My attempt at a review. Allure of the Seas 1-20-13

[slh182]

I am going to try to write my first ever review. After getting home I ended up getting sick, so please be patient with me. I will try to finish this as soon as I can. I’m sorry in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes I make. I’m not very good at writing, so please forgive me. I also want to apologize in advance for any negative observations that I have made. I had a great time on the ship, but there were some things that went wrong. I’m not going to leave out the negatives just to please people. I have way more positive things to say than negatives. I am going to give my honest OPINION because that’s what a review is about. This review may also be quite long with lots of text. I sometimes ramble and can’t shut up LOL. I will also have pictures and videos, but I am a horrible photographer and I don’t have the greatest camera. I took most of my videos with my phone because it records in HD. I tried to videotape a tour of the ship, but might have missed certain areas since I didn’t think of making videos until the last day. I also have to figure out how to upload them to Youtube, so it may be awhile before I show you them.

 

This was our second cruise. Our first was last February on the Liberty of the Seas (our honeymoon cruise). You will also notice that I will do a lot of comparing of the two ships that I went on. We weren’t sure that we would like cruising because we feared seasickness so just to be safe we went on a four night western caribbean cruise to Cozumel. We both fell in love with cruising and this will probably be the only way we will travel from now on.

 

I’m 30 and DH is 35. We have been trying to have a baby for the past 3 years with absolutely no luck. We were going to either go on a trip or use the money to put towards in vitro fertilization. We decided that we both needed to get away and that a cruise would help us get our minds off of not being able to have a baby. Infertility is very depressing, so a cruise is just what we needed.

 

In October we booked an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas for 7 nights. We went to the bahamas, st thomas and st martin. When this cruise was booked I was excited and wrote a post on CC telling everyone about our decision. I had one response telling me that I shouldn’t go on the Allure for my second cruise because there is a lot of planning involved, ha. I am not a planner, I live life minute to minute and hardly plan anything. Reading other reviews, I was surprised to see that so many people made spreadsheets and had an itinerary of their own before boarding the ship. It didn’t make any sense to me since every person I saw with a spreadsheet ended up changing it in the end. My thought on the matter is that they give you an itinerary of everything that is going on so I just looked at that and picked out what I wanted to do every day. If it was 4pm, I would look at the compass to see what was going on and decided to do it at that moment. To each their own I guess. My other thought on that matter is that if I had a detailed spreadsheet of everything that I wanted to do before the cruise even started, that I would miss things. My idea of planning was to read lots of reviews to get any tips. I found out a lot of useful information from reading reviews on CC, so I want to thank everyone who took their time to write one. I took some notes and scribbled them down on some paper. I also went onto the Royal Caribbean website and booked all of our shows. Now I recommend reserving shows before you go because there were huge line ups for standbys and not everyone was able to see the shows if they didn’t reserve them. I talked to a lot of people on the ship who said they had to miss things because there was no room. When we got to our rooms they gave us a planner. Sorry for the size difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day before the cruise we went to Fort Lauderdale. We got up VERY early, at 4am. We got to the airport at 5. Our plane left at 7am and we arrived at the Fort Lauderdale international airport just before 10. I was a bit worried because it was pouring rain when we landed, but by the time we went through customs and got our luggage the rain had stopped and it was sunny and hot. We waited for almost 2 hours at customs :( There was a huge line up and because we aren’t US citizens we had to wait forever. You see, they let all of the US citizens in first and then let everyone else through. There was a lady who asked this guy in front of us if she could cut in front of him, and for some reason he said yes. The line was massive so this annoyed me. To top it all off, this lady still wasn’t satisfied and kept trying to squeeze her way through more people. Everyone else she tried to get in front of told her no, so what does she do? She went up to the security guard and told them that she needed to go to the bathroom because of an emergency and needed to get through. Of course the security guard let her. It just wasn’t fair that she didn’t have to wait for 2 hours like the rest of us. There was someone in the line with us who said that she had to be on her cruise for 1pm. I hope she made it because we didn’t leave the airport until after 12. I suggest that you leave the day before your cruise in case you get stuck in customs like we did.

 

Before the cruise we reserved a rental car for Florida with Gold Coast Car Rental http://goldcoastcruiseandflyparking.com/. I highly recommend them. They were great. The car was $52 for the day which included a free shuttle from the airport and one to the cruise port when we dropped our car off the next day. They also have a park and fly as well.

