Allure of Seas Mediterranean Journey 11-22 Oct 15 with Lots of Pictures

[transam84]

Central Park first sighting!

 

 

One more

 

 

Boardwalk looking up. Love this perspective.

 

 

Fun on the Boardwalk

 

 

 

 

On Oasis we did not spend much time on the Boardwalk. Maybe because we had the Aqua theater suite and we were up on the pool deck alot. But this time it was one of our favorite spots.

[transam84]

It was about noon so we thought we would have a snack. The concierge lounge is now on deck 17 where the Viking crown used to be. It is next to Coastal Kitchen. It is lovely and the view is spectacular. We ended up spending a lot of time here. It was an oasis of peace on what ended up being a surprisingly chaotic ship. Very different from all my past cruises on Royal. It in no way detracted from my amazing cruise but it was a surprising observation. More about that later.

 

 

There were cheeses, cold cuts, crackers, breaded shrimp and a couple of other hot dishes along with various desserts set up in the lounge. I thought the food in lounge was consistently very good. And we ended up eating here a lot. It was easy quick and good...and peaceful. We are not big eaters and the whole sit down fancy thing was just not working for us on this cruise. So, I was really glad for all the alternatives, like the lounge.

 

Food!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also checked out the Diamond Lounge which is now where the concierge lounge used to be overlooking the boardwalk. It is a lovely space and I was concerned about moving the concierge lounge. But in my opinion it works well.

 

[transam84]

I have to go to work, but later I will post about the amazing Owners Suite 10240 with lots of pictures. I need time to devote to this one. I know before this cruise I loved looking at pictures of it, I hope you do too.

[transam84]

We had owners suite 10240. It was ready so I decided to do the picture thing first. It is a beautiful cabin with a large balcony. It was a bit overkill for 2 but I have no regrets. One day I was having my nails done and talking as I do in the "gossip mill" otherwise known as nail salon. One woman turned to me and said why on earth did you reserve such a big cabin for two people. My good friend doing my nails turned and calmly said, "because she can". Shut down as my son would say, lol. I am a very understated person but when I travel it's no hold barred and I never regret it. So here is the gorgeous 10240.

 

I loved having a marble entrance. As we walked down the hall I always knew where I was headed. : )

 

 

We made good use of the dining table. There were goodies delivered every single day and we more often than not had treats from our excursions.

 

 

Plenty of drawers in this suite. It was nice have space to spread out

 

 

Living Room

 

One of the two TVs

 

 

Living Room looking toward foyer

 

[transam84]

Bedroom - Loved the dressing table. Plenty of space in cabinets and drawers

 

 

 

 

Bathroom. Loved this bathroom. The shower is bigger than it looks in pictures.

 

 

 

[TxStacey]

Im loving your review and pictures!! Ill be sailing on The Harmony out of Barcelona in July..cant wait!! Thanks for taking the time to write it!

[transam84]

Loved this balcony. On this cruise we made good use of the lounge chairs. We used our balcony more than any other cruise we have been on. I guess because it was not hot and we did not go to the pool so we spent more time on the balcony. We were also exhausted most days after our tours and it was a nice place to unwind.

 

 

 

View of balcony from bedroom

 

 

Our view from the lounge chairs

 

 

Fruit plate we received first day and two more times. We had so much food delivered this cruise we ended up asking our room attendant if she wanted some. We could not eat that much!

 

[transam84]

Im loving your review and pictures!! Ill be sailing on The Harmony out of Barcelona in July..cant wait!! Thanks for taking the time to write it!

 

Oh you are going to love it. Harmony is Allure on steroids! I would go back next year to sail her, but my son is getting married in June.

 

Not sure if you have been to Barcelona before but it is amazing. I will have a bunch of pictures coming up from there. Gaudi's architecture is beyond description. If you have any specific questions on tours or sites please feel free to ask.

[transam84]

As we made our way we noticed something seemed off for the first time on many cruises. Packed elevators, guest services line across the entire promenade and purple bags everywhere. Hmmm, very strange. Remember my chaotic statement above? It will come together soon.

 

We ate in the main dining room. Initially we had been assigned Silk. I had made dining reservations in advance with My Time. When we got to the entrance I gave them my name, after a bit found us a table for 2. Interesting when they asked to see my card and saw it was gold the whole thing changed. We were told we just had to show our card from now. On this cruise more than any of the past, our gold cards changed the whole playing field. In the past they didn't seem to really mean much. Not so on this cruise. It really did seem they had a priority on pretty much everything.

