Pictorial Review: Allure of the Seas Eastern Caribbean

[nekzaadvakil]

After a good night's rest, we woke up early to explore Nassau. Since we were only docked here for less than half a day, we decided to go out early. After an awesome breakfast in the Windjammer, we headed out.

 

 

For those who've not read my earlier reviews, DW and I love exploring places on our own. We hardly ever take offshore excursions, often preferring to explore new places on foot to get a real feel of the place. The inlaws and their friends decided to hire a cab for a sightseeing tour of the place, while the rest of us decided to walk.

 

 

We were really keen to spend a day in the Atlantis, but since we had to be back on the ship by 1:30 PM, it made no sense for us to spend that kind of money for a couple of hours. Perhaps next time we'll ensure that the itinerary has a day here in Nassau.

 

The walk to the Atlantis was long but DW and I enjoyed it. The weather was quite warm but the views approaching the Atlantis were amazing.

 

 

Once we reached the Atlantis resort, we walked through the little streets of shops and cafes which we found very nice.

 

 

The interiors of the resort were also very nice, however we didn't want to spend our time inside and preferred to be outdoors where the waters and sky were clear!

 

 

We made our way to the public beach and spent some time in the water and on the beach. The sea was quite rough (maybe it was high tide) which meant we had to be slightly more careful.

 

 

On the way back, we decided to catch a shared cab back to the port. It was $4 per person for the shared cab which fits 10 people comfortably. We made it back on time after loitering around near the port for some time. There were plenty of shops selling souvenirs, drinks and food. We were on the ship by 1:15 PM, and grabbed a quite bite at the Windjammer.

 

The Windjammer had a huge spread and we really enjoyed the food, which is why we ate most of our meals (including dinners) here. After a quick meal, we headed down to try our luck at BINGO.

 

The Bingo sessions were held in the theatre, and the first session had quite a large crowd. The tickets were pretty expensive ($49 for a 9 card x 3 games) or the automatic machines which has 30 cards x 3 games for $54. You also got one of those pull tabs.

 

The prizes for the first session were also quite high. $800, $1000 and $1200 for the first 3 games. I played every session of BINGO and had no luck whatsoever in any game. But it was good fun nevertheless.

[nekzaadvakil]

OK I have to ask... How do you pack for the Caribbean and Alaska????

 

For guys like me it was pretty straight forward, I just threw in a pair of jeans and a light jacket for Alaska. Here in India, we have a scorching summer, a monsoon and a summer season. No winters. So when I go to places which are 10 degrees C, I love it. I walked around in shorts on our last cruise in the Baltic. While the winds were more here in Alaska, I just wore a pair of jeans and I was absolutely fine.

[nekzaadvakil]

The 2nd half of our day we used as a sea day. Tonight was also the first of two Formal Nights. We preferred the late seating at 8:30 since it gave us more time to relax during the evenings and really make the most of the ship.

 

DW and I headed up to the sports deck to play some table tennis. Both of us are extremely competitive and nearly evenly matched. We usually play 20-30 games on each cruise and we loved that the Allure had 6 tables which were available 24 hours. There were many people playing at all times during the day, and yet we hardly ever had to wait for more than 3-5 minutes for a table.

 

We also explored the Central Park for the first time and absolutely loved it. It has just started to drizzle and that made the experience absolutely perfect. Literally felt that you're walking in the park, not on a cruise ship. Royal Caribbean really WOWed us with this new innovation.

 

 

We headed back to the room for some rest and relation. One of the best things about cruising is just unwinding in your balcony and watching the world go by. I am a true Aquarian, I love the water and it always calms me down. I had a good half an hour to put my feet up and relax while DW got ready for Formal Night.

 

 

We got dressed and headed down to the Royal Promenade, where the captain was giving his speech welcoming everyone. The band played some good music as well and the Royal Promenade looked lovely.

