10 years in the making - First Cruise on Allure Eastern 4-14-13

[Cruzin-K]

That right there folks, is the most useful piece of Allure info you will ever get! Randy and I worked together on our roll call to suss out exactly which menu was a served which day.

 

A similar spreadsheet is floating around that is wrong. It had the names of the menus wrong and also the nights they were offered mixed up. I went through multiple reviews and looked at photos of the food and photos of the menus on the nights they were posted by the reviewers. A bunch of CC'ers participated in a thread where we weighed in about the likelihood of formal night being on on St Martin day (as was erroneously listed) and sorted out what we thought was the most likely configuration based on pics and first hand accounts.

 

Then I posted on my findings our Roll Call, and Randy created this great spread sheet based on and improving the incorrect one. ( No blame for the first person who posted the spread sheet, their sailing could have changed up menus for some reason, or been experimenting.:confused:) This had been a great service to all future Allure Sailors, Randy and we thank you for doing it!

 

Having sailed now, we can report that the right menus are now in the correct days they are served for Allure Eastern, and thanks to Randy, we now have a tool for whenever anyone asks..." Which night is formal night" or "which night should I go to chops" ...

Thank you kindly, sir!

( now I might steal the image and post it my review too;))

 

Is this the "new" menu I've been hearing so much about? I'm doing a B2B next January, so I suppose I'll end up with the same menus two weeks in a row :confused: (Week 1 is Jewel, Week 2 is Allure). I'll have to figure out what to order which week - and figure out which nights to do a specialty restaurant each week. Important stuff that simply MUST be worked out six months in advance :eek: :D

[rsharp83]

Broadway at Sea

Chicago

 

DW loves Broadway musicals. So when I convinced her to cruise one of the things that helped was the quality of shows on board the Oasis class ships. She is much more into Broadway musicals than I am. I did see Wicked on Broadway with her a couple of years ago and it was great. We also saw American Idiot (based on Green Day’s music) and I liked that show a lot, but it’s hardly your typical musical.

 

Now last year we went to the touring production of Les Miserables and that was not a musical for me, you can’t understand a word of it and the story is crazy confusing unless you already know what is supposed to be happening. It’s also about the French Revolution. But I digress…

 

 

Chicago is a very minimalist show in terms of production and staging. There are no “sets”, no big costume changes, and no intermission! Meaning that they cut down the running time to make it less drawn out.

 

Guys, hint hint – this is the show to take your wife to see for several reasons.

One: Attractive females are front and center and they wear skimpy costumes (there is a downside here because they sing about killing their husbands, just so you know)

Two: As mentioned above this is the shortest “full length musical” you will ever get to take her to see.

Three: There is actual dialogue (not singing dialogue) so you can understand what they are saying and follow the story easily.

Four: The story is a good one and involves police, murders, corruption, and fame. As opposed to something like say, the French Revolution.

Five: The music is more modern because it’s set in the 20s and there are outstanding songs in it; as opposed to music from the French Revolution.

Six: Did I mention it is short and there are attractive women in skimpy clothing?

Seven: Did I mention it is NOT about the French Revolution?

 

So don’t miss Chicago. The leads are both very talented and the cast of dancers is top notch. DW has seen the touring production of Chicago and she said that this production was better. So that is pretty high praise for a show on a ship.

[Cruzin-K]

Seven: Did I mention it is NOT about the French Revolution?

 

Neither is Les Miserables :p

 

http://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2012/12/enjoy-les-miserables-but-please-get-your-history-straight-first/

 

I've seen "Les Miz" six times (or maybe seven). It's my favorite musical EVER :D

 

I've seen Chicago once and enjoyed it very much. Gregory Harrison played Billy Flynn. It's one of my "must do's" on the Allure.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Cruzin-K

[fldogmassage]

Thank you for sharing your hard work on the menu. I love this and it is so very helpful!!!!!!!!

[rsharp83]

Neither is Les Miserables :p

 

http://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2012/12/enjoy-les-miserables-but-please-get-your-history-straight-first/

 

I've seen "Les Miz" six times (or maybe seven). It's my favorite musical EVER :D

 

I've seen Chicago once and enjoyed it very much. Gregory Harrison played Billy Flynn. It's one of my "must do's" on the Allure.

