Trying to to reassure family about crowdedness on allure?

[colesc15]

Hi everyone. Boarding the allure in a week and the people I'm going with insist that the allure is going to be so crowded and there will be massive lines for everything. I've been trying to tell them it won't be based on people's reviews. I was hoping to get a thread from people who have been on the allure/oasis that it isn't any more crowded than any other cruise ship. The most recent ship they were on was carnivalffreedom so I've been telling them it'll be less crowded than that even.. People who have been on allure or oasis, chime in and back me up with your opinions from your experience so I can show them this thread and prove my point. Opinions opinions opinions please :)

[TwoTravelin]

Simply put the ship in general is not crowded but seek out areas that are less crowded, i.e. Central Park in the evening, Viking lounge during the day, etc.

[FTLcruisers]

We have been on both the Allure and Oasis - the Oasis was during Easter week. The pool areas were crowded but probably not any more crowded than any other ships we've been on. Of course, when the ship is doing the character parades in the promenade, it gets a little congested due to the lack of space for everyone to stand. Those are about the other 2 "crowded" areas that we encountered. I went on the Allure with a great deal of apprehension - too big, too many people, same stuff your cruisemates are thinking - and was totally surprised. I totally love both ships and can't wait to go on one of them again.

 

Marianne

[yellosno]

been on both of them and you will find that they are the fastest getting on and off, also the least crowded

[rednancy1]

We did a b2b on the Oasis and Allure in Dec. We never experienced long lines or crowds. The ships are huge and there is room for everyone. :)

[lady_cruiser]

Heres a review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1737751&highlight=allure+photos that someone posted with plenty of wonderful photos. Pick up a few and show them to your friends.

[beach.bum]

The only crowded times we really ran into: embarkation day (and the first lunch), parades, and after shows. We actually thought it was easier to get a pool chair, grab a drink, and explore the ship (after day 1) than a smaller ship. They do a good job spreading people out. As mentioned, Central Park is a great place to spend some quiet time!

 

Hope you enjoy Allure as much as we did!

[akcruz]

We found the Allure to be one of the least crowded ships we have been on and we sailed during the beginning of summer season with a packed ship.

 

You will find a lot of people the first day, but once everyone settle in, the only places you find lines are before and after shows and around the elevators during those times.

 

We never had a problem finding a seat by pool where 3 of us could sit together, we only went to the windjammer at off times and always found a table quickly. We liked it so much we are going back again!

 

If you are comparing your Carnival cruise to this one, I am betting you find a lot less lines. That's one of the differences we found between Carnival and Royal. On Carnival we always felt like we were waiting for something, on Royal, especially the larger ships, the activities are so spread out you hardly ever had to wait for anything except those once or twice a cruise things that everyone wanted to do at the same time which are rare.

[2ncounting]

I hate to disagree but we were on the Allure last spring and I found it to be extremely crowded especially in food areas, elevators and around the pool. So much so that I doubt I will ever cruise on those ships again. Another downer was the rudeness I encountered in most areas especially the elevators...pushing shoving and teens who had no repect to anyone. If I was agressive so my wife and I could have our turn I received dirty looks and snide remarks from the teens:mad:.

[DonnaK]

We encountered very little crowding on Allure. The usual Windjammer lunch on embarkation day, and when shows are letting out at the theaters. Otherwise, we were always able to find a table in the WJ, even at pprime breakfast and lunch dining times. We were always able to find 4 loungers in a row at the pools and in the solarium. (The solarium pool was always very crowded.) The wait for elevators was surprisingly quick and easy, except right at the bottleneck exiting the theater after a show.

 

Our cruise ended up having a lot of indoor time because we were chasing Hurricane Irene, so we had some rainy/windy days. Still, there was plenty of space in the indoor neighborhoods, and everyone was spread out nicely.

[Cruising89143]

Six weeks spent on the twins and the least crowded of any ships that I have cruised.

[holden0301]

We were on a sold out Allure cruise. We were able to get chairs in the Solarium at 9:30am, but it got pretty full by 10:30. People were walking around looking for chairs. Not sure about the other pools.

 

The biggest crowds we noticed were when we tried to catch elevators at peak times (dinner, exiting at a port, etc.). We either walked or rode an elevator in the wrong direction (i.e. up when we wanted to go down) until we could push our floor button. I think the elevators were our only complaint abou the ship.

 

One other time we noticed crowds was at debarkation. It took 2hrs. from the time we got in line until the time we exited the terminal to catch a cab.