 

 

 

Dinner at the MDR was excellent. I absolutely loved the dessert which was the highlight of the meal. I wish the cheesecake was available every night, I would have definitely eaten more meals in the MDR if that was the case.

 

 

After dinner, we headed to the Casino for some roulette and slots. Absolutely no luck here but we walked out with what we started with, so no loss, no gain. I really liked the non smoking section of the casino, it is huge and honestly the smoke from the other side never bothered me since I couldn't smell any.

 

We headed back to our staterooms at around midnight and closed out a wonderful day at Nassau and on this amazing ship.

 

 

Next up: Day 3 - Sea Day

[Rosy1013]

Wow! That's the exact same itinerary! Since we live in Mumbai, India, it made sense for us to see as much as we could since the airfares to the US are quite high as is the travel time.

 

Personally, both cruises had its plus points. The Allure is a destination in itself, having never sailed on an Oasis class ship, we loved it. We were also pleasantly surprised with St. Thomas, the beach day was awesome.

 

For the Alaskan cruise, the beauty of Mother Nature exceeds all expectations and I now know why this one is on everyone's bucket list of places to visit. The explorer was more personal, the service was much better and some of us felt that the food too was better.

 

The casino on the Allure was huge and more expensive ($5 min in roulette vs $1 min on the Explorer)

 

Since most of the time is spent looking outside in amazement, the explorer worked for us just fine. Our first choice was the Celebrity Solstice but the price on the explorer was almost half of that on the Solstice (we snagged balcony rooms at $999)

 

In Vegas we stayed at the Elara Hilton and we thought that hotel was absolutely brilliant. Bang on centre strip, large modern rooms, great value for money. We felt only the Wynn was better than our hotel but would stay at the Elara again.

 

Thanks so much for the comparison! It really has helped me know more of what to expect on each trip:)

[Thelongos]

Really enjoying your review, thank you!

 

Sent from my Galaxy Note 4

[seguincruiser]

Thanks for doing this review. I'm taking my daughter on this exact cruise next year for her HS graduation. She saw some of your pictures and exclaimed "There's a mall inside the ship!"

[BillOh]

Thanks! Yup, we had an amazing time on our Alaska cruise as well. As soon as I finish this review of the Allure, I will begin a detailed review with pictures of our Alaskan cruise.

 

We ticked 3 things off our bucket list in 1 dream holiday which we planned and saved for, over 2-3 years. Alaska was everything we imagined and more, as was our Caribbean cruise on the amazing Allure of the Seas.

 

Thanks for taking the time. While I have done this exact cruise twice on Allure and once on Oasis, I enjoy reliving it through reviews like yours and I enjoy hearing about the amazement of first times.

[cheerldrmom]

awesome loving all the pictures and review we are on her next month can't wait.

[sdpete]

Great review. Please write more soon as I have withdrawal pain since last post!

[CruzieSue]

Enjoying your review and great photos !! Looking forward to the rest. :)

[Surfguyxxx]

Thanks for doing this review. I'm taking my daughter on this exact cruise next year for her HS graduation. She saw some of your pictures and exclaimed "There's a mall inside the ship!"

 

That's excellent. This is one cruise she is going to remember for the rest of her life. :)

[swim13]

Atlantis is so grand and beautiful!! I love just watching the world go by on cruises too! :) Nice review so far!

 

Thanks for doing this review. I'm taking my daughter on this exact cruise next year for her HS graduation. She saw some of your pictures and exclaimed "There's a mall inside the ship!"

 

My mom took me on Allure for my HS graduation too and I couldn't have been more grateful! It was the best vacation I think I've ever been on! I had been wanting to go on this ship for about 4 years before we did, so the first time I stepped on board I just kept jumping up and down haha!

Edited June 17, 2016 by swim13

[nekzaadvakil]

Day 3: A day at sea. Every since my first cruise, I have absolutely loved SEA DAYS. Although the beauty of cruising is to see so many different places, I can't get enough of sea days.

