Allure B2B **Double** Trip Review 5/4/14 - 5/18/14 (lots o' pics)!!!

[AZAficionado]

Day 13(6) - At Sea

 

 

Second to last Compass. I promise.

 

 

[AZAficionado]

 

A lazy sea day – which describes how I felt when I finally rolled out of bed. After a light breakfast at the Diamond Club (Lounge? Whatever), we did the Royal Allure Art Tour™! That’s right for a small fee ($0.00) you can take a tour of some of the 75,000 pieces of art on the ship. Disclaimer – this tour requires some walking and is not suitable for those who are mobility-impaired (or is that differently mobility abled?) Here’s how it works: Pick a “corner” of the ship. Take the elevator to the top deck. Walk down the stairs, stopping at each piece of art. Rinse and repeat for each stairwell. If you want to do the “full tour”, walk every corridor on each deck as well. We opted for the short version.

 

 

While hanging out in Central Park, I spotted Shrek posing for pictures. They have many of the Dreamworks characters roaming the ship, which is great for kids of all ages.

 

 

As is usual, we did pre-dinner drinks at the Champagne Bar. I’m sure many people will ask why we didn’t booze it up for free in the Diamond Club (actually held in Blaze for happy hour). The answer is simple – the low quality booze and limited selection of drinks. Anything that requires a cocktail shaker or a mixer other than what comes out of the bar wand isn’t available. The wine selection is basically “white” or “red”. And they are only pouring call brands. As you can see from our wine selection at Chops (Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon), our tastes don’t quite fit with what they’re pouring in the Diamond Club.

[AZAficionado]

 

We started with the Goat Cheese Souffle (which is going away when the Chops menu changes in two weeks) and the Onion Soup.

 

 

We did the NY Strip Steak and Filet – both were outstanding and cooked just right.

 

 

For sides we considered the baked potato, but caved in to the Potatoes with Prosciutto and Parmesan and the Green Beans.

 

 

We shared the Crème Brulee for dessert, which arrived at the table flaming (duh, how do you serve your crème brulee at home?)

[AZAficionado]

 

We had cigars and drinks (I had to get another Louis XIII) under a spectacular night sky. Two trips to Coach = two shots of Louis XIII. Gentlemen, take note and be sure to "keep score".

 

 

Back at the cabin, a heart was waiting for us. We reluctantly crawled into bed knowing that tomorrow would be the final day (including packing). I’ll tell you how that went tomorrow…

[SolsticeAZ]

Day 13/6: In Which The Spa Fails Epically

 

We started our day with the “Art Tour.” AZAficionado has described how you do the tour. I’ll describe what you will see if you do it. The Allure has an overall theme for all its art: the cultures of our world. Each stairwell has a color theme running through it – red, green, blue and yellow. Each deck has a theme as well – for example, fashion, women in culture, etc. At each stairwell landing is one or more pieces of art, and they vary widely, from oil paintings to photographs to digitally-manipulated images to pieces of jewelry and clothing items. Some of the pieces, from my perspective, are just “meh,” but some are really lovely. My favorites from each stairwell:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole “tour” took about an hour, and I headed off to the spa. Which unfortunately turned out to be a tragic failure. I had booked a 50-minute Swedish massage. When I booked, they asked me to arrive 15 minutes early, which I did. They took me down to the “Relaxation Room,” which would be quite a bit more relaxing if it was not directly below the gym, meaning you listen to the rhythmic sounds of weights dropping on the floor at regular intervals. And I waited. And waited. And waited some more. My appointment time came and went. Other people with appointments came and went. After I had waited 15 minutes past my scheduled appointment, I asked what was up and was told they were running late. I asked how late. They said they did not know but hoped I’d get in for my appointment “soon.” They could not tell me when “soon” might be. Well…I don’t really want to spend my vacation sitting in a room doing nothing for some unspecified period of time, so I left.

