Middle Aged Drama Queen Goes BIG: Solo & Last Minute on the ALLURE!!!

[KansCocoa]

Sherry, I am loving your review. And yes, you write similar to Janet Evanovich. :):):)

 

Thanks, Nancy - and I LOVE Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum. ;)

[KansCocoa]

Day 1 Cruise Compasses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beth C]

Because my soaps...shampoos...body washes...and razor...were just small enough to always fall through the "cracks" of the wire shelf. Do you know how HARD it is to try to scoop something up off the floor of a wet shower, when you're basically inside a test tube???!!

 

I had that same problem but solved it by putting an extra washcloth over the wires and everything stayed where it was supposed to. I use a scrubbie so there was always an extra washcloth to use :)

 

21 days I have suffered on Oasis and Allure with that wire shelf thing... Probably picked my razor up 50+ times in that shower... Add me to the list of DUH people who never figured the washcloth trick lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KansCocoa]

And the Cruise Specials for Day 1:

 

 

 

 

 

And may I add...BOY, am I glad to finally start scanning these Cruise Compasses! These things have physically traveled from Florida (after the cruise - via car from the ship to Ft Myers), back to Kansas City (via airplane), to New York City (via airplane), and then back to Florida (via train.) They're HEAVY!

[janeyzee]

21 days I have suffered on Oasis and Allure with that wire shelf thing... Probably picked my razor up 50+ times in that shower... Add me to the list of DUH people who never figured the washcloth trick lol

 

 

I didn't figure it out until towards the end of the cruise, but after that I was a happy girl!

[PCWalton1]

Sherri,

Welcome back young lady. Hope you get well soon. Thanks for pointing out the roast beef sandwiches are there all cruise so we decided to skip Park Cafe and have a noon reservation for Giovanni's Table the first day. :)

Bill

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk 2

[vince5251]

Hello, everyone!

 

My deployment to NY/NJ finally ended - longer than I expected, but it was all good. I met an amazing amount of people, and I saw some AMAZING sights in the big city...thanks to all of you and your suggestions, I went to not one, but TWO Broadway shows: "Wicked", which was phenomenal, as well as "Once" - which was poignant and resonating. And I got be on a Broadway stage. Hee.

 

So...spent a week here in Florida for Spring Break; they've all gone back to KC, but here I sit...grounded, still, due to sinus/ear issues, but hopeful, as I see an ENT tomorrow and hope to get some final answers on why I can't seem to regulate the pressure/fluid in my left ear.

 

While I'm here...and I have peace and quiet and no children and no work...I thought I would finally - FINALLY - get caught back up on my EPIC review.

 

Thank you for being so patient! I will post a few posts and then try to go back and make sure all questions, comments, etc were addressed. Thanks to everyone who covered this thread in my absence and helped others with their questions - you all ROCK!

 

So...without further ado...let's get back to it!!!

 

 

Your timing could not have been better! Between finalizing everything for out upcoming cruise and taking care of work and family, I finally finish up GAMBEE's awsome review yesterday morning! Between the two of you, I could not be more excited to be heading out next month. I am sooooooo glad that you returned and are providing me more interesting reading between now and sail.

 

Sorry to hear about the ear/sinus' still. Living in Dayton, Ohio, or as we call it Sinus Valley, I truly understand. I wish I could help with a remedy or solution, but only time seems to work for me - netti pots do seem to help. I double up on the packets of solution to start.

 

Take care and I hope you feel better soon. Again, WELCOME BACK! You were truly missed!!!!

[cruzinlady1947]

Welcome back Sherri. Sorry about your ear/sinus problems. Hopefully it will be fine in no time at all.

 

You were certainly missed here. I kept up with your blog, which I absolutely love.

 

Did you see any ships sailing out of the NY harbor while you were there? They sail out of New York and Bayonne, NJ. We sailed out of Bayonne on March 5th. It was nice to have a cruise to keep us busy until your return. Now, no scheduled cruises until November.:(

 

Loving your review, as I did all the other ones too. Keep up the good work, but take care of yourself and hopefully you will get home soon.

 

Gwen :)

Edited March 19, 2013 by cruzinlady1947

[mrsfecura]

 

All too soon, the sun was setting....

 

 

 

 

Oh I love this picture - I just set it as my desktop background at work. Hope ya don't mind the thievery! ;)

[Just The 3 Of Us]

YAY - missed you, Sherri!!! Hope you get better real soon, so you can finally be with your family!!! :)

 

Barb

[KGSB11]

I just had an epiphany! I already planned on bubbles (wife's request) for our sailaway -- Why had I not thought of CHOCOLATE! This would be more for me than her, but hey it's my cruise too right :D I have a wave of enlightenment and clarity right now that I cannot describe.

[jpg1747]

So...on to the bathroom!

 

It's tight...but functional...you are first presented with the space-tube shower:

 

 

Inside the shower, there is a clearly-marked "Shampoo" dispenser:

 

 

I know some people use it as a body wash, but to each his own.