 

Here is where we sat the first night. Not bad at all. : )

 

 

 

I was not crazy about the selection, so I ordered from the standard fare. I got spinach dip for appetizer and twin sliders for dinner and tom got a shrimp cocktail and a strip steak for dinner.

 

 

 

Dessert was not that memorable. The meal was fine, nothing fantastic but ok. We ended up opting out of main dining room most of this cruise for a number of reasons. It was a port intense cruise so timing was off and honestly virtually the same selection on every cruise is getting tiring. Not bad, not spectacular, just boring for us. Just my opinion, from my situation. Dining was fine but not a highlight on this cruise and I did not expect it to be. More on dining later.

 

We had reservations for headliner show at 9 but were too tired so skipped it. Tomorrow was going to be another long day. I'm glad we had a suite because having show reservations and sticking with them on this cruise would have been hard.

[RoyalPrincess0622]

 

By 11am the first ding of the sea pass was heard. I teared up. We entered the Royal promenade and it was just as I remember from Oasis. We walked around the Promanade then went on deck to take pictures.

 

This is a view I know well as I'm sure you all do

 

 

Hi Laura,

 

I was on this same cruise, embarking in Civitavecchia too! I arrived at the port around 12:00pm and I entered on Deck 3. I have sailed on Allure 4 other times and I thought it was strange to not enter on the Promenade. I thought maybe it was different because it was an interporting sailing, but I see that you said you entered on the Promenade, so I wonder what happened to cause us to enter on Deck 3?!?!:confused:

 

We had an awesome time. I'm enjoying your pictures so far!:D

 

Keri

[ken_nyc]

Wonderful review, really wet my appetite for our Harmony cruise next June!! Cannot wait for the next installments! :)

[KiwiGal117]

Hi Laura,

 

 

 

I was on this same cruise, embarking in Civitavecchia too! I arrived at the port around 12:00pm and I entered on Deck 3. I have sailed on Allure 4 other times and I thought it was strange to not enter on the Promenade. I thought maybe it was different because it was an interporting sailing, but I see that you said you entered on the Promenade, so I wonder what happened to cause us to enter on Deck 3?!?!:confused:

 

 

 

We had an awesome time. I'm enjoying your pictures so far!:D

 

 

 

Keri

 

 

How long did it take you to board from time of arrival at port?

[RoyalPrincess0622]

How long did it take you to board from time of arrival at port?

 

I would say only about 10 minutes or so. The terminal in Civi is very small and there was no wait at all. Quick and painless.

[transam84]

Hi Laura,

 

I was on this same cruise, embarking in Civitavecchia too! I arrived at the port around 12:00pm and I entered on Deck 3. I have sailed on Allure 4 other times and I thought it was strange to not enter on the Promenade. I thought maybe it was different because it was an interporting sailing, but I see that you said you entered on the Promenade, so I wonder what happened to cause us to enter on Deck 3?!?!:confused:

 

We had an awesome time. I'm enjoying your pictures so far!:D

 

Keri

 

Hmm, interesting. Maybe I was so excited I don't remember going up the elevator. You could be right. Lol.

[transam84]

Wonderful review, really wet my appetite for our Harmony cruise next June!! Cannot wait for the next installments! :)

 

You are going to love it. I believe it is the itinerary. It was an awesome taste of the Mediterranean. Up next Naples. We did Pompeii and Vesuvius. Beyond incredible. If you have any port questions feel free to ask. I love to talk ship. I guess we all do, that's why we are here.

[transam84]

I would say only about 10 minutes or so. The terminal in Civi is very small and there was no wait at all. Quick and painless.

 

Yup, that about says it all.

[transam84]

Today we were going to my top 2 bucket list items. I woke early, showered and headed to Cafe Promenade for my first cafe mocha of the cruise. I got my coffee and made my way to the solarium. I watched the sun rise as we headed into port. Such a beautiful morning.

 

I apologize that this will be lengthy. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

 

We had a private tour with Lello, tours of Pompeii. I had on my schedule meet drive at 8:30 but an email said 8. It was rather confusing getting out of port but we finally found our way. We did not see a card with my name among the many tour guides, so we waited. 8 past, then 8:10, by 8:15 I was worried. I tried calling the number but the message was in Italian. Luckily a very nice tour guide guide helped us call. Turns out it was 8:30 not 8 and Mario our arrived promptly at 8:30. He escorted us to a nice Mercedes van and drove us to Pompeii. He was such a sweet young man and told us about some of the sights along the way. We met such kind people on this trip. I was a bit apprehensive since neither Tom nor I spoke Italian, despite being raised in an Italian household where it was spoken extensively. But my fears were unfounded. Everyone we met was helpful and kind.

