!!!LIVE!!! from the Allure | Western Caribbean | 29 June 2014 | Pictures!!!

[Tweety63]

That was our favorite tour with the Mystic Mountain Bobsleds and the Falls:) Enjoy! I hope everyone has a fantastic time!!

[PCWalton1]

Loving the GoPro pictures. We bought one to use on our cruise too. [emoji3]

 

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[mbjboyle]

Great GoPro shots!!! Experiment with some non-traditional shots utilizing the camera's versatility!!!

[lauren0309]

Loving your review so far. We will be sailing on her in November and cannot wait! Time is moving too slowly.

[dacsmom]

Beautiful pictures. I hadn't thought of needing an alternate entrance to dinner, but it is good to know in case it is raining. How did you find it?

[MisterMom]

Goodbye Falmouth and Jamaica!

 

 

Have to get ready for dinner (MTD) and the 70's Disco Inferno dance party... Pictures of that and the day to come as soon as I can.

 

Replies to your wonderful comments and questions to come as well.

 

sent trying to use my HTC one smart phone

[Reader0108598]

Goodbye Falmouth and Jamaica!

 

 

Have to get ready for dinner (MTD) and the 70's Disco Inferno dance party... Pictures of that and the day to come as soon as I can.

 

Replies to your wonderful comments and questions to come as well.

 

sent trying to use my HTC one smart phone[/QUO

 

 

Go !! Have fun :)

[KikisDad]

Awesome pictures. We sail on her four months from today and can't wait.

[FishOn55]

You have 2 interesting photos along the side of the ship showing the lifeboats. Where were the photos taken from?

 

The photos look as though the lifeboats are almost entirely recessed. Is this true or are the photos just deceiving?

[MisterMom]

Good morning again from the Allure of the Seas and her Beach Pool. I arrived here around 7 and was the second one here. Now 9:20 and the blue-beach-towel-apocalypse has taken over many of the loungers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, now that I have some time, let's see if I can post some Falmouth pics. We had a lot of fun yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulling in...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The port is much more complete than when we were last here in '09(?).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 3, 2014 by MisterMom

[MisterMom]

Here are some typical Falmouth port shots.

 

 

 

I'm just amazed how everything around Falmouth is dwarfed by the Lady A.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that a Red Stripe wood carving I see?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pleasantly surprising was the ease and efficiency of which we identified where to go to meet our Bobsled Jamaica and Dunns River Falls tour. Our ticket instructed us to look for zone 4 by the white tents and it was super easy.

 

 

 

We were whisked away to our bus for an hour-long, narrated ride to our first stop - Mystic Mountain. We were here last time and I just loved it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You start your visit with a 15-20 minute chair lift ride to the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lift was very relaxing and surprisingly cool - we had a nice breeze.

 

 

 

I hope to post a video when I'm shoreside.

 

 

 

 

 

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[MisterMom]

At the top of the mountain, there's an interpretive display and market area. There was also a long line for the Bobsled ride (which offered a great opportunity to enjoy a Red Stripe beer). The wait was worth it. I had my car (bobsled) linked up to Aunt Linda's since she would struggle with how to operate the car and probably hold everyone up. Again, hoping to post a video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Bobsled, we went up the stairs to the restaurant for some jerk chicken and pork (and Red Stripe beer). The view to Ocho Rios is lovely. One of our Carnival friends was in port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's also an infinity-edge pool with waterslide at Mystic Mountain. Can you see the Rastafarian in the pool? It was amazing watching him try to dry his hair after getting out of the pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the chair lift back down to the base. The entrance/exit to Mystic Mountain is beautiful with a crystal clear river running through it with several fish. (After another Red Stripe), we then boarded our bus to Dunns River Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 3, 2014 by MisterMom

[MisterMom]

Gotta ask, why the Carnival stuff toy?:eek:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freddy is our travel mascot. He was a gift from a couple couples we competed against a few years ago in the Amazing Cozumel Race, an excursion through Carnival. He wears the first place medal our family won! While we're not brand-exclusive and don't mean to advertise the competition when sailing Royal, he travels with us and keeps me out of trouble....

 

 

 

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[MisterMom]

Great GoPro shots!!! Experiment with some non-traditional shots utilizing the camera's versatility!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I anticipate doing that. However, I don't want to risk missing good photo ops while on vacation, so will experiment with it more on more mundane topics in more mundane locales. I've been taking a fair amount of video using an extender as well as during approaches to ports and sail aways. Will be interesting if I actually do anything with the videos as I have little patience for video editing.... Urgh.

