Video: How much fun is a 7-day cruise on Allure Of The Seas?

[Spaniel Lover]

I've been a loyal Carnival cruiser for quite a few years, but recently decided to give the world's largest cruise ship a try. With my frame of reference being "the fun ships"... the big question was, how much fun could I find on Allure Of The Seas?

 

Here's the answer, in the form of a 3-minute video I put together. Enjoy!

 

[YOUTUBE]UcGpcSaJIvQ[/YOUTUBE]

[Merion_Mom]

Jim, that was a GREAT video. Thank you for making it and thank you for sharing it!

 

May I share it on another thread?

 

:)

Edited November 29, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[Spaniel Lover]

Of course you may.

[Lionesss]

Very well done.

 

I really enjoyed.

 

Thanks

 

Sea Ya

[Janet524]

Of course you may.

 

We'll be on board next week. A great "teaser" for upcoming cruise. Thanks for sharing.

[leinhto]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing!!

[Yari mommy of 2]

Omg i am so a faithful carnival cruiser for years and i saw cupcrazy and jim's reviews omg i am so ready to hit Allure or any RCCL

Thank you for that video

[mechcc]

Great video!

 

So are you going back to Carnival or booking another cruise on Allure?

[Spaniel Lover]

That question really is the bottom line, isn't it? When it all comes down to it, after doing the full Royal Caribbean experience, will I do it again?

 

I'm going to be writing a lengthy review with all the details, and should probably post it next weekend. But I'll give you a little preview.

 

We had a lot of fun on Allure Of The Seas and overall enjoyed it. However, food was a problem for us. Most of the restaurants that required an extra fee... such as Rita's Cantina, Chops Grille, and Giovannis... were very enjoyable. But the restaurants that were included with no extra fee... such as the buffet, the Adagio dining room, and the Solarium bistro... had a LOT of room for improvement. Also, we had a disappointing experience in the Samba Grill, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. And we never could find one single restaurant during the entire week that could provide what I consider a decent breakfast... and that's my favorite meal of the day.

 

Other than food, pretty much everything about our cruise was enjoyable. But when the food is iffy for 7-days straight, that has a big effect on the overall experience. So, I don't see us doing a whole lot of cruising with Royal Caribbean in the future... with one important exception.

 

I absolutely love the movie "Mama Mia" and must experience Mama Mia, the musical, onboard Quantum Of The Seas. Plus, having experienced Allure Of The Seas, I want to see firsthand what direction Royal Caribbean is going with their next generation of ships. So, while onboard Allure, we booked a cruise on Quantum Of The Seas for next Spring.

 

Besides food, another huge factor for us is cost. Allure was an expensive cruise compared to what we're used to paying for Carnival. Quantum is absolutely ridiculous! We could do 3 Carnival cruises for what we're paying to be on Quantum. It's really hard to beat the value-for-the-money you get on a Carnival cruise. Royal Caribbean seems to excel at a lot of stuff, but value-for-the-money is not their strong suit.

 

There was a LOT to like about our cruise on Allure Of The Seas... but taking everything in to account and considering what value we can get for the money spent... our cruises in the coming years will probably be more often on Carnival ships that have received the Funship 2.0 upgrades, on Princess ships, and on the newest ships in the Norwegian fleet.

[Ocean Boy]

 

And we never could find one single restaurant during the entire week that could provide what I consider a decent breakfast... and that's my favorite meal of the day.

 

 

I was a little surprised to read that as I thought breakfast in the Solarium was actually quite good with the exception of the horrid turkey bacon.:eek:. However, I do realize that food is a very subjective issue. I'm looking forward to your review. Cool video! :)

Edited November 30, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[tomko2]

Great video. Loved the Allure. We are on the Oasis next year.

Off tomorrow on the Liberty with a stop at the lovely Labadee.

That was fun to watch.

[anandaindonesia]

Great, great, GREAT video!

It brings back our memory on board the Allure.

 

Thanks, Jim.

[textbookcase]

Really great video. Thanks for sharing!

[nautica34]

Great video! I was on her a week ago.