Allure of the Seas Review with Pictures - 18 August 2013

[NMG318]

1. Arrived at the port at 1040, in-processed then waited about 45 minutes in waiting area before boarding around 1145. We went directly to the Boardwalk Hot Dogs for lunch and had the venue to ourselves (while everyone fought over seats at the Windjammer). We thought the food was very good there.

 

2. Overall food which I have rated a 4 in the past on Royal Caribbean I think has slightly improved. Desserts that I have been very critical of in the last few years and have rated them below 3 have also improved to around a 3.0-3.5. They still need a little work (in my opinion). We only ate in the Windjammer once during the cruise for breakfast, mainly due to the numerous other venues available. We ended up eating in the Park Cafe for lunch most days. They have great salads, soups, sandwiches and of course the roast beef sandwiches. I usually got the roast beef in a bowl without the bread. You can get made to order eggs and omelets in the Wipe Out Cafe.

 

3. Did not observe kids running wild as some have described. I did see a lot of kids having fun with the vast majority very respectful. Only saw one incident with unruly kids in the Windjammer.

 

4. The shows were excellent (Chicago, Aqua Show, Blue Planet, Ice Show). The comedy show was one of the best I've seen. I was laughing so hard when Phil Tag was on, I couldn't drink my beer because it was coming thru my nose. Rondell Sheridan was also very funny. Don't miss the Love and Marriage show...very funny.

 

5. As always I thought the staff went out of their way to insure only the best service....and always with a smile on their face. I saw 2 adult woman literally "storm" out of line while waiting for My Time Dining. They were #3 in line and apparently didn't think they should have to wait. The staff chased after them, calmed them down and bent of backwards trying to appease them.

 

6. Elevators overall weren't terrible however at times they did get busy....and kids were not the problem! It would help if some able bodied people would use the stairs if moving only floor up or down. I don't understand why some people (who I saw in the fitness center on the treadmill earlier in the day) will wait 2 or 3 minutes for an elevator just to go up or down one floor.

 

7. Scheduling a cruise during Hurricane season can be risky. We lucked out and never saw more than 4 foot seas. The last two sea days were probably less than 3 feet. We thought the ship was very stable. We did notice a small lateral movement but not enough to be bothered. The MDR waitress said the Allure is the most stable ship she has been on. Since the seas were never more than 4 feet, it is a little hard for me to comment.

 

8. This is an enormous ship. If you go down to deck 5 where the running track is, 2.5 laps equals 1 mile!

 

9. We disembarked with our own luggage and "clocked out" at 6:20 am and were thru Customs by 6:30. We went to the Park n Go and were north bound on I-95 by 6:55. (Don't forget to go on the internet and get your discount price for the Park n Go in advance).

I will be posting pictures over the next couple of days as I get them uploaded to the computer.

[flyawayca]

Thanks for posting! I'll be on the Allure in just a few weeks.

 

We do take a chance sailing during hurricane season. I sure hope they stay away! Or at the most just cause me to have a couple extra "bonus" sea days ;)

 

I look forward to seeing your pictures!

[LMaxwell]

I posted a thread a few days ago with sailaway pics of your cruise taken from the shoreline. What sort of cabin did you have; any remarks on it?

[hscruiser]

 

6. Elevators overall weren't terrible however at times they did get busy....and kids were not the problem! It would help if some able bodied people would use the stairs if moving only floor up or down. I don't understand why some people (who I saw in the fitness center on the treadmill earlier in the day) will wait 2 or 3 minutes for an elevator just to go up or down one floor.

YES.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I actually found the first sea day to be much choppier than last two...you could definitely feel a bit of motion. Nice to hear thoughts from my fellow cruisers! :)

[Maryscooking]

I think this:

(who I saw in the fitness center on the treadmill earlier in the day)

 

might very well be your answer to this:

I don't understand why some people will wait 2 or 3 minutes for an elevator just to go up or down one floor.

 

Maybe they got a blister, or their hamstrings are sore, or they are just plain worn out.

 

I have come back from enough hard workouts with my trainer - where the thought of the five steps up my front porch make me wish I had an elevator - to never judge someone else for using one :D.

 

And PS - thanks for the review!

