Allure Review - November 25th

[mills423]

Just got back Sunday from Allure of the Seas - Eastern Carribean.

 

Thought I would give you a quick review of the trip.

 

We (wife and two kids) flew into Ft Lauderdale on Saturday. Stayed at the Hampton just a couple of miles from the Port. Nice place with friendly staff.

 

Boarding on Sunday went very smoothly. A little wait before we could get on but once everything got moving it was quick.

 

We had a deluxe room with a balcony - pull out and a pullman bed. Room was nice and had a great attendant. If you have bigger kids you would probably want to bump up a suite of some sort as the pullout and the pullman bed are designed more for smaller kids.

 

My kids are 15 and 11 so there was plenty of stuff for them to do each day. They spent the majority of their time on the back of the ship near the teen zone and youth areas.

 

Not a big foodie review guy but for the most part the meals were good. Lots to choose from and service was good. The one thing that did bother me from time to time was the staff would hover over you while you were trying to enjoy your meal wanting to pick up your plate, etc. Not a big deal but I hate it when someone is constanting looking over your back. Other than that I really can't complain about the food service. We did room service several times and although they said it was a 30 to 45 minute wait for your meal to be delivered, I don't think it was ever more than 10 or 15 minutes, tops. Also, before we left I read a lot of reviews on the Windjammer being crowded etc. I didn't find that to be the case at all. We were there several times during the cruise and never really had an issue finding a seat. We didn't eat at any of the extra fee restaurants.

 

Drinks were fairly expensive but were good with top shelf selections and the bar service was excellent.

 

My wife did a few of the spa treatments while on board. She especially enjoyed the steam room in the late afternoon. The work out area wasn't huge but there were plenty of machines to use and for the most part I didn't have trouble finding a treadmill or eliptical. The machines were all in good condition.

 

We went to the headliner show and Oceanaria. My wife and older son also went to Chicago. All of the shows were excellent. The headliner I thought was hilarious.

 

Overall the cruise was good................with one exception.

 

I really don't care what kind of lifestyle choices a person makes. I think the politcally correct term is alternative lifestyle. Correct me if I'm wrong. For anyone that was on the ship this last week they know what I mean. If that's your cup of tea that's fine. What I will say is some of the conduct that took place was completely inappropriate for a cruise such as this where there are families with kids (especially in the hot tubs).

 

After dinner one of the first evenings we decided to explore the ship a little and went to the upper deck to look around. There's a bar up there (can't remember the name) that was right off the elevator. We got off the elevator and the bar was fairly full - and they were in the middle of some sort of chant being inspired by someone with a microphone. What was said couldn't be repeated on here. Unfortunately we had to stand there and listen to this until another elevator showed up. I suppose the bigger the group the more emboldened people become and think that type of conduct is appropriate. I mentioned it to a member of the staff, and they anxiously smiled. I felt bad for them as they knew it was wrong but didn't want confront them on it. They apologized and left it at that.

 

This wasn't the only incident that occured during the week. I guess what set me off was my wife was on a elevator going back to the room. Two gentleman got on the elevator - both fairly drunk - and a lude comment was made about her. Unfortunately I wasn't there - maybe the comment wouldn't have been made.

 

I apologize for venting and if I offended anyone I apologize in advance. But something needed to be said.

[gambee]

Overall the cruise was good................with one exception.

 

I really don't care what kind of lifestyle choices a person makes. I think the politcally correct term is alternative lifestyle. Correct me if I'm wrong. For anyone that was on the ship this last week they know what I mean. If that's your cup of tea that's fine. What I will say is some of the conduct that took place was completely inappropriate for a cruise such as this where there are families with kids (especially in the hot tubs).

 

After dinner one of the first evenings we decided to explore the ship a little and went to the upper deck to look around. There's a bar up there (can't remember the name) that was right off the elevator. We got off the elevator and the bar was fairly full - and they were in the middle of some sort of chant being inspired by someone with a microphone. What was said couldn't be repeated on here. Unfortunately we had to stand there and listen to this until another elevator showed up. I suppose the bigger the group the more emboldened people become and think that type of conduct is appropriate. I mentioned it to a member of the staff, and they anxiously smiled. I felt bad for them as they knew it was wrong but didn't want confront them on it. They apologized and left it at that.

 

This wasn't the only incident that occured during the week. I guess what set me off was my wife was on a elevator going back to the room. Two gentleman got on the elevator - both fairly drunk - and a lude comment was made about her. Unfortunately I wasn't there - maybe the comment wouldn't have been made.

