Allure of the Seas Pre-Trip Report July 10, 2016

[ravenrob]

Hi all,

 

My name is Rob. I am from Baltimore, Maryland (Owings Mills to be exact). I will be traveling on the Allure of the Seas along with my family. Lisa, my wife of 23 years, the hardest working Hospital Social Worker in Maryland, Best Mother and dedicated Wife and most importantly my best friend.

 

Also traveling along with us will be my beautiful newly high school graduated daughter Allison (17) and my favorite baseball playing, hard working soon to be freshman in High School son, Jordan (14).

 

Back story to the planning of this trip. Last spring we were sitting around the dinner table and thinking about what we might want to do for a BIG Vacation next year to celebrate Allison and Jordan's graduations from High School and Middle School respectively.

 

It had been a very tough few months for us as we has lost my mother who happened to be Allison's idol and the person who she looked up to her entire life. Even though mom lived in South Florida, there was never a day that Allison did not call or talk to my mother. Mom passed away the previous December 2014 and was not going to be able to see her beloved Allison graduate from High School.

 

Subsequently late last year in October 2015, we lost Lisa's father to complications from Cancer. This was Allison and Jordan's last remaining living grandparent. It was totally unexpected and very sudden so needless to say Allison's Senior Year of High School did not get off to very good start. :-(

 

Not a very good 12 months for our family leading up to 2016 but we started off 2016 very good as Allison started to receive her college acceptances one by one. We were fortunate that she was accepted to several schools on the east coast and midwest. In February, she decided on the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!!!), thanks to a generous academic scholarship offer.

 

Now that we have moved on to High School and Middle School graduations and have celebrated this week, we can finally focus on our upcoming vacation of a lifetime!!!

 

So now on to the planning of our trip, we began planning our cruise in April 2015 and were able to secure two cabins very reasonably priced (Central Park View and Balcony across the hall). However we initially booked the Oasis (Eastern) for the week of July 2nd however when they released the dates for the sleep away camp that Jordan attends at the beginning of the summer, we discovered that we had to push our trip back by one week and move to the Allure (Western).

 

We were able to keep the same cabin arrangements on the Allure for a little cheaper price. (Woo hoo!)

 

Now that we are within one month of our trip, we are starting to get into full preparation mode!!!

 

Allison will be working for four weeks and Jordan gets a free two weeks before leaving for sleep away camp on the 26th. We will pick up Jordan from camp on Friday July 8th, clean his dirty laundry and re-pack for two weeks away (Oh by the way, did I mention that we will be driving up to Disney World for five days after we get off the Allure. ;-)

 

As part of the graduation gift, I was able to secure 4 first-class one way tickets from BWI-FLL on Delta via Atlanta on Saturday, July 9th for a very reasonable price. A few weeks ago we surprised the kids and let them know about the first class trip on Delta rather than the typical flight on Southwest.

 

We will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Dania Beach in two rooms courtesy of my Hilton Honors points. We expect to dine at Dave and Busters right down the street near the Oakwood Plaza thanks to the Hilton Courtesy Shuttle. Jordan loves his D&B fun so why not start our vacation off with some fun there.

 

Well that's most of the backstory and planning. I hope to provide updates to this pre trip report every few days or so over the next few weeks.

 

Sorry if I have bored you with this Pre-trip report but check back soon for more updates.

[Geeocacher]

Not bored at all. I'll admit that after I read the first paragraph I thought "this guy wants something from his wife" lol. Hope you have an awesome trip. I'll be doing DW before Allure rather than after. Key West after.

[Norway2]

You will enjoy your cruise. I just sailed the Allure in May and had a wonderful time. Glad things are going well this year. Sorry for your loss.

Keep the updates coming. Following along!