 

I’m not sure what the issue was. Maybe they overbooked. Maybe it was just a problem of people showing up late and pushing the start time for everyone after them. I know the spa attendants did not help themselves by insisting that we fill out questionnaires but leaving no pens, which meant that everyone had to fill out the questionnaire after their spa therapist came out to get them and then provided a pen – thereby slowing everything down. I guess the most disappointing part for me was the fact that when I asked about the delay, the attendant just didn’t seem to care. My take-away: if they don’t care, then I will get my spa time at home, and spend my money elsewhere on the ship. Ok. Rant over.

 

Chops, Part 2

 

Dinner was Chops, for a second time. It was as good as the first: I am absolutely addicted to their French onion soup (which involves a massive slab of Gruyere cheese), and the New York Strip was enormous but perfectly cooked. We thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of the Caymus Special Selection Cabernet – see my Day 4 review for flavors, etc.

[wolfganghowell]

Funny - I had the same spa experience on Freedom a few years back. Arrived for my appointment early and waited and waited. Finally - I asked what the deal was. No good answer - just that they are running late. I pressed for how late and since I was waiting a good half hour already, when I didn't get a legit answer, I told them no thank you and to make sure I was not charged a cancellation fee. Like you, I get it. Things happen. But taking over 2 hours for a shampoo and blow dry was not part of my plan. I went back and washed mine and semi dried my own hair (agreed on the evil hair dryers).

 

I have heard for years that the spa staff are Elemis employees, not RCCL employees. I wonder sometimes if this makes the difference in the customer service. While I have had lovely service often in the 14 years we have cruised, the blah service or downright rude interactions have the majority. I can only attribute it to the fact that their salaries are not dependent on passenger feedback and the tips are guaranteed on all services.

 

ps - Caymus is our preferred as well. And Opus One but only when my brother is buying :eek: :D Royal's wine list is sorely lacking - Celebrity definitely has them beat.

[Cruise a holic]

Funny - I had the same spa experience on Freedom a few years back. Arrived for my appointment early and waited and waited. Finally - I asked what the deal was. No good answer - just that they are running late. I pressed for how late and since I was waiting a good half hour already, when I didn't get a legit answer, I told them no thank you and to make sure I was not charged a cancellation fee. Like you, I get it. Things happen. But taking over 2 hours for a shampoo and blow dry was not part of my plan. I went back and washed mine and semi dried my own hair (agreed on the evil hair dryers).

 

I have heard for years that the spa staff are Elemis employees, not RCCL employees. I wonder sometimes if this makes the difference in the customer service. While I have had lovely service often in the 14 years we have cruised, the blah service or downright rude interactions have the majority. I can only attribute it to the fact that their salaries are not dependent on passenger feedback and the tips are guaranteed on all services.

 

ps - Caymus is our preferred as well. And Opus One but only when my brother is buying :eek: :D Royal's wine list is sorely lacking - Celebrity definitely has them beat.

 

Celebrity spa vendor was just changed from Elemis to Canyon Ranch. Have used Elemis on both Celebrity and RC without any problems. Hair Stylists range from fair to very good. I hope that Canyon Ranch is good as we are sailing on Celebrity in a couple of months and I enjoy having my hair styled on Formal nights. I know that Canyon Ranch will be about 15% more expensive- Maybe RC will also eventually change to Canyon Ranch as their spa vendor. Will post after my cruise.

[SolsticeAZ]

I have heard for years that the spa staff are Elemis employees, not RCCL employees. I wonder sometimes if this makes the difference in the customer service. While I have had lovely service often in the 14 years we have cruised, the blah service or downright rude interactions have the majority. I can only attribute it to the fact that their salaries are not dependent on passenger feedback and the tips are guaranteed on all services.

 

ps - Caymus is our preferred as well. And Opus One but only when my brother is buying :eek: :D Royal's wine list is sorely lacking - Celebrity definitely has them beat.

I think you may be right about the difference in customer service between Royal's employees and the spa staff -- if they only have to answer to their own employer and not Royal or the passenger feedback, then they certainly don't have any pressure to adhere to Royal's customer service standards. And I definitely think you're right on the Opus One: fabulous, but only if someone else is buying!!