 

I apologize for venting and if I offended anyone I apologize in advance. But something needed to be said.

 

You mean the Pied Piper group? I was not aware that they were that bad.

[Aqua Room]

Hey there- I was also on this cruise and I pretty much agree with most of what you said. I posted the below notes in the roll call threat, so I will include here as a review.

 

To your point on the lifestyle - We fortunately did not have any inappropriate incidents, however I can see how they could happen as we did notice "crowded" activity in the hot tubs and such. Luckily there are so many hot tubs on board we found others (the big ones right before the 16+ area on each side were our faves) - but yes, it was noticeable. I, like you, have zero problems with the lifestyle but i can see how many people were very outward about it during the cruise. One little thing was one guy who wouldnt stop giving play by play during Oceanaria including a lengthy and somewhat graphic opinion of the acrobat brothers (who, by the way, were great).

 

Here were my notes:

 

-----------------

Just got off the Allure with my wife and I am still just dumbfounded on how incredible this ship is. I'm 28 and have been on a bit more than a dozen cruises or so across RCCL, NCL, Carnival, Holland America and I just cant get over the size of this thing.

 

Our experience was good all around. Shows were good, enjoyed the food, and our staff in the main dining room was awesome (8:30 seating). Great service all the way down to me not having to ask for my post-dinner coffee by night 3. One specialty restaurant we went to was Izuma and we loved it. The hot rock cooking was really awesome. We did not go to Chops but 2 other pairs at our regular dining table did and both had terrible experiences. Said the steaks were just not good, especially for the extra fee.

 

Shows, great. Saw them all and Ron Lucas was a real treat if you went to Headliner. For anyone who went to ice games, that little Canadian girl with the hoop was ridiculous.

 

Room attendant was great, too. Started giving us wine glasses by day 2 once we saw we brought wine onboard. Just a little nice attention to detail. (interior room, deck 10).

 

The one thing I will absolutely never get over is the size of the promenade. Having a long hallway like that lined with bars and shops is just incredibly cool and really blurs the line of a land resort and a cruise ship. The 70s dance party that broke out was insane with the amount of people but not in a bad way. The stage that popped out from above bow and stern was another cool moment.

 

One request...if you are going to have a hot dog place..GET A CHICAGO DOG!!!! :p

 

Attached a couple of panoramics.

[Reader0108598]

Just got back Sunday from Allure of the Seas - Eastern Carribean.

 

Thought I would give you a quick review of the trip.

 

We (wife and two kids) flew into Ft Lauderdale on Saturday. Stayed at the Hampton just a couple of miles from the Port. Nice place with friendly staff.

 

Boarding on Sunday went very smoothly. A little wait before we could get on but once everything got moving it was quick.

 

We had a deluxe room with a balcony - pull out and a pullman bed. Room was nice and had a great attendant. If you have bigger kids you would probably want to bump up a suite of some sort as the pullout and the pullman bed are designed more for smaller kids.

 

My kids are 15 and 11 so there was plenty of stuff for them to do each day. They spent the majority of their time on the back of the ship near the teen zone and youth areas.

 

Not a big foodie review guy but for the most part the meals were good. Lots to choose from and service was good. The one thing that did bother me from time to time was the staff would hover over you while you were trying to enjoy your meal wanting to pick up your plate, etc. Not a big deal but I hate it when someone is constanting looking over your back. Other than that I really can't complain about the food service. We did room service several times and although they said it was a 30 to 45 minute wait for your meal to be delivered, I don't think it was ever more than 10 or 15 minutes, tops. Also, before we left I read a lot of reviews on the Windjammer being crowded etc. I didn't find that to be the case at all. We were there several times during the cruise and never really had an issue finding a seat. We didn't eat at any of the extra fee restaurants.

 

Drinks were fairly expensive but were good with top shelf selections and the bar service was excellent.

 

My wife did a few of the spa treatments while on board. She especially enjoyed the steam room in the late afternoon. The work out area wasn't huge but there were plenty of machines to use and for the most part I didn't have trouble finding a treadmill or eliptical. The machines were all in good condition.

 

We went to the headliner show and Oceanaria. My wife and older son also went to Chicago. All of the shows were excellent. The headliner I thought was hilarious.

 

Overall the cruise was good................with one exception.

 

I really don't care what kind of lifestyle choices a person makes. I think the politcally correct term is alternative lifestyle. Correct me if I'm wrong. For anyone that was on the ship this last week they know what I mean. If that's your cup of tea that's fine. What I will say is some of the conduct that took place was completely inappropriate for a cruise such as this where there are families with kids (especially in the hot tubs).