[ravenrob]

Hi all…..been a long week…work is not supposed to be busy for me this time of year but with one of my partners on medical leave I have to pick up some of his duties….takes away from some of my planning time. :-(

 

Anyway back to my report….tomorrow is my birthday and we kicked off my birthday festivities today. First my office celebrated with a birthday cake today since another one of my partners will be on vacation tomorrow.

 

When I got home we went for dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House here in Baltimore. They have a great happy hour menu and I enjoyed a nice Tito's Bloody Mary and Lisa enjoyed a fabulous Pomegranate Mojito. The kids actually wanted to try some of Lisa's Mojito. Jordan actually enjoyed it. (Please don't judge us on allowing our minor children to drink alcohol because I come from a family that allowed me to drink under strict supervision of my parents.)

 

One of my gifts was a nice new backpack for our upcoming trip. Also got a nice new Disney t-shirt as well. :-)

 

We enjoyed discussing the upcoming trip over dinner. We told the kids that we plan on making a reservation for Chops for one evening. We are hoping to get an onboard reservation with a discount. When we cruised on Enchantment last year, Lisa and I snagged a discounted rate for Chops once we were on board and having lunch in the Windjammer. If anyone knows if this type of deal is available on Allure, please let me know.

 

Well the birthday celebration continues as we have tickets to the Blue Jays vs Orioles game tomorrow evening courtesy of my partner who is on medical leave. (Thanks, Gary!). Seventh row behind the visitors dugout. Jordan will have his first baseman's glove looking to shag a foul ball or a toss from one of the players.

 

Saturday will be the day that I will purchase the Drink Packages for us. Right now I have saved in my cart, Ultimate for me, Royal Replenish for Lisa and Allison, and Royal Refreshment for Jordan.

 

My thought process for this is as such:

 

I usually have a morning Bloody Mary at the pool, have at least two Pina Colada's while I am at the pool in the afternoon, at least one more bloody mary with dinner and a minimum of one drink during the shows at night. That makes my five drink a day minimum. I figure that i can sneak in a glass of wine for Lisa during dinner on my package and then maybe another drink or two for her at night.

 

The other packages for Lisa and the kids works as a nice complement for us for the week as well.

 

Next week we will work on what excursions to book.

 

That's all for now…..check back over the weekend for another update.

 

Cheers!!!

[KeywestK]

Hello Rob, and thanks for doing a trip report on Allure. My husband David and I are doing this same cruise in November, so I will be following your report with great interest.

 

Now for the coincidences. We are also from Owings Mills, MD (Garrison Woods to be exact,) AND, I think we met you and your wife years ago on Sovereign OTS, which was our very first cruise back in 1994. So, if you are THAT Rob and Lisa, how nice that our paths crossed once again via CC.

 

Congrats on all the wonderful things your family will be celebrating on this cruise, especially following some sad times. Enjoy every minute of it, and we will all be following along with you.

Edited June 17, 2016 by KeywestK

[Cald05]

Hello Rob. We will be joining you all on this cruise. There are 25 in our group & we just realized today that we will all be leaving in 3 weeks to drive down to Florida from South Carolina. The countdown has begun & we are all so excited! So glad that you all can celebrate & enjoy this time together. Safe travels!

[bajadahl]

Hello Rob -

 

First wanted to say so sorry for your losses over the last 2 years.

 

We'll miss you and your family on the Oasis July 2nd! You already sound like a fun family to get to know!

 

My wonderful wife of 24 years and I also started planning our cruise in April 2015 with an eye towards summer camp issues. Although our original plans ended up working out. Our girls, Ashlyn(14) going into high school, and Lindsay(12) 7th grade, are both at sleep away camp now. We pick them up tomorrow. Then it's a mad dash of cleaning up camp clothes, storing camp trunks back in the attic, and getting the luggage ready for an early departure on the 28th of June. Flying southwest - but I got a killer rate with direct flights!

 

We would normally include Disney World but not this year. Long story short (I know too late) - is we ended up buying season passes to Disneyland (California) last summer and have plans for a short trip back to California later this summer. So instead of Disney World we are spending a few days exploring Savannah, Ga.