 

Celebrity spa vendor was just changed from Elemis to Canyon Ranch. Have used Elemis on both Celebrity and RC without any problems. Hair Stylists range from fair to very good. I hope that Canyon Ranch is good as we are sailing on Celebrity in a couple of months and I enjoy having my hair styled on Formal nights. I know that Canyon Ranch will be about 15% more expensive- Maybe RC will also eventually change to Canyon Ranch as their spa vendor. Will post after my cruise.

I'd be interested to know if Canyon Ranch does better. I'd be willing to pay more for better service (to a point). I'll keep an eye out for that.

[MooNGaTe27]

So when & where is the next cruise I going to need something to read when this one is over

[AZAficionado]

So when & where is the next cruise I going to need something to read when this one is over

Next cruise is Panama Canal in 328 days (see my sig). I will be reviewing that.:D

[AZAficionado]

Day 14(7) - At Sea

 

 

Ta Da! The final Cruise Compass.

 

 

[AZAficionado]

 

 

Oh no! The last full day! It was time to do all the things we hadn’t already done this cruise. So, that meant a stop at the Doughnut Shop for a strawberry doughnut. How was it? It was a doughnut. How bad can they really be?

 

 

The departure info. Their way of saying "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

[AZAficionado]

 

Lunch was at Johnny Rocket’s.

 

 

Some beers to wash down the burgers. But first was onion rings, fries, ranch dressing, and a smiley face made of ketchup.

 

 

It decided to pour rain, which certainly cleared out the crowds. We were lucky to have a seat under the overhang, so we didn’t get wet or have to move.

[AZAficionado]

 

We had the Original (excellent) and the Rocket Double (delicious, but enormous) both with bacon, of course. If you are going to eat a 5,000 calorie juicy burger, you might as well go “whole hog” and throw some bacon on it. A serious critique: These aren't the best burgers I've ever had. However, they are pretty good and consistent fleet-wide. The service at Johnny Rockets, also consistent fleet-wide, is slow and often awkward. If you are dying for a pretty good burger, this place is worth the additional cost. But it is not the best RCI has to offer.

 

 

After some packing, it was out to the balcony for some drinks.

 

 

To commiserate the end of the cruise, we did a half bottle of champagne in the Champagne Bar.

 

 

We did tapas at Vintage for dinner. Naturally, we started with some wine. SolsticeAZ already covered this, but I’m going say it too. I’m surprised and greatly disappointed with the wine selections at Vintages. To be completely honest, it looks like they built a wine list based on “white” = Chardonnay and “red” = Cabernet Sauvignon. There is more variety at the Champagne Bar, which is sad because Vintages is supposed to be all about wine. You’d think they would have the widest selection, but they don’t. This time we did five tapas of our own selection. It was a very good amount of food for two people.

 

We said our goodbyes, delivered our WOWs, put our bags out in the hallway, and headed to bed. I’ll tell you how debarkation went and put together some kind of summary tomorrow…

[SolsticeAZ]

Day 14/7: In Which We Enjoy Some Liquid Sunshine

 

I spent the morning exploring Central Park, which is my favorite neighborhood on the ship. They have some amazing plants and flowers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

AZAficionado told you it rained while we were eating lunch. I’d say a better description would be “poured.” The skies, already cloudy, opened up, and we were treated to a full-on downpour. Which I was actually thrilled to see, because I always wondered what happened on this ship, with all the open neighborhood spaces, when it rains. It turned out to be pretty much OK. There are plenty of overhangs to hide out under (which the brass band, playing at the time of the downpour, did), and crewmembers bring out massive umbrellas. So, when the “liquid sunshine” (Captain Johnny’s phrase, not mine) shows up, it’s not a big deal.

[SolsticeAZ]

SolsticeAZ's Art Corner

 

 

 

 

[SolsticeAZ]

So when & where is the next cruise I going to need something to read when this one is over

Yikes -- just realized I didn't respond to this and say thanks. :D And I am sure there will be plenty of entertaining reviews to tide you over until our Panama Canal cruise next year.

[IrishLassie]

Loved your review & your pictures were great! :D Will look forward to your nx one!

