Newbie questions

[asj410]

Hi everyone,

 

Just came across this forum today while doing some research and thought I'd throw some questions at some of you more experienced guys. This forum is pretty overwhelming, so I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked before. I just wasn't able to find out enough from searching.

 

I've been planning for my girlfriend's birthday since last September (her birthday is in June), and since it's her 30th birthday, I really want to go all out (as much as I can). I booked a balcony on a 7-night eastern Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas, which happens to leave right on her birthday. Great timing! She's never been on a cruise before, and we've talked about going on a cruise many, many times over the years. I thought this would be the perfect first cruise for her.

 

With all of that said, I'm trying to plan out some things to help make sure the cruise goes smoothly. We have MTD, and I'm trying to plan our reservations each night around the shows that I have us reserved for. From what I've gathered reading other threads, dinner tends to take between 1.5 and 2 hours. If we have a show at 9:00 p.m., what would be the latest time we should reserve a table for dinner given that we need to get to the show venue with a comfortable amount of time to get decent seats? Would a 6:45 p.m. reservation be sufficient to enjoy dinner without having to rush through it and make it to the show with enough time to get good seats?

 

Another aspect that I'm trying to factor in is how long it takes to get out into open water from the port in Ft. Lauderdale. We're scheduled to leave port at 5:00 p.m. I'm sure we'll want to watch from one of the higher decks as we leave port and get out into open water, so I don't want to schedule dinner too early where it interferes with being able to do that.

 

Any and all info would be a great help! I really want this to be her best birthday present ever! :D

 

Oh, and how are many of you creating your customized cruise countdowns in your sigs with a profile image of the cruise you'll be on? I'd love to add that to my sig.

 

Thanks!

[Cigar King]

I think we were out into open water 30 minutes after leaving...

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Clarea]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

You are very close to open water in Port Everglades. I'd estimate around 15-20 minutes from when the ship starts to move until it is out of the channel.

Edited February 13, 2014 by clarea

[Guest maddycat]

I would think that a 6:45 dinner reservation would be fine. When you are seated, tell your waiter that your show time is 9:00 and that you would like to be out by 8:30. It shouldn't be a problem.

[FTLcruisers]

Your girlfriend is going to love you for her birthday gift and love the Allure - it's a great ship.

 

Cruise Critic is a great source of information - don't hesitate to put your questions out there.

 

Marianne

[asj410]

Thanks for the info, everyone!

 

Another question that popped up. With a June cruise to the eastern Caribbean, will we be safe to wait until the cruise is underway before deciding what shore excursions we'd like to purchase, or is it likely that certain excursions will sell out prior to the day of departure?

 

I'm trying to keep everything a surprise until we get to Ft. Lauderdale (beyond telling her that we'll be going somewhere tropical), but I'd hate to lose out on an excursion that interests her because of that.

 

Thanks again!

[garnetpalmetto]

Thanks for the info, everyone!

 

Another question that popped up. With a June cruise to the eastern Caribbean, will we be safe to wait until the cruise is underway before deciding what shore excursions we'd like to purchase, or is it likely that certain excursions will sell out prior to the day of departure?

 

I'm trying to keep everything a surprise until we get to Ft. Lauderdale (beyond telling her that we'll be going somewhere tropical), but I'd hate to lose out on an excursion that interests her because of that.

 

Thanks again!

 

Why not research/book an excursion via an independent company? Check the boards for St. Thomas and St. Maarten but there are some great companies out there that you could order in advance. PM me if you'd like any suggestions based on who we've used in the past.

[dadroy]

Feeling lazy tonight so not going to answer all your questions.

 

Take a look at this for countdown clocks to add to your signature. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=434

Other people have more elaborate ones, but this comes from Cruise Critic and should work perfectly.

