ALLURE EASTERN REVIEW 9/30/12 w/pix (Family Perspective)

[tanelicus]

Great family! Keep it going!

[Bandit236]

I can't wait to read more!

[BillOh]

One of the 3 tall buildings in the background has the camera for the webcam. I spent many Sundays looking at the ship from that angle . . . . . . . . . . now I'm on it!!

 

I'm looking forward to that feeling for the 2nd time. Visa giftcards are a pain. Don't use them at gas stations either. They are best used for online or paying bills online.

[Grumpy100]

We leave this Sunday for the exact same cruise. Loving your review.

Very nice family.

[BillOh]

Just a note for those who do get Visa (or MC) gift cards.....take them to your back and CASH THEM IN....get real, spendable folding money! (I hate those "gift" cards!)

 

Or when cell phone companies give them out, use them to pay our cell bill. In complete agreement. Any TA worth anything would know this was a bad idea.

[Host Anne]

Nos ~ I'm loving your review. We sail Oasis soon so this helps build the excitement.

 

Of course I LOVE your St. John photos and am very happy to hear it was such a great day for you. Now you know why it's one of my favorite places on earth.

 

I particularly loved your photo of the kids jumping out of the water and into the air at Trunk Bay. That's one to enlarge.

 

Looking forward to reading more! Thanks for taking the time to share.

[cruisee<3]

THanks for the great pictures of st john!! Really looking forward to going :) Gorgeous family!!

[noshoobie]

Thanks for all of the nice comments everyone. :D

 

When we got back on the ship we decided to go to the Wipe Out Cafe for late lunch. They have burgers, hotdogs, fries, nachos, etc. We ended up stuffing ourselves so much that we never made it to dinner that night.

 

We then decided to mini-golf but just as we started, DH noticed that there was no line for the zipline so he and DD2 went back to the room to get changed and me, DD1 and DS decided to keep on golfing.

 

The ship set sail at exactly 6pm. Bye,bye St Thomas. DH, and the DD's went to the hot tub and me and DS relaxed in our room. Shockingly, as I said earlier, we were not really hungry and it was already 8:30pm so we skipped dinner. DH was tired so the rest of us decided to stroll around. We went to the Boardwalk and then to Dazzles for Finish That Lyric Game Show. They selected 6 people from the audience to stand up in front of the band and the rest is self-explanatory. It was pretty funny. About 10pm or so we started to get hungry. UH OH - no problem - we'll just head to the Windjammer. The Windjammer closed at 9. Where to get food?? The Cafe Promenade had a nice selection of small sandwiches and desserts. We got our goodies and sat and people watched.

 

I learned later that Johnny Rockets is opened until midnight ($$) and of course Sorrentos. I hate to sound like a glutton but I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of a free variety after 9pm. What happened to the midnight buffets?? Again, a very small disappointment, but a lesson learned.

[SuchAVirgo]

love your review and all the beautiful pictures :)

love the pot banging in the early morning too, that is something my husband would do :D

[noshoobie]

DAY 5 - St Maarten

 

Originally our plan was to do room service for breakfast since we had a 9am excursion planned, but after yesterday's breakfast we decided on the Windjammer.

 

I had pre-book Bernard's Tours for our St Martin visit based on the recommendation of so many CC members. I'm glad we did - it was a nice tour. It's easy to find the meeting place for Bernard's Tours once you get off the ship. The air-conditioned vans held about 20 people or so. Our tour included some scenic stops as well as a stop at the Iguana Farm.

 

This was our driver, Sexy. (OMG, is that Chris in the background??).

 

Tons of Iguanas and other random creatures.

 

We also stopped at Rotary Lookout Point where we were introduced to the Sea Urchin Man. Here are some of the neat little creatures we met. They all moved in your hand - a little creepy.

Is that Chris in the background again??

Conch

 

 

You'll notice you don't see DS in any of these pictures. He was a little freaked out and ran for the hills.

[swwake]

Indeed! You caught Chris in two of your photos!

