stopped and held iguanas before Orient beach. Orient was OK. Alot of seaweed and beware of hair braiding. Set price up front. New lesson!! Also JUST to the right of the rocks is grandpa in all his glory. We laughed it was funny and not a problem for us. Had a good lunch and off again. Little more shopping before Maho beach. LOVED Maho beach. Would spend full day here next time. Very beautiful and planes were awesome. Got a short video of it, dont know how to post it yet. Hold bags and cover eyes before jet blast. Ha. Next extra shopping at Remas? This is the place to shop. Everything we bought was here for half or less. Sexy did stop for several photo opportunities and the rum punch was quite yummy.

MDR and quest. Quest very very funny. Little show with bartenders before. Our team won and there is a small clip in the review cd. ;).

[toto6]

I hate to say it, but those swollen ankles are a common problem for many of us. I have seen whole threads on it. I walk all day at work & while I swell up a bit at work I don't swell that much. Plus, I probably walk less on a cruise. Some people think it's the salt in the diet, but I don't have that problem on land based vacations and all restaurants are high sodium. I even requested a low sodium diet on one cruise and that didn't help. Others have suggested the high humidity and that may work for me since I live in a dry climate, but does not explain other people's swelling. It's a mystery.:confused: But I will not stop cruising. I will just keep taking a diuretic while on vacation and pack loose fitting shoes!:D

 

Brenda has problems with this issue even at home. She took her meds with her but we did alot of walking. She had to keep her feet up in the evenings. Did not stop her from loving this cruise and wanting to go again. Just gave her more time to check out Captain Zini on the tv. Both moms loved him.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I might add a comment on St. John's. We have been to St. Thomas many times and have visited St. John's. The view of Trunk Bay is absolutely beautiful. However, the beach itself is overhyped, IMHO. As you said, lots of dead coral and a lack of fish due to many people touching (and killing) the coral. Also, the time to get there and back eats up much of your day. A better option for St. John's is a private sail tour through one of the operators recommended on the St. Thomas Ports forum. We were taken to a bay on St. John's that was unpopulated with no roads. Only boat access, so there were no crowds. Nice snorkeling, but the regular sailboat was difficult access for me. It is a nice trip for those without access issues, though. Sailing was a relaxing way to spend the travel time and I did not feel as if we were "wasting time" on the transit.

 

Now in St. Thomas we just head over to Sapphire Beach. That is our favorite place in St. Thomas for beach and snorkeling. Time saved in transit can be used relaxing under the shade of a grape tree with a cold drink in hand.:D

[toto6]

Time to relax. More drinks of the day and time in the sun. Rubber Man is pretty cool. Walks around with a bottle on his head and dont miss a beat. Yes there are chair hogs. Saw a group of 8. Well only saw half of them the entire time we were there. Did notice they left and went to the belly flop contest. But we had our chairs and drinks so we were content.

Windjammer night for us and disco night. Disco night was a blast. We dressed up and had a great time. Another cruise in review clip. There was an older lady that almost stole the show. She was cool! Danced with her and Karen loved the biker boy from the YMCA group.

[toto6]

I might add a comment on St. John's. We have been to St. Thomas many times and have visited St. John's. The view of Trunk Bay is absolutely beautiful. However, the beach itself is overhyped, IMHO. As you said, lots of dead coral and a lack of fish due to many people touching (and killing) the coral. Also, the time to get there and back eats up much of your day. A better option for St. John's is a private sail tour through one of the operators recommended on the St. Thomas Ports forum. We were taken to a bay on St. John's that was unpopulated with no roads. Only boat access, so there were no crowds. Nice snorkeling, but the regular sailboat was difficult access for me. It is a nice trip for those without access issues, though. Sailing was a relaxing way to spend the travel time and I did not feel as if we were "wasting time" on the transit.

 

Now in St. Thomas we just head over to Sapphire Beach. That is our favorite place in St. Thomas for beach and snorkeling. Time saved in transit can be used relaxing under the shade of a grape tree with a cold drink in hand.:D

 

So true about the time in transit. Our first time and won't make that mistake again. Booked Mariner for next year and will have more beach days.