[hondarr9]

Great start! Looking forward to the rest.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[slh182]

Great start! Looking forward to the rest.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

Thank you for your kind words :)

[slh182]

Because we had a car and wanted to shop in Fort Lauderdale the day before the cruise, we stayed at Hilton Doubletree near Sawgrass Mills. It was a great hotel with only one flaw. The hallways had that ocean smell to them. I have a very strong sense of smell and smelled all kinds of interesting smells during my cruise vacation. I blame this on one of the fertility medications I’m taking. It’s a hormone that increases your sense of smell. The hotel was very clean and cheap. It cost $169 for the night and had free parking. It was kind of far from the port, but that didn’t matter since we had rented a car and the rental place was nice and close.

 

 

 

 

We went to Sawgrass Mills Mall for the day and did some shopping. After that we tried to see the Oasis leave, but we were kind of late and couldn’t make it to a good spot to see it. We did see it in the ocean and took some pictures. However, when we got off of the ship we went to a great spot to watch the Allure leave. Thanks to Gambee for the directions on how to get there. We sat on rocks on the beach. It was a bit confusing to get there though. We parked at a church and walked down a pathway to the beach. It was so very sad to see the Allure leave without us.

 

Oasis

 

Allure

 

Allure

[Sinduf]

Can't wait to read more. We're heading on Liberty in June for the 3rd time and want to do Allure after that so can't wait to see your comparisons of them. Totally agree with you about the planning. I like to plan a little but the spreadsheet thing really surprised me on other reviews.

[Crusin till Im Dead]

Very interested to hear more; and wondering if you had a Balcony room and encountered any smokers out on their balcony?

 

Kirk

[reney313]

 

. It was so very sad to see the Allure leave without us.

 

I missed something...why did the Allure leave without you? Weren't you on the ship??

[slh182]

Can't wait to read more. We're heading on Liberty in June for the 3rd time and want to do Allure after that so can't wait to see your comparisons of them. Totally agree with you about the planning. I like to plan a little but the spreadsheet thing really surprised me on other reviews.

 

I LOVED the Liberty. I thought that the Allure would be way better, but it was just too crowded for me. Maybe it was because the ship was full (6111 passengers). There was way more things to do on the Allure though. I also thought that the food was better on the Liberty, but then I found out that Royal Caribbean changed their menu, so maybe that's why.

 

 

 

 

Very interested to hear more; and wondering if you had a Balcony room and encountered any smokers out on their balcony?

 

Kirk

 

Thank you.

 

I didn't notice the smoke from other balconies, but DH said that everyone around us was smoking. He just quit 5 months ago so it was a bit hard for him to be around it.

[slh182]

I missed something...why did the Allure leave without you? Weren't you on the ship??

 

LOL, I'm sorry that I wasn't clear on that. Those pictures were taken on day that we left the Allure. Our plane left at 9pm so we were able to watch it leave for it's western itinerary. It was sad to see it leave without us as in we had to go home and weren't on it. Duh me.

[slh182]

I'm not feeling very well right now, so I am going to go to bed early. I will continue with day 1 tomorrow. If anyone has any questions I will try my hardest to answer them.

[Jmcphillipsjr]

Thanks for posting the condensed evening planners. Very handy.

[drmomsc]

Enjoying your review. I hope you feel better.

[nanwel]

thank you for your review so far - going on Allure in March, and did not want to book a lot of stuff - rather do stuff when we feel like it - but, will now make a point of booking shows & hope we want to go the time we book.

[funfamilyof6]

Great job so far...I personally appreciate honest reviews! ;)

 

Our family of 6 has considered the Allure for a couple of years now, we have intentionally delayed cruising on the Allure/Oasis for a few reasons.

 

1. Price (paying for 6 is a lot on the Allure/Oasis)

 

2. Don't want to lose the true intimate feeling (although the Freedom is a large ship, IMO it feels more like a ship as opposed to the Allure/Oasis that "looks" like it has a feel more of a resort). Since I have never cruised on the Allure/Oasis I am basing my opinion from the many reviews I have read and photos I have seen here on CC and online.

 

3. Too much pre-planning. Although I am a planner in nature, planning for the Allure/Oasis is more than I want to do. Yes, I know I can get a copy of the Cruise Compass activities ahead of time and so on, but this takes part of the fun away, doesn't it?

