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

[KansCocoa]

Great review, can't wait for more!

 

Thanks - it's a'comin'!!!

 

Love your reviews...........

 

Thank you, Sandy! :)

[KansCocoa]

Question - did there seem to be enough seats that were in full sun? I actually like sitting out for hours in the sun in the middle of summer.

 

Good question...there are plenty of seats in the sun...but. Do you see that geometric stuff that's the "roof" of the Solarium? Depending on the angle of the sun, you'd get these weird shadows every now and then on your legs and such. The shadows would move, along with the sun...so if you don't mind an occasional weird shadow, you'll be fine. If you don't want ANY shadows - albeit small - then the beach pool may be more to your liking...but it will be louder, as there are Klingons there. ;)

 

Did you find out first hand not to drop your kindle into the Sports pool? I found a waterproof kindle case on Amazon for my Kindle Touch, its great, I was reading while in the pool all last cruise. Had a bunch of people asking about it - totally worth the small amount of hassle it is to put the kindle in and seal the case (it uses basically a heavy duty ziploc seal, with a couple folds thrown in for extra protection.)

 

Oh, NOW you tell me! Where were you when I needed you??!!

Edited February 4, 2013 by KansCocoa
Sigh...because my brain doesn't think as fast as my fingers type...

[KansCocoa]

Lovin' your review-thanks!!!!

 

You're welcome, Denise - and thank you! :)

 

Hi Just wanted to how much I am enjoying your review - we arn't even going on that ship !! we are doing the Liberty but still love your pictures and writing, you are bringing cruising alive again for us during our cold cold UK winter, the weather man has just told us snow tomorrow Again ! aghh. Keep the sunny pictures coming please

 

regards sue x

 

 

Ugh...snow. I'm glad I have you dreaming of warm Caribbean waters....! Thanks, Sue - enjoy! :)

[BillOh]

 

OMG, you're going to have an amazing time on the Serenade! I'm glad my review of that could help...even if you use RCI for your tours, I hope my other tips will help - like wearing a GOOD pair of shoes that don't slip! ;)

 

Silly off topic question. Are you the one who traveled the Med with your family and I commented your daughter looked like a younger Helen Hunt, and she had to google Helen Hunt?

[KansCocoa]

I just can't wait until I finish reading all the current threads, but have to jump in to tell you how excited I am to have another of your EPIC reviews to read!! I read that you had sailed, so I've been looking forward to this.

 

No mention of your broken foot so far, so I'm guessing it's healed (or is that "heeled")?

 

Thanks, Jo! Hee hee...heeled. Actually, it's still "heeling" - it definitely gave me fits with all of the walking I did on the Allure. I'm hoping to get back to running/jogging in the next two weeks, as I have a 10k this summer and a half-marathon in November...but if I don't get back to training soon, it will be a 5k for both. And I used the broken foot as an excuse not to ZipLine, when I saw how much force some of the riders were coming in and hitting the platform with. I didn't want to re-break the fractures. What a doofus I am.

 

I most definitely will. Couldn't pass it up when it showed up as only $50 more total than what we were already paying for a GS.

 

I'm also a person who has zero sense of direction, so I can't wait to see how many times I get lost on the ship.

 

Holy smokes - you got a great deal! That was similar to the deal we got on the Serenade this summer for the Royal Suite - we couldn't pass it up!

 

You will be pleased to know - from one directionally-challenged person to another - that you will have virtually no problems onboard. The designers have done an excellent job in leaving "bread crumbs" for us - and I've got pictures (of course!) of how it all works. :)

[KansCocoa]

I am also waiting for the next installment with baited breath. I loved your other reviews. I know this one will be fabulous!:cool:

 

Thank you, Ginny! :)

 

 

Thanks, MADQ!!

 

I am so glad to see another review of yours!

 

I read every page of your excellent review on your European cruise with the Klingons and DH.

 

You are wonderful, and I am glued to my computer screen!!

