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Review - Allue OTS - Sept 29 - Oct 6, 2013 w/ photographs

Cuizer2

By Cuizer2,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Saturday, October 5, 2013 - Day at sea

I have breakfast in the Solarium, which is in the front of the ship. Oh boy, what a view!

 

 

After breakfast I decide to get pictures of things I did not take pictures of yesterday. Mostly this consisted of signs (such as the pool rules for all four pools) and pictures inside the ship. The library on this ship is one of the smallest libraries I have seen on any ship. There were people in the library and given its small size, there was no way for me to take any pictures without being intrusive, so I didn't take a picture inside the library.

 

 

 

There is also no public access to the helicopter pad on this ship, as there is on the four Radiance ships, the five voyager ships and the three Freedom ships. That is twelve ships - more than half the fleet. However, there is a very nice sun deck above the bridge, if you know how to get to it (deck fourteen - port side only). In fact, you could get a Central Park view balcony near the front on the port side, then walk down the hall to a very large (public) forward facing balcony with two powerful binoculars (one on each of the bridge wings) and have the best of two worlds (inexpensive balcony overlooking Central Park) and a great forward facing balcony just one hallway a way. Or you could get an ocean view balcony near the front side of deck fourteen and have both a private ocean view balcony and a few steps away have a public forward facing balcony.

 

 

 

The three to five year olds, the six to eight years old and the nine to eleven years old kids have their area on deck fourteen near the front of the ship. There is also an arcade there. The teens (the twelve to fourteen year olds and the fifteen to seventeen year olds) have their area on deck fifteen near the back of the ship. There is another arcade located in this area, along with easy access to the miniature golf course, the covered and wind protected ping pong tables and the sports court.

 

 

 

The Rising Tide Bar moves between decks five (the Royal Promenade) and deck eight (Central Park). It makes the trip in three minutes and leaves thirty minutes from each deck. It leaves on the hour and on the half hour from Central Park and every 15 and 45 minutes after the hour from the Royal Promenade.

 

 

 

With some of the pictures (mostly inside the ship) you give the photographer your SeaPass card and the picture is put in a folder for your cabin, so you don't have to go looking for it. Other photographs are printed and displayed (such as the debarkation photos at each port). All the photos can be viewed on one of the several photo kiosks. The photographs are matched up using face recognition software.

 

 

 

Today I finally did go in the pool. I was going to give the beach access pool a try. However, looking around I realized that there was no room in the pool for me. As I was kidless, the H2O Zone did not seem real appealing. I walked through it, tried out some of the water cannons, but I didn't go in the pool. There was a volleyball game going on in the sports pool. Great under normal circumstances but I had done enough running around during the week and was looking for something a little more sedate. So I ended up in the family pool. The sports pool, the beach assess pool and the family pools are 57 inches (4' 9") deep. I spent about 45 minutes just relaxing and then went back to the cabin to shower, work on this, relax and get ready for Blue Planet, which is another production show in the Amber theater (the main show lounge).

 

 

 

Blue Planet had energy and I liked it more than Chicago the Musical. There were scene changes. No flash photography or video taping is allowed, but I recently purchased a fast lens for my DSLR and it was the perfect fit for taking pictures of the different scenes and colors in low light. Blue Planet is about one hour long.

 

 

 

After Blue Planet I headed back to the cabin to start packing and to dry out my wet bathing suit with the ship supplied hair dryer (it did the job while I watched TV).

 

 

 

Unfortunately today is packing day, so I started getting every organized. Most of my clothing is now in the laundry bag, so I knew I could do the actual packing after dinner and have my luggage out by 11pm as long as I had everything organized. Packing of course means the cruise is over, so I don't really enjoy it and thus leave it to the very end.

 

 

 

At any rate I am packed and I put my luggage out before 11pm. I still have a full set of clothes for tomorrow. So until tomorrow, good night.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Sunday, October 6, 2013 - Travel day

I sleep with the curtains open (who is going to see me other than a few fish), so I wake up once the Fort Lauderdale lights start to light up the cabin. It is about 6am.

 

 

 

I have luggage tag number one, but I am in no hurry. I have a 1:40pm flight out of Miami. I figure if I leave around 9:30 I should make to the airport by 11am. So I get dressed to have breakfast and can't find my socks. I am sure I put them out for this morning, but they are nowhere to be found. Oh well, I'll have to wear my shoes without socks until I get past customs (you are not allowed to open your luggage until after passing customs).

