Allure of the Seas Review, Oct. 12, 2014, with pics--My very first review

[Kapin777]

Hello everyone, and welcome to my very first review. I read countless reviews from others but never wrote one myself, mainly because at the end of a cruise it’s sad that it’s over that I can’t bring myself to write a review. However, this time, I have another cruise already booked so no need to have any post cruise blues. Since this is my first one I’m sure it won’t be great, but I’ll try my best and will include pictures. If you have questions, ask and I’ll try my best to answer them but, honestly, I’m guessing I won’t have the time to respond to everyone. For anyone who wants to know, the pictures were taken with the following: Cannon EOS Rebel T3i dslr (my present to my wife for her first mother’s day), an older Cannon point and shoot and an iPhone 6. The Cannon point and shoot was used in the ports, as I didn’t bring the T3i into the ports.

 

Disclaimer: This is taking a very long time to draft—yes, I drafted most of it in a word document to guarantee I actually a full review—and I don’t have much free time between work and family, so I am 100% certain there will be many typos, words missing, grammatical errors and all sorts of errors, but I don’t have the time to proof read these. I apologize for the many errors but trust the readers will be able to follow along. Even though most of this is already drafted in a word document, I’ll have to post this over a couple of days as I still need to put the pictures with the right posts and I’ve never uploaded pictures to Cruisecritic so I need to figure that out as I go.

 

Details: Allure of the Seas, departing Sunday, October 12 and arriving back in Florida on Sunday, October 19. It was supposed to be Eastern Caribbean, going to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Gonzalo we had to switch to a Western Caribbean itinerary, heading to Falmouth, Jamaica and Cozumel. Don’t get me wrong, I was on a cruise, so I was happy to be going anywhere, but it was a bit of a disappointment missing St. Thomas and St. Martin as our prior Allure cruise went to the Western Caribbean (and my Oasis cruise in Feb. is also Western Caribbean) and while I’ve done the Eastern and Western Caribbean a few times, I like the Eastern much more. Again, nothing that RCCL could have done as the hurricane was a pretty major one so they kept us safe. While we were far from the Hurricane the embarkation day and the whole first day the seas were really rough. I didn’t mind it, and I actually enjoy feeling the boat moving, but I’m sure others didn’t appreciate feeling so much movement on the ship.

 

Background: I am 31 years old, traveling with my wife who turned 33 on the cruise and our daughter’s very first cruise at 15 months. I’m an attorney and my wife is a pharmacist and works for a pharmaceutical company. We booked to celebrate my wife’s birthday, our third anniversary and because we really wanted to take our daughter on a trip to a warm place. We have traveled on the Allure before but that was before we had our baby. We are both very active, so we like getting up early and going to the gym so that we still have the whole day in front of us. This was a little different because we couldn’t go to the gym together; instead we went in turns so one of us could be the baby.

As for my past cruises, my parents took our family on our first cruise when I was in eighth grade, the Carnival Imagination. I loved it and have cruised ever since. While RCCL is my favorite, I’ve cruised on Carnival, NCL and Celebrity, but have made RCCL pretty much my exclusive cruise line. We also graduated from Platinum to Emerald status on this cruise. I’m jealous of those Diamond members…eventually I’ll make it.

 

Next up: Travel day, Oct. 11, 2014

[Kapin777]

Uh-oh…issue #1. I tried to upload my pictures from my computer using the "attach files" option on CC. I selected my files and clicked upload and it says that it couldn't be updated because a token was missing. Advice?

[renza]

I have know idea about posting pictures but I am very happy you are writing a review. I will. E sailing on oasis in June. Thank you for sharing your cruise experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[renza]

More please

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[readytolose]

Uh-oh…issue #1. I tried to upload my pictures from my computer using the "attach files" option on CC. I selected my files and clicked upload and it says that it couldn't be updated because a token was missing. Advice?

 

Looking forward to your review and pictures!

 

Do you have your pictures downloaded to a site like photo bucket or web shots? I believe you need to host them somewhere other than your computer files.

[Kapin777]

Ok…I think I figured this out, so I'll continue:

 

Day 0: Travel day, Oct. 11, 2014

 

We always travel a day before the cruise so we are not rushed and to make sure delays don’t make us miss the ship.

