---> !!ALLURE OTS REVIEW!! <--- Complete Pictorial Guide! [Jun 29, 2013]

[swim13]

 

 

 

 

When walking back to the ship, there were some locals singing and dancing, it was really awesome and it was very high energy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[swim13]

 

 

 

 

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD GET A STARBOARD SIDE ROOM ON THE OASIS CLASS IF YOU ARE GOING TO LABADEE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[swim13]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[superduper123]

Great review, awesome photos!

And totally off topic, love your avatar. :-)

[swim13]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff surprised my mom, Matt, and I to two cakes! I dind't get a picture of my mom's but it was a chocolate and looked just like the vanilla one Matt and I got. Remember I told you we were celebrating my mom's -0th birthday and my graduation?! Thanks Jeff, the cakes were DELICIOUS!! Perfect moisture and the taste was great. We had the chocolate one tonight and the vanilla one the next night.

[swim13]

Surprise (kind of)!!

 

Ok so I got a time lapse of leaving every port which I will combine all of them to make one big video of time lapses but I decided to just show you the one leaving Labadee now!

 

PLEASE CHANGE THE QUALITY TO 1080p WHEN YOU WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE FOR THE BEST QUALITY!!

 

Tell me how you like it, I wish I got more of them during the cruise!

 

CLICK THIS LINK,

 

Day 3 is done!!!! I'm going to a grad party right now for awhile but then I'll come home later and start working on Day 4. I really hope you are all enjoying your journey with me on this fantastic week!! :D

Thanks in advanced!

[IwannaGo Now]

Lovin' the review...great job....kudos on the time lapse too, and I loved the music! Thanks

[anandaindonesia]

Love your video. Awesome!

[retiring soon]

Hi again!

 

I checked my reservation & my cabin is on starboard side so I'm glad!

 

Love the music in both your youtube links. Neat view from the top of the zipline & btw that's the only way I'll ever see it!;) Big chicken here!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[DreaAST]

I'm pretty sure this was already asked and I apologize for the repetitiveness but I've been reading along as you post and have no patience to start reading over lol. What camera do you have? Thanks :)

[Thetrail]

Love the photos and congrats on a wonderful review. Will be sailing this amazing ship for the 5th and 6th time next may. It won't come soon enough!

[fairweather]

Welcome to

Rita's

Cantina!

 

I will start off saying that I think Rita's Cantina is like the Park Café before it became famous from its roast beef sandwiches and Cruise Critic praise! The theming is wonderful, the food was terrific, and the wait staff is just like you would expect in any of the other specialty restaurants.

 

You don't make any reservations to get in, you just show up! Usually there are table's open, when we were eating, there were many tables available. You pay a cover charge (service fee) of I believe $3 per person and then pay for what you want to eat and drink, just like a normal restaurant on land minus the cover. The chips and salsa are great, I know its just corn tortilla chips but they really are pretty good! Tonight I got my first drink that wasn't free or included in the soda package, I got a Berry Banana Smoothie, virgin of course. =P It was very good and I love the fancy plastic they come in, haha! I ordered the Grilled Chicken (which I guess is actually just a chicken quesadilla) for my main entrée, extremely good and a safe bet if you are a little skeptical about Mexican food. There were some kind of peppers in it too so it had a nice kick to it, the cheese was perfectly melted and the chicken must have been marinated! Am I making your mouth water yet?! For dessert, I set the trend by ordering a churro with ice cream on the side!

 

I was mesmerized by the lights in Rita's so expect a few pictures of just lights and nothing much more, haha!

 

I almost forgot to mention that I rode the carousel before dinner and it really was pretty sweet, even for an 18 year old! =P It was the only time I got the chance to ride it but I wish I got to ride it at least twice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berry Banana Smoothie, mmmmmmmm!

 

 

 

 

Sorry, there is a bite taken out of the top one! It looked way too good and I just got excited and forgot to take a picture before I started to indulge =P

 

 

 

 

Also, my apologies in advanced, I didn't carry a tripod so some of the night pictures may be slightly blurry.

Hi, Swim13. Love your review and photos. You have a fun way of describing what happened to you along the way. And thanks for posting the compasses, too. You know how we CC members love to plan ahead.

 

Congratulations on your recent graduation and good luck to you in college and in your swimming competitions.

[Snooksi]

Hi Mike and everyone else,

 

I'm new to this board so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong until I figure out the "ins and outs" of this community.

 

My name is Christine, I'm from Missouri and my two children (19 & 13) and I just returned from a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas last June. We had such an incredible time that I have already booked another cruise on the Allure for December 15th this year. We are so excited and cannot wait!!