 

 

 

I decide to get out on deck in time for the sunrise and there are clouds on the horizon, which ruins the sunrise. In order to get good sunrise or sunset photographs you need a clear horizon and clouds overhead. If there are clouds on the horizon then the sun has to be higher in the sky before it "rises". The higher in the sky the sun is, the brighter everything is which washes out all the color. I take a few photographs just to prove I was up. And since I am near the solarium, that is where I have breakfast.

 

 

 

After breakfast I head back to my cabin to work on this. Finally around 9am I get ready to leave so that the cabin steward can prepare the cabin for the next lucky cruiser(s). That is when I found my socks. Note to self, don't put black socks on a black bag and expect to be able to see them with the lights off and the cabin window facing west while the sun hasn't risen in the east yet.

 

 

 

I go to Dazzles on deck eight, which is where those with priority debarkation are told to go. There are still people there and they are enjoying a continental breakfast. There is an electric sign just out side Dazzles showing which numbers have been called. Number one was called around 7:10am and now, a little after 9am they are in the forties, so I decide to just head down to deck five a depart.

 

 

 

I'm so late that my luggage has been removed from the number one staging area and is now in the unclaimed section. I claim it. By 9:45am I am in a taxi headed to Miami International Airport. I am expecting the trip to cost about $100 with tip and it comes to just under $90 with a 20% tip. I'm at the airport by 10:20am. Since I only paid $10 for the plane tickets I just write off the taxi fare as part of the transportation costs. Had my flight left after 3pm and could have taken a shore excursion for half the price that would have ended at the airport. There was another shore excursion that ended at FLL for those flying out of that airport.

 

 

 

As I said, for $10 I was taking what was being given to me. These are not the flights I would have chosen. Flying out of Miami American Airlines has several non-stops to LAX. But I am going to spend two hours in the air headed to Reagan Airport (Washington DC), spend an hour on the ground and then get a flight to LAX.

 

 

I'm at the airport early and Miami doesn't have enough electrical outlets. No problem, I'm prepared. I've got a short extension cord with three outlets. I ask permission to unplug someone for a few seconds and plug in my extension cord. Then I play some games and work on this until it is time to board. Then I reverse the procedure to unplug myself.

 

 

The flight to DCA is on time and uneventful. This is my first time to Reagan Airport and I know it is close to Washington DC. There are some clouds but I am able to spot the capital dome and the Pentagon. However, I didn't see anyone actually working. The plane that will carry me home is a little late arriving and as a result we leave the gate a little late departing, but we arrive at LAX on time. So far so good.

 

 

 

At baggage claim I turn on my cell phone. There is a message from American Airlines telling me to see a baggage claim representative before I try to collect my luggage. This can't be good. Sure enough, I'm in Los Angeles and my luggage is in New York. Seems my luggage made it to DCA with me, then took off for New York while I headed west. Next time I watch Home Alone 2 the luggage is going into the closet. This is why there is nothing very valuable in the checked luggage. My computer and cameras are in two backpacks that I carry on the plane. Both will fit under the seat or in the overhead bins, so I never have to check them.

 

 

 

At any rate, they know where my luggage is - sort of. One note says it is in New York and the other note says it arrived at 7:30 (which is when we arrived). But think about it. If I was only on the ground for one hour at Reagan and then took a non-stop to LAX, how could the luggage which also would have spent some time on the ground in DCA, then flew to New York and would need at least 45 minutes there before someone realized that it was not where it should be, get to LAX at the same time I did. At least this happened on the way home and not on the way to the cruise.

 

 

 

Well it is late (11pm my body time) and all I want to do is get home. So the baggage claim representative asks me to fill out a claim form. Okay, they know where my luggage is, they know enough about me to call me and tell me about the problem (okay, it was actually a computer that called me and left the message - but still, it was an American Airlines' computer), so how much more information do they need??? Well, the lady is typing and typing and typing - FOR ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES. What is she doing, typing out the following day's flight schedule??? She wants to know what is in the luggage. Why, you already identified it? I tell her it is mostly laundry. Not good enough. Is there a toiletry kit - yes. Shoes - no. My itinerary is in an unlocked zippered pocket - not good enough. Word to the wise, make sure you have three things in your luggage that you can identify in case it gets lost. God forbid that you only have one item in the luggage and it gets lost - you might not get it back, even if they find it!