 

As far as I am concerned, you are right up there with Radio and Trainman, I am a big fan!!

 

Oh, there it is again - Radio and Trainman! I am truly honored - we need more WOMEN EPIC WRITERS to give Radio and Trainman a run for their money! I have to tell you, the Klingons were very envious of this last-minute trip...so, they'll be reading this review along with everyone else. ;)

[KansCocoa]

Silly off topic question. Are you the one who traveled the Med with your family and I commented your daughter looked like a younger Helen Hunt, and she had to google Helen Hunt?

 

That is affirmative, Bill.

 

She LOVES the Helen Hunt comparison...it has gone far in helping her accept her broken nose x 3. :)

[BillOh]

You forgot #4, Bill! You are EVERYWHERE:p;):D I read reviews of trips I may never go on, especially when they are as fun and funny as Sherry's so why wouldn't you?:D

 

You make a good point, that was the way I was with her Med cruise. I may or may not ever go there, but I loved the pics and do I remember a story about someone in the family setting off an alarm at one of the Italian Museums?

[KansCocoa]

for the first time ever, my roll call is supposed to have a cabin crawl and I think we have a Loft suite on the list, so stay tuned for another 90 days or so.

 

Oh, I'll be here! With baited breath!

 

Thank you! Lucky you - one planned in March...can I go along??

 

 

Absolutely! I'd love to cruise with you! March 10th Indy, it is only a 6 day you can swing that :) I kept myself away from the review until this afternoon - it was my after work treat!

 

See, Steve and Amy learned the hard way to not throw out invitations like that! That sounds like so much fun - we'll be in Florida on Spring Break at the time, so if you're down there, tell me hello! :)

[Debitoo]

Thank you Sherri! Another EPIC review! I'm a fan!:D

[KansCocoa]

...I remember a story about someone in the family setting off an alarm at one of the Italian Museums?

 

<looking around innocently>

 

What??!! Someone set off an alarm at the Accademia??!!

 

Wait. I mean, the Italian Museums??!!

 

Who would DO that??!!!

 

 

This will be the story that will be told at my funeral...my Klingons LOVE this, and have delighted everyone who will listen - teachers, classmates, girlfriends, even the mailman, I think - with their retelling of it. Oh, they love to see Mom embarrassed. :)

[mchin]

Very nice review! Love the pictures and your writing style is awesome! Will be sailing Allure in April for the first time, so can't wait for your next installment.

[Canadian Tyler]

Great review so far, as usual!

[KansCocoa]

Okay…on to Quadrant #4…aft on the starboard side...the Klingon Pool…I mean, the KIDDIE pool...oops, I mean the H2O Zone. Geesh. Get it right, Sherri.

 

 

It’s actually a miniature water park, what with the pool, water spray cannons, umbrella jets, ground gushers and waterfalls, and it looked like LOADS of fun. One of our favorite things we do as a family is visit Great Wolf Lodge, and one of MY favorite things to do as an evil, mischievous mother is park myself at the water cannons and spray innocent bystanders with water. (In my defense - I NEVER shoot water in anyone's face...knowing my own phobia of water in my face, I'm sensitive about that. But any other body parts are fair game.)

 

I SOOOOOO wanted to do that onboard the Allure, but I didn’t know how well it would go over with the other parents…especially considering the fact that I wasn’t traveling with any Klingons myself on this sailing….

 

Anyway – because it was so, so tempting to go spray the water cannons – I just had to steer CLEAR of the Klingon pool…and hence, I didn’t get any good photos of it. Not to mention, in all seriousness, some parents object (and rightly so) when total strangers take photographs of their children and post them on social media sites.

 

I did take a photo of it from far, far away...hoping no one thought I was a creeper:

 

 

 

I also managed to get a picture of the…um…whatever this is:

 

With the clear see-through walls, I just called it the Fish Tank.