Edited July 3, 2014 by MisterMom

[MisterMom]

Beautiful pictures. I hadn't thought of needing an alternate entrance to dinner, but it is good to know in case it is raining. How did you find it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good question! Waiting in the elevator lobby on 8 was one of the Chops servers. We let him know we had reservations and he offered to escort us to the "secret entrance." If raining, keep an eye out for staff lurking in the elevator lobbies for the CP specialty restaurants.

[MisterMom]

You have 2 interesting photos along the side of the ship showing the lifeboats. Where were the photos taken from?

 

 

 

The photos look as though the lifeboats are almost entirely recessed. Is this true or are the photos just deceiving?

 

 

 

I remember taking one pic from the snorkeling excursion boat in Labadee. Not sure about the other one.

 

 

 

The lifeboats are not recessed. Even from our "hump" balcony which hangs out further than standard balconies, I still look down on lifeboats sticking out. Will try posting a pic.

[MisterMom]

Gonna enjoy some Beach Pool time before it gets too packed... "People Soup."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later!

Edited July 3, 2014 by MisterMom

[mbjboyle]

Will be interesting if I actually do anything with the videos as I have little patience for video editing.... Urgh.

 

Shoot as much as possible, and take time with the editing... it can be frustrating, but the more time you invest the happier you'll be with the finished product!!! Great stuff thus far, BTW!!!

[kevinsgirl88]

Loving your review!!:D

 

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[cruiseturbo]

Guess Mistermom is really enjoying his vacation now! I don't blame him!

We are on the Allure in less than two months and can't wait!

[MisterMom]

Hello friends.

 

 

 

Happy 4th from the Allure! It's been a busy day-and-a-half with technology challenges, family commitments and an excursion to Chichen Itza - 6.5 hours of travel by ferry and bus for 2 hours of tour time... Sigh. Still, it was a great excursion and some great pictures were made (and I'll post if I can get the technologies to line up and work like I want them to - very frustrating. VERY.).

 

 

 

In the meantime, we just finished Blue Planet. After numerous attempts at shushing the mom and adolescent behind me, I was able to enjoy a pretty phenomenal performance - performers, design and technical aspects. "Come Fly With Me" on the Oasis was really good but Blue Planet takes the cake (as did Ice Games last night, compared to the Oasis ice show).

 

 

 

Will TRY to get some pictures up. Technology gods... sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[MisterMom]

Here's the pic I wanted to post in my last post but technology was hindering me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[BugsyCruiser]

I must have been in coma this week not to see your review till now :P

 

Great job so far! I appreciate the shout out at the beginning too... always very appreciative of my fellow "live" reporters on here as these kind of reports take a tremendous amount of effort and time to do :)

[sandcake]

Would you know the name of the tour operator that handles RCI's Chichen Itza excursion? Unfortunately, during our sail date this excursion is not offered so we might have to book directly with the tour operator.

[MisterMom]

Good morning one last time from the Allure. The weather and water outside our JS balcony is stunning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're sailing just north of Cuba right now.

 

 

 

So, 7 days in and I MIGHT have this technology thing figured out (7 days too late!)

 

 

 

Want to give some Chichen Itza highlights (Aiomar AdvenTours was the company).

 

 

 

We started the day at 7:30 in the Amber Theater. (I originally thought we were to meet at 8:00 so we had to rush Aunt Linda who does NOT like to be rushed. She handled my oversight like a champ! Very proud of her.). Once Allure was cleared, we were ushered (herded) to the Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen ferry. The last time I took the same ferry route I got VERY seasick so I packed motion-sickness pills for all of us on the way back if needed. Luckily, the ride was very smooth.

 

 

 

After the 45 minutes, we were guided through a labyrinthine maze of Playa Del Carmen shops to our coach bus where we were given a ham and cheese hoagie and bag of juice, a banana, a muffin, chips and a very nice wrapped napkin with toothpick AND breath mints! Cool.

 

 

 

So that bus ride was 2.5 hours. Can you tell I'm getting a little travel weary by now? Our tour guide gave us a couple hours at the site. He handed out headsets for us to listen to his guided tour but mine was malfunctioning and what I could hear, just wasn't interesting to me as I had been here before. The four of us split off and I recalled from memory what I could about the place, listened in on a couple other tours and just wandered the place ourselves at our own time. I'd recommend that if you get the chance. Pictures to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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