 

We live in Chicago and close to O’Hare so loaded up the car and my father-in-law drove us to the airport.

 

We don't travel light.

 

 

We had a non-stop flight from O’Hare leaving at 10:05 a.m. and arriving in sunny Ft. Lauderdale at 2:08p.m. Because we were traveling with milk, the TSA pulled my wife and baby aside to inspect the milk so I was left to get all our bags. Let’s just say this is where a big mistake occurred; I’ll explain later.

 

As for the flight itself, we have gotten lucky; so far our daughter has been an awesome flyer and this flight was no different. She went between sleeping, eating and playing with anything she could get her hands on, but she didn’t cry and didn’t throw things at anyone so that’s a success.

 

 

Settling in for the flight….

 

 

…and we're out.

 

We were staying at the Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center so after arriving in Ft. Lauderdale we called the Hyatt and the shuttle to pick us was there in a matter of minutes (free shuttle service from airport to hotel). I’d recommend this hotel to anyone.

 

 

The driver was very nice and in no time were at the Hyatt. The room was nice and big enough for the three of us. It had a couch and a sitting area where they set up a pack and play, though our daughter ended up sleeping with us that night in our bed.

 

 

The room.

 

 

Daughter playing on the bed.

 

We chose the Hyatt because of its location to the Harbor Shops, which is an outdoor shopping area that has tons of stores, food options and a grocery store. It’s maybe a 7 minute walk from the hotel the stores. After checking into the hotel and dropping our stuff off, we decided to walk to the Harbor Shops and head to the grocery store for some food for the room and some baby supplies. We didn’t want to travel with a million diapers and things like that so we just bought them in Florida. After walking around the shops for a while we headed back to the hotel and showered and went to dinner. A minute walk through the hotel’s parking lot and you’re at an Outback Steakhouse; so we went there for dinner. While I live in Chicago, I’m from Kansas City so I had us sit in the bar area so I could watch my Royals play the Orioles in Game 2 of the ALCS (go Royals!). If I remember correctly, my wife got a salad with chicken in it and I got a salad with tuna in it while my daughter got mac & cheese and lots of green olives. She was loving the green olives and the bartender was nice and kept giving them to her. After dinner we went back to the hotel, watched the end of the Royals game and called it an early night. Unfortunately, our room was right by the elevator and it was a little loud and our daughter kept waking up so it wasn’t the best night sleep, but we got enough.

 

Next up: Embarkation day! Wahoo!

Edited November 22, 2014 by Kapin777

[papcx]

Pics all present and correct.

 

Looking forward to the rest of this review.

[Kapin777]

Wahoo! Figured out the pictures. Ok. Great, I'll continue the review later today.

[renza]

Thank you, thank you. Great so far

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[laedw]

Thank you for the review. What airline did you use for your flight from O'Hare to Florida?

[tomko2]

Loving your review and anxious for more. :D

 

Your daughter is gorgeous and looks like she has a sweet disposition.

 

We generally cruise on the Liberty of the Seas as we like 4 or 5 nighters.

However next January we are booked for 7 nights on the Oasis. Several years ago we did a 5 night cruise on the Allure which worked out great.

 

Your pictures are excellent.

 

Thanks for taking the time and thanks for sharing.

Kathy:)

[Kapin777]

Thank you for the review. What airline did you use for your flight from O'Hare to Florida?

 

We flew United. Through my wife's employer we get free bags on United so thats the airline of choice.

[Kapin777]

Day 1: Embarkation Day, October 12, 2014

 

Like I said, not a great night sleep and I was up by 6ish. We had set up a ride from the hotel to the ship for 10:00 a.m. I enjoy getting to the ship early so we can get on right away; I don't mind waiting at the terminal for a bit. After waking up, I went to the gym while my wife took care of the baby. Then after I went, she went to the gym while I finished packing up our stuff. Here is where the first major error was realized.

 

Remember when I said I was in charge of getting all our stuff in the TSA line?