[NMG318]

I posted a thread a few days ago with sailaway pics of your cruise taken from the shoreline. What sort of cabin did you have; any remarks on it?

 

We had cabin 11606 ocean balcony. We thought it was quiet with easy access to both ends of the ship. The layout had the bed against the closet. We actually prefer to have the the bed closer to the balcony.

[NMG318]

YES.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I actually found the first sea day to be much choppier than last two...you could definitely feel a bit of motion. Nice to hear thoughts from my fellow cruisers! :)

 

Agree. That is when we noticed the most lateral movement and thought it might be a function of the speed of the ship. The first full sea day is when we were moving the fastest to get down to St Thomas on time.

[petesweet]

9. We disembarked with our own luggage and "clocked out" at 6:20 am and were thru Customs by 6:30. We went to the Park n Go and were north bound on I-95 by 6:55.

 

Thanks for sharing with us. Good to know about the ease of disembarkation. We will definitely plan to do this and get a headstart up the highway to board Freedom in Port Canaveral.:)

Kathy

[KGSB11]

YES.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I actually found the first sea day to be much choppier than last two...you could definitely feel a bit of motion. Nice to hear thoughts from my fellow cruisers! :)

 

1st sea day was pretty choppy...IMO a bit higher than 4ft. I went down to the jogging track to get video of the breaking waves -- the splash was getting the lifeboats wet (and me too just a touch :)) But overall, you really didn't feel the movement on the ship...just the wind!!!

[Pebbles468]

Not sure if you will know this .. but what's the deal with the escargot not being served in the MDR? Were they served on your sailing?? replaced by something??

[JohnSnowGOT]

I think this:

 

 

might very well be your answer to this:

 

 

Maybe they got a blister, or their hamstrings are sore, or they are just plain worn out.

 

I have come back from enough hard workouts with my trainer - where the thought of the five steps up my front porch make me wish I had an elevator - to never judge someone else for using one :D.

 

And PS - thanks for the review!

 

 

LIke :)

[NMG318]

1st sea day was pretty choppy...IMO a bit higher than 4ft. I went down to the jogging track to get video of the breaking waves -- the splash was getting the lifeboats wet (and me too just a touch :)) But overall, you really didn't feel the movement on the ship...just the wind!!!

 

OK, maybe 5 - 5.5 foot seas. My estimate was from the upper decks.

[NMG318]

Not sure if you will know this .. but what's the deal with the escargot not being served in the MDR? Were they served on your sailing?? replaced by something??

 

If I recall correctly, the MDR server mentioned that there was a supplier issue.

[Pebbles468]

Thanks!

 

:( maybe it can be corrected by December.. I love those things!

[BillOh]

 

6. Elevators overall weren't terrible however at times they did get busy....and kids were not the problem! It would help if some able bodied people would use the stairs if moving only floor up or down. I don't understand why some people (who I saw in the fitness center on the treadmill earlier in the day) will wait 2 or 3 minutes for an elevator just to go up or down one floor.

 

Everything your writing sounds good so far, I will just add one minor point you sort of touched on. Some people won't wait 2 or 3 minutes. They give up and walk after 30 seconds, but then the elevator still stops. Many times I've seen elevators stop 4-5 times on a trip from top to bottom and nobody gets off or on at a particular floor. Too bad elevators don't have a cancel button!

[Truluv]

Pebbles468: They served scallops in the escargot plates with the same garlic butter sauce on this sailing. If I remember right, it was on the appetizer menu every night. I got it once, but the scallop bits were small and the taste just wasn't the same as escargot.

[NMG318]

Port Everglades

 

 

 

[NMG318]

 

 

 

 

[NMG318]

Arriving in Nassau

 

 

 

 

 

[NMG318]

Nassau

 

 

 

 

[NMG318]

 

 

 

 

[petesweet]

Such unusual and interesting pictures! Thanks.

Kathy

[anandaindonesia]

Thanks for sharing.

Your pictures are OUTSTANDING !

[KGSB11]

Very nice pictures.

 

What time did you leave the ship in Nassau? Got a pic before the other three ships arrived!!

 

I am about 3/4 done uploading and editing my pics. Hope to have them up this weekend

[tominabox1]

Great pics, I just wish they were full size so I could put one on my desktop wallpaper :)