 

Also, Captain Johnny isn't the only one that calls rain "liquid sunshine", if you live in Florida, we ALL call it that! LOL :D

[angelhelly]

Thank you so much for the detailed review!!

 

We are going on the Allure in January and we just can't wait!

[AZAficionado]

Loved your review & your pictures were great! :D Will look forward to your nx one!

Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate the very kind words.

Also, Captain Johnny isn't the only one that calls rain "liquid sunshine", if you live in Florida, we ALL call it that! LOL :D

True, but he was the only one to call it that over the Allure PA system.:p

Thank you so much for the detailed review!!

 

We are going on the Allure in January and we just can't wait!

You are very welcome and enjoy your cruise!!

[AZAficionado]

Day 15(8) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

If you follow the directions and do everything you are supposed to, RCI will make it so those people who need to get off the ship first, will be the first off. We had a very late flight and were given luggage tag 67 (Sixty-seven?!? When does that disembark? Next Tuesday?). To be serious, getting off the ship earlier would just mean more time at the airport and being too early to check-in. No thanks to that.

 

As a Diamond member, we were allowed to wait in Dazzles. I can't imagine that it was any different than waiting in any other area of the ship - a waiting area is a waiting area. At about 10:00 am, they called for all remaining passengers to depart the ship. We went down to the terminal, where all the bags are sorted by luggage number, and got in line for customs. Within 30 minutes, we were off the the airport and on our way home.

 

An alternative I've used before is Express Departure. This is where you don't put your bags out the night before and you don't have to wait to depart (aka you can be off the ship really early). The catch is that you have to carry your own bags off the ship. If you can't manuver with your bags down the gangways you used to get on the ship, this option probably isn't for you.

 

Summary

 

I guess its time for me to sum this thing up and try to put it all into perspective. First, I'm going to answer a couple of very common questions that I didn't already address:

 

How did RCI do? Pretty darn well. About as well as I've come to expect after years of cruising with them. Was everything perfect? Nope, not by a long shot. But I saw lots of crew members going the the extra mile to try to make things right. The way I see it, that's about as good as it can get because from time to time, stuff will go wrong.

 

How was the Cruise Director, Ken Rush? Individually, he was fine, but nothing special or memorable (He's no Richard Spacey, but who is?). He and his staff sure had plenty of activities planned every day and he was working his butt off to be at every one of them. Overall, I think he did a pretty good job.

 

I'm going to cover the rest (only those we frequented), location by location:

 

150 Central Park

 

Menu: Good. It is fixed, but changes mid-week - total of two menus but they are similar. The course choices are interesting, although some are rather common.

Service: Excellent. The wait staff was attentive, well informed, and accomodating.

Food: Excellent. The food flavors and preparation were outstanding. Each course presented interesting flavor and texture combinations

Overall: Excellent. If you enjoy multi-course wine pairing dinners, you'll love 150 Central Park.

 

Chef's Table

 

Menu: Good. It is fixed. The course choices are very interesting and experimental.

Service: Excellent. Although, it is very straight-forward (no choices) and there were 3 people serving 16 max.

Food: Excellent. The flavor combinations and choices were bold, interesting, and delicious. Everything was prepared to perfection.

Overall: Excellent. Personally, I think this is better than 150 Central Park with wine pairings.

 

Chops Grille

 

Menu: Very good. It is a steakhouse, so the menu is not very wide, but does offer some non-steak items.

Service: Excellent. The wait staff were very attentive without hovering.

Food: Excellent. The quality of the cuts is fantastic. As good, if not better than I can get on land. Keep in mind that I live in a state with cattle ranching, so I can get some fantastic beef.

Overall: Excellent. Worth the upcharge. Although ordering the Filet Mignon in the Main Dining Room (which I've done on prior cruises) is almost as good at making the trip to Chops.

 

Giovanni's Table

 

Menu: Very good. Not the widest selection, but often times Italian restaurants can be overwhelming in the menu department. All the right things were there.

Service: Excellent. Typical RCI service - there when you needed them, gone when you didn't.