Well, I’m a big football fan and play fantasy football. I needed to set my lineup, so I went to get my wife’s laptop (we took hers instead of mine). I open the bag and its not there. The laptop case is there, but not the laptop. Mind you, this is my wife’s work computer so it has a lot of important work information. I’m freaking out because as I think through the previous day, I remember taking the computer out of the bag at TSA but have no recollection putting it back in my bag. Since my wife is still at the gym I quickly call the TSA number for lost items at O’Hare. The message says something along of the lines of they are closed Saturday and Sunday, leave your name, number, item lost and date and we will call you back on Monday. Well that won’t help me because I’m going on a cruise and I won’t have my phone. I quickly call my mom and tell her what happened and task her with calling TSA first thing Monday morning. This means I need to get through the next couple days hoping my wife doesn’t ask for her computer and keeping her in the dark about the missing computer. Me on the other hand, I was a wreck. I don’t lose things, let alone a computer, let alone a computer that is my wife’s work computer. Oh well, I tell myself just pretend nothing is wrong because I don’t want to ruin my wife’s cruise also when there is nothing we can do at this point. So instead, I finish packing everything and wait for my wife to finish at the gym. When she’s done, we go downstairs with our luggage for breakfast.

 

When we get downstairs, the lobby is a zoo with lots of other cruisers getting their breakfast. Luckily, we were able to find a table, put our stuff down and got breakfast. They had an egg sandwich, fruit, cereal, the usual. It was good enough.

 

Wife and daughter eating breakfast at the hotel.

 

 

A couple minutes before 10:00 we walk outside and the shuttle arrives. The shuttle was set up through the hotel. If I recall correctly, it was $10 per person (baby was free). The shuttle is just one of those vans that seats probably 20, but it was only half full. By about 10:15 or 10:20 we leave for the very short drive to the cruise port.

 

My daughter and I on the shuttle to the cruise.

 

A few minutes later we get our first glimpse of the Allure. It’s huge—just as big as I remember. That first sight of the ship is always so much fun. We snapped a couple pictures and before I knew it the shuttle was parking and we were handing our bags to the porters.

 

First glimpse of the Allure

 

We tipped the shuttle driver and the porters for their assistance and walk into the terminal. This is where I next worry my wife will realize the computer is missing because our bags go through security, just like at the airport. I position myself so that my wife goes through first with our daughter and I then put all our bags on the belt to be scanned. Luckily, my wife is tending to our daughter so I quickly pack up our bags and the computer never gets mentioned. Phew! Dogged a bullet. It’s a little past 11 and there are only a handful of people at the cruise port. We head upstairs to the Platinum waiting area. A short time later, boarding begins and we are on by 11:40 or so.

 

You embark right into the Royal Promenade. Even though I have been on the ship before, its still a sight to be seen. Look at how excited my daughter is!

 

 

So excited she's passed out!

[Kapin777]

Day 1, Continued:

 

We walked around the ship for a few minutes but then decided it was time to eat. Since it was early, we went to the Windjamer. We figured our daughter would be up soon and that was the best bet for finding food for her to eat. Lo and behold, she is awake and ready to eat.

 

Awake! Mommy dressed her in her anchor dress :)

 

After we ate we took our daughter out to the mini-golf course. It was early so no one else was there and she enjoyed putting the ball into the hole.

 

She was excited, she just made it into the hole!

 

After we ate we went to our room. On the way to the room we took an elevator. This began the week long infatuation my daughter had with the elevator. She loved going and down the glass ones.

 

The door was closed, indicating the room wasn’t ready. However, the key worked and the room was already cleaned so we put down our stuff and put on our swimsuits because our daughter wanted to go swimming. So we put on her swim diaper and headed up to the pool. Quick note about our room, we were on deck 6, in the aft and had a balcony. It was the second to last room on deck 6. When we booked there weren’t that many balconies available. Ultimately, we chose the one we chose because it was on deck 6 by the Boardwalk. We figured out daughter would enjoy the merry go-round so we liked the room choice. The only downside about the room is that directly across is the door for employees access to Johnny Rockets so we would hear that noise, however, it wasn’t bad and did not impact our sleeping at all.