 

Mike...your pictures and review have been incredible. I have been searching for every bit of information, online, that is available regarding our cruise and the Allure of the Seas. While viewing your video of the zip line in Haiti, I felt like I was along for the ride. Your pictures/videos and information have been incredible and I have really enjoyed them so far. Because of you, I made sure our room is on the starboard side rather than the port side which we cruised on the Disney Dream. THANK YOU!!!

 

I look forward to meeting lots of new people and learning as much information about the Allure before our trip in December!! I am one of those people who love to "plan" and have every detail reserved or in order before leaving for our vacations!

 

Christine

[ecourtney]

I am having a great time reading your review! I love the photos that you have posted and it sounds like you had a blast. Congrats on your graduation! I will be on the Oasis o/t Seas for the second time in October and I can't wait. Doing the Western Caribbean this time and seeing your photos makes me want to be on the ship right now :D I haven't posted before but you have inspired me to "get out there" and share my experiences! Thanks again and looking forward to reading and seeing more :)

[swim13]

I love your review! You are doing an awesome job!

 

We were on Allure in February this year so I am familiar with the ship but we did the Eastern itinerary. We will be doing the Allure again next February but we are doing the Western itinerary.

 

I have been to Labadee twice before, and have done the zip line both times. I loved it! I will probably do it again the next time we are there. The picture you took at the top is amazing! I will have to remember my camera so I can take the same picture!

 

Thank you so much! I would love to do the Eastern Itinerary, when we go back on we will most likely do that one! The zip line really is awesome, that view is just crazy.

 

Mike, which camera are you using? Always on AUTO? The pics are flawless. And you have a good eye for creative shots, too. And you're 18 years old. Wow!

 

I use the Sony NEX-F3 after Gambee's suggestion! I could not be more happy with it. I even use the lens it comes with! The thing I really love most is its compact size and great image quality, I felt bad for everyone carrying around their DSLR's! This camera also comes with really fun in camera effects which you will see in Cozumel. I mainly had the camera in Intelligent Superior Auto for all pictures except a few in Cozumel where I set it to Aperture Priority since the lighting was bad and it was easier to adjust this way because I didn't want a flash. I also use Adobe Lightroom 4 to brighten up and fix some of the pictures but really this camera is AMAZING and pretty cheap! Thank you so much for the compliment though!! Hope you stick around

 

Great review, awesome photos!

And totally off topic, love your avatar. :-)

 

Thank you and thank you! My avatar is off of my Instagram! =P

 

Lovin' the review...great job....kudos on the time lapse too, and I loved the music! Thanks

 

Thank you, I chose the music for the zip line video but I just picked something from the YouTube selection of songs for the time lapse so I'm glad you liked it!

 

Love your video. Awesome!

 

Thanks! You may want to stick around for a better one later on!

 

Hi again!

 

I checked my reservation & my cabin is on starboard side so I'm glad!

 

Love the music in both your youtube links. Neat view from the top of the zipline & btw that's the only way I'll ever see it!;) Big chicken here!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Hi! I'm glad you're on the Starboard side!! We had amazing views with that side at every port as you will soon see.

 

I'm glad you get to see it though, I still think you should try a smaller zip line somewhere near you because it is so neat! I didn't even notice the height, I just kept looking straight out!

 

I'm pretty sure this was already asked and I apologize for the repetitiveness but I've been reading along as you post and have no patience to start reading over lol. What camera do you have? Thanks :)

 

You are fine! If you want to scroll up a little ways, I gave "clayb" a pretty detailed response but I use the Sony NEX-F3, amazing camera!

 

Love the photos and congrats on a wonderful review. Will be sailing this amazing ship for the 5th and 6th time next may. It won't come soon enough!

 

YOU ARE SO LUCKY! I need to get back on this ship asap! Thanks!

 

Hi, Swim13. Love your review and photos. You have a fun way of describing what happened to you along the way. And thanks for posting the compasses, too. You know how we CC members love to plan ahead.

 

Congratulations on your recent graduation and good luck to you in college and in your swimming competitions.

 

Thank you so much!!

 

Hi Mike and everyone else,

 

I'm new to this board so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong until I figure out the "ins and outs" of this community.

 

My name is Christine, I'm from Missouri and my two children (19 & 13) and I just returned from a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas last June. We had such an incredible time that I have already booked another cruise on the Allure for December 15th this year. We are so excited and cannot wait!!

 

Mike...your pictures and review have been incredible. I have been searching for every bit of information, online, that is available regarding our cruise and the Allure of the Seas. While viewing your video of the zip line in Haiti, I felt like I was along for the ride. Your pictures/videos and information have been incredible and I have really enjoyed them so far. Because of you, I made sure our room is on the starboard side rather than the port side which we cruised on the Disney Dream. THANK YOU!!!

 

I look forward to meeting lots of new people and learning as much information about the Allure before our trip in December!! I am one of those people who love to "plan" and have every detail reserved or in order before leaving for our vacations!

 

Christine

 

Hello! I'm so glad you're first post was in my review! You are doing just fine, there really aren't many rules at all.

 

You all are going to have so much fun, you will love Royal Caribbean! Stay tuned for more details about Jamaica and Cozumel! I will also give more details from my 18 year old perspective at the end of the review.

 

Thank you for the compliment on my pictures, it takes a lot of time to pick the right ones out, adjust them, and post them! Hope to see you around!

[swim13]

I am having a great time reading your review! I love the photos that you have posted and it sounds like you had a blast. Congrats on your graduation! I will be on the Oasis o/t Seas for the second time in October and I can't wait. Doing the Western Caribbean this time and seeing your photos makes me want to be on the ship right now :D I haven't posted before but you have inspired me to "get out there" and share my experiences! Thanks again and looking forward to reading and seeing more :)

 

Woohoo, another first time poster in my review!! =D You are very lucky, I wish I had another trip booked on one of these ships right now! They are so awesome, aren't they!? I'm really glad you like my review. Hope to see you post some more! Thanks!!

 

OH MY GOODNESS! And I just read in your signature that you are booked on two Quantum cruises, take me with you please?! Lol I am trying to figure out a way to get on it but its just not fitting in my schedule, waiting for the summer 2015 itineraries.

Edited July 13, 2013 by swim13

[swim13]

Alright everyone, please don't be mad! I won't be posting anything until the morning. I am bringing my computer to work tomorrow so hopefully it will be really slow and I can get all of the pictures done. I am having a little graduation get together party after I get out of work so I will try hard to at least post part of Day 4 in the afternoon and then try and finish it later in the evening!

 

Thank you for being so patient, I never realized how busy my life was until I started this review! :p

 

Also, thanks for all of the great responses! It really motivates me more and more, I have some more exciting stuff coming up for everyone so please stay tuned and subscribe! :D

 

See you all tomorrow, goodnight

Edited July 13, 2013 by swim13

[DreaAST]

Thanks for the camera info! I don't really need a new camera but after seeing these pics I want one lol!

[aubreyc1988]

Great review!

 

I will be on the Allure on the Sept 1st going on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary! So excited, the ship looks wonderful - I have been on many cruises, my last being on RCI (my first time with RCI) and wow, RCI overall is just wonderful so can't wait to experience the Allure

[jenninlaca]

Subscribing. You are doing a fantastic review. I was on the same sailing. Loved Allure and I booked the same cruise again (same week next year) while on board. I would have been too sad to leave on Sunday morning without knowing that I would be back on Allure. My favorite place on the ship was the forward Starboard whirlpool on Deck 15 just before the Solarium. I could have spent the entire cruise in there other than meals.

[ecourtney]

I wish I had a cruise booked on Allure, just to compare it to Oasis, but you can't pass up on a good deal right? You should book yourself on Quantum! ;)

[gambee]

HI all!

 

Mike ~ I'm really enjoying your review & pictures!:DThey're making me excited for my Allure cruise in November & stay at the Hyatt. BTW I see I've been on 3 of the 4 ships you have which makes me wonder....

 

Gambee are you still going on Breeze? I hope so as I've booked it for the week before I go on Allure & am looking forward to your review.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

 

There have some complications that forced me to cancel my Breeze cruise. I would like to say that I might be pushing the cruise to September/Octo, but in all honesty I am just not sure at this point.

 

Time will tell I guess :)

[swim13]

Well thanks to more clouds and cold weather, I have been at work, working on Day 4 pictures! =D I'm happy to say that just as I finished them, people came so I won't be able to start writing until a little later. The pictures are being uploaded right now as I speak and I think you will like some of the pictures from the night!!

 

Will respond to everyone when I can!

[RayD2013]

Hey, I'm new here. :)

 

I'm going to be on Allure OTS July 28th.. I'm really looking forward to it!

 

I'm just wondering if they are strict about the age of "teens" on board? I will have JUST turned 18 the day before (July 27th) the cruise. Would I still get into the "teen" clubs or whatever, even though I will be 18? If not, are there any clubs/areas that are there just for "young" adults (maybe between the ages of 18-25, or so). I'm just slightly worried that I won't meet people my own age and I'll be stuck with the one person (who is a lot older) with I am going with. Any reassurance or anything out there?

[Shawnkat]

Great review! Can't wait to read the rest.

We're sailing on Oasis next week and your review is getting me so excited. Counting the days...