One of my goals is to get my girls to all 50 states before the first one leaves for college. She has 9 more to go. We will pick up both South Carolina and Georgia with the stay in Savannah.

 

Finally, I also wrote a pre-trip/planning report but was holding off posting it until a little closer to the trip. Now you've motivated me to go ahead and put it out there. Invite you to follow along and enjoy a pre-trip....ummmm trip!

 

Alan

[sheezsmith]

Hi all…..been a long week…work is not supposed to be busy for me this time of year but with one of my partners on medical leave I have to pick up some of his duties….takes away from some of my planning time. :-(

 

Anyway back to my report….tomorrow is my birthday and we kicked off my birthday festivities today. First my office celebrated with a birthday cake today since another one of my partners will be on vacation tomorrow.

 

When I got home we went for dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House here in Baltimore. They have a great happy hour menu and I enjoyed a nice Tito's Bloody Mary and Lisa enjoyed a fabulous Pomegranate Mojito. The kids actually wanted to try some of Lisa's Mojito. Jordan actually enjoyed it. (Please don't judge us on allowing our minor children to drink alcohol because I come from a family that allowed me to drink under strict supervision of my parents.)

 

One of my gifts was a nice new backpack for our upcoming trip. Also got a nice new Disney t-shirt as well. :-)

 

We enjoyed discussing the upcoming trip over dinner. We told the kids that we plan on making a reservation for Chops for one evening. We are hoping to get an onboard reservation with a discount. When we cruised on Enchantment last year, Lisa and I snagged a discounted rate for Chops once we were on board and having lunch in the Windjammer. If anyone knows if this type of deal is available on Allure, please let me know.

 

Well the birthday celebration continues as we have tickets to the Blue Jays vs Orioles game tomorrow evening courtesy of my partner who is on medical leave. (Thanks, Gary!). Seventh row behind the visitors dugout. Jordan will have his first baseman's glove looking to shag a foul ball or a toss from one of the players.

 

Saturday will be the day that I will purchase the Drink Packages for us. Right now I have saved in my cart, Ultimate for me, Royal Replenish for Lisa and Allison, and Royal Refreshment for Jordan.

 

My thought process for this is as such:

 

I usually have a morning Bloody Mary at the pool, have at least two Pina Colada's while I am at the pool in the afternoon, at least one more bloody mary with dinner and a minimum of one drink during the shows at night. That makes my five drink a day minimum. I figure that i can sneak in a glass of wine for Lisa during dinner on my package and then maybe another drink or two for her at night.

 

The other packages for Lisa and the kids works as a nice complement for us for the week as well.

 

Next week we will work on what excursions to book.

 

That's all for now…..check back over the weekend for another update.

 

Cheers!!!

 

I was thinking what a great trip planner until you revealed you plan to steal/cheat the system. No drink package sharing, as I am sure you know. Not a good lesson for your daughter and son.

[Thelongos]

Hi Rob, sorry for your loss.. :(

 

I do think you have your priorities in line though!

 

A wonderful cruise followed by a visit to the mouse sound excellent! Disney World rocks!

 

We will be traveling on Allure the week before with none of our three children and are super excited as well!

 

On a related note, go Bulls! We completed our undergrads there back in the day. :)

 

Sent from my Galaxy Note 4

[ravenrob]

Hello Rob, and thanks for doing a trip report on Allure. My husband David and I are doing this same cruise in November, so I will be following your report with great interest.

 

Now for the coincidences. We are also from Owings Mills, MD (Garrison Woods to be exact,) AND, I think we met you and your wife years ago on Sovereign OTS, which was our very first cruise back in 1994. So, if you are THAT Rob and Lisa, how nice that our paths crossed once again via CC.

 

Congrats on all the wonderful things your family will be celebrating on this cruise, especially following some sad times. Enjoy every minute of it, and we will all be following along with you.