 

 

As you can tell, I’m a big RCCL fan, however, this is one of two issues we had on the cruise. Disclaimer, I know the issue of babies in pools is a hot button topic. I have zero interest in discussing that issue, just merely explaining what my experience is. Prior to booking, I did research as to which lines have baby friendly pools. I called RCCL to inquire about the babies in swim diapers. The RCCL person explained that babies in swim diapers are not permitted in the pools (which I understand) but they are allowed in the H2O Zone, which sounded good to me as that’s a big area. So we get down there and go into the H2O Zone and an employee immediately comes to us and says our daughter cannot go in there but only in the very little Baby Splash Zone which gets extremely fully when a few babies are there. Now, I am 100% fine if that is where my daughter has to be but my issue is that the RCCL workers told me something different prior to booking. In fact, we ran into many other families who were told the same information we told prior to booking. Also, the front desk on the ship was telling people that babies in swim diapers were permitted in the entire H2O Zone, not just the Baby Splash Zone. I was certainly disappointed that RCCL is giving customers bad information. So we did what we were told and stayed in the Baby Splash Zone but many, many other parents took their babies into the H2O Zone. Did this ruin our trip? Nope, not at all. My daughter still had a great time, but was it disappointing? Yes it was and, to me, it has tarnished RCCL a little. I felt they were more concerned with making a sale then giving me the accurate information.

 

As you can see, she loved the Baby Splash Zone.

 

The full H2O Zone. The little pool on the bottom right with the parents sitting around is the Baby Splash Zone.

[Kapin777]

After the pool we headed back to the room to unpack and shower. After that, we explored the ship a bit more and ended up on the merry go round. Our daughter loved it and we sent it probably 10,000 times. After the merry go-round we got ready for the muster drill. Our muster location was in the Aqua Theater.

 

Merry go-round with mama and dada!

 

The muster drill was quick which was good because our daughter was getting a little restless but she was able to keep herself entertained by looking and interacting with the people around us.

 

Following the muster drill, we headed upstairs and outside to watch us leave the port. We followed this Princess ship. I’ve been at port with it before and think it looks funny. I think it looks like it has a jet engine on top of it. Side note: I’ve never been on Princess but do want to try it sometime.

 

I think it looks like it has a jet engine right above the "Princess" name and log.

 

Sail away was a little windy.

 

 

After we left port, my wife and I got lounged for a bit and then got ready for dinner. We did my time dining and ate early each night, around 6. Trust me, I would much prefer to eat later, however, with a 15 month old we are on her schedule. Eating early gives us time to eat before our daughter gets sooo tired. After dinner we can then go get her in her pajamas and put her in the stroller so she can fall asleep while we walk around. I didn’t take many pictures of my food—sorry—nor do I really remember what I ate, but I enjoyed the food. It’s certainly not the type of food you’d get a top notch restaurant, but I enjoyed the food nonetheless and had no complaints. I'm pretty easy going! The staff was also great with our kid. Each night they brought her fruit and a glass of milk right when we sat down. They also brought us a kids menu and took her order right away and brought her food quickly. She was good at dinner. She didn’t yell or cry or throw food, but she did drop a lot of food on the ground. The staff was so great though and didn’t mind. In fact, some of the staff from other sections would come find us every single night to play with our daughter; most of them were fathers who had little kids and probably enjoyed interacting with ours. The workers would take out their phones and show us pictures of their little ones. Their kids were all very cute. I can’t imagine what it is like, it would be sooooo tough to be away from my kid for months at a time. I know they do it to provide a good life for their kids but I find it soooo hard.

 

After dinner, we put our daughter into her pajamas and into her stroller. We were walking through Central Park when we heard the captain get on the loud speaker. I turned to my wife and said, ‘this can’t be good.’ The Captain doesn’t normally get on the loud speaker at 8:30 p.m. to make an all ship announcement. He informed us that there was a tropical storm brewing and heading toward the Eastern Caribbean. He was concerned it would become a very strong hurricane, which was to be avoided so he said we would be forced to change from an Eastern Caribbean to a Western Caribbean Itinerary. Turns out he was right. Hurricane Gonzalo become a major hurricane and if we didn’t change course we would have been right in the middle of it.