Food: Excellent. I'm a big fan of Italian food and of veal. These guys did not disappoint.

Overall: Excellent. My last visit to a Giovanni's was several years ago on Oasis and the place had a very "red & white plastic table cloth" atmosphere. This time it was far more upscale and reminded me of Portofino on other ships.

 

Izumi

 

Menu: Very good. A nice selection, but not very friendly to those who are unfamiliar with Japan-Asian dining.

Service: Excellent. All of our waiters did a great job of being prepared to explain the menu and immediately moved on when we said we already knew how it worked.

Food: Excellent. I never thought I'd ever endorse eating sushi that had been frozen. But here I am. Seriously, it's as good as sushi that is flow in the same day.

Overall: Excellent. Everything we had was fantastic and I think without the upcharge (everything is a-la-carte), it is even better.

 

Johnny Rockets

 

Menu: Good. It is a burger place, so it is limited. It does offer a few non-burger selections.

Service: Poor. The service was slow and the wait staff seemed disorganized. This has been the case with every Johnny Rockets I've been to on RCI ships. It must be something about how the place is setup or something.

Food: Good. Best burger on the ship.

Overall: Good. It is a good value for the upcharge and is the only place you can get something that resembles a "real" burger.

 

Rita's Fiesta

 

Menu: Good. It is fixed for the Fiesta.

Service: Very good. The wait staff was trying to serve the entire restaurant the same courses at the same time. The handled it very well.

Food: Very good. As good, if not better than pseudo-Mexican food chains on land like On The Border, etc.

Overall: Very good. Lots of fun and a good value for the upcharge.

 

Samba Grill

 

Menu: Fair. It is fixed and we didn't get to see it.

Service: Excellent. The wait staff was very quick in responding to the change in "lights".

Food: Excellent. The meats were outstanding. The tapas were delicious. And the side were very good.

Overall: Fair. It was way too much food to taste all of the meats. Something about the format just didn't work, but it was very empty when we went.

 

Vintages

 

Menu: Excellent. For tapas, this is about as deep a menu as you are going to find. You can easily eat dinner there three times without much overlap in items.

Service: Excellent. The wait staff was very attentive and served up both food and wine very quickly.

Food: Very good. Everything was very tasty and well prepared.

Overall: Very good. If you like tapas, you'll be very satisfied eating here and it is reasonably priced.

 

Bars

 

Drink Selection: Very good. The most popular liquors are available and most bars have several additional selections as well (three vodkas, etc.)

Service: Excellent. The wait staff do a very good job even when they get swamped, which happens from time to time (after muster drill).

Value: Good. No real bargains here (except the Louis XIII), but no gouging either. They also make reasonably strong drinks, as well.

 

Ship

 

Appearance: Very good. Given she's headed for a dry dock, the "old girl" looks pretty good. I didn't see anything beyond the stadard wear and tear you'd expect from a ship that sees 5,500 passengers a week, every week.

Features: Excellent. I thought Allure had all the latest and greatest, but it seems a few things will be getting upgraded. I almost think there are just too many features on Allure, almost...

 

Itinerary

 

Western: Excellent. Still my favorite of the two. Having a sea day between Jamaica and Cozumel was nice, but I still think this itenerary could be exhausting.

Eastern: Very good. Simply not as good. Nassau does not make up for not stopping at Coco Cay, which is impossible for Allure. However, the rest of the itinerary is very good. The two sea days at the end make it very relaxing.

 

Ports

 

Labadee, Haiti: Very good. If you like sun and fun, like me, you'll like Labadee. Otherwise, you'll hate it.

Falmouth, Jamaica: Very good. Still one of my favorite ports of call and a nice blend of beach, culture, and other activities.

Cozumel, Mexico: Very good. Another sun and fun port, but with plenty of shopping. Some of the best snorkeling and scuba in the world.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Very good. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed a half day in Ft. Lauderdale. It is certainly worth leaving the ship to see the sights.

Nassau, Bahamas: Poor. Between the early arrival and departure times, this port already has two strikes against it. Then it is Nassau, which is Ok, but nothing special.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: Very good. Between Magen's and Coki, there are some fantastic beach options as well as being the "shopping capital of the caribbean".