 

Waking up late, enjoying a lavish breakfast, lazing around in the pool, few games of table tennis with DW, BINGO sessions, the casino opened throughout the day, really life doesn't get much better than a day at sea on a mega cruise ship. If it does, I yet have to experience it.

 

We were really looking forward to this day to really experience all the neighbourhoods that the Allure boasts about. And we did just that. I wore one a t-shirt which I thought was quite apt for cruising, which many fellow cruisers commented on and had a good laugh.

 

 

After a nice heavy breakfast, we spent some time in what became our favorite spot: the solarium jacuzzis.

 

 

The group tried different drinks - cosmopolitan, chocolate martini, and a few mojitos and everyone enjoyed a nice leisurely morning. I think I had one too many ice creams available on the pool deck. I think I enjoy making them more than I enjoying munching them down.

 

My sister and I have a competition to see who can make the perfect swirl on a cone. Here's my first attempt.

 

 

I was quite proud of it and promptly sent her a picture back home. Speaking of messaging, we had the internet package and we were absolutely delighted with it. I don't think I will be able to cruise again without an internet pack. It helped keep in touch with others on the cruise and helped us find each other.

 

The bar on the pool deck was well stocked and well serviced.

 

 

After some time in the pools and jacuzzis, it was time to grab a quite bite and I gorged on some pizzas in the Windjammer.

 

 

 

We also explored the shops in the Royal Promenade. They had a huge collection of merchandise but I was pretty bummed to find out that they had discontinued the personalized key chains. I guess my collection would not be continued on the Allure or the Explorer in a couple of weeks time.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

After shopping for a bit in the Royal Promenade shops, some of us headed down for a few games of BINGO. Again absolutely no luck. But it was good fun. It was then time for our first show. We had booked Mamma Mia for our first sea day at 5PM since we had heard that the show is 2.5 hours long.

 

I like watching shows on cruise ships, I've seen some really amazing shows earlier, however none of us were prepared for what we were about to see. As fans of ABBA, we knew we would enjoy the music and show and we really liked the movie as well. But this show was something else.

 

The level of talent of the performers was unbelievable. For those who have seen the movie, the show followed the exact same flow and every song, every scene was much better than the movie.

 

At first, I was wondering how ANYONE could ever match up to Meryl Streep playing Donna Sheridan. The performer playing Donna honestly was a step better. I have never seen a show this good and our fellow cruisers seemed to agree. We gave them a standing ovation at the end of the show. I'd go back on the Allure over the Oasis or Harmony just for this show. If you've got a cruise planned on this ship, please do not miss this show. It was absolutely brilliant.

 

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any flash photos or videos so I have none to share, except for 1 at the end of the show.

 

 

After the show we headed to the Boardwalk to spend some time there. The Boardwalk looks amazing under the night sky with the lights on. I really don't think we spent enough time here during the day, since there was just so much to do and see in other places on the ship.

 

 

 

 

After dinner in the Windjammer, we headed to the casino for some roulette and slots. Finally I had some luck and won $150. Good way to end a fun day at sea.

 

 

 

Next up: St. Thomas

[nomoreknothead]

Loving your review!!! Not Sailing on the Allure until 2018 .... So Thanks for letting me sail along in my mind!

[sdpete]

You are spot on about Mamma Mia. We will be seeing it for the sixth time on RCI come October. The prior cast on the Quantum , in 2015, was great also. How do they find these talented people? Don't forget to hear them sing in the Jazz Club during the cruise.

[PCWalton1]

Loving your review. Thank you for taking the time to post all your thoughts and pictures, much appreciated.

[Pearlieq]

What a great review! Your happy nature comes through and makes it a treat to read!

[fwacruiser]

Great stuff, Nick. Thanks for posting. My family cruises on the Allure on June 26th. We've been on her before, but we're excited to go back.

[nekzaadvakil]

Just a quick thank you to everyone whose replied with their encouraging words. It drives us to write more and post pictures as well :)

 

Working saturday today, but will post more soon.