 

You are right, It's not about the French Revolution...It's about something even LESS IMPORTANT than the French Revolution! :p

 

And I think I figured out why people see it so many times. It takes that many times to figure out what the heck is going on!

 

Anyway, Guys -- opt for Allure Chicago as your "sure I'll go to a musical with you honey" show. If nothing else, you get a cruise out of the deal.

[rsharp83]

What’s it like to watch a train wreck at sea?

Love and Marriage

 

Our second show of the evening was Love and Marriage. This was our first real opportunity to see the CD Allan Brooks in action. He was born to be a game show host. He had the right instincts, the right demeanor, and the right sense of timing to make this show work. And in this particular show he had some elements definitely working against him.

 

Our contestants were a lovely young honeymooning couple, and older couple married 45 years (I think) and then the middle couple. It’s always the middle couple isn’t it?

 

I’m not sure how to describe what transpired in this show. It was obvious from the auditions that the middle couple was basically drunk or well on their way to drunk. And it wasn’t a cute funny drunk, no it was an obnoxious drunk. From the moment they hit the stage Brooks had to try and keep them both in check so the show didn’t derail and careen of into disaster. I give him much credit for pulling it off and yet making the show hilariously funny.

 

During the entire opening segment DW (That’s Drunk Wife) was trying to get another drink. Yes she just finished one as she got on stage but the thought of going without a drink for 40 minutes was apparently too much to bear. She kept motioning like a charades game to her friend in the audience with evermore emphatic gestures to bring her more alcohol. She also was wearing a skirt, that was maybe a bit too short for being up on stage, and let’s just say the audience got way more than they bargained for, repeatedly, for the entire time she was on stage…OK Moving on.

 

Then it was just the men. At that point DH (That’s Drunk Husband) decided he needed a drink as well. Somehow he got Brooks to order a martini from the staff and it was delivered to the stage. And then DH promptly spilled it everywhere. But spilled it especially in the place on the stage where Brooks needed to kneel down and talk to the older couple and ask them their questions.

 

When the women returned DW finally got her drink delivered on stage to her by her friend. And then she just randomly starts getting up and wandering around on the stage. She hugs one of the other contestants, she heads for Brooks. He has to guide her back to her seat and try to nicely tell her to stay put.

In the end the newlyweds won by maybe revealing too much, and the older couple gave us all some hilarious moments. The drunk couple, well they were entertaining in their own way I guess. It really was like a train wreck, you just couldn’t look away.

 

The Love and Marriage show is one of the things that airs repeatedly throughout the cruise. You can watch it over and over. So if you miss it live you can certainly catch it again. And because it airs so much, lots of people see it. Even the staff asked us if we had gone to the show because they had seen it. We encountered the Drunk Couple several times after the show and you could see people nudging each other and saying things like, “There’s that woman from the show.”

 

We did not however see the newlywed couple anywhere on the cruise; I guess maybe they had other things to do besides wander around the ship.

[Familygoboston]

Is this the "new" menu I've been hearing so much about? I'm doing a B2B next January, so I suppose I'll end up with the same menus two weeks in a row :confused: (Week 1 is Jewel, Week 2 is Allure). I'll have to figure out what to order which week - and figure out which nights to do a specialty restaurant each week. Important stuff that simply MUST be worked out six months in advance :eek: :D

 

It is! And I will weigh in as an experienced cruiser. I think the new menus better reflect the way North Americans eat today. Vegetarian options are no longer only Indian dishes, reflecting the fact that many N Americans are vegetarian or vegan these days. There is a basic pasta dish offered, which is becoming more popular for N Americans even eating out. There is an entree salad ecery night, reflecting the desire to ear lighter.

 

I found the dishes to be more flavorful. I felt in the past the dishes were very bland- there is more flavor and spices. I think the " every day" offerings are blander, so that may be why they feel they can get a little more inventive with each new day. I found the seafood to be much better prepared than ever before. I didn't eat the meat, but DH found the meat on the individual menus were better than the ones on the " everyday menu", which were bland and tough. If you don't see something you like on the days menu, rather than pick the " everyday offering", it might be better to eat elsewhere!