Philipsburg, St. Maarten: Excellent. This port has something for everyone, but Dawn Beach really stole the show for me.

 

Favorite Port: Cozumel, Mexico

 

Excursions

 

Labadee Cabana: Good. It is rather pricey for what you get. I enjoyed it and would do it again without question.

Red Stripe Beach: Very good. If going to the beach is your thing, this is a great excursion. It's no Doctor's Cave Beach, but it is the next best thing.

 

Other

 

Back To Back: Excellent. The entire consecutive cruising process was smooth and seamless. I highly recommend it. Even better if you can get the same cabin.

 

Overall Value: Very good. Let's face it, Allure is very expensive when compared to other ships. As you can probably tell, we didn't pinch any pennies on this trip. I still think we got our money's worth, but I think we could have had a similar vacation experience for cheaper on a different class of ship (Freedom, for example). I think the challenge is taking advantage of all the ship features that were included in your cruise ticket price.

 

Many people requested "Top 10 Memories" for my last review. I'll do the same in this one and show it to you tomorrow...

[SolsticeAZ]

Loved your review & your pictures were great! :D Will look forward to your nx one!

 

Also, Captain Johnny isn't the only one that calls rain "liquid sunshine", if you live in Florida, we ALL call it that! LOL :D

Kind of the way everyone out here in Arizona keeps saying "...but it's a DRY heat!";) Thanks for the kind words, and glad you enjoyed.

 

Thank you so much for the detailed review!!

 

We are going on the Allure in January and we just can't wait!

You are more than welcome. Enjoy the Allure!

[SolsticeAZ]

Solstice's Cruise Summary

 

Like my better half, I'll start with my thoughts on those two common questions:

 

How did RCI do? In my opinion, they did a great job, and they always do. Could I nitpick and find things that I didn't like, things that I think could have been done better, etc.? Of course I could. But after each of my 11 cruises with RCI (13, really, if you count the B2Bs as 2 each, which they are), I have always walked away with a smile on my face and a set of amazing memories. What more could you want from a vacation?

 

How was Ken Rush as Cruise Director? Putting it bluntly, I didn't care much for his public or private persona. Then again, out of those 13 cruises, he's the only CD I even noticed aside from Richard Spacey. He's certainly very visible (and any publicity is good publicity, right??), he works hard, I get the impression he's a good manager, and if I didn't find him charming or funny, no big deal.

 

And now I'll give you all my "grades" for each of the areas I covered, plus dining, ports, crew, and ship:

 

Embarkation: Very Good. I'd like to give it an "Excellent" given how many people they are moving, and I'm not even marking down for the computer issues they had as we were getting on board, because computer issues happen. But I am marking them down for an issue I have noticed at every port: there are these people, all fairly elderly, all wearing Royal Caribbean nametags, whose job it is to tell folks where to go. And the vast majority of them do that job spectacularly badly. This time, I had a woman literally scream at me as I walked through the "Gold" seating area and tell me to get out...which I gladly would have done, except that the only way to get to the one bathroom in the place was to go through there. I had to spend five minutes explaining to her that I could either walk though her area or pee on the floor -- her choice (thankfully, she chose well). Then we had the guy who screwed up our SeaPass cards checking us in. Moral of the story: Royal needs to get better folks doing this job.

 

Ship Navigation/Getting Around: Excellent. Everywhere you go on board, there is a touchscreen, or a map, or a ship diagram, or a sign. If you get lost, then you need a Sherpa guide to get you to your bedroom at home. Just sayin'. ;)

 

Shopping: Excellent. Ample options, ranging from little trinkets to big ticket items, all at fair to great prices. If you can't find a souvenir with these options, there's no pleasing you.

 

Cabin and Cabin Amenities: Excellent. The cabin (JS 9626) was perfectly positioned at mid-ship. It was quiet, surprisingly spacious, well-appointed (except for my nemesis, the hairdryer) and kept immaculately clean by our outstanding Stateroom Attendant, Kelroy.