 

Cheers!

 

Nick

[nekzaadvakil]

Day 4: St. Thomas

 

Since our ship was docking in St. Thomas at 10:00 AM, we gave ourselves some time to sleep in and woke up later than usual at around 8:30 AM. We had done quite a bit of research for St. Thomas and we were not too thrilled about any excursion.

 

Since we live in Mumbai where the temperature is usually quite high, we're not beach people, give us the cold climate anyday (I know I know, the grass is always greener on the other side).

 

We had read about the famous Magen's bay beach and decided to walk out and see what kind of tour we'd get. We spoke to a couple of drivers and we managed to get a large cab which comfortably fit 8 of us for a drive around St. Thomas with a drop at Magen's bay beach.

 

Here's where one of the most ordinary days turned into the most extra-ordinary day which we will never forget. The sheer beauty of this island is what we can only dream of. Clear blue skies, white fluffy clouds, clear waters, views from above to die for. We were loving every minute of our drive around St. Thomas.

 

Our first stop was at the Mountain point from where we got some pretty fantastic views of the ship and bay below. They were selling a 'viagara drink' which was just a mocktail with a fancy name. I bought a round for all of us including our driver. It tasted good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our driver then took us to Magen's bay beach and told us that it regularly featured in the top 10 beaches in the world. Having seen some amazing beaches in the French Riviera, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Barcelona and other places in Europe, I yet didn't think it would be that great. Was I mistaken!

 

There's a $5 entry fee to enter the beach which was well worth the price. All of us were absolutely amazed by the sheer beauty of the beach. Clear waters, soft sand surrounded by mountains that give you the impression that the world is just this little piece of heaven and there's nothing beyond it. It immediately brought back memories of Kotor, Montenegro.

 

Luckily nearly all of us had our swim trunks with us and jumped into the water. The water was just right and we really enjoyed ourselves. The crowd was great. It wasn't too crowded. We bought some drinks from the nearby bar which we thought were pretty expensive, but we're on holiday so we could splurge a little.

 

We had asked our cab driver to pick us up in 3 hours and we could have easily spent a hour more there. The beaches and waters at Nassau are no competition!

 

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking since I'm going to need a thesaurus to come up with words to describe how amazing this place was and I'm too lazy to do that. Here are some pictures of the beach.

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Some more pictures of the Magen's Bay Beach bar and the view of our ship upon our return.

 

 

 

 

We quickly went back to our staterooms, dumped our belongings and watched the sail out from our balcony.

 

 

Managed to pick up a few fridge magnets on the way back. Very apt for one of the most memorable beach days we've ever had.

 

 

For a late lunch, we headed to the Central Park cafe to catch a bite. I was most impressed with the Park cafe. It had a HUGE spread of salads, sandwiches and more. It was a very good alternative to the windjammer where we ate most of our meals. We really missed this venue on our Alaskan cruise a week later.

 

[eellery]

Loving your review! We are cruising on The Allure next Sunday & can't wait!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[itsanita]

Loving your review. We just booked on the Allure for January. We have never been on a large ship before, so looking forward to it. this review is valuable in helping us learn about the ship before sailing. I assume there are several venues for included meals other than the Main Dinning room and the Windjammer?

[TrojanUSC]

Loving your review. We just booked on the Allure for January. We have never been on a large ship before, so looking forward to it. this review is valuable in helping us learn about the ship before sailing. I assume there are several venues for included meals other than the Main Dinning room and the Windjammer?

 

Dining room is the only formal "sit-down" complimentary place in the evenings. You also have the option of Windjammer, Sorrento's, Cafe Promenade and Room Service, I believe. A few more options are available during the day (Solarium Bistro, Wipe Out Cafe, Park Cafe, etc). Johnny Rockets has a minimal $5 fee.

 

Sabor is really excellent and pretty inexpensive, even though its a la carte.