 

Side note: I am a big news watcher and always need to know what the weather will be like wherever I am. I probably visit weather.com 5 times a day, if not more, so I can't believe I had had absolutely no idea about this storm. I guess I wasn't on top of my game!

 

As I said before, the itinerary change was disappointing but it was out of anyone’s control. In any event, I was on a cruise so I was still happy. The rest of the night was just walking around, nothing else planned. We eventually headed back to our room, sat on the balcony for a bit and then got ready for bed. RCCL provided a pack and play, but just like at the hotel, our daughter wanted none of it. She ended up sleeping in our bed every night. Her sleeping with us was great, however, it wasn’t good for her sleep training and when we got home from the cruise, it was tough getting back into her routine of sleeping in her bed. Oh well, we were on vacation, right?

 

Next up: Day 2, Nassau

[Kapin777]

Pics all present and correct.

 

Looking forward to the rest of this review.

 

Thanks! I knew I could eventually figure it out.

[Kapin777]

Loving your review and anxious for more. :D

 

Your daughter is gorgeous and looks like she has a sweet disposition.

 

We generally cruise on the Liberty of the Seas as we like 4 or 5 nighters.

However next January we are booked for 7 nights on the Oasis. Several years ago we did a 5 night cruise on the Allure which worked out great.

 

Your pictures are excellent.

 

Thanks for taking the time and thanks for sharing.

Kathy:)

 

Thanks. She does have a great disposition and was great all cruise.

Enjoy the Oasis!

[Kapin777]

Next up: Day 2: Nassau, October 13.

 

We awoke bright and early and already docked in Nassau. It was beautiful out.

I went to the gym and then after that my wife did. While she was at the gym my daughter and I hung out on the balcony.

 

Just a little milk with Atlantis!

 

 

Off in the distance we saw a ship, at first only a blip on the horizon.

 

 

Eventually, it was close enough that we could tell it was a Disney ship.

 

 

 

Disney is another line I’d like to go on with my family but we felt our daughter was a bit too young to really enjoy a Disney ship and since Disney is more expensive we thought it better to wait until she’s a bit older.

[Kapin777]

Nassau continued...

 

When we got off the ship we noticed a Carnival ship had docked also. It was the Carnival Sensation. I had never been on that one, but my very first cruise was on its sister ship, the Carnival Imagination. When I took the Imagination I remember thinking how big the ship is. Looking at it now it looks soooooo small. It’s amazing how much bigger the ships have become.

 

We got off the ship around 10 or so. Because of the change of itinerary, our stop at Nassau was extended by a few hours. Our plan was to go to Junkanoo Beach. It’s a free public beach. We decided to walk there. It was maybe a 15 minute walk and very easy to find. Because she's loves playing in pools, we were excited for our daughter to play in the ocean for her fist time. So off to Junkanoon beach we go. Our daughter is decked out in her hat and glasses. For added protection, we attached to our daughter's stroller are two huge shades and my wife also bought a little fan that clips to her stroller and runs on batteries. It is safe as the “blades” are just foam so our daughter could grab the fan while it was on and cannot get hurt, though, a few days later she managed to rip off one of the three “blades” since its only foam, but it still did the trick and kept her cool.

 

 

 

Off to Junkanoon beach we go, very excited to have our daughter go into the ocean. Naturally, she fell asleep on the walk to the beach and was still asleep when we got there. We set up shop on the beach, and shaded her in.

 

 

Quick side note about the towels. Unlike last we were on the Allure, for shore days you "check-out" towels right after you exit the ship and you return them right before you get back on the ship.

 

Eventually, she woke up, we put on more sunscreen, got her into her swim diaper and went into the ocean. We left our stuff on the beach, and we felt it was safe, though we made sure one of us were watching our stuff at all times. Our daughter loved the Ocean, but didn’t love the sand on the beach so we stayed in the water most of the time. You can see the ships from the ocean.

 

 

 

While we didn’t eat anything, they have some little restaurants/bars on the beach that offer wifi, though I wasn’t able to connect when I tried. We like the beach. While it wasn’t huge, it was a good size and there were not a lot of people. We would certainly have no hesitation of going back back in the future.

 

 

This picture is only of one part of the beach, it extends the other way for a bit.