[DonnaK]

We were on a sold out Allure cruise. We were able to get chairs in the Solarium at 9:30am, but it got pretty full by 10:30. People were walking around looking for chairs. Not sure about the other pools.

 

The biggest crowds we noticed were when we tried to catch elevators at peak times (dinner, exiting at a port, etc.). We either walked or rode an elevator in the wrong direction (i.e. up when we wanted to go down) until we could push our floor button. I think the elevators were our only complaint abou the ship.

 

One other time we noticed crowds was at debarkation. It took 2hrs. from the time we got in line until the time we exited the terminal to catch a cab.

 

 

When did you disembark? We walked off the ship at 6:45am and were in a cab by 7am.

[colesc15]

Loving this :)

[Fun2snorkel]

I would suggest that you find a place other than the buffet for lunch. Do a little research for those places that are open for lunch.

[Ray in NH]

been on both of them and you will find that they are the fastest getting on and off, also the least crowded

 

 

That was not our experience disembarking the Allure on 13 January 2013. From the time we "dinged-out" with our Sea Pass cards, until we cleared Immigration was just short of one hour :eek: All the shore-side folks kept telling us "this is very unusual".

The Windjammer was an absolute zoo the first day and the two or three other times we tried to see what it was like when not mobbed. We never seemed to find that type of moment. Fortunately, the ship is large enough that one could probably find un-crowded spots.

It was worth the "look-see", since we were already in FLL.

Ray in NH

[ctcruiser1721]

I find that Oasis and Alllure feel the least crowded. The WJ on any ship is sometimes crowded on boarding day but there are so many other (better IMHO) options that it's not a problem for me.

[Trekker954]

I only really felt the crowds on the elevators. People would pack in like sardines. We would always wait when calling an elevator, but sometime we were already on and get pushed in to the back and shake our head at how many people would try and squeeze in. Other than than, didn't really feel it at all. Just book your shows ahead of time.

[MJonTravel]

Never had to hunt for a pool chair in 2 weeks on Allure. I wrote a review here. Could get a little busy in spots, especially around the elevators after a show. Only went to Windjammer once in 2 weeks on board, so can't comment on that. Suggest blowing off the Windjammer for welcome aboard lunch and going to Solarium Cafe or even Rita's which is what we did. Rita's is not free though. I can tell you this....we both loved Allure, and she's the one ship I'm really jonesing to find a way to sail on again...but my other cruises keep interrupting. :D

[Lionesss]

Keep those reviews coming, getting more and more excited...........crowds, or not. Cannot wait!!

Sea Ya

We hope to board early, so we can get pictures before the crowds.

I bet everyone else has this plan too:D

Later

[USU_Aggie]

There is a measurement for this called space ratio available online.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

[macruisefan]

Boarding the allure in a week and the people I'm going with insist that the allure is going to be so crowded and there will be massive lines for everything..... People who have been on allure or oasis, chime in and back me up with your opinions from your experience so I can show them this thread and prove my point. Opinions opinions opinions please :)

 

 

You're boarding in a week. It's not like you're about to cancel. Stop wasting your time trying to convince them. Obviously you're all going. It will be what it will be. I'm not really sure what will change based on this thread...

[Big_G]

I hate to disagree but we were on the Allure last spring and I found it to be extremely crowded especially in food areas, elevators and around the pool. So much so that I doubt I will ever cruise on those ships again. Another downer was the rudeness I encountered in most areas especially the elevators...pushing shoving and teens who had no repect to anyone. If I was agressive so my wife and I could have our turn I received dirty looks and snide remarks from the teens:mad:.

 

Just out of curiosity, how many cruise ships have you been on?

[steveru621]

The Allure was no different than any of the other 11 cruises we have been on.

 

The WJ is a zoo for lunch the first day and crowded for breakfast most mornings. If you don't get a seat in the Solarium by 10am it ain't easy.

 

The Promenade is wall to wall for the various parades and other events.

 

Trying to get a elevator after a show or excursion takes a while. The number of rude people on the elevators is exactly the same. 50% of the time you will wait for 2 minutes or more :eek:.

 

If you don't have reservations YOU WILL WAIT IN LINE. For shows and MTD (walk-ups).

 

We never experienced crowding like our last cruise on Explorer. It was cold outside, no pools=crowded everything else. If you are determined to find a line, you will find one. But we have experienced pretty much the same 'crowds' as any other cruise ship. We enjoyed the Allure, I truly believe you will too.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Eriksgarden]

I don't know how to reassure them. Let them be pleasantly surprised!