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

[shoelover536]

Here's the issue, I have a bum knee and "I Ran" likely isn't going to be part of my review because I don't run anymore!

 

How about Space Age Love Song? Lol.

 

Great review by the way. I've only ever been on Celebrity, but all of these great Allure reviews are making me want to sail on her.

[rsharp83]

Entertainment!

 

Backstage at the Amber Theater is a dark place. None of my photos from this part of the tour came out usable. I had also made a rookie mistake concerning my camera. I didn’t put the extra battery in my pocket because I assumed I had enough juice to get through the tour. I was not correct in my assumption. And now I was on conserve battery mode so I could make sure I got to the Bridge with some camera battery life left.

 

The 1,800 seat theater was designed specifically to accommodate the Blue Planet show. The main stage is on deck 4 and the pit on the stage goes down all the way to deck 2. The Tree is the first thing you see backstage, it is huge and there is no “breaking it into sections” like they do with the Mountain Trampoline equipment which was in 3 sections. The tree is steel and locks into the stage on a track that moves it during the performance. The tree weighs 750 pounds and it takes several crew to move it onto place - a heavy job!

 

We also got to visit the dressing and cast areas backstage. Costumes were everywhere. The departing cast had left a good luck message to the new cast.

 

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[tarajean1962]

Awesome updates!!:D I am loving the backstage tour and we just may have to do this!

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

Anchor Song

 

Next up was the place than holds us in place; the Mooring Deck. It was almost deserted because we were at sea and obviously didn’t need any mooring. But when approaching a pier there are 15 crewmen in this area. To moor Allure requires 7 lines aft and 11 lines forward. It starts by throwing a Monkey Fist with a thin line to the pier. Then the lines increase in thickness.

 

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The anchors are heavy, 21 tons heavy. There is more than 2,000 feet of chain for the anchors. The anchors are not really used, ever. But the ship is required to have them. Once a month they do an anchor drill and release the anchors. They are too heavy to be released by gravity. The release is controlled and they lower the anchor a distance and then stop, and repeat this process.

 

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[petesweet]

I promise all will be revealed! I'm writing a novel here folks!

 

And I want to cheat and skip to the last page! Can hardly wait!

 

Kathy

[rsharp83]

just got to your Schlitterbahn post!

ever since my son discovered it on the internet a number of years back, we've all been dreaming of going there (yes, we are a major waterpark family)...

i don't think we'll ever get there and now you've made it worse by confirming our belief that it must be the best waterpark ever!! ;)

 

ah well :)

 

GET THERE! You can spend 2 full days at Schlitterbahn and then go to Austin for a few more days. It is great!

 

sorry for the flood of posts, but i HAVE to comment on your menu!

WOW!!!

and i thought i was obsessive!!

no really, thanks for sharing that...

you have no idea (or maybe you do) how many times i've gone through videos and pictures of the menus......

this is so amazingly helpful (for the uber planners among us!!)

 

now i just wish they had eggplant parmigiana every night and i'd be a happy camper!!

 

I really didn't have an idea when I decided to do it of how many people might want the menu in a one sheet format. I just did it for my little group of newbies and then I posted it to the RC. But yes, I was in a bit of an obsessive mood that particular evening.

and as for les miserables.....

as it happens, i love musicals...really love seeing them, listening to them, singing at the top of my lungs with them while i drive..

heck i even love opera....yes, you read that right, i said that i love opera...

but i HATE les miserables....hate it...

i'd rather shoot myself in the foot than listen to it...

so you are not alone!! ;)

 

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this one (at least among the male crowd)

[rsharp83]

How about Space Age Love Song? Lol.

 

Great review by the way. I've only ever been on Celebrity, but all of these great Allure reviews are making me want to sail on her.

 

I am pretty sure my wife would not want me to post pictures that might relate to Space Age Love Song! :eek::eek::eek:

[shoelover536]

I am pretty sure my wife would not want me to post pictures that might relate to Space Age Love Song! :eek::eek::eek:

 

Haha. What about pictures of having a drink in the rising tide bar? That would qualify.

 

Besides, it was the only other flock of seagulls song I could remember. Lol. Great review. You and your wife seem like very fun people to cruise with.