[toto6]

Drnk of the day and more sun time. Not much to comment on that. Was nice to relax. Dinner in MDR. Very nice again. Did notice that the people left so much trash around this day. So very suprised and thought this was rude. Saw Sorrentos plates, glasses and cookies in the elevators and just outside the elevators. Even more in the evening. Hard to believe people will just drop their trash on this beautiful ship. The staff is constantly working to make everything shine. Why oh why? Really?

[toto6]

Disembarking was fairly painless. We were one the lucky ones to be chosen to go the special customs area. WHAT? Concerned that we would miss our flight or not have our luggage go through the luggage valet. Hey, we tossed the beach sand back after customs in St Thomas. Not a problem. He barely looked in our suitcases and the luggage arrived home without a hitch. Would use luggage valet everytime. We actually went through customs quicker being one of the chosen. So disembarking was very fast. Our shuttle to the airport was there very quickly and we were headed back home.

[toto6]

The Allure is totally awesome. Way more than you can do in one week.

The staff...could not ask for more. The moms loved Chicago. Missed Ocean Aria show due to rescheduling and then having Ritas that night. Quest is a must as well as disco night. Sage met several friends whom she still talks to. Lakin had fun with Cassandra from Canada. Hunter met a new gamer friend. All kids met friends from the teen groups. Hunter loved having a Johnny Rocket chocolate malt everyday. He also loved going up to the WJ for meat!! Noticed a smell and alot of noise by the hump cabins near our room. Our room was 7684. Not one negative thing to say about the ship or the staff. Some cruisers were very rude at the elevator. Only once noticed kids acting up and running in the WJ. It was the adults that were behaving poorly. This was spring break also. Booked Mariner for next spring break while on board. Artwork just everywhere! There is so much information on the TV. Signage all over the ship is great. No problems with crowds, places to eat or variety of food. Impossible to see everything but glad there are many options. Only got to see one runner. This was in the Bahamas. St Thomas our ship sponsored tour got back just in time and St Martin we left late, even saw an employee boarding late. Liked having a place for smokers in the Bow and Stern and also in Blaze. Thought Ken Rush was fine. The size of Allure is just unreal. Plenty of ship photographer opportunities. Pizza at Sorentos was very good. The shots after dinner yummy! Did not get a chance to do so many things we thought we would do. We all had an amazing time. The kids are even looking forward to next year, was hard to get them excited for this trip. Next time they will know what to expect.

 

More pictures to follow...gotta get back to reality

[akcruz]

Thanks for the review. We have 9 weeks until our turn. A couple questions

 

Did you book the sea lions on your own or throughroyal? Been trying to figure out if we really want to spend the $s on Atlantis. My DH and DS have never been and would love it just not sure about timing so looking at some other options.

 

How was your tour with Bernard? We are booked with him. Any issues getting back on time?

 

Did you do the fiesta at Rita`s? Have 2 teens and looking at doing that so wondering how the kids like it?

 

Of course any other info or pictures you have are appreciate. Thanks!

[toto6]

Thanks for the review. We have 9 weeks until our turn. A couple questions

 

Did you book the sea lions on your own or throughroyal? Been trying to figure out if we really want to spend the $s on Atlantis. My DH and DS have never been and would love it just not sure about timing so looking at some other options.

 

How was your tour with Bernard? We are booked with him. Any issues getting back on time?

 

Did you do the fiesta at Rita`s? Have 2 teens and looking at doing that so wondering how the kids like it?

 

Of course any other info or pictures you have are appreciate. Thanks!

 

Sea Lions were through RC. Being first time cruisers and with a big group for us we did not want to miss getting back on time. Bernards was great with getting us back.They really watch the time frames from one place to another. Very professional! We liked the fiesta, the kids not so much. But they are picky eaters and would rather run off with their new friends. We are going to try and open a photo bucket. We probably have close to three thousand pictures and videos if we put them all together. Some pictures are what is shown alot but we would just like to post them in a bigger format then what we have done so far. You will love Allure. Kids will love it also! They all made friends and had a great time. The kids also loved all our excursions. Our son who never wanted to move said he wants to move to the caribbean now. Have a great time!