 

It’s like a little teeny, tiny miniature whirlpool/river that goes round and round with a current. Hence, it’s called the Current Pool. Again – that REALLY creative naming. Someone had to think really, really hard to come up with that one. I like "Fish Tank" better.

 

 

 

That sign looks doctored...like they had named it something else previously, and then changed it to Current Pool. Maybe they'd named it "Fish Tank" and people were looking for the fish....I didn't think about that. Perhaps Current Pool is the better name, after all.

 

Sigh.

 

Okay...moving on.

 

Beyond the Sports Pool, on the aft side, we find SeaTrek...where you can find all sorts of scuba and snorkeling stuff. Because this involves getting water on the face - I had no reason to visit this....but I do know that they would run various sales during the week, mentioned in the Cruise Compass, so keep your eyes open.

 

 

Directly across from SeaTrek, on the starboard side, there is a little shop, Breeze. It's geared towards junk/stuff you need at the pool - like suntan lotion and paperback books (although there's a FREE library on board). They also sell the Del Sol line - stuff that changes color when exposed to sunlight. I love the Del Sol nail polishes - you could buy 3 and get 1 free here. It's a very small shop - and tucked away - so you may have to hunt for it.

 

 

We then enter the Teen Zone - all the places where your tween/teen may be hanging out, if they're not snarfing the free pizza in the Promenade. I didn't get many photos here, as parents are basically persona non grata - but I did get a photo of the arcade:

 

 

This is a very, very dangerous place, as Dear Hubby and I found out on our summer sailing on the Serenade (say that five times fast). If you have kids, be sure to set FIRM rules and limits on what they can spend here. My dear, lovely 13-year old daughter thought her Seapass was a MAGIC card, and she swiped and swiped and swiped some more at the Arcade on the Serenade...and we didn't realize the damage she was doing until we got our final statement. Yowza. She's still working that bill off as we speak...slave labor. I'm such a mean Mom.

 

"Danger, Will Robinson - Danger!" (Only fans of "Lost in Space" will understand that reference...sorry.)

 

More to come - we're heading back to the Sports Court...!

[gambee]

You know now that you mentioned it I never saw anyone playing in the sports pool either, it is not like we ever went the specifically to look for games, but still never saw it.

 

You have a great eye for detail, I can't believe how much I am seeing through your eyes.

[BillOh]

I SOOOOOO wanted to do that onboard the Allure, but I didn’t know how well it would go over with the other parents…especially considering the fact that I wasn’t traveling with any Klingons myself on this sailing….

 

 

Not to be sexist, but I bet you would draw less suspicion that I would. :o I can feel stares just walking by the Flowrider with a camera. FYI, I mentioned being an empty nester, I did find out grandchild number 1 is on the way, so pics of me playing in any H20 Zone are at least 5-10 years away.

 

I also managed to get a picture of the…um…whatever this is:

 

I believe that is RC's equivalent to a lazy river. But due to its size, I would have to try it out late one night for the reasons outlined above.

Edited February 4, 2013 by BillOh

[peteukmcr]

Nothing better than after a days work, catching up with your review. I love the guided tour you are giving us, so once again, thanks.

[fldogmassage]

There’s the Pinnacle Chapel…which, being on Deck 17, practically has you closer to Heaven than you could ever be:

 

I visited the Pinnacle Chapel twice…hoping to be a Wedding Crasher…but alas. No weddings that I ever saw. I will say that it was much narrower than I expected. You could almost – but not quite – touch both walls if you stood in the middle. I’m just saying that in case you decide to get married onboard – and want to have 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. Unless you stack them on top of each other, you may have problems. "

 

 

 

Actually, that's just the "ante-room" where the bride and her attendants stay while the groomsmen are already in the chapel, nervously waiting!!!! I know this because my sister got married on Oasis....there are all kind of hidden places for people to prepare for the actual ceremony. If you'd just gone thru those doors I think you would have been blown away. We were told at Allure's chapel is even bigger......

 

Just sayin'.............:o:o The room for the reception was at the other end of this ante-room so the whole event was private.