[Familygoboston]

Believe it or not Randy, usually the middle couple is a bitter sexless pair bickering with each other ("I can't remember the last time we made whoopie, Alan" or an over sharing couple on a 24 person family reunion with their 6 kids and spouses and their mother in laws ( "thanks Ma- we really didn't need to hear that!")

 

This couple was nuts from the get go, but we asked for it, after all, the audience chooses!;)

[tarajean1962]

Awesome updates!! I have never been to the Love and Marriage Game Show. I must try that!:D

 

 

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

Sorry readers. Looks like there will be no update tonight. No time and now DW wants the computer.

 

Also, let me just say that it is now MAY here in Missouri. And we have SNOW in the forecast. Not a little bit, but possibly a lot of SNOW! This is insane. The wind is howling and the temps are plummeting. So hopefully tomorrow there will be a Allure review update from cold snowy Missouri.

[jakesmom04]

Sorry readers. Looks like there will be no update tonight. No time and now DW wants the computer.

 

Also, let me just say that it is now MAY here in Missouri. And we have SNOW in the forecast. Not a little bit, but possibly a lot of SNOW! This is insane. The wind is howling and the temps are plummeting. So hopefully tomorrow there will be a Allure review update from cold snowy Missouri.

 

Keep it up your way.....we don't want it here! They are calling for rain here until Monday.

[Kbkrb7]

were on that cruise with you. Sorry you had so much trouble with the pictures. We found that half of our pictures were in anaother folder on the wall. However, we did find all of them (even our Prohibition pictures). The Prohibition pictures would have been a real problem because we were celebrating my mother's 80th birthday and she was wearing a crown that my wife had gotten for her.

[SuperPlanner]

Love and Marriage show sounds fun! How do my husband and I audition for one of the spots! I would love to be one of the "middle" married couples (married 7 years, together 13 years total)!!!

[Clarea]

Love and Marriage show sounds fun! How do my husband and I audition for one of the spots! I would love to be one of the "middle" married couples (married 7 years, together 13 years total)!!!

Just arrive to the event at least 15 minutes early and someone from the entertainment staff will there to run the audition process.

[rsharp83]

Day 4 – St. Thomas

 

The Squall

Got my mind on my money and my money on my mind (or not)

 

I was really looking forward to our St. Thomas adventures. In my planning and researching for the trip I had come across the idea of doing a day sail on a private charter in St. Thomas. I don’t really know why I chose this except that it looked really fun and it was highly rated on Trip Advisor. It is the first thing I booked after booking the cruise itself. Only 6 people per boat allowed. And in the beginning of our planning we only had 4 people going on the cruise and the other 2 were not interested in the day sail.

 

Because Allure arrives later than other ships in port it can conflict with tours that have people from mixed cruise lines. This happened with the other couple that later joined in and did the day sail on a different boat. By the time we all finally arrived at Red Hook the other couple that was on their day sail trip had been waiting for over an hour. Not exactly the way you want to start a day long sailing adventure with strangers…

 

When planning this excursion I went looking for other Allure people that might join us to make a fully chartered group from Allure. That way there would be no conflicts on time and we could all share a ride to the Red Hook Marina. That’s when the Familygoboston crew decided to sign up and thus we had the makings of a great day on the water.

 

Now I must interject here. If by some fluke you are reading my review of the Allure on its April 14th sailing and not reading Familygoboston’s review “The Good Karma Cruise” then I must tell you that her review of this day is much better than mine will be. There are several reasons for this. First her husband Jeff took amazing photos of everything above and below the water with his nifty waterproof camera. Second, Kathleen is a tremendous writer of travel adventures and she wrote this section first and stole all my good material. Three, I broke my camera while boarding the sailboat and so I just had to point the camera and hope it took a picture of something. Four, I spent part of this day in a good bit of fog so I don’t recall some of it or didn’t participate in some of it. No, the fog was not induced by the fabulous Rum Swizzle drinks on the sail boat.

 

I have already mentioned that Kathleen’s lost luggage was our first face to face meeting. And then we kept running into her and her family all through the first few days of the cruise; after boarding, at sail away, at dinner, at the shows. It could be because I stole her itinerary and therefore we were at the same events at the same times. We all quickly became friends. So I was very happy to be sailing with them in St. Thomas.