[noshoobie]

Our next stop was LaPlaya beach at Orient Beach. We didn’t see any unclothed people on this beach so that was a good thing for us. For $5pp we rented loungers and it included one drink with or without alcohol. It was a nice beach with some nice body surfing waves. There were a number of women walking around selling jewelry, bathing suit cover ups, and beach towels that when folded up turn into a small tote. The women were very nice and not too pushy. We bought a few beach towels that said St Maarten. Back on the ship we noticed a number of people that had bought them.

 

We had about 90 minutes at Orient and then back on the van to continue our journey. Next stop was Marigot where we had about 30 minutes to wander around. Among the street vendors, was a gentleman selling coconuts. You pick your coconut and he cuts it open for you to drink:

 

This guy puts the branches?? in this machine and coconut milk drains into the pan.

After you're done with your drink, he will cut the coconut for you so you can eat the meat. We met a boy the same age as DS. He was with his mom at her stand. He had a school uniform on and we asked him why he wasn't in school. He explained that he goes to school from 6am-12pm and he was done for the day. WOW. I can't imagine trying to get 6th graders in America up at that time for school. He took a picture of all of us. We thanked him and gave him a couple of bucks.

[noshoobie]

Our next stop was Maho beach. I was really looking forward to this as I was in the airline industry many years ago and still love watching planes take off and land. I had watched many you tube videos of Maho and couldn't wait to get to see it for myself. Because we weren't there too long, we only got to see one big plane land and didn't see any take offs. Bummer. If I ever get back to St Maarten, I will plan a whole day at Maho.

 

 

 

Here it comes . . . . . . .

This was the best picture I got. My camera is a point and shoot so I couldn't get another quick picture of it. I was hoping our family Christmas picture would be the kids in the water or the beach with a big plane over their heads but, alas, it was not meant to be. Still glad we got to go though.

[noshoobie]

Our last stop was Rima Beach World, probably St Maarten's biggest gift shop. We went in and looked around a bit but didn't buy anything. After being dropped off at the pier, we walked around and went in some of the little shops there. I forgot to mention that on the tour, there is a stocked cooler with water, beer, soda, and rum punch. The rum punch is very powerful. One sip was all I could handle! The tour lasted about 5 hours and I highly recommend it if you're not sure what to do in St Maarten.

 

When we got back on the ship we went straight to the hot tub/pool area and watched sail-away from there.

 

We were all in a "didn't feel like getting dressed up" mood, so we decided to eat dinner at the Windjammer tonight. Before dinner, DH and DS went to the Promenade for the $10 watch sale. Random times during the cruise they have sales in the Promenade. Everything from jewelry, hats, purses, t-shirts, cameras, etc. People flock to these things especially when it's watches or jewelry. DH bought a bunch of watches that we don't need just because they were $10. :confused:

 

I had made reservations for the 10:30 comedy show tonight for me and DH but he was very tired so I went with DD1. It was hilarious. The comedians were Mike Wilson and Steven Thomas. Mike Wilson did some great impressions and Steven Thomas made some hilarious observations about the ship and cruising. We ended up going to the comedy show with the whole family on Day 7 in the Amber Theater. It was PG rated that night. More on that later.

 

Tonight DH decided to try sleeping on the balcony. I mentioned that I would love doing that sometime during the cruise so he asked me if I wanted to do it tonight. No thanks. He decided to give a try. He lasted 2 hours and said it was just too loud.

[Eng23]

Thought I'd stop in and say hi. Your review is going great. You mentioned on my review about seeing the cruise from different perspectives and I agree that it is great to also see the different perspectives. Even though I travel and cruise solo I do enjoy seeing things from a family standpoint. Keep up the good job! I'll be looking out for more. :)

[noshoobie]

Thought I'd stop in and say hi. Your review is going great. You mentioned on my review about seeing the cruise from different perspectives and I agree that it is great to also see the different perspectives. Even though I travel and cruise solo I do enjoy seeing things from a family standpoint. Keep up the good job! I'll be looking out for more. :)

 

Thanks!

[noshoobie]

DAY 6

 

Me and DD got up early and took a walk on the jogging track. I told myself (pre-cruise) that I was going to do that everyday. It took me 6 days to even find the jogging track! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! She showed me the gym (she had used several times during the cruise) and it was packed! I can't believe how many people exercise on vacation - I really felt very shameful. But in my defense, I was on vacation and exercise is a job for me. I give total props to those who stick to their routines even on vacation. We did 3 brisk laps and the view from the back of deck 5 is a really good one. It's also neat getting a close up view of the lifeboats.