 

It was crowded when we arrived at Pompeii, but we found our guide Elisa and we're off. The line for guide tickets was even long on the side we were on, but she knew another entrance.

 

That is a big advantage of private guides. They know all the tricks and have special access. We soon had our tickets and we're ready to enter. At the entrance you can see Vesuvius reigning supreme over the old city.

 

 

I have just achieved One of my top bucket list items. Yeah, I'm happy.

 

 

We stood by the walled entrance and she explained the dock and that the Mediterranean had once been up to the city walls. But as a result of the eruptions much land slid into the sea and the sea is now miles away.

 

Notice the bulkhead. This is where the sea came up to.

 

 

Entering the walls. The baths outside. More on these in next post.

 

 

The road into the city. Notice the slop, this she explained was how the city rid itself of waste prior to our modern sewerage systems. You get the idea.

 

[transam84]

We made our way to the outside of the city. She explained that these baths on the outside were for the sailors to clean themselves before entering the walls. She took us through the elaborate bath system and then the brothel.

 

 

Since written text was not prevalent then, particularly with sailors, they were more creative with the menu of services. :eek:

 

 

Ceiling of the steam rooms curved to keep moisture from dripping on participants and keep the heat in.

 

 

Gorgeous artwork in baths

 

 

Another view

 

[transam84]

Looking out from the baths

 

 

Beautiful tilework still intact

 

 

My first sight of an ancient forum in the city.

 

 

 

Another view as we walked along, with Vesuvius reigning supreme in the distance, creating an awe inspiring site.

 

 

Columns of a long gone structure

 

[transam84]

Temple Alter

 

 

Sacrificial alter

 

 

More views of Vesuvius. And later we climb!

 

 

Gorgeous stonework. Notice how the columns were built then covered.

 

 

Typical town street.

 

 

Old meets New

 

[transam84]

An ancient Mall! She explained there were tons of vendors selling goods daily in this huge city.

 

 

A "take out" restaurant. Elisa explained this was such a busy place people often ate on the run. However since there was an issue with sanitation and no "paper plates" available they created the first "bread bowl" or pizza crust. Their plates were bread and they ate their plates!

 

 

 

Entrance Courtyard of a wealthy home.

 

 

Bedroom

 

 

Views to the "backyard"

 

[transam84]

Gorgeous tile work

 

 

Artwork

 

 

More street views. Notice the ruts from the carts.

 

 

A bakery. I had to get a picture in front of the ancient oven, since I love to bake.

 

 

One more street view before we get to the molds.

 

[transam84]

Next I will give you a taste of sheer incredible. I will convey what I have been told by the guide as I remember it. I want to pause here to explain, I'm not a historian and I am just conveying in this entire account what I remember I was told by guides. My information may be off, since it is just what I remember. So, enjoy and take it with a grain of salt.

 

Finally toward the end we saw the molds of a young boy, man and dog, there bones intact, but their bodies incinerating by molten ash, only to leave an intact mold of their body. She told us the people were killed pretty much instantly so there was not thought or pain. The child although evaluated by archaeological methods as 10 was so small he looked to be about 3. This was due to lead poisoning Elisa explained. She said it drove them mad and stunted their grown. She believes it is what caused the fall of Rome.

 

 

Boy of 10 years or so.

 

 

 

Man

 

 

Dog

 

 

[transam84]

So I leave you with just a few more pictures of this amazing city. If you get the chance it is a sight not to be missed.

 

I have a busy day so I may or may not get to post more today. But I hope you enjoyed my trip to Pompeii.

 

A recreated cart.

 

 

Some final views as we exit

 

 

 

 

After I returned home I realized we did not see the amphitheater, but I suspect it is because it is at the far end and because we wanted to climb Vesuvius and have lunch at the Cantina there was no time. I suggest if want to see all the sights of Pompeii you focus on that. I am sorry we missed the amphitheater, but I am satisfied we opted to do both. Vesuvius was awe inspiring. We will return!

 

Next up Mt. Vesuvius.

[Pmorton3360]

Doing same cruise from Barcelona next October on Harmony. So thank you for all the information on the ports. Really looking forward to knocking off some of my bucket list.