 

Wow!!!! It probably was because our first cruise was on Sovereign OTS in 1994. We were celebrating our first anniversary and it got us hooked on cruising!!! We were cruising with my mom and dad and it got them hooked on cruising as well.

 

So nice to hear from you.

 

Thanks for following along!!!

[ravenrob]

I was thinking what a great trip planner until you revealed you plan to steal/cheat the system. No drink package sharing, as I am sure you know. Not a good lesson for your daughter and son.

 

Didn't realize the Drink Package police were members of this board. LOL

[ravenrob]

Hi everyone...We took Jordan (DS) to camp today. It's about a one hour drive up into the Catoctin Mountains here in Maryland. The Catoctin Mountains are located where Camp David (Presidential weekend retreat) is for those of you not familiar with Maryland.

 

It was so beautiful up there today. This is his third year at his camp and most of his friends have returned so he could not get rid of us fast enough. He is gone for two weeks.

 

I can't believe the next time that I see him it will be one day before our trip.

 

Upon returning from camp, we picked Allison(DD) up and did a little shopping for the trip. Needed a new pair of running shoes so the three of us checked that off the to do list.

 

I finally did our beverage package purchase yesterday. I was still on the fence about purchasing the Ultimate Package for me. I continued to research but finally pulled the trigger. I know that I will at least have five drinks a day without having to share with Lisa(DW). (That was a PSA for Sheezsmith who is the CC Board drink police. ;-))

 

Now it's almost time to start focusing on the preliminary packing for the trip. I'm happy that we have plans for dinner almost every night this week so we won't sit around this each night.

 

Next weekend Allison and I are taking a drive up to Long Island to my cousin's for a July 4th party. Unfortunately, Lisa has to work next Sunday and Monday so she will be home herself for a few days while we are gone. :-(

 

I'm sort of happy to be gone next weekend because it will help pass time before we leave but sad that Lisa cannot join us in NY for the weekend. (The joy of working in the health care profession for 20 years.)

 

Funny side note to this weekend but after we got home and I sat down in front of the computer and through the power of social media I noticed on Facebook that a High School classmate of mine has just boarded Allure today.

 

Well that's all for now....next update hopefully in a few days...have a good week everyone!!!

Edited June 26, 2016 by ravenrob

[mrlddst]

Can't wait until boarding time! Any excursions planned?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Surfguyxxx]

Can't wait to hear more. I have to wait till the end of the summer before I board. Hopefully I'll get some tips from you along the way. BTW, healthcare here too. :D:D

[ravenrob]

Can't wait until boarding time! Any excursions planned?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

We are considering Zipline in Labadee. Other than that, we are more like a get off the ship walk around the port and get back on the ship kind of family.

 

We just like to enjoy seeing the port and just chilling by the pool on the ship for the rest of the day.

[funship freddy]

We were on Allure in April and my wife loved the zipline. :D:D

[KeywestK]

We are considering Zipline in Labadee. Other than that, we are more like a get off the ship walk around the port and get back on the ship kind of family.

 

We just like to enjoy seeing the port and just chilling by the pool on the ship for the rest of the day.

 

Just on the off-chance you get the urge to go to a beach in Cozumel, we love Paradise Beach, which is a short taxi drive from the terminal. It's a very inexpensive beach day, in a beautiful environment.

 

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/

[ravenrob]

I interrupt this regularly scheduled Pre-Trip report to ask everyone a question:

 

Since DD and DS will be in their own cabin, Lisa and I are trying to figure out how we will communicate with them on the ship. Not too crazy about purchasing VOOM for iMessage because we are so connected while at home, we could use a nice few days of being unplugged.

 

My thought is just check in with them at certain times throughout the day and make sure that we eat dinner together.

 

They are very independent kids and are very well traveled so I think they would respect our decision to check in with us throughout the day.

 

Port days will be different as we will go off ship together.