 

I have the same issue with the cute bug moving around on the Avatars. Don't know how to set one up, but I guess maybe I'm lazier than I thought. Don't want to put in the effort to look up how to do it. :D

[dacsmom]

What a wonderful birthday present. If you like the excursions the ship offers definitely book them ahead of time, the good ones do sell out fast on board. We did a sea blaster snorkeling tour in St. Thomas through the ship and loved it. We did a tour through Bernard's Tours in St. Marten because I wanted to see both the French and Dutch side and it was wonderful and very inexpensive.

[teachchem]

We have MTD, and I'm trying to plan our reservations each night around the shows that I have us reserved for.

 

 

How did you book your shows already for June. I am on the Allure in early June and it doesn't look like that feature is available yet.

[suekay]

Just one suggestion ..…......having told her it's somewhere tropical, make sure she takes at least one dressy outfit for formal nights. I'm not into dressing up, especially at land based resorts, but I do take one dressier outfit on a cruise. I'd hate to spoil the fun for her if she enjoys dressing up. If you think she'd like that, but you dont want to spoil the surprise, maybe you could ask one of her friends which outfit she'd choose then sneak it into your bag?

[RoamingRetirees]

Wonderful surprise! You will love Allure. You may have already thought of this, but make sure you have either passports or certified birth certificates and picture IDs for both of you. It would be truly awful if you couldn't board because you didn't have proper ID. :eek:

[funNsun4me]

Hi everyone,

 

Just came across this forum today while doing some research and thought I'd throw some questions at some of you more experienced guys. This forum is pretty overwhelming, so I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked before. I just wasn't able to find out enough from searching.

 

I've been planning for my girlfriend's birthday since last September (her birthday is in June), and since it's her 30th birthday, I really want to go all out (as much as I can). I booked a balcony on a 7-night eastern Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas, which happens to leave right on her birthday. Great timing! She's never been on a cruise before, and we've talked about going on a cruise many, many times over the years. I thought this would be the perfect first cruise for her.

 

With all of that said, I'm trying to plan out some things to help make sure the cruise goes smoothly. We have MTD, and I'm trying to plan our reservations each night around the shows that I have us reserved for. From what I've gathered reading other threads, dinner tends to take between 1.5 and 2 hours. If we have a show at 9:00 p.m., what would be the latest time we should reserve a table for dinner given that we need to get to the show venue with a comfortable amount of time to get decent seats? Would a 6:45 p.m. reservation be sufficient to enjoy dinner without having to rush through it and make it to the show with enough time to get good seats?

 

Another aspect that I'm trying to factor in is how long it takes to get out into open water from the port in Ft. Lauderdale. We're scheduled to leave port at 5:00 p.m. I'm sure we'll want to watch from one of the higher decks as we leave port and get out into open water, so I don't want to schedule dinner too early where it interferes with being able to do that.

 

Any and all info would be a great help! I really want this to be her best birthday present ever! :D

 

Oh, and how are many of you creating your customized cruise countdowns in your sigs with a profile image of the cruise you'll be on? I'd love to add that to my sig.

 

Thanks!

 

We picked 6:30 for MTD and it worked out well. I think one night we had to change to 6:00 for an 8:30 show. Keep in mind that people arrive at the shows 45 mins to 1/2 earlier to get better seats and you probably don't want to make a mad dash to your shows from dinner since they tend to be on the opposite side of the ship from the dining room.

 

St. Thomas and St. Maarten are very easy to navigate on your own. Both are friendly islands. We love Meghan's Bay on St. Thomas but it does not have snorkeling. Maho Beach on St. Maarten, which is a few steps away from the airport is a must see.

 

I am sure whatever you do you will have a great time.

 

BTW, in case you don't already know, there are 2 formal nights on the cruise.

Edited February 14, 2014 by funNsun4me

[anandaindonesia]

Show reservation will be available between 90 to 60 days prior to sailing.

 

Sent using Tapatalk. Sorry for typho.

[asj410]

Thanks for all the great information, everyone! I really appreciate all of the help.