[rsharp83]

Helicopter

 

We went up the stairs; then past the Britto Bar and up some more stairs. We emerged on the Helipad. Yes we were on the bow of the Allure, no public access, only the tour gets you here. As I looked back at the massive structure rising up behind me it gave me a really different perspective of just how big the Allure is. She towered above us. There were some people on the 14th floor Sundeck looking down at us and wondering how we got there.

 

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We wondered around a gawked at the sea in front of us and the ship behind us. But soon enough we were back down the stairs and on our way again.

 

 

Ross, myself and my father in law Jerry

 

[rsharp83]

A few of you "eagle eyes" out there may notice something on one of those pictures...something against the tour rules. Yes there is a woman in shorts on the tour! But don't get too excited about breaking the rules. She is a crew member and was our host for the tour. She took us from place to place throughout the ship and spent the entire 3 hours with us. (I cannot remember her name!) And unfortunately no one else the tour group is on Cruise Critic so I can't ask for help. I know there were no other CCers in the group because of course I asked them! And they all just sort of starred at me like I was a crazy person. :eek:

[tarajean1962]

Awesome updates!! Sounds like a great tour!

 

Tara

[rsharp83]

The Bridge

 

We finally got to ride an elevator after nearly 3 hours on the stairs. We had to have another security scan at this point and then we were led down the hallway where all the bridge crew and captian’s quarters are located. This hall opens onto the Bridge.

 

My first impression was. “Where is all the stuff?” After being in the Engine Control Room where there is floor to ceiling equipment and monitors of every kind the Bridge is austere. It is wide open and rather expansive. Floor to ceiling windows cover the entire area. Where the Engine Control Room was loud with constant buzzers and alarms (at least while we were there) the Bridge is serene and quiet.

 

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There is a small seating area to the left of the “driving” area with some comfortable chairs and couches, much like your living room might look.

 

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[rsharp83]

The view from the Bridge

 

[rsharp83]

The end of the world

 

And just like that it was over. We exited the Bridge and walked back down the hallway and we were in the public area again right by the forward elevators. Our guide said goodbye and we were on our own. It was a rather abrupt ending to our three hours together. Some of us wished each other well etc. and we headed back to wherever we came from.

 

Now, if you read MiddleAgedDramaQueen’s Big Solo Allure review you might notice something missing from our tour compared to her tour. That’s right, the SWAG! We got no SWAG on our tour; no “All Access” badges and no RCCL bag. I found this interesting and I am curious to hear from others who have done the tour to see if there are other differences. It was not a deal breaker but I was going to put the bag to use and having the badge would have been kinda cool in a very geeky sort of way. But alas, there was no SWAG for us.

 

Was it worth it? I thought so. I had a great time on the tour. Got to see lots of interesting things and generally enjoyed the whole thing. After 10 months of researching the ship it was a really fun thing to do and in many ways it completed the whole process of me deciding on the Allure and being so interested in all aspects of the ship. It was also something I was glad my father in law got to do. He is extremely inquisitive by nature and he had a really good time as well as our friend Ross. It was a great morning for all of us.

 

One couple was on our tour. She had to “drag” her spouse to the tour. He wasn’t initially interested in doing it. Mid-way through I asked him how it was, he replied that he was very happy she made him do the tour.

 

My advice is if you think you would be interested in it and you can afford the price, go for it.

[rsharp83]

Now that the "tour" review is finished are there any guesses as to the music related titles?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[PCWalton1]

Thanks for that walk through of the ship. I would love to do it but just don't have the knees to handle all those stairs.

Bill

[alaska_planner]

i sure hope i'm able to sign up for the tour....that will make my entire cruise!!!!!

[rsharp83]

If you go to register on embarkation day you should have no trouble getting spots on the All Access Tour. It does not appear in the Cruise Compass until midweek. So those that already know about have the advantage.

[alaska_planner]

If you go to register on embarkation day you should have no trouble getting spots on the All Access Tour. It does not appear in the Cruise Compass until midweek. So those that already know about have the advantage.

 

 

thanks! :)

[LBumb]

excellent review

[rsharp83]

I am wondering if the lady who fell was the same one we helped in Nassau. She fell in a hole at the curb by Senor Frog's. She was pretty banged up.

 

The lady we met who was hurt was of Asian decent and lived in Vancouver. Her story was pretty scary about her experience trying to get back to the ship after getting hurt. We felt so bad for her, laying in bed for most of the cruise with not even a window to look out of.