 

We disembarked together and headed to meet Scotland’s Taxi service which had been arranged by Captain Kathleen, owner of the High Pockets sail boat. Now we have 2 Kathleen’s in the narrative so to avoid confusion I will always refer to High Pockets Kathleen as Captain K.

 

So you know how these things go, you meet new friends, they seem wonderful, you enjoy their company, you have a few laughs, and then they start bumming money off of you! (Sorry Kathleen I just couldn’t resist). Yes the world traveler herself went off and left her cash for the taxi ride on the Allure. Total cost of about $120 as I recall. Luckily I had brought along extra cash to buy my wife a big diamond after our sail, but now I couldn’t do that because all my cash went to pay for someone’s taxi ride (sorry again Kathleen, this is too much fun).

[rsharp83]

Women and children first

[/img]

 

So here we are as the rain is pelting us at an almost sideways angle, wrapped up in ponchos, clinging for dear life to the railing as High Pockets sailed through 10 foot swells into the heart of the darkening storm… OK, it was a rain shower. But we have to have some dramatic elements here.

 

[/img]

 

We then headed for some calmer and more popular water in Christmas Cove. Seems other charters had decided to turn and run that day as well.

 

 

I was feeling a little woozy by this point, it may have been the onset of a little sea sickness or the fact that I dove down a few times snorkeling or maybe I swallowed a bit of sea water. In any case I was feeling a bit uneven and took a little time out. After some rest and a snack I was feeling a bit better and Captain K was ready to serve up some lunch.

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Day 4 – St. Thomas

 

The Squall

Got my mind on my money and my money on my mind (or not)

 

I was really looking forward to our St. Thomas adventures. In my planning and researching for the trip I had come across the idea of doing a day sail on a private charter in St. Thomas. I don’t really know why I chose this except that it looked really fun and it was highly rated on Trip Advisor. It is the first thing I booked after booking the cruise itself. Only 6 people per boat allowed. And in the beginning of our planning we only had 4 people going on the cruise and the other 2 were not interested in the day sail.

 

Because Allure arrives later than other ships in port it can conflict with tours that have people from mixed cruise lines. This happened with the other couple that later joined in and did the day sail on a different boat. By the time we all finally arrived at Red Hook the other couple that was on their day sail trip had been waiting for over an hour. Not exactly the way you want to start a day long sailing adventure with strangers…

 

When planning this excursion I went looking for other Allure people that might join us to make a fully chartered group from Allure. That way there would be no conflicts on time and we could all share a ride to the Red Hook Marina. That’s when the Familygoboston crew decided to sign up and thus we had the makings of a great day on the water.

 

Now I must interject here. If by some fluke you are reading my review of the Allure on its April 14th sailing and not reading Familygoboston’s review “The Good Karma Cruise” then I must tell you that her review of this day is much better than mine will be. There are several reasons for this. First her husband Jeff took amazing photos of everything above and below the water with his nifty waterproof camera. Second, Kathleen is a tremendous writer of travel adventures and she wrote this section first and stole all my good material. Three, I broke my camera while boarding the sailboat and so I just had to point the camera and hope it took a picture of something. Four, I spent part of this day in a good bit of fog so I don’t recall some of it or didn’t participate in some of it. No, the fog was not induced by the fabulous Rum Swizzle drinks on the sail boat.

 

I have already mentioned that Kathleen’s lost luggage was our first face to face meeting. And then we kept running into her and her family all through the first few days of the cruise; after boarding, at sail away, at dinner, at the shows. It could be because I stole her itinerary and therefore we were at the same events at the same times. We all quickly became friends. So I was very happy to be sailing with them in St. Thomas.

 

We disembarked together and headed to meet Scotland’s Taxi service which had been arranged by Captain Kathleen, owner of the High Pockets sail boat. Now we have 2 Kathleen’s in the narrative so to avoid confusion I will always refer to High Pockets Kathleen as Captain K.