 

150 Central Park: Excellent (food and wine). The multi-course menu is full of fresh and interesting dishes, the wine pairings (while a little "safe") are well-matched to the food, and the wine list is well-chosen to appeal to wine snobs and newbies alike.

 

Chef's Table: Excellent (food and wine). This was, for me, a really high-point of both cruises. The food was just outstanding, and nicely inventive. No "playing safe" here. The wines were perfectly matched. I could not have hoped for better.

 

Chops Grille: Excellent (food and wine). Okay, it's just a steakhouse, but I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal at Chops, which I can't say for any of the land-based steakhouses I have visited. They really know how to cook a steak, and their sides rock. (I know the new menu is coming out and causing some angst, but I look forward to trying it) And the wine list is pretty darn good, even if they didn't have the wine we wanted at the time.

 

Giovanni's Table: Very good (food)/excellent (wine). I must confess that I am partial to Portofino, and Giovanni's Table is no Portofino. But the food was well-prepared and tasty, with plenty of options. The wine list was really great, with some outstanding Italian reds in addition to the usual suspects.

 

Izumi: Excellent (food)/good (wine). The food is outstanding, with great Japanese and pan-Asian options and very fresh sushi (and I am really picky about sushi). The sake/beer list is good, but could be better. I'd really like to see a few more sake selections, and at least one more Asian beer. There are plenty of good options out there.

 

Rita's Fiesta: Good. Don't come here expecting authentic Mexican food (come to Arizona, instead -- we've got plenty), or top-shelf margaritas. But do come here expecting to have a really good time, with some pretty darned good Mexican-ish food and plenty of OK margaritas.

 

Samba Grill: Fair (food)/very good (wine). This concept just did not work for me. The food was pretty good, but I have to mark them down for serving too much and not giving us the menu so we could not know what was coming. The wine list was fine, though.

 

Vintages: Excellent (food)/good (wine). The tapas here rock. My mouth is watering just thinking about that paella. But...well, if you've been reading along, you've seen my rantings on the wine list. I'll just sum it up: Dear RCI, please broaden your wine horizons and stop sticking with just a couple of producers and a limited number of varietals, so we can have some real options in your wine bar. Sincerely, SolsticeAZ.

 

Crew: Excellent. Every time I cruise with RCI, I am deeply impressed by the crew, the vast majority of whom bend over backwards to be helpful and friendly, while working their butts off. And every cruise, there are a few crew members who really "wow" me (see what I did there??). This time, it was out Stateroom Attendant, Kelroy (who can only be described as a wizard of cleanliness), and our Champagne Bar trio, Lucy, Michelle, and Christopher, who made us feel like family and made me laugh until cocktails came out of my nose.

 

Ship: Very good. Almost excellent. The Allure is beautiful, and chock-full of options for fun. She's not my favorite ship, though. That title remains with Freedom of the Seas. For me, Allure is a little too big, which makes it feel a little impersonal, and a little too expensive for what you are really getting.

 

Ports

 

Labadee, Haiti: Excellent. I know some folks don't love it, since all there is to do is the beach. But I looove the beach, so this is kind of heaven for me, and I think there are plenty of fun things to do (zipline, coaster, water park, etc.) for those who don't love it so much.

Falmouth, Jamaica: Very good. The town of Falmouth is improving every time I see it, Jamaica is lovely, and the Jamaican people are great.

Cozumel, Mexico: Excellent. Beautiful water for snorkeling, outstanding shopping, and great Mexican food.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Very good. A very beautiful city with some cool sights.

Nassau, Bahamas: Poor. That's all I'll say, since I think the hubby and I have piled on this place enough already.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: Very good. Lots of great beaches, plenty of shopping.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten: Excellent. Like AZAficionado said, Dawn Beach made the case for this island and won. My favorite port, at least this time.

 

Coming tomorrow, my list of "Top 5 Memories That Aren't the Same as AZAficionado's Top 10 Memories."

[Frenchie1964]

Thank you for such a Wonderful Review! I found myself waking up and checking CC for the next days events.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for your daily reports and photos, great job.