 

After dinner one of the first evenings we decided to explore the ship a little and went to the upper deck to look around. There's a bar up there (can't remember the name) that was right off the elevator. We got off the elevator and the bar was fairly full - and they were in the middle of some sort of chant being inspired by someone with a microphone. What was said couldn't be repeated on here. Unfortunately we had to stand there and listen to this until another elevator showed up. I suppose the bigger the group the more emboldened people become and think that type of conduct is appropriate. I mentioned it to a member of the staff, and they anxiously smiled. I felt bad for them as they knew it was wrong but didn't want confront them on it. They apologized and left it at that.

 

This wasn't the only incident that occured during the week. I guess what set me off was my wife was on a elevator going back to the room. Two gentleman got on the elevator - both fairly drunk - and a lude comment was made about her. Unfortunately I wasn't there - maybe the comment wouldn't have been made.

 

I apologize for venting and if I offended anyone I apologize in advance. But something needed to be said.

 

 

Had to be there to understand your comment ...and I was.

 

However had a lewd comment been made about me in an elevator .......O boy look out!!!!

[Reader0108598]

You mean the Pied Piper group? I was not aware that they were that bad.

 

As with any group some people take things too far:(

[gambee]

As with any group some people take things too far:(

 

Unfortunately so, frustrating how a few rotten apples out there give the gay community such a bad rep.

[Reader0108598]

Unfortunately so, frustrating how a few rotten apples out there give the gay community such a bad rep.

 

Agreed very unfortunate

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[cruisinwithmaandpa]

I feel everyone to each their own , but RCCL should let future cruisers know if it will be a large showing of an alternative lifestyle on board, so you could book a different date if you would be uncomfortable.

[marciab]

There is a way to search if there is a specific group booked on your cruise, but I forget how to do it.

 

The cruise lines will never tell you. On every cruise there are many groups of 20-100's, most you never notice.

 

We happened to be on an American Girl cruise- 100's of 5-14yo girls with their dolls. All the dolls had seats in the dining room and informal areas. The only thing that that really bothered me,is they also would take their own pool chairs,making seating much more limited for 'real' people!

 

There were a number of group activities for this bunch - one did not want to be around where their group activities were.

 

Like with any group, the majority seemed well behaved but there was more than a dozen who some of the worst behaved children i have ever seen in my life.

 

After that cruise, for the next few I checked out the groups that were cruising- but lately I have forgotten .

[cruzincurt]

We were also on this cruise and knew there would be a large group.

 

In our travels around the ship, we observed nothing we thought was extraordinary. Sure, some couples were obvious, but none interfered with our enjoyment of the cruise; we didn't their's either. Perhaps we didn't come across where there was a significant group partying together although we did enjoy seeing the dressed up guys walking through the casino to their midnight party in Studio B.

 

Only encounter we had was, while seated in the theater, a couple of guys went past us to sit further down the row. One commented on my wife's selection of toe nail polish color. Totally harmless and worth a smile and thank you.

 

I was happy to see everyone having a good time as life is too short otherwise.

 

On the water taxi back from St. Martin, we struck up a conversation with two guys seated next to us. Turns out they were from the HAL ship.

[CRUZER2012]

There is a way to search if there is a specific group booked on your cruise, but I forget how to do it.

 

The cruise lines will never tell you. On every cruise there are many groups of 20-100's, most you never notice.

 

We happened to be on an American Girl cruise- 100's of 5-14yo girls with their dolls. All the dolls had seats in the dining room and informal areas. The only thing that that really bothered me,is they also would take their own pool chairs,making seating much more limited for 'real' people!

 

There were a number of group activities for this bunch - one did not want to be around where their group activities were.

 

Like with any group, the majority seemed well behaved but there was more than a dozen who some of the worst behaved children i have ever seen in my life.

 

After that cruise, for the next few I checked out the groups that were cruising- but lately I have forgotten .

 

 

Were these dolls charged as occupants of their respective cabin?

[Bundles917]

A respectful response.

 

To the OP’s statement that being gay is an ‘alternative lifestyle,’ the ‘politically correct’ verbiage you seek is ‘gay.’

 

If I as a gay man partnered for 25 years had known that I could choose an ‘alternative’ between a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse or living without assault for who I am I don’t think I would have chosen my sexual orientation as is. Just as being any heritage, skin tone, male, female or any inherit born quality is not a choice or 'alternative.'