 

So you know how these things go, you meet new friends, they seem wonderful, you enjoy their company, you have a few laughs, and then they start bumming money off of you! (Sorry Kathleen I just couldn’t resist). Yes the world traveler herself went off and left her cash for the taxi ride on the Allure. Total cost of about $120 as I recall. Luckily I had brought along extra cash to buy my wife a big diamond after our sail, but now I couldn’t do that because all my cash went to pay for someone’s taxi ride (sorry again Kathleen, this is too much fun).

 

 

LOL! Like we had any time to shop anyway...they literally rolled up the ramps behind us:p. thanks for the loan buddy, by the way, I've got this great real estate investment deal you might like to get involved in;)

 

Think of it as a little backsheesh for the planning services;)

[rsharp83]

The Fantasy where our friends Ross and Sheryl were sailing

[/img]

 

 

After lunch the Bostonians hit the water for more snorkeling. Amy and I were content to just hang on the boat and relax. We laid up on the bow and had a wonderful time. Besides, we were going on another snorkeling trip tomorrow in St. Maarten. And, these waters were infested with Barracudas! Well, just one Barracuda and he was not really interested in us.

 

The seas were calm on the way back toward Red Hook. We all sat on the bow and laughed all the way. In fact we are still trading little jokes back and forth based on that afternoon. I hope we will trade little jokes with Kathleen and Jeff for years to come. In the midst of the laughter Melissa brought us one more treat; homemade rum cake. OMG! Incredible awesome rum cake that I could have consumed massive amounts of. RCCL needs her recipe!

 

The High Pockets excursion was the most expensive thing we did but worth every penny. It will be a highlight of your trip, especially if you arrange to sail with a fun group of people.

 

We headed back towards the Allure with just a quick stop to shoot a picture or two.

 

[/img]

 

After dinner we were supposed to see the Beatle Maniacs but Amy had hit the wall. And we knew we had another big day planned for tomorrow.[/size]

[tarajean1962]

You guys really look like you enjoyed this excursion. Once again, the two of you are adorable and I also love the pics with the Bostonians!:cool:

And the food looks delicious!!

 

 

Tara

[cambio]

Sailing Away

Can I get a Flow Rider in My Yard?

 

We walked around a bit and headed to the Spa right before Muster Drill. We got a quick tour and a chance to sit in the heated stone lounge chairs. These chairs are amazing! However, with all we had planned for the next 6 days we just had no idea how or when we would have time to take advantage of the spa. But it was very cool. And the fitness area is very nice as well. We did use that area.

 

My DW is a workout fanatic and since she is a ZUMBA instructor and does strength training sessions as well she really needs to keep up her exercise routine to some extent even while on vacation. She really was wishing she could teach a ZUMBA class on the cruise since she already had 4 people for sure that would come and do her class if she could find a place on board to teach it. I understand why RCCL just can’t let everybody or anybody start teaching classes on the cruise. However, even the spa staff was hoping she could do ZUMBA because they wanted to do it with her. In the end she put on her headphones and went up to the public Aqua deck and did her routine all by herself early one morning. She said it was amazing and the only person who saw her was the guy mopping the deck!

 

 

Thank you for the information about Zumba on the Allure.

 

My wife and I are Zumba instructors sailing next week (5/12) with some of our regulars.

 

On the Adventure of the Seas we used the disco or the viking crown to do our classes. We were hoping to do the same on Allure. We didn't see anything scheduled on the Compasses we have seen that would conflict.

[Familygoboston]

Sailing Away

Can I get a Flow Rider in My Yard?

 

We walked around a bit and headed to the Spa right before Muster Drill. We got a quick tour and a chance to sit in the heated stone lounge chairs. These chairs are amazing! However, with all we had planned for the next 6 days we just had no idea how or when we would have time to take advantage of the spa. But it was very cool. And the fitness area is very nice as well. We did use that area.

 

My DW is a workout fanatic and since she is a ZUMBA instructor and does strength training sessions as well she really needs to keep up her exercise routine to some extent even while on vacation. She really was wishing she could teach a ZUMBA class on the cruise since she already had 4 people for sure that would come and do her class if she could find a place on board to teach it. I understand why RCCL just can’t let everybody or anybody start teaching classes on the cruise. However, even the spa staff was hoping she could do ZUMBA because they wanted to do it with her. In the end she put on her headphones and went up to the public Aqua deck and did her routine all by herself early one morning. She said it was amazing and the only person who saw her was the guy mopping the deck!

