Allure CLS Detailed Trip Report with Many Pictures

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Oasis Sailaway

 

Now, our plan was to relax a little and then go to the inlet to see the Oasis of the Seas sail away. I mean how often do you get the chance to see the same class of ship you will be on the next day, which happens to be the largest class of cruise ships in the world, sail off?? I had seen the directions posted by Gambee and Bugsy on line. I thought that it was within walking distance. Then, I realized those directions were from the Hyatt Pier 66 right across the waterway from us. Hmmmm, is that closer or farther? Phil went down to the concierge to ask and it was farther. Phil and I went to M&F’s room to further discuss how to get to the inlet. Do we walk, do we take a taxi, do we not bother, and how do we get back? They were on the 14th floor too, but down the hall and on the other side. They had mentioned that they could see the cruise ships docked but said that they couldn’t see the Oasis. Well, I walked in their room and the ships were right across the freaking street! Are you kidding me??? Hell, no! We are not going anywhere! The only reason that they couldn’t see the Oasis was because there was another ship in front of her. We were really, really close.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2014 by PhilNDebbieAtSea

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We sent the men down to the bar to get pina coladas and we were set for sailaway! We had front row seats to an amazing show - Crown Princess, Carnival Freedom, a Norwegian ship, the Oasis of the Seas, and Celebrity Eclipse sailaways. Yes, I am sure it was a bit more exciting to be at the inlet and see them that close up, but this was pretty amazing – and so easy and convenient. I think this must be the best kept secret on Cruise Critic…

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can see our loft suites!

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridge opening – we thought maybe a huge ship was coming but it was this teeny tiny sailboat making everyone wait…

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

I was not sure the Oasis would fit in the passageway! :) Here is a short video:

 

 

After sailaway, which coincided with sunset (can you say perfect?), and after 2 pina coladas, we didn’t really feel like getting the water taxi and going over to Olas Blvd for dinner and to walk around, which was our original plan. Our driver had driven us around down there anyway, so we did get to “see” it. What did we do? Go back to Bimini Boatyard for more bread and Bahama Mamas! We did walk to and from this time and even found a short cut. Service was great. Frank asked me which was better – the bimini bread or the rolls on the ship. I said that they were both great – one was new and exciting, the other was like an old doughy friend. Maria said, "Are you calling me doughy??" :) Afterwards, Phil and I sat on our balcony. I was very tired and struggled to stay awake (I had gotten up at sunrise to get pictures) and decided to get on cruise critic and facebook from my balcony to see what was up. I was very surprised to see that it was only 8:15 pm. LOL!!

Edited February 13, 2014 by PhilNDebbieAtSea

[jo24]

Fantastic review so far! Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

I have stayed at Hilton FL Marina twice and absolutely loved it - had Tower Water View each time too, the view for sailaway really is superb!

 

Jo :)

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

The day we have been waiting for was finally here!!! Some more sunrise pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Area around the hotel looked a little different in the sunshine…

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Looks like some action on the yachts. Maybe the owners were on their way?

 

 

No breakfast for me - too excited. Just some coffee for Phil. Got all our bags packed.

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Ran down the hall to get a picture from M&F's balcony of the Allure. It was in the same position as the Oasis had been.

 

 

We had Larry's Limo coming at 10:15. We arranged for the bell hop to come get both rooms’ bags. It was not Richard and he was the first not very pleasant person we came across as he did not seem happy to get both rooms. We tipped him well, so hopefully he got over it. :)

 

We were very thankful that we got the limo to pick us up. The hotel lobby was a zoo! We had a nice black stretch limo with Mickey as a driver. (This was $104, which included a port fee and tip.) He got us there and through port security quickly. They asked to see all the licenses at that port.

 

 

 

At the port, we had a very nice porter who joked around with us – even before he got his tip. We were in and through security in no time. Phil got pulled out of line and to a second screening desk because of the wine, but they just looked at the bottles and then let him go. Again, I was afraid it was his container of sugar…

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Check In

 

We checked in, got our seapass cards, and were sent to the suite waiting area. Very nice!! It had comfortable seating and even had umbrellas for a very tropical feel. I didn’t take any pictures because I wasn’t sure if it was allowed. The concierge of that area was very friendly and talkative. Around 11:20, the back to backers came off and went back on, and then we were told we could board. We were the first suite guests on the ship at 11:30. Another suite guest almost ran us over to be first, but then she picked the wrong line. When she realized her mistake and tried to cut in front of us, Maria gave her the Jersey elbow. You don't mess with a Jersey girl…

[rednancy1]

Great review so far. Thank you for sharing. :)

[Yorkvillain]

Wow, what a review! Love it.

[sauvichick]

Awaiting more... We also be in a suite in June. Any info re: suite check in that hasn't been posted before?

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

iPhone

 

Since the ship was so large and Phil smokes and we were going to be based on the 17th and 18th decks (wow!), we really wanted to get the on board iPhones to use to keep track of each other. As we boarded, we asked a very handsome officer where we could get the iPhones. He told us something that didn’t seem quite right, so we asked someone else. Finally, we asked a woman with a clipboard. She had a paper that she actually consulted and showed us on the paper that we should go to the 14th deck in the Card Room. Since she had it in black and white (we got 3 different answers in all), we went straight to the 14th deck Card Room. The door was locked. Ugghhh. We went down to Guest Services, who said we should go to the 14th floor. When I said the door was locked and no one was there, she tried calling, but to no avail. She recommended we go back there and wait, which we did. This time the door was not locked and we went in. There was one person sitting in there playing a card game. We saw stacks of blank applications and a metal cart that had the electronics in it, we assumed. We sat and waited and waited. No one came. Since we had reservations at Giovanni’s at 12 pm, we decided to “fill out” an application and leave a note that we were there (first) and would be back. After lunch, it was time for our cabins to be opened, so we went to see our homes for the next week. After a bit, I got a call from Maria saying they were at the Card Room. There still was no one there to take the application and now there was a stack of filled out applications and “notes” like ours and several more people waiting. Okay – now was the time to take advantage of our concierge service… I went to the Concierge Lounge and spoke to Dexter. He was so helpful. He called around and finally found out that the employee who did the phone contracts had fallen ill and was taken off the ship with a medical emergency! The employee taking his place was new and was in Orientation training until after muster. He suggested that we go back at 5 pm and someone would be there and he would continue to try to get us our phones in the meantime. Great!

 

We found the iPhones to be very helpful. We got 3 between the 2 couples. One for me, one for Phil, and one for M&F. The new employee, when we went back at 5, was very apologetic and nice. It took a while to fill out all the paperwork and it is kind of nerve-wracking when you see how much they will charge you if you lose or break it! (I think it was like $500.) The fee itself was only $30 a phone and it was well spent. We mostly used it to text each other and that worked well. The locator was hit or miss but pretty much fun when it worked. We never called each other on it and only noticed near the end of the week that the actual Compass with daily activities was on it, which was pretty helpful. You could make restaurant reservations and call maintenance or guest services on it. Cool! The iPhone charger in the suite only worked to charge them (it had a place for 2 iPhones/iPods) if I took the case off and bent it and put it behind the phone to keep it straight. J Don’t know if all of them have to be rigged like that. I had to keep rigging Phil’s for him because he never noticed that it was not charging after he put it on.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Giovanni’s Embarkation Lunch

 

My first pictures on the ship – with everything going on, I didn’t get a chance to get any pictures until later. To say I was impressed with and WOW'd by this ship would be such an understatement...

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch was amazing at Giovanni’s!!!! Service started out a little slow. Apparently, they had hosted the back to backers for lunch there and were still getting things back to order. It was not crowded and service and food were just wonderful. I would do this every time to avoid the crowds if available. When I first thought about it, I wondered if I would miss the Windjammer as it is basically a cruise tradition; however, the horror stories on the boards about the Allure Windjammer made the decision easier, so I pre-booked it. Lunch was $15 a person and well worth it! The appetizers are amazing. We got the caprese and the Frittura Mista Per Due (lightly fried shrimp, sole, and calamari) as appetizers. I got the spaghetti and meatballs and the others got the steak and fries. I didn’t get food pictures at this time. Sorry! This meal was so great that we decided to go again on Saturday for lunch to end our wonderful cruise on the same amazing note that we started it. I did get food pictures that time. Guess you will have to continue reading… :) It was a lot of food for lunch, but oh so good!! There was tiramisu and cannoli for dessert. Our waiter was named Christian and he was so handsome…I mean an excellent server. Tip was included in the $15 pp charge, but we added extra. (I’m feeling a little crass putting whenever we tip over, but I know it is a topic of interest to a lot of people.)

 

 

Lunch over and cabins were open!! Off to the 17th deck to see our crown loft suite. Excitement was building to a fever pitch after a year of anticipation!

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Crown Loft Suite 1710

 

I will let the pictures tell the story here. I will say there was not one thing to complain about with this suite. Not one thing! I am so afraid that I will never be able to go back to a grand suite. Well, I will have to, but when I was in this room I really felt fear that I would not be able to do so. J It was perfect. It was spacious and beautiful and lovely. The locked door to get into the hallway was a nice touch. The wide, spacious hallway made it seem so special. I am so lucky to have had this experience and will treasure it forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bed was so comfy. Make up table was nice. No magnifying mirror like in the grand suites on other ships. I had gotten conflicting info on that but had brought my own. My eyes don’t see as well as they used to…

 

 

 

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[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

The shower on the 2nd floor was amazing – 2 showerheads and a waterfall. You could have a party in there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Two flat screen tvs! One downstairs and one by the bed. The tv upstairs was down when we got there and we tried to put it up, but it wouldn’t go up. The steward fixed that, but then we couldn’t get it back down. We were okay with that because we don’t watch tv in bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dining room table!

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We get the “talk” on the tv…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

The balcony was huge. From Royal’s website and diagram, I had thought I would find the balcony narrow and a bit confining compared to the grand suite balconies that we have had, but it was so roomy because the ceiling was 2 stories. There were 2 loungers and a little table out there. I wish there was a chair or 2 to make sitting a little more comfortable, but we just brought out the dining table chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

Downstairs bathroom