 

As to passengers being warned by a cruise line about large groups being on board: Would it be appropriate for a cruise line to alert non-Christian passengers that a large group of evangelical Christians was sailing on the same itinerary? No. I have had vacations unknowingly planned to be among large groups that were outside my interests but I did not blame the group or accommodations for the pairing. Life brought us together. Life is partly about discovering diversity and embracing difference.

 

As to inappropriate behavior: Lewd comments or intentionally insulting actions made while sober or intoxicated towards fellow journeyers on this spinning ball of dirt and water are of course poor form. Difference is not to blame for the behavior. Lack of respect is the culprit and such can be committed by any of us when our clarity of decency is clouded by poor judgment.

 

Your wife unfortunately met some rude individuals (who were born gay) but who as people first, should have been respectful. Just as any person should do no matter what sets them apart as an individual.

 

 

My Best,

Paul

[CRUZER2012]

A respectful response.

 

To the OP’s statement that being gay is an ‘alternative lifestyle,’ the ‘politically correct’ verbiage you seek is ‘gay.’

 

If I as a gay man partnered for 25 years had known that I could choose an ‘alternative’ between a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse or living without assault for who I am I don’t think I would have chosen my sexual orientation as is. Just as being any heritage, skin tone, male, female or any inherit born quality is not a choice or 'alternative.'

 

As to passengers being warned by a cruise line about large groups being on board: Would it be appropriate for a cruise line to alert non-Christian passengers that a large group of evangelical Christians was sailing on the same itinerary? No. I have had vacations unknowingly planned to be among large groups that were outside my interests but I did not blame the group or accommodations for the pairing. Life brought us together. Life is partly about discovering diversity and embracing difference.

 

As to inappropriate behavior: Lewd comments or intentionally insulting actions made while sober or intoxicated towards fellow journeyers on this spinning ball of dirt and water are of course poor form. Difference is not to blame for the behavior. Lack of respect is the culprit and such can be committed by any of us when our clarity of decency is clouded by poor judgment.

 

Your wife unfortunately met some rude individuals (who were born gay) but who as people first, should have been respectful. Just as any person should do no matter what sets them apart as an individual.

 

 

My Best,

Paul

 

 

Paul, thank you for what I see as your consise, well-thought out, and heartfelt clarity. Initially, I was somewhat confused by the poster's carefully worded description of the persons involved in behavior seen as inappropriate. I soon realized that it was a group of gay men. It is more helpful for a person to say things in a much more clear manner.

 

I would imagine these men were having a good time and things just got a bit out of hand. I do not subscribe to the notion that any particular bit of poor behavior or poor judgement is the providence of any particular type of person. At the same time, prejudices can be amplified for some people based on circumstances.

[SherriZ366]

We sailed with a half ship charter in the 1990's and now I use all Internet tools to check to see if a large group is sailing on our cruise date. We can opt to change or just to have knowledge. If anyone has any tools for checking out large groups on a sailing, please share. I usually just Google the date.

 

Sometimes it comes up in a roll call. We are sailing with a group of self proclaimed computer "geeks" who provide their own shows in Feb. Seems like they have lots of talented singers etc. from posters ' comments.

[gambee]

A respectful response.

 

To the OP’s statement that being gay is an ‘alternative lifestyle,’ the ‘politically correct’ verbiage you seek is ‘gay.’

 

If I as a gay man partnered for 25 years had known that I could choose an ‘alternative’ between a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse or living without assault for who I am I don’t think I would have chosen my sexual orientation as is. Just as being any heritage, skin tone, male, female or any inherit born quality is not a choice or 'alternative.'

 

As to passengers being warned by a cruise line about large groups being on board: Would it be appropriate for a cruise line to alert non-Christian passengers that a large group of evangelical Christians was sailing on the same itinerary? No. I have had vacations unknowingly planned to be among large groups that were outside my interests but I did not blame the group or accommodations for the pairing. Life brought us together. Life is partly about discovering diversity and embracing difference.

 

As to inappropriate behavior: Lewd comments or intentionally insulting actions made while sober or intoxicated towards fellow journeyers on this spinning ball of dirt and water are of course poor form. Difference is not to blame for the behavior. Lack of respect is the culprit and such can be committed by any of us when our clarity of decency is clouded by poor judgment.

 

Your wife unfortunately met some rude individuals (who were born gay) but who as people first, should have been respectful. Just as any person should do no matter what sets them apart as an individual.

 

 

My Best,

Paul

 

Thank you! Well said! I wish I had the fluency you have with words.

[PathfinderEss]

Thank you for your review. Sorry about some of your incidents.

[BillOh]

Jut googled my cruised and apparently we will have a group of people in the funeral-pre-planning business. (insurance?)