 

I will definitely let her know that she'll need to bring some formal wear. She loves to dress up when the opportunity presents itself, so she won't want to miss out on that. I'll probably just let her know that we'll be going out to a couple of nice dinners on our trip :)

 

How did you book your shows already for June. I am on the Allure in early June and it doesn't look like that feature is available yet.

 

You know, I'm not really sure what happened. I was able to book a few shows, but then it stopped working and started saying that the Pre-Cruise Planner was not working. So I've got three show reservations showing but can't get any more. I was able to set my MTD reservations times for each night though!

[Sassy19305]

Feeling lazy tonight so not going to answer all your questions.

 

Take a look at this for countdown clocks to add to your signature. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=434

Other people have more elaborate ones, but this comes from Cruise Critic and should work perfectly.

 

I have the same issue with the cute bug moving around on the Avatars. Don't know how to set one up, but I guess maybe I'm lazier than I thought. Don't want to put in the effort to look up how to do it. :D

 

The bug is easy. Just find one in a signature you like, then copy it from the persons post and copy it into your signature in User CP.

[Alyrica]

Hi everyone,

 

Just came across this forum today while doing some research and thought I'd throw some questions at some of you more experienced guys. This forum is pretty overwhelming, so I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked before. I just wasn't able to find out enough from searching.

 

I've been planning for my girlfriend's birthday since last September (her birthday is in June), and since it's her 30th birthday, I really want to go all out (as much as I can). I booked a balcony on a 7-night eastern Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas, which happens to leave right on her birthday. Great timing! She's never been on a cruise before, and we've talked about going on a cruise many, many times over the years. I thought this would be the perfect first cruise for her.

 

With all of that said, I'm trying to plan out some things to help make sure the cruise goes smoothly. We have MTD, and I'm trying to plan our reservations each night around the shows that I have us reserved for. From what I've gathered reading other threads, dinner tends to take between 1.5 and 2 hours. If we have a show at 9:00 p.m., what would be the latest time we should reserve a table for dinner given that we need to get to the show venue with a comfortable amount of time to get decent seats? Would a 6:45 p.m. reservation be sufficient to enjoy dinner without having to rush through it and make it to the show with enough time to get good seats?

 

Another aspect that I'm trying to factor in is how long it takes to get out into open water from the port in Ft. Lauderdale. We're scheduled to leave port at 5:00 p.m. I'm sure we'll want to watch from one of the higher decks as we leave port and get out into open water, so I don't want to schedule dinner too early where it interferes with being able to do that.

 

Any and all info would be a great help! I really want this to be her best birthday present ever! :D

 

Oh, and how are many of you creating your customized cruise countdowns in your sigs with a profile image of the cruise you'll be on? I'd love to add that to my sig.

 

Thanks!

 

That is a wonderful present. She is one lucky girl!

[xpcdoojk]

I am surprised that you could book shows this early or even the MTD.

The ship clears land quickly out of FLL. I think sailing from the other ports is more impressive. On the eastern there are lots of small mountains in the ports. makes for a better back drop. Check out the balconies that are somewhat secret on the mid higher decks. Great views of the Aquatheatre and whatever is behind the ship.

 

jc

[rsharp83]

we did our first ever cruise on Allure last year. It was a blast. There are some great things to do on St Thomas and St Maarten. We did a day sail on St Thomas that was great. If you look in my review I have all the details on the day sail. And there is a link to all the MDR menus by day. Those might be helpful for planning your dinners and what evenings you might want to go somewhere besides the MDR.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[asj410]

we did our first ever cruise on Allure last year. It was a blast. There are some great things to do on St Thomas and St Maarten. We did a day sail on St Thomas that was great. If you look in my review I have all the details on the day sail. And there is a link to all the MDR menus by day. Those might be helpful for planning your dinners and what evenings you might want to go somewhere besides the MDR.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

 

Thanks for the info! I just started poking around at some of the trip reports from other members here that have been on the Allure. They've got a wealth of information!