 

 

 

Even worse, I can see out the window that the FlyAway bus has just left which means I'll have to wait another thirty minutes until the next bus arrives. I take my paper work and try to catch up to the bus. However, after traveling from terminal four to terminal six I still don't see it and decide to head back up to terminal four. This turns out to be a good move. Why?

 

 

The reason I don't normally take the bus back home is because the last time I tried to take the bus home the bus stopped at terminal seven (United), the driver opened the door and said he was full, I would have to wait for the next bus, and took off. Given this history I decide to walk back to terminal four. Lucky me, this is the busy time and there is another bus in fifteen minutes. After everyone gets on the drive starts counting empty seats. After his stop at terminal five he is full and doesn't even stop at terminals six or seven. Well, I finally made it home in one piece. I turned on the air conditioning (I had turned it off while I was gone) and went to sleep, waking up at 3am which was 6am my body time. The luggage was delivered to me at work, by a delivery service man driving a BMW. Perhaps I should look into a new line of work.

 

 

So, how would I sum up my experience on the Allure of the Seas? The ship is big and the experience is different. There is so much to do that either you need two weeks (back to back cruises) or you will need a vacation to recover from the cruise. Would I do it again? Yes, but with the idea that I've been to all the ports before and I'm going to stay on the ship. Basically the ship is too big. There were people I saw at the sail-away that I never saw again. There were things I didn't do because I didn't want to over do it. But if you are a young family with active children, this may be a good ship for you.

 

 

 

However, for a more traditional cruise experience, you have to recognize the short comings of such a big ship. Forget about sitting on the top deck, sunning yourself with a cold drink in hand and watching the wake disappear in the distance. There is no area for this. The closest you can come is to stand at the top deck between the two Flowriders with drink in hand and watch the wake disappear in the distance.

 

 

 

Other cons, you will not see this ship in small or tender ports, which means it will never be on a unique itinerary. Also, I think service suffers because of the size of the ship. Was the staff friendly - yes. But it could be that the distances involved just slowed things down.

 

 

 

On the other hand there are positives. The neighborhood concept works well. Other than the pool itself, it never felt crowded in any area. They do seem to be able to move six thousand people around very efficiently. You can do things on this ship that you can't do on any other ship. The personal schedule on the TV is a great help for keeping track of what you are going to do and when.

 

 

 

Well, I could go on and on, but I've got to stop somewhere. If you have any question, feel free to ask. I'll answer all the questions that I can. And for those that are wondering, I do recommend trying the Oasis or Allure at least once, because it is such a different experience.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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CAeventDSC_8729_zps11cd83d0.jpg

 

CAeventDSC_8735_zpse0efbc54.jpg

 

CAeventDSC_8739_zps1c694ff7.jpg

 

CAeventDSC_8743_zpsc9d0209d.jpg

 

That is the captain on the left and the hotel director on the right ...

 

CAeventDSC_8756_zpsd41fe2cf.jpg

 

The captain and hotel direction doing their imitation of the strong man act ...

 

CAeventDSC_8762_zps5428d02a.jpg

Edited by Cuizer2
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Various short videos ...

 

Gal on the Flowrider - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/GalonFlowrider_zpsf109da24.mp4.html

 

Guy on the Flowrider - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/GuyonFlowrider_zps800ce979.mp4.html

 

Instructor on the Florwrider - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/ProonFlowrider_zps4435acf0.mp4.html

 

Proof that the world is flat - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/FlatWorld_zpsd430278c.mp4.html

 

The fountains under the Rising Tide Bar - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/FountainsunderRisingTideBar_zps7676d4d7.mp4.html

 

The ship's wake - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/Wake_zpsc5b863fd.mp4.html

 

The whirlpool in the H2O Zone - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/WhirlpoolII_zps5719ed21.mp4.html

 

The H2O Zone whirlpool - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/WhirlpoolI_zps37a2037d.mp4.html

 

The rising tide bar - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/RisingTideBar_zps561dc346.mp4.html

 

Sunset - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/Sunset_zpscdbc5aee.mp4.html

 

The zip line - http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Allue%20OTS/Allure%20videos/ZipLine_zpsb819f04b.mp4.html

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