[marciab]

Were these dolls charged as occupants of their respective cabin?

 

I don't think so, but I'm sure they paid more for all their extra activities. There were special things planned for every day.

[jamessemaj]

Rude, crass, boorish behavior is not an acceptable "alternative lifestyle". That is the issue here, not the sexual orientation or whatever.

 

The post about the doll group left me laughing. That would grow stale very fast, I think. I would hang out in the bar drinking, and assume that dolls wouldn't be occupying bar space.

[SherriZ366]

Jut googled my cruised and apparently we will have a group of people in the funeral-pre-planning business. (insurance?)

You will have to tell us about them. Hope they won't be trying to see you packages during the cruise!!!

[Darkwolfe]

We were on Mariner last January and found ourselves parked next to Allure at Cozumel. Allure had a complete Atlantis charter on board that day. I am absolutely certain that there were some decent folks on board but during departure, I have never seen such behavior in my life.

 

There were many things thrown off Allure's balconies, from sunglasses to entire rolls of toilet paper. Catcalls, lewd remarks, etc that I won't detail here. As was said by another poster, a group large enough thinks it can do what it wants sometimes. I found myself quite curious as to how many got left in Cozumel as security was on the pier and taking notes.

 

There was one gay couple on our sailing (very nice fellows) that seemed totally embarrassed by the actions coming from Allure and I couldn't blame them at all.

[katiebanks7]

A respectful response.

 

To the OP’s statement that being gay is an ‘alternative lifestyle,’ the ‘politically correct’ verbiage you seek is ‘gay.’

 

If I as a gay man partnered for 25 years had known that I could choose an ‘alternative’ between a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse or living without assault for who I am I don’t think I would have chosen my sexual orientation as is. Just as being any heritage, skin tone, male, female or any inherit born quality is not a choice or 'alternative.'

 

As to passengers being warned by a cruise line about large groups being on board: Would it be appropriate for a cruise line to alert non-Christian passengers that a large group of evangelical Christians was sailing on the same itinerary? No. I have had vacations unknowingly planned to be among large groups that were outside my interests but I did not blame the group or accommodations for the pairing. Life brought us together. Life is partly about discovering diversity and embracing difference.

 

As to inappropriate behavior: Lewd comments or intentionally insulting actions made while sober or intoxicated towards fellow journeyers on this spinning ball of dirt and water are of course poor form. Difference is not to blame for the behavior. Lack of respect is the culprit and such can be committed by any of us when our clarity of decency is clouded by poor judgment.

 

Your wife unfortunately met some rude individuals (who were born gay) but who as people first, should have been respectful. Just as any person should do no matter what sets them apart as an individual.

 

 

My Best,

Paul

 

Amen!

[6andy6]

I feel everyone to each their own , but RCCL should let future cruisers know if it will be a large showing of an alternative lifestyle on board, so you could book a different date if you would be uncomfortable.

 

Just wondering?

 

Like if there was a large group of mixed race married people would you want prior notice. How about Muslims? A bigger than normal number of divorced people..after all the thgt of divorce might repulse me. Or just generally any non white non hetrosexuals you would like some sort of list given you a break up in advance......

 

What about something as provocative as female dancers with skimpy outfits? A general announcement or is that 'normal' in your part of the world. After all kids should not be exposed to that amount of skin....maybe all bikinis should be banned as well if we go down that path....

 

What's 'alternative' for one person can be something that does not batter the eyelid of another...so how do you managed it?

 

Gawd would have been funny the 60's ....'Cunard wishes to announce the presence of 50 black people on our cruise. For those that feel uncomfortable we have made alternate eating arrangements or can arrange a refund to your on board account for any expenses canceling a cruise'

 

See where I'm going with this.....life changes. Rarely does it stop. And in retrospect the most normal thoughts begin to look somewhat stupid...

[JonAlone]

Guess the score is 1-1 then for poor behavour.

 

I had the misfortune of being seated on a table in MDR on Silhouette with a table of Born Again Christians.

 

Despite spending the day at the Holocaust Museum, they seemed able to pass comment on my religion (Jewish) and my sexuality (Gay)...

 

Do some people never learn?

 

I left the table and ate in my cabin, and got a FREE upgrade to Aqua the next day so I wouldn't have to risk sharing a table with any of a number of BAC's on-board.

 

Amazingly, the couple I shared a table with were of very poor health, massively overweight and unable to enjoy the sun and on their 3rd and 4th marriages! Probably not the best role models for any sort of lifestyle whether voluntary or otherwise.:eek: