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


KansCocoa
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Continuing on with our tour of the ship...

 

 

Behind the Solarium on Deck 16…you’ll find two bars…because, as we all know, you can never have TOO MANY bars on a cruise ship! <wink>

 

 

On the port side, we have the Sky Bar:

 

SkyBar_zpsbbc2eccf.jpg

 

 

And on the starboard side, we have the Mast Bar:

 

MastBar_zps5727c3b0.jpg

 

 

Being inspired by Gambee and his amazing review, I took time out of my busy, busy day while onboard to snap photos of the drink menus. You're welcome. ;)

 

For all you beer lovers, pick your poison:

PoolMenu2Beer_zpse39a80c7.jpg

 

 

For all you whiners...oops...I mean...winers...

PoolMenu3Wine_zpsf5b6fa76.jpg

 

 

And for all you foo-foo drinkers...like me...who love drinks with little paper umbrellas...here are OUR choices:

 

PoolMenu1_zps80a56ffb.jpg

 

 

Yum.

 

Of course, these menus don't show the various drinks of the day, but we'll discuss those when we do our day-by-day synopsis.

 

 

All this talk of drinking is making me hungry...so let's head on towards the back, or "aft", of Deck 16...where we can find not one, but TWO dining options....

 

Stay tuned!

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This is a test. I just made up my mind on Friday that I was going to cancel my Allure cruise for March 2014, but I am sure your review is going to have me rethinking things. I better hold off cancelling.

 

I know everyone says it never feels crowded, but how can that be?

 

Oh, good luck with THAT. Canceling, that is! I hope I twist your arm enough to change your mind. Actually, there were a few - JUST a few - times when it felt crowded, and I'll mention those during this review, and then I'll let you decide. But - there were also ways to AVOID the crowds...as I'll fill you in on, as well. ;)

 

Even though I was on the Allure in September, it's so great to see new pictures of the ship. When I first got home, I thought it was too big for me, but I would definitely go on there again and a balcony room would be a necessity.

 

I SO agree about the balcony room...this would be my one complaint...that I didn't feel that I was on a ship...but that's because I had an interior room. I think, for a ship this large, you almost HAVE to have an outside balcony room, or else you'll never remember you're on a ship.

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If this ever gets made into a movie I request that my part be played by Drew Barrymore. :D

 

And I would like to be played by George Clooney....or maybe Jonah Hill...whatever...

 

 

As long as Cameron Diaz gets to play me. ;)

 

By the time the movie would get made, however, I have a feeling I'd be played by Betty White.

 

Which...would still be FUN, don't get me wrong...but still.

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Can I say I am very jealous - I would love to go on the Top Chef cruise - every time I see it advertised I think how much fun that would be - but being a single mom the logistics are too hard

 

Enjoying the review so far

 

Yay - a fellow Top Chef fan! This is a wedding anniversary present to each other for Dear Hubby and myself...I'll be sure to post a review - with lots of photos - afterwards.

 

Don't be surprised if 99% of my photos are of Fabio. ;)

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Yay - a fellow Top Chef fan! This is a wedding anniversary present to each other for Dear Hubby and myself...I'll be sure to post a review - with lots of photos - afterwards.

 

Don't be surprised if 99% of my photos are of Fabio. ;)

 

Padma is not going to there so I lost interest. :p

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD using Tapatalk 2

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As I mentioned, there are not one, but TWO, dining choices on Deck 16.

 

The first is the little delight known as Izumi…which serves Japanese cuisine. This has a cover charge of $5.00, and you then pay a la carte for what you order off the menu.

 

On port days, Izumi would open at 5:30 pm for dinner. On sea days, it would be open from noon to 1:30 pm for lunch.

 

Yes, they have sushi – and I am so NOT a sushi fan – but they also serve “hot rock” food…which I’ll talk about later. (And here’s a hint…it was delicious!)

 

And guess what? I neglected to get a picture of Izumi.

 

Drat. Oh well. Moving on.

 

-------

 

Then…there’s the Windjammer Buffet.

 

Did I take any photos?

 

Nope. Nada. Not a one. Except for this picture of the interesting sculpture outside the Windjammer:

 

WindjammerRocks_zpsdd8d3a7f.jpg

 

Huh. More rocks.

 

 

I dined at the Windjammer Buffet only ONCE during my 7-day voyage, and it was a basic buffet. I was surprised at how small and compact it was, but I think this is RCI’s way of sneakily pushing everyone into the specialty restaurants.

 

 

So…let’s talk about the surprise on Deck 16:

 

The miniature model of the Allure of the Seas.

 

ModelofShip1_zpsa23b9a9c.jpg

 

 

This was AMAZING. I stumbled across it quite by accident, and I spent a bit of time marveling at the work that went into recreating the World’s Largest Cruise Ship in tiny detail. I wasn’t the only one, as I would see young and old stop by for a peek. Even the teenagers thought this was cool…and that’s saying something.

 

 

ModelofShip2_zps8d5a0bc2.jpg

A great view of the Heliport, the Sundeck (on Deck 14), and the Solarium....

 

 

ModelOfShip4_zps9dbcbaea.jpg

The Beach Pool, and the Main Pool...I LOVE the little tiny hot tubs....

 

 

ModelOfShip5_zps16ffdea4.jpg

The Sports Deck...Miniature Golf...and the Flowriders...

 

 

I didn’t get a photo of it…but there’s even a ZIPLINE on the model. Way cool.

 

This is a DON'T MISS when you're onboard....take your camera and take your imagination...and be sure to allow some time to take it all in. :)

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SO excited to see another of your reviews! I was on the Allure in October and was surprised I loved it. I am going on the Serenade in August for the 12 night Mediterranean Greek Isles cruise and your review of that one has been sooo much help! Even though I am still to chicken to do excursions outside of RCCL! LOL

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I also had no interest in sailing the big ships, but DH and friends talked me into it and we booked the Allure B2B and sailed in December. I loved the ship and didn't think it was too big and it never felt crowded to me either!!

 

Looking forward to your review and pics!

:D

Dee

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I can't believe the wonderful timing of your review :) I will be taking my first almost-solo cruise on the Allure next week. I say "almost" because I will be sharing the cabin with my soon-to-be-ex-husband (I forfeited a 2-night on the Constellation last month to have some time alone at home, but neither of us will give up the Allure). We will be going our separate ways. I have been really, really tired of the entire MDR experience for several cruises, just went because my ex enjoys it, so I am really looking forward to hearing what you did instead.

 

 

Edited to add: you know you are really addicted to cruising when you choose twin beds in a tiny cabin with your ex over having some peace and quiet alone at home :)

 

I am not worthy! I bow down to you!

 

(I could NEVER have done this with my ex!)

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I am not worthy! I bow down to you!

 

(I could NEVER have done this with my ex!)

 

The fact that it doesn't bother me indicates the tiny amount of emotion that I have towards the entire situation. Which, in turn, indicates that it is absolutely time to call it quits. Warning to others: if you are widowed by cancer at age 52 after two years of being the sole caregiver, DO NOT rush into another relationship because you think companionship and similar interests will be enough. It doesn't make up for the day-to-day compromises that are required to live with another person. I can't wait to have my home the way I want it and do the things that I want to do when I want to do them, especially while cruising :) And now back to the fun of KansCocoa's fantastic review of the Allure :D

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Loving your review so far! I was also very hesitant to try the Allure. My husband is more hesitant than I am. We 're not planning on eating in the MDR any of the nights, so I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Looking forward to checking for any new installments :)

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Sherri, you are more than welcomed to come crash my cruise wedding on May 12. I am having 25 guest and 4 people in our wedding party. Do you think the chapel is REALLY small or will everyone be comfortable? Any more pics of the chapel?

 

Loving your review, thanks for sharing!

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We scheduled sailing on the Oasis for the pre-inaugural and inaugural cruises for a total of 11 days on the biggest ship. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale so excited. We had booked a JS and got to go in the 'suite' door. More excitement. As we are checking in we discovered I had brought my husband's old, expired passport. We always use the passports to check in at airport but this time I used our driver's licenses. Had I not done that, we could have corrected the problem. After much pleading, begging and thinking of alternatives, he had to fly back home and I sailed the first portion by myself if this huge room (a handicapped JS). I cried for the first 24 hours. My husband is one that doesn't like to waste money. I cost him a cruise plus a last minute round trip home and back. My husband was really sweet and worried about me. We emailed back and forth for the 4 days. The second day I found the women's cure for everything. I went shopping and bought an expensive watch. I ended up having a good time and hooked up with 2 ladies in the casino so I wasn't totally alone. My husband joined me for the second part of the B2B and we loved the ship. Lesson learned, however.

 

We sailed on the Oasis a year later and the Allure last August. I don't think they are too big. I have to admit the Freedom Class is my favorite though.

Edited by luvs2cruzga
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Warning to others: if you are widowed by cancer at age 52 after two years of being the sole caregiver, DO NOT rush into another relationship because you think companionship and similar interests will be enough.

 

Excellent advice! So sorry for your troubles, Zoey...I was wondering about all the cancellations recently, now I know! :( I do hope you have many happy solo cruising adventures going forward!

 

kanscocoa, Im so excited you are reviewing a cruise I will actually be taking...since I love your reviews! Yeah!

 

I'm also not at all surprised about your "conversion";) The thing is all the Royal ships are HUGE!!!:eek: But these 2 biggest ones are designed differently, and therefore less crowded and better at crowd management. I did an EPIC ;) analysis of this in my Oasis review, but we still hear from people who simply believe it cannot be true:rolleyes:

 

Anyway...can't wait to read the rest,and since you will post compasses (yeah!) do I dare to hope you did Eastern???:o

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Am I the only one that doesn't think the windjammer is that small. When we were on the oasis we went a couple of times and never had a problem finding a table for 4 people. Just wondering if everyone went all the way around to the back. As a matter of fact the very back portion was closed off twice when we were in there because it wasn't needed.. Now I will have to admit that the food stations seem closer together than other windjammer a but seating wasn't an issue.

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