 

 

Cambio, if you have a " group" and are booked that way, ( you will know of you got a " free cabin" ) contact the group coordinator for Adventure ( call the CS line and ask for groups, they can tell you who it is and provide you with an email.) Let the Group Coordinator know what your group would like- gym or lounge, how many people, and some general times, they will accomodate you. They closed down the boardwalk on Allurre, they can spare a lounge for Zumba! The group coordinator on Allure was working tirelessly, she arranged all sorts of things for groups big and small!:D

[rsharp83]

Day 5 – St. Maarten

 

Pirate boat adventures ahead!

Mother Nature has other plans

 

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[/img]

 

See, Pirates!

[/img]

 

Our day was about to go sideways and I didn’t even see it coming. The skies were pretty clear and it was a warm sunny day. But Captain Bob had some bad news. He welcomed us and then told us that everyone else booked for the tour had already canceled and he was advising us to do the same. It was very windy and he said we would encounter 10 foot swells, be soaked the entire day and get beaten up by the rough seas if we tried the boat tour. I was so bummed.

 

Captain Bob apologized and got all our info so he could refund our deposits immediately when he got back to his computer. He offered to call us cabs and help us choose an alternate activity. He said if he took us out in such rough conditions we would be miserable and he wanted us to have a good day in St. Maarten. I give Captain Bob total credit for being honest about the whole thing and doing whatever he could to help us make alternative plans. If we ever get to go on a cruise again I want to do this excursion.

[/size]

[tarajean1962]

Oh, what a bummer!!:(

Edited May 4, 2013 by tarajean1962

[just_looking]

...

Our day was about to go sideways and I didn’t even see it coming. The skies were pretty clear and it was a warm sunny day. But Captain Bob had some bad news. He welcomed us and then told us that everyone else booked for the tour had already canceled and he was advising us to do the same. It was very windy and he said we would encounter 10 foot swells, be soaked the entire day and get beaten up by the rough seas if we tried the boat tour. I was so bummed.

 

Captain Bob apologized and got all our info so he could refund our deposits immediately when he got back to his computer. He offered to call us cabs and help us choose an alternate activity. He said if he took us out in such rough conditions we would be miserable and he wanted us to have a good day in St. Maarten. I give Captain Bob total credit for being honest about the whole thing and doing whatever he could to help us make alternative plans. If we ever get to go on a cruise again I want to do this excursion.

 

UGH, sorry that happened to you, but I'm glad to hear that Captain Bob would rather give up the tour for the day than take you on a bad one! Great testimonial for him.

 

Can't wait to hear what you did instead!

[rsharp83]

So, now what? I knew what was coming, the thing I had planned all our excursions to avoid, the thing I am no good at, the thing I was dreading…sitting on a beach. Sheryl and Ross had been to St. Maarten before and immediately Sheryl said, “We are going to Orient Bay and sitting on the beach!” Sheryl is very much a sit on the beach person. I didn’t even put up a fight. I knew it was inevitable; I was spending my day sitting on a beach; no airplanes, no snorkeling, no speedboat.

 

I realize that for some of you, many of you, sitting on a beach is the ultimate. I have friends who go on vacation somewhere tropical and warm and I ask them what did you do, and they reply “We sat on the beach all day for four days and drank beer.” I can’t do that. It has zero appeal to me. So I was less than thrilled for our sudden change of plans. But heck, if the worst thing that can happen is spending a day on the beach in the Caribbean I really have nothing to complain about right?

 

We grabbed a cab and headed to the French side of the island. The driver said he had a more secluded part of the beach to take us to, which made me even less excited. We pulled up to Palm Beach (I believe) and yes it was secluded, or deserted depending on your terminology. It had beautiful views, and really upscale beach chairs, and I would imagine (though we didn’t check) upscale pricing.

 

Palm Beach

 

 

As we looked down the beach there were all kinds of activities going on, but it would be quite a walk to get to any of it. Thankfully our crew said no, we need to be down that direction more where all the people and activities are. Now if you want seclusion on this very popular stretch of beach then this might be your ideal location.