 

Thoughts, suggestions are welcome.....

[normr]

Buy a set of FRS radios like these

 

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/20595715?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227015545655&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=40969845752&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78912539312&veh=sem

[ravenrob]

Hi everyone......nothing new to report other than it seems as though time is going backwards....9 more days and counting.....well that is until we leave for Florida.

 

Report from DS's camp is that he went to New York for the day yesterday and saw School of Rock on Broadway.

 

Tonight there was a Facebook sighting of another friend on Allure of the Seas this week. I hope he is taking good care of her!!! :-)

 

Had dinner with friends on Tuesday and we were actually talking about booking Adventure of the Seas to the Southern Caribbean for May of 2017. We probably will take advantage of whatever the offer is onboard for future cruises.

 

DW started making the packing list and was looking for DD's duffle bag for the trip.

 

Glad I am finally counting down the days on my fingers!!!!

 

Off to Long Island with DD on Saturday morning for a July 4th weekend party at my cousin's house.

 

When I get home on Sunday will be when I will start checking the weather report for Saturday. I get very nervous during the summer travel season. It just seems as though the later your travel in the day, the higher the chance is of an afternoon thunderstorm firing up. This time we have to worry about weather in Atlanta for our connecting flight. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy July 4th weekend!!!!

[ozscot01]

In terms of keeping in touch, we used sticky notes and pre-set non negotiable meet ups. It served as family time, we'd arrange a 2pm mini- golf tournament, losers buy the ice cream. The misses 16 were happy to comply with those arrangements and it gave us all the free time we wanted to do as we pleased.

[ravenrob]

Happy July 4th everyone!!!!

 

T-minus five days and counting!!! :)

 

Had a nice few days in New York visiting my cousin for a July 4th party on Saturday. Then had brunch at my oldest friend of 30+ years house with him and his family yesterday morning before driving back to Baltimore yesterday afternoon.

 

Today is my 23rd anniversary. Lisa (DW) is working today for some extra money in the paycheck for vacation and also so that we can start our vacation on Friday.

 

Friday is also the day we pick Jordan (DS) up from camp. Every year my little buddy goes away to camp, I look forward to this day so much but this one is extra special. My first words to him on Friday morning are going to be, "Are you ready to go on a cruise? " :)

 

Today, Allison(DD) and I will venture out to the local Coinstar machine to dump our loose change that we collect during the year which goes towards the kids' spending money while we are on vacation. We usually ring up somewhere between $150 and $200 to split 50/50.

 

We are also going to head over to Barnes and Noble so that I can get my vacation reading. We usually hit B&N a few weeks before vacation to get an idea of what we are going to read but do not buy anything until the week that we leave. (I have such superstitions about when to prepare for vacation).

 

So far the weather for travel day on Saturday, seems to be a typical forecast except for scattered afternoon Thunderstorms in FLL. I just hope they hold out until after 4:30PM so that we can arrive on time and get to the hotel before the rain.

 

Took a peek at Port Nassau webcam and noticed that the Lady A is docked there today. I cannot believe that the next time she is docked at Port Everglades, it will be our turn to board her!!! Woo hoo!!!!

 

Thats all for today. Hope to get you an update tomorrow.

 

I hope everybody enjoy's the 4th today!!!!

[KeywestK]

Hey Rob.....Have a great week anticipating your upcoming travels! You will be arriving to very hot and humid weather here in FL, which means afternoon thunderstorms just about every day. Hopefully your travels won't be impacted, as the storms typically don't last long.

 

Will be looking forward to following your travels, and it will undoubtedly get me even more excited for our turn in November:D:cool:

[DISFANS3]

Have fun on the CRUISE...

[marcyjane]

Enjoying reading your pre-planning on the Allure. Will be cruising April 2017 to celebrate my Grandson's high school graduation. Will be following your post and can't wait for you review when you return from your cruise. Thanks