 

 

With all this being said, I am planning a cruise for next year with my husband by ourselves without kids. This may not be a big deal to many, but my oldest of 4 kids is starting college next year, and we haven't taken a vacation by ourselves since we had kids 21 years ago. :eek: I am looking at the Liberty and the Allure/Oasis. I would jump on the Liberty if it was a 7 day, but unfortunately it isn't right now. I'm not even sure if it will still be in the states next year when we are looking to cruise. I really don't want to do the Freedom again (I want different shows), so we may have no choice except for the Allure/Oasis.

 

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review! :)

[waseatravel]

looking forward to your review. We leave on the 17th of Feb. Hope you are feeling better. Thanks again for the compass from your other post.

[Lloyd555]

So far so good. Like the photos.

 

Looking forward to acruise on the Allure, maybe next February.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[wnycruisefam66]

Looking forward to your report. We sail on the Allure in about 2 months. I've pre-booked our shows, but that's about it for my on-ship planning.

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for posting the Eastern Allure Compasses!! I'm looking forward to your review...we leave in a couple of months!!

[Jenjer]

Your doing great. Thank You for being honest I want to know the negative and the positive...if I wanted fluffy all positive info I would watch a RCC comercial. I want the truth. Nothing is ever perfect for everyone.

 

Also Thank You for taking yor time to do this

[funfamilyof6]

Your doing great. Thank You for being honest I want to know the negative and the positive...if I wanted fluffy all positive info I would watch a RCC comercial. I want the truth. Nothing is ever perfect for everyone.

 

Also Thank You for taking yor time to do this

 

Some people don't appreciate honesty LOL!

 

To the OP, I hope you are feeling better! :)

[funfamilyof6]

Great job so far...I personally appreciate honest reviews! ;)

 

Our family of 6 has considered the Allure for a couple of years now, we have intentionally delayed cruising on the Allure/Oasis for a few reasons.

 

1. Price (paying for 6 is a lot on the Allure/Oasis)

 

2. Don't want to lose the true intimate feeling (although the Freedom is a large ship, IMO it feels more like a ship as opposed to the Allure/Oasis that "looks" like it has a feel more of a resort). Since I have never cruised on the Allure/Oasis I am basing my opinion from the many reviews I have read and photos I have seen here on CC and online.

 

3. Too much pre-planning. Although I am a planner in nature, planning for the Allure/Oasis is more than I want to do. Yes, I know I can get a copy of the Cruise Compass activities ahead of time and so on, but this takes part of the fun away, doesn't it?

 

 

With all this being said, I am planning a cruise for next year with my husband by ourselves without kids. This may not be a big deal to many, but my oldest of 4 kids is starting college next year, and we haven't taken a vacation by ourselves since we had kids 21 years ago. :eek: I am looking at the Liberty and the Allure/Oasis. I would jump on the Liberty if it was a 7 day, but unfortunately it isn't right now. I'm not even sure if it will still be in the states next year when we are looking to cruise. I really don't want to do the Freedom again (I want different shows), so we may have no choice except for the Allure/Oasis.

 

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review! :)

 

I should have said 17 years ago....It will be our 21st wedding anniversary. Old age is setting in.

[mairilouise]

I notice the OP mentioned that they had to wait for 2 hours at customs as they were not american citizens, is this the same leaving the ship? I am in the process of booking a back to back on the allure and our indirect flight on the way back is from Fort Lauderdale to New York Newark which leaves at 1.45pm, would this be ok given that we are from the UK and not American citizens and might have to wait a while? I believe the airport is only 5 mins from the cruise terminal?

[TBone2K]

When flying from Toronto, we always pre clear customs before we get on the plane. Then when you get off at FLL you just grab your bags and go. Maybe it depends on what terminal you fly out of?

 

Pardon the pun, but DW and I are in the same boat as you with regards to infertility. Its one of the reasons we like the adult areas and night life on RC as a chance to get away from other people's kids.

[A&L_Ont]

When flying from Toronto, we always pre clear customs before we get on the plane. Then when you get off at FLL you just grab your bags and go. Maybe it depends on what terminal you fly out of?

 

Pardon the pun, but DW and I are in the same boat as you with regards to infertility. Its one of the reasons we like the adult areas and night life on RC as a chance to get away from other people's kids.

 

I was thinking the same thing too. If the flight was out of Buffalo then customs is out of the question as it happens at the border.

 

Perhaps West Jet out of Hamilton? Maybe there is no US customs at Hamilton. There is Customs at both T1 and T3 in Toronto, but could be a special situation.

 

Enjoying the review. Hope you feel better.

Andrew