 

 

Side note: I had done research and planned out where we wanted to go for each port. We decided Nassau would be our lazy day and just go to the beach and not spend any money. It didn’t seem worth it to spend a lot of money to go to Atlantis when our daughter would be too young to really enjoy it. Instead, we decided that we’d spend money on excursions and activities in the other ports. However, all that research went for nothing when St. Thomas and St. Maarten were cancelled. Also, everyone has their own preference, but I never do excursions through the ship. I have always found them much cheaper through independent companies either on the internet before I leave for the cruise or once we arrive at the port. I’ve never had any issues, though I understand those who feel more comfortable booking through the ship to make sure you cannot miss the ship. Now with the itinerary change, we were going to “wing it” on each port.

[Kapin777]

We left the beach in the early afternoon, maybe around 1 and walked back to the ship stopping at some shops along the way. We wanted to get back so we could feed our daughter lunch and get her cleaned up. I don’t believe we bought anything in Nassau. My wife wanted to buy our daughter a shirt, but they were pretty expensive for something she’d only wear once. We got back to the ship and went to the Windjammer for lunch. After that, our daughter wanted to go to the pool again so we got her into a dry swimsuit and swim diaper and went to the Baby Splash Zone. We kept running into a couple of the same families and kids in the Baby Splash Zone so our daughter made her one week cruise friends.

 

After that, the rest of was spent walking around the ship, going to the Board Walk and riding the merry go round and getting our daughter ice-cream which she loved while making a HUGE mess, but she was happy. On the Boardwalk by Rita’s Cantina that have a little area where little kids can play. It has a slide and my daughter loved playing there. We rarely saw other kids using it.

 

 

Outside the play area with her saying "Dada, no more pictures!"

 

 

I didn't listen and kept taking them!

 

 

Preparing for the slide.

[Kapin777]

Bye, bye Nassau.

 

 

Atlantis as we left Nassau.

 

Tonight was formal night so we got all dressed up and went to dinner. Dinner was good though I don’t remember what we ordered.

 

 

Mommy and daughter in formal wear.

 

 

Me and daughter.

 

 

 

Our daughter drinking from a real glass. That made hers soooo happy!

 

After that, we changed our daughter into pajamas, put her back in her stroller and off we went. We did a little shopping on the Royal Promenade and then ended up at the piano bar where we had some drinks and were entertained by the piano player.

 

 

It was a lot of fun and I am proud of us, we stayed out pretty late…at least for a couple that has a 15 month old with them!!

 

 

One of our drink orders.

 

 

Also, you’ll see, we have our daughter with us the whole time. We also didn’t want to do the babysitter thing, instead we wanted to spend time with her.

 

Well that wraps up Nassau. Next up, sea day!

[SilkySal]

Great job on your first review!;) Really enjoying it! Our 2 kids are all grown up now (well, sometimes:rolleyes:) but, when they were little, we always took them everywhere with us! When we'd ask friends to join us, they would sometimes say, "oh, we can't tonight, we have no babysitter, or we can't take the kids to dinner at that nice restaurant." We never understood that, as that is how kids learn to behave in public. Our kids were usually very good but, if not, DH would quietly take them out and then return with them once they calmed down. It was never a problem for us and we enjoyed having them with us. I don't mean to criticize anyone, as this is just our own personal experiences. Your daughter is precious and beautiful, by the way!!;) Looking forward to more!

[renza]

Can't wait for more. Thank you again

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dasania41]

This is an awesome review, thank you for posting!! We will be on the allure eastern Carribean february 1st 2014. We are also on deck 6, balcony but more toward the front of the ship. How did you like staying on deck 6? Also, how did you get to the beach in Nassau? It looks lovely and us too were surprised at how much more expensive a shore excursion is there versus one on st thomas or st Martin.

 

Thanks again! Keep the pics coming!

 

 

Freedom 2014

[klass2]

I'm enjoying your review. I have also been on the Allure and am going back with my kids in one week! We will be taking our 19 month old, so I'm taking notes.

 

Although I don't know that's he's as easy going as your sweet daughter. Worst case, I can just put him in the stroller and walk laps with a fruity drink in my hand or strap him into the Ergo carrier and carry him everywhere with me...