Our fabulous week on the Allure! 3/9/14 Sailing

[Ocean View]

Thanks again for all the support! I'm headed to my second job now but I will try to get more up this weekend!

 

 

At work just think cruise hope you have a gd day. As busy as you are we appreciate you taking the time to relive your trip with us!! June 1. Cant come soon enough for me :) can't wait to read the rest

 

 

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[cruissett]

Great review, was on this sailing and am re-living the cruise through your review. We had beautiful weather with very calm seas. Loved the Allure and look forward to sailing on her again

[Montague2011]

3D movies last week that I recall were Thor and Mr Peabody and Sherman.

[SpencerNY1]

We're on the New Years sailing.

 

When do they let you book the shows & specialty dining ?

 

 

Usually about three months out, they don't want your mouth to be watering this soon.

 

 

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[AussieVisi2r]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I've got 15 months to go!

 

Raina

[Montague2011]

3D movies- Gravity was also on the list.

[TryingCruising]

This was the first formal night of the cruise.

 

We freshened up for our reservation at Giovanni's table.

 

I did a lot of research prior to deciding which specialty restaurant we would try. I also went through the dining room menu rotation to decide which one we'd miss the least. This was the perfect choice for us. The husband is not the planner like I am. It's nice cause I get complete control, but frustrating when he isn't giving feedback. So he decided onboard that 150 Central Park would be a great dinner. Of course the menu he liked was completely booked with reservations. So the lesson here is to make your reservations ahead of time! Here is the Giovanni's menu.

Due to the photo restrictions on this site, I'll put dessert in the next post.

 

We thought the food was very tasty. Our server was amazing. I think he's part of what made our dinner the best of the entire vacation. He was friendly and willing to chat, but also gave the perfect amount of space and attention so that you didn't feel he was hovering. We started with the scallops and the proscuitto and mozzarella. The appetizers were our favorite! For pasta courses we enjoyed the gnocchi in a blue cheese sauce and crab ravioli. I had the sirloin for dinner and my husband had the lamb. There was barely any room for dessert, but I squeezed in as much of that delicious tiramisu as I could!

[TryingCruising]

 

After dinner we took our evening stroll of the jogging track.

 

I was always impressed by how many people were running at all times of day. As a runner myself, I can never run after dinner. I also am not dedicated enough to be out there at 10PM!

 

We headed to the theater a half hour before Chicago showtime.

We sat down in the orchestra. Bar service servers wander before the shows to get you a drink if you'd like one while enjoying the show. I thought the show was well done. The performers were very talented and had strong voices. The former dancer side of me also loved the choreography on a lot of group numbers.

 

After the show we headed back to our room to rest up for our first beach day in Labadee. There was a towel animal waiting to greet us.

[Dolby1000]

I am enjoying your review!

 

We are on the Allure in 8 days and can't wait, but your review is helping the days go by.

 

Dolby1000

[lovesthebeach2]

Following.... We're cruising allure in May! Thanks for the detailed review so far!

[Mrsfabo]

Thanks for the review can't wait to read more is it a lot of outdoor activities it seems like everything is geared to the indoors?

 

 

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[gskline]

This was the first formal night of the cruise.

 

We freshened up for our reservation at Giovanni's table.

 

Due to the photo restrictions on this site, I'll put dessert in the next post.

 

Great review so far. We just got back from cruising on the Oasis & I'm beginning to write a review. How do you get these nice big photos to post. When I try it won't let anything over 97 pixels, which is tiny:(

Thank you,

Greg

[readytolose]

Great review so far! Seeing that Giovanni's menu has me thinking I might need to book it for more thn one night! My mouth is watering and I still have over 280 days until my cruise :eek:

[TryingCruising]

Great review so far. We just got back from cruising on the Oasis & I'm beginning to write a review. How do you get these nice big photos to post. When I try it won't let anything over 97 pixels, which is tiny:(

Thank you,

Greg

 

I use tinypic to host photos. You upload by photo, then you can choose the suggested message board size and simply paste the link in to your review. I also type in a word doc then paste here once finished. Hope that helps!

[TryingCruising]

We woke up to another fabulous room service breakfast. I loved room service coffee on the balcony! I am surely missing it now.

We watched as we started sailing in to Labadee. Our balcony was port side and we always docked Starboard. I didn't mind since I love the connection with the water the most.

 

After breakfast we headed out to explore Labadee. I had done my research here on CC and chosen Columbus Cove to be our spot for the day. As we exited the ship, we wandered right towards a ferry that was dropping people across the water at Columbus Cove. (This ferry was only one way...I'm guessing that's so you had to walk by shops on your way back) We boarded and waited for the ship to fill. It was a quick ride across the water.