 

For the ladies, there is a small "shave bar" in the corner...you can use this to prop your legs up for shaving. It takes some maneuvering, though, as when the space-tube doors are closed, there's not a lot of room inside.

 

 

 

There are two small hooks in the shower...for a scrubbie, perhaps? Or a washcloth?

 

 

And now to my biggest complaint about the shower...because, really, I was pretty happy with it, for the most part. The water was hot; the pressure was good; and it didn't leak too much water all over the floor.

 

However, I hated - HATED - this wire shelf:

 

 

Why, you ask? Because my soaps...shampoos...body washes...and razor...were just small enough to always fall through the "cracks" of the wire shelf. Do you know how HARD it is to try to scoop something up off the floor of a wet shower, when you're basically inside a test tube???!!

 

 

I put a washcloth in there first and then everything stays put.

[jhnsnfamily]

... Living in Dayton, Ohio, or as we call it Sinus Valley, I truly understand.

 

Hey Dayton! Springfield here ... We just booked a cruise on board the Allure for next June ... an agonizingly looooooooooooooong wait! I just finished Gambee's review myself and I'm excited that Sherri's back (hey Sherri! Great review!!! You are so funny!) to finish hers!

Edited March 19, 2013 by jhnsnfamily

[jewel825]

I put a washcloth in there first and then everything stays put.

 

Excellent idea! I get frustrated with things falling through the cracks too. Thanks for the tip!

[cruzinlady1947]

Sherri, you are almost at 200,000 views on this thread. Impressive.........:D:cool:

 

Gwen :)

[AlisonoftheSeas]

Sherri-

Only a few short days ago, I happened upon this fantastic review. During your brief hiatus, I read both your European and Freedom postings. By far, yours are the best reviews I've ever read. I feel like I am sailling with you! In fact, I sincerely hope to ACTUALLY sail with you one day! Fantastic writing! Can't wait for the next installment.

Alison

[AlisonoftheSeas]

Because my soaps...shampoos...body washes...and razor...were just small enough to always fall through the "cracks" of the wire shelf. Do you know how HARD it is to try to scoop something up off the floor of a wet shower, when you're basically inside a test tube???!!

 

I had that same problem but solved it by putting an extra washcloth over the wires and everything stayed where it was supposed to. I use a scrubbie so there was always an extra washcloth to use :)

 

Honestly, how has it NEVER occurred to me to use a washcloth to keep things from falling through the rack? Genius!

[lalalisa]

Thank you for taking the time to put this all together! I have been reading, reading, reading for two nights now. You are answering questions I didn't even know I had. :)

[Kim & Billy in MO]

"Realizing that I had a better chance of winning a $500 billion dollar lottery ticket than I had of getting on an elevator in the next two hours, I opted for the stairs. With a broken toe. I climbed from Deck 4 up to Deck 11 - huffing, puffing, wheezing...a little worse for the wear. Once arriving on Deck 11, I crawled on my knees the ENTIRE length of the ship - down the narrow cabin hallway - in a desperate effort to get that champagne and chocolate."

 

Hi Sherri. I am really enjoying your review, but your description of the trek up the stairs after Muster Drill is the best!

 

Kim :)

[Steppy08]

Honestly, how has it NEVER occurred to me to use a washcloth to keep things from falling through the rack? Genius!

 

Alison, I LOVE your screen name! :D

[AlisonoftheSeas]

Alison, I LOVE your screen name! :D

 

I *TRIED* to tell them that Alison of the Seas was a WAY better name than Quantum or Anthem. Pshhhhh. No one listens :D

[janeyzee]

I put a washcloth in there first and then everything stays put.

 

Great minds think alike ... I posted that same tip a few pages ago. All of my stuff was falling through so the washcloth worked great for me on the Allure and the Oasis.

[janeyzee]

Honestly, how has it NEVER occurred to me to use a washcloth to keep things from falling through the rack? Genius!

 

I know, it was a DUH moment for me after a few days of dealing with the little tubes etc falling through. Finally thought to myself, well if the cracks were covered I wouldn't have that problem :)

[Luma001]

On the Vanity/Desk area, there's a cool iPod/iPhone docking system - for not one, but TWO devices. I could charge my iPhone while charging my iPod at the same time...and I could play music in my cabin through the speakers. I LOVED this.

 

 

 

We had nothing like that on the Oasis, there are some amazing differences between the two ships. :confused::confused:

[Steppy08]

On the Vanity/Desk area, there's a cool iPod/iPhone docking system - for not one, but TWO devices. I could charge my iPhone while charging my iPod at the same time...and I could play music in my cabin through the speakers. I LOVED this.

 

 

 

We had nothing like that on the Oasis, there are some amazing differences between the two ships. :confused::confused:

 

You can chalk that up to how much technology has improved, expanded, and taken over our lives in the two years between the Oasis and Allure.

 

The kicker: I had an iPhone 5 and of course the port isn't that up to date. I blame Apple for that! Stupid design change. (I did have an adapter -that cost $40- but still...)