 

Today for breakfast, DH and DS went to the Windjammer and me and the DD's went to Park Cafe. Their version of an Egg McMuffin was excellent. I wished I had discovered this before. We hit the beach pool early and then headed to The Aqua Theater for the belly flop contest at 1pm. Before heading back to the pool, we strolled around a little and stopped in Johnny Rockets for some milkshakes and onion rings - what a combo! After that, the kids spied cotton candy and they just had to have that too! We went to the photo shop to check out our pictures and walked around some more to admire some of the artwork. This was one of our favorites:

A bunch of buddhas in different positions

 

Everytime we passed this statue one of the kids had to stick their finger in it!

 

We didn't see too many doors decorated but this was our favorite of room 7666.

[noshoobie]

Tonight was formal night number 2 and I had also planned the Blue Planet show for 9pm. This night was the longest we ever waited for dinner, about 1/2 hour, I'm sure because it was lobster night. We didn't request Juanna tonight because we thought we might have to wait longer. Again, our timing was not so good and we had to skip dessert to make it to the Amber Theater. Dinner was great - it was the best meal in the MDR the whole week. As for Blue Planet we all thought it was ok - except for DS. He didn't like it. There was a trampoline part that he liked but other then that he said he was falling asleep.

 

Just as Blue Planet let out, they were starting the 70's party in the Promenade. DD2 and DS went back to the room and the 3 of us stayed for the party. Being a product of the 70's - this was right up my alley.

[noshoobie]

The 70’s dance party was a lot of fun. Allan Brooks was dressed like John Travolta ala Saturday Night Fever. The contraption over the Bow and Stern opens up to a plank-like structure. He was up there leading the party along with singers/backup dancers. The “Village People” came out and sang a few songs on a stage set up right in front of us. Kung Fu Panda even did a dance on the Rising Tide Bar.

 

 

 

When the party was over, DD1 went back to the room and me and DH went to Dazzles where they were continuing with the 70’s party but it fizzled out very quickly. We decided to take a romantic moonlight stroll up on deck 15/16. There was no one around. Where is everybody?? If you’ve read reviews about the crowds on the ship, yes, it can be crowded depending on what you are doing. But by the same token, there were many times we wondered where everybody was.

We checked out the Viking Crown lounge on Deck 17. It was pretty cool and it had a great view. We ended our night with some late night snacks at Promenade Café.

[noshoobie]

DAY 7

Boo hoo!! Our last day!! Today was the day that we had to do all of things that we’ve been wanting to do all week but never got around to. We ate breakfast in the Windjammer and decided to start our day at the Flowrider. The port side was closed for repairs so the starboard side was the only side open. It made the line very long. Me, DD1 and DS decided to go. It was a lot of fun but one word of caution for the ladies. I guess I must have been dragging my feet when I was flowriding because when I was done I had blue (paint??) on my French pedicure. Oh the humanity!!!! So glad I didn’t do this ride earlier in the cruise – I would have been #@%&*!!!!!! Of course, I could have gone to the spa and paid $85 for a spa mani-pedi – why didn’t I think of that sooner? We only did one run each on the flowrider because of the line but I would have liked to do it again. Here’s a cool pic of DD1:

 

Back to the pool for a little bit and to say goodbye to Ewan. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool and our conversations with him. Next up was the Madagascar show in the Aquatheater. It was cute. It was honestly the first time we saw any characters on the ship other then Puss n boots who we took a picture with a few nights earlier.

 

We had never gone to any of the parades, photo ops, or character breakfasts. DS was too cool for that. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Up next . . . . .zipline. . . . . did I do it or did I chicken out?

[noshoobie]

Ok, here’s the story with the zipline. I wanted to do it but I didn’t want to do it. It looked scary but I wanted to show DS that it wasn’t. He kept saying pre-cruise that he was going to do it. When he saw it for the first time he said he never said that he was going to do it. I knew it really wasn’t a big deal because it was so short and so many people were doing it. I’m not afraid of heights. So what was wrong with me? Why did I want to chicken out? Well, I decided not to . . . . . . chicken out, that is. I was just going to go for it. I just knew I would regret it if I didn't go. Me, DH, and DD2 went while DD1 and DS were in charge of the cameras. Remember, DH and DD2 had already gone on it so they were giving me tips. DD2 said “just don’t look down.” DH said “make sure you keep looking down.” Yeah, right. I followed DD2’s advice.