 

We wandered all the way down towards the end and settled in a spot that wasn't too crowded yet. Many workers were eager to setup loungers wherever you'd like them. It was hot. We loved it since this is what we left snowy New England for! After settling on the loungers, we quickly dipped into the beautiful blue water. We had a beautiful view of lady Allure from our loungers.

 

This beach area was filling in more and more as the day went on. There wasn't too much shade down where we were, with the exception to being tucked right under the palm trees. After relaxing, sun basking, and occasional swimming, it was soon time for lunch. The Columbus Cove area has its own buffet. There was quite a line but we grabbed a drink while we lined up to wait. There were a lot of covered picnic tables around to enjoy lunch. The buffet options ranged from burgers, hotdogs, ribs, jerk chicken, and various salads and slaws. There were also some cookies, brownies and fruit in the dessert section.

 

After lunch we decided we'd probably had enough direct sun for the day. Our loungers were starting to feel a bit packed like sardines too so it seemed like a good time to wander. We walked through the market area and over to Adrenaline beach. We stopped at a bar table to watch the zipline and I attempted to order drinks at the bar. The bartenders here definitely seemed stressed. A couple jumped in front of me in the order and wanted drinks that they didn't have the liquor for. They went on and on. I started to feel a bit frustrated since I only wanted two beers, but I decided to walk away. Not worth feeling worked up on vacation! We wandered the beach area a bit to check out some more of the beach areas. It solidified my happiness with our choice of Columbus Cove. It was a perfect, beachy area for us. The water over there was calmer as well so swimming was more enjoyable.

 

We headed back to the ship. Waiting in the security line in the real hot afternoon sun was a bit tiring, but it moved pretty quick. Right by security there are great chances to get some pictures of Allure.

[TryingCruising]

We boarded and headed back to shower since we'd had enough sun and water for the day. Once all cleaned and cool again, we wandered the ship a bit. We ended at the boardwalk area and settled at the boardwalk/lighthouse bar for a little bit.

 

We enjoyed a beer while watching some rehearsal go on in the Aqua theater on the trampoline.

 

I mentioned earlier out love for the Wipeout bar, this was our second favorite. It was an easy trip back up to our stateroom or a deck down to the track and a great area aft with some chairs. This bar also had the best beer selection onboard besides the pub. Here's a photo of the beer selections here. They did have Bass at the beginning of the week but it didn't last long.

 

After chatting a bit with the bar tender, watching the above rehearsal, and savoring vacation time, we noticed the ship start to move. We popped down to the aft section of 5 to watch us sail away. It was bright and sunny where we left Lababee and dark and stormy looking on the other side. We headed up to our balcony to read a bit and watch as we sailed along the cloudy coast of Haiti.

 

We freshened up for the evening and headed to our Oceanaria reservation. I was really excited to finally see the aqua theater in action. We waited a bit because the show was delayed due to some technical difficulties.

 

The show was great! I could not believe how much flash photography there was after numerous pleads to not distract the performers. One women kept taking photos until someone came out from backstage and told her twice to stop. I was getting to the point where I wished someone would just take her camera!

[TryingCruising]

After the show we popped down to the dining room for our dinner reservation. We were seated promptly at the same table we had the first night. Tonight's menu was pimiento.

 

Tonight we decided to check out the jazz quartet in Jazz on 4. These men were onboard from NYC and we had a great chat with one of them during a break. I thought this venue was nice and intimate for such a large ship. It was a great place to hear some good jazz music and enjoy a nightcap.

 

We left the jazz club and walked through the bustling casino for the first time. I appreciated that the casino was tucked away a bit because it isn't a huge attraction for us. I don't mind playing a few slots, but it's never the highlight of the cruise for me. After checking that out we decided to call it a night.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Great review!!! Thanks so much!!!!

[JamesEM]

Enjoying your review, looing forward to your next report.

[Lionesss]

Really enjoying your review and pictures.

 

Thanks

 

Sea Ya

[Oxo]

Does Giovanni's serve lunch?

How much does it cost?

How is the menu different from the evening menu?

Thank you!

[cruisemanross]

Did you happen to go the Quest? I would love pictures if you did! My girlfriend and I won (That's right, shameless bragging!) but my family was so involved in helping/laughing that no one took any photos!

[TryingCruising]

Does Giovanni's serve lunch?

How much does it cost?

How is the menu different from the evening menu?

Thank you!

 

I think lunch was $15. I don't have the menu...not sure I ever checked it out.

[TryingCruising]

Did you happen to go the Quest? I would love pictures if you did! My girlfriend and I won (That's right, shameless bragging!) but my family was so involved in helping/laughing that no one took any photos!

 

I'm sorry to say we didn't make it to Quest. Congrats on your win!

[BillOh]

. I had commented to my husband earlier on the plane that I wished our flight arrived early enough to go watch the Oasis sail away. It was thrilling to see what I've watched on a webcam for weeks.

.

 

Its only a 1 mile walk to the beach to watch it up close!