 

We never saw her again after we talked to her on Friday night. I hope she made it through dinner with her family. She was determined!

[rsharp83]

The remains of the day

Gone in 7 seconds

 

After some lunch it was time to do the zip line. The line wasn’t too long but it still took quite a while to get through the line. It moves pretty slowly. As it turned out Amy’s shoes were not “completely” closed toed so she just punted the zip line. So it was Sheryl, Ross and I on the line. What can I say, it was fun and worth doing once. I really want to go on a zip line tour somewhere, if we ever cruise again. But this little ride is over in 7 seconds… (insert joke here).

 

Sheryl on the line

 

 

We then got Amy on the FlowRider for the first time and she did fine. She is very athletic. After that we killed a little time in the sun but soon enough we had to get ready for our last big dinner.

[rsharp83]

Steak night

Chops

 

We had a 6:30 reservation for Chops for all 8 of us. This would be our third leg of the Specialty Dining plan that included Giovanni’s and 150 Central Park. We were seated and initially service was a little slow. But in all fairness we were very undecided about appetizers and side dishes so eventually our waiter just said he would bring us several sides and we could all share. Food indecision pays off again!

 

One thing I knew for sure I wanted was the Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cake. It was very good and lived up to the hype that I had seen about it on CC.

 

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My FIL had this dish; Beefsteak Tomato and Purple Onions Sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles. It was like the ultimate dish for him, he can eat tomatoes for every meal!

 

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I was waiting for the Red Velvet Cake all cruise long. It didn’t disappoint. Very good texture and it had thin layers of chocolate next to the icing on each layer. That put it over the top for me.

 

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Our dinner took most of 3 hours. We were not in a big hurry since all most of us had left to do was pack. But at times it could have moved a bit faster. As we were about to leave CD Brooks came in and sat at a table very near to us. I think he had several of the new Blue Planet cast members with him. We didn’t disturb them but it was the closest we came to the CD all cruise.

 

Amy and I had already done most of our packing. We spent some time wandering around the ship and watching a nearby ship sail along beside the Allure. The sadness was setting in knowing that it was almost over. But we still did have an event to look forward to on Sunday!

[alaska_planner]

oh no....last night....which can mean only one thing....your review is almost over!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

i'm enjoying this epic novel too much for it to end!!!!!

 

i sure hope there's another cruise (and epic novel) in your (and our) future!!!!! :D

 

as for that other ship....i loved watching the other ship racing us back to port........black night....water as far as the eye can see....complete nothingness, except for the lights of the big ship sailing with us off in the distance....

(and with hurricane Sandy at our backs pushing us along and rocking and rolling our ship like crazy!!)...

[rsharp83]

Ad rock come and rock the sure shot

What’cha shootin’

 

So the eternal question, what’s the best camera to use? Best advice I have ever seen on this issue was supposedly given by a famous photographer. The answer, whatever camera you have at the time.

 

At home and at work (even though I don’t get to shoot much for work anymore) I have finally worked my way up over the years to a Nikon D3100 with a couple of lenses. It’s a very good camera for my needs. However, as the official photographer for the Amy Zumba website and various other endeavors my wife has, it really is a camera that I didn’t want to put at risk. It is also a fairly big camera with a big bag. Did I really want to drag that around on a cruise? I decided no.

 

I started digging through the drawers and closets looking for cameras from the past. I needed cameras that “if” something happened to them, I wouldn’t really care that much. These are cameras that could and would be at some level of risk without me worrying about it.

 

In this review you have seen pictures from a variety of cameras and yes some shots could have been much better with better equipment but all in all I thought they came out pretty well considering. So what did I use? Here is the list:

 

Sony Cyber-shot DCS-W190 (The one I broke on the sailboat)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P10 (A rugged little camera I’ve had forever)

Lumix DMC-FZ8 (The closest thing to an SLR I took – all the “tour” pics were taken with this)

iPhone 4 (My MILs phone)

iPhone 5 (2 of them, mine and DWs)

 

I guess my point is that you don’t necessarily have to take thousands of dollars worth of heavy gear to get some decent shots. Real photo buffs might disagree and if you seek perfection then you wouldn’t be happy with this kind of mis-matched set up.

 

To be fair I did do photo editing on every picture I posted to bring out the colors better. I use PhotoPlus X4 from Serf software; a great alternative to the much more expensive PhotoShop.