I'm behind DD2. I think my knees were shaking.

 

You see that bar in front of her legs? I'm thinking,yeah, like that would keep me from falling 10 stories below.

 

She made it! Is it too late to turn back now?

 

Oh lord, help me! I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom!

 

Wheeeeeeee! If you look closely, you can see that I actually had my right hand off of the bar. That's right - I actually waved to the camera.

 

Ok, I have to admit that it was fun. Totally not as bad as I thought. I got worked up into a frenzy for nothing.

 

 

Next up. . . . . .the rockwall . . . . . did I do it or did I chicken out?

[Cruising to Retirement]

RE:cool:: your cabins- Which room # had the bed closest to the balcony window...

 

When you docked in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten how were your views from your balcony..were you facing the Atlantis, land or out to the harbor...

 

Was it a major hassle to get to and from St. John.. we were planning on doing the same trip to Trunk Bay when we take the allure next year.. How long was the ferry ride to and from St. John.... and roughly combined time total each way from ship to St. John and return trip....

 

About St. Martin.. we used Bernard tours the last time but was thinking about just taking a taxi to the beach near Maho and then walking 10-15 minutes over to Maho to see some of the bigger planes come in...how long did it take you to return to the ship from maho beach....

 

Thank you for your review.. it was excellent... went on oasis last October and doing allure next October... hope you all had a great time... Thanks.

[Eng23]

RE:cool:: your cabins- Which room # had the bed closest to the balcony window...

 

When you docked in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten how were your views from your balcony..were you facing the Atlantis, land or out to the harbor...

 

Was it a major hassle to get to and from St. John.. we were planning on doing the same trip to Trunk Bay when we take the allure next year.. How long was the ferry ride to and from St. John.... and roughly combined time total each way from ship to St. John and return trip....

 

About St. Martin.. we used Bernard tours the last time but was thinking about just taking a taxi to the beach near Maho and then walking 10-15 minutes over to Maho to see some of the bigger planes come in...how long did it take you to return to the ship from maho beach....

 

Thank you for your review.. it was excellent... went on oasis last October and doing allure next October... hope you all had a great time... Thanks.

I can answer the Maho questions for you. From the ship to Maho Beach is about 35-40 minutes. If you plan on doing it on your own just take a taxi going to Maho and ask to go to Sunset Bar & Grill. It is right next to the beach and the airport. If you do this you don't have to walk 10-15 minutes because you are already there. Just so you know the big planes come in in the afternoon usually from 1130am to 2pm. Unfortunately the day that the Allure is in port there are no jumbo jet flights from Europe that day. Most of the palnes that arrive and depart are medium size planes. In the afternoon you will need to allow a little more time to get back to the ship due to traffic, the ride back took about 45-50 minutes. So plan accordingly.

[luv2sail7]

I can answer the Maho questions for you. From the ship to Maho Beach is about 35-40 minutes. If you plan on doing it on your own just take a taxi going to Maho and ask to go to Sunset Bar & Grill. It is right next to the beach and the airport. If you do this you don't have to walk 10-15 minutes because you are already there. Just so you know the big planes come in in the afternoon usually from 1130am to 2pm. Unfortunately the day that the Allure is in port there are no jumbo jet flights from Europe that day. Most of the palnes that arrive and depart are medium size planes. In the afternoon you will need to allow a little more time to get back to the ship due to traffic, the ride back took about 45-50 minutes. So plan accordingly.

 

Hi eng23 - trying not to highjack this great review, but what's the latest time that you suggest we leave Maho by? We will be there on Thanksgiving (not that it would make a difference as its not a recognized holiday for them).

[swwake]

I've been out of town this week and unable to check the boards or update my review, but I just caught up on yours and it's great! I love the Orient Beach photos, and I think you could still use the Maho one for your Christmas card. Time is getting away from me and my memory is getting foggy. You are helping me remember the rest of our cruise so I can finish out our report :)