 

Thank you. That is really good to know.

[KansCocoa]

Thank you Sherri! Another EPIC review! I'm a fan!:D

 

You're welcome - and thank you! :)

 

 

Very nice review! Love the pictures and your writing style is awesome! Will be sailing Allure in April for the first time, so can't wait for your next installment.

 

I hope some of my tips, photos, and secrets will help you - I know you're going to have fun! :)

[KansCocoa]

Great review so far, as usual!

 

Why, thank you. :)

 

 

You know now that you mentioned it I never saw anyone playing in the sports pool either, it is not like we ever went the specifically to look for games, but still never saw it.

 

You have a great eye for detail, I can't believe how much I am seeing through your eyes.

 

Gambee - I may have the eye for detail, but you have the eye for photography! :)

 

Weird about the sports pool...perhaps it was the clientele that we sailed with...I just thought it was funny when I watched the Cruise in Review DVD and saw about 20 people playing a very spirited game of water volleyball...I was like, "Wait. What?! When did THAT happen??!!" :)

[fldogmassage]

I don't want to be rude to Sherri 'cos I love her reviews.....her pictures are not of the actual chapel, they are of the door that leads into the ante-room....My sister had 6 in the wedding party and over 50 guests with room to spare (on Oasis). Allure's chapel is larger.........you will love it. I am assuming you've booked/planned thru the RCCL wedding planner? If so, ask for pictures of the chapel....you can also decide how to have the seating, "alter" arrangements because it's very interchangeable.

 

This is your day.....get more info, set your mind at ease. Don't know how far away from the port you are but you will be able to check it all out weeks/months before if you talk to your wedding planner.

 

Sorry, Sherri......:o:):o

 

I live very close to the port. Thank you, there are so many unknowns, I love getting all this information!!

[KansCocoa]

Not to be sexist, but I bet you would draw less suspicion that I would. :o I can feel stares just walking by the Flowrider with a camera. FYI, I mentioned being an empty nester, I did find out grandchild number 1 is on the way, so pics of me playing in any H20 Zone are at least 5-10 years away.

 

Hee, I wouldn't go near the Flowrider with a camera - at least a nice camera! I've been doused too many times when someone wipes out! And congratulations! :)

 

Nothing better than after a days work, catching up with your review. I love the guided tour you are giving us, so once again, thanks.

 

Aw, thank you - that's a nice compliment. :) And the tour is just beginning - we have 152 more decks to cover! (Okay - that was snark.)

[KansCocoa]

I live very close to the port. Thank you, there are so many unknowns, I love getting all this information!!

 

I am SO glad someone could set me straight so you would have the info you need... :)

[Familygoboston]

You make a good point, that was the way I was with her Med cruise. I may or may not ever go there, but I loved the pics and do I remember a story about someone in the family setting off an alarm at one of the Italian Museums?

 

<looking around innocently>

 

What??!! Someone set off an alarm at the Accademia??!!

 

Wait. I mean, the Italian Museums??!!

 

Who would DO that??!!!

 

 

This will be the story that will be told at my funeral...my Klingons LOVE this, and have delighted everyone who will listen - teachers, classmates, girlfriends, even the mailman, I think - with their retelling of it. Oh, they love to see Mom embarrassed. :)

 

Somehow I forgot about that story till you brought it up Bill...Sherri, No wonder you wanted to cruise ALONE!:eek:;)

I think yours is the best break down of pool shots ever!! Great idea shooting the signs!

[KansCocoa]

Speaking of teens/tweens...I'm going to post the Week's Cruise Compass for the Teen set, since I just mentioned the Teen area. This was a synopsis of what they had planned, but if you have a teenager, they will get a more detailed Cruise Compass in their cabin each night:

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, I'm missing Day 2 and 3...I'm so sorry! Ack.

 

 

Day 4 & 5:

 

 

Day 6 & 7:

 

 

 

 

Important Information: