Quick Allure Review - 1/15/17 - first time Oasis-class

[JohnBoy in NC]

Recently off the beautiful Allure of the Seas, this is a quick review with no pictures. Quick background…wife and I are avid cruisers, late 40’s and not die-hard loyal to any cruise line (too many choices and ships, too many places to visit, and too little money and time). However, I have long desired to sail on one of the big girls and when the cruise was first announced a few years ago they had a deal on Boardwalk balconies that I could not resist! (price was the same as the typical inside room).

 

 

So I got our other two cruising couples (they try to join us every other January) to book a few months later. They missed the great price so they settled for insides. Then I got some other mutual friends to book as well…so it was looking like a great party for the 8 of us. However, the new couple soon had to downsize so they backed out of the trip early last year. Sadly, the husband suddenly passed right after Thanksgiving so we never got to cruise together as a big group. Another couple had their air conditioning go out this past summer so they had to back out right before final payment. The last remaining couple kept their reservation, but the husband (who is an avid hunter) had the rare opportunity to go with some friend’s duck hunting in Arkansas the same week. (Not sure I would give us a cruise with my bride for duck hunting but hey). The wife was able to substitute a co-worker who has never cruised before so that was a new dynamic for us. I can’t imagine a first time cruiser going on an Oasis class ship!

We flew direct from RDU on Southwest to Ft. Lauderdale the day before, using a free night at the Embassy Suites. The room number I selected wasn’t ready yet so they gave me a room on the 11th floor, so we had a view of the port/ships. We enjoyed the pool area and manager’s reception, I had a great coupon deal at Carrabba’s so I walked a few blocks and brought back some good takeout back to the lobby area. Breakfast was great as always and we luckily grabbed a cab while the lobby was packed with shuttle groups.

 

 

Once we arrived at the Allure terminal (around 1030am) it was fairly easy and quick to check-in and get upstairs in our designated section. Platinum section started boarding around 11:15am and everything moved quickly. Walking on to deck 5/Royal Promenade was amazing, it blew me away. Definitely has a WOW factor! Overall the ship was remarkable and it seemed brand new to me.

 

 

Overall Allure experience: After sailing I felt a little disappointed only due to the fact that we only did a third of what we wanted to do! We didn’t do the flow-rider, rock climbing wall, ice skating, merry go-round, or the zipline. We didn’t get to see some live bands or experience every club, bar and venue. The positive is if we sail her again, it will almost seem like a new cruise experience. One really needs a B2B to experience everything!

This ship also moved more than I expected. Being so wide I figured you would never feel any motion or very little. I was surprised about how often I felt the movement….even during non-windy days. We were on deck 10 but I felt it move on other decks, front, middle and back. Nothing bad but I heard several people remark on this observation as well several times.

A couple of firsts for us on this cruise, one was doing a week long spa pass. Embarkation day they offer the spa raffle and tours, and somehow I ended up on a tour with my wife where they show you the facility and services. At the end they mentioned the thermal spa weekly deal, where they only sell a limited number of passes (40 maybe). The cost was $250 for a couple. The thermal spa area has these 4 hot stone tables, 2 steam saunas (one was aromatic---very nice), a dry sauna, and two special showers. This $250 deal also included a private couples spa Jacuzzi 1-hr session and a private couples Rasul session (facial/mud wrap deal). Each session was listed every day at $99 each. I figured it was worth a shot to try the couples special and we really enjoyed it. I would probably do this again, the spa facilities were very nice. So fellas, if you are looking to surprise your wife on this cruise – think about this on embarkation day.

 

The second new thing we tried was booking the 5 night specialty dinning ($115/pp pre-cruise offer) and it was awesome. We do specialty restaurants sometimes on cruises but since Oasis-class is unique with Central Park we decided to try this experience (loved dining outside most of the time). We did 150 Central Park (Carlo was our server – very good), then Chops (Claudio from Romania was our server both times), and Giovanni’s twice. We were going to do 150 Central Park again but our friends wanted to try Giovanni’s since I had boasted about how good their filet mignon was. Actually this was our first experience with Royal’s specialty restaurants and we were impressed. Chops was very good, but Claudio made it special because he brought us tons of food and made various wines fit the package. He was such an attentive server and I only wish I could eat more! I have to say though that the filet at Giovanni’s was the best. Again they brought us tons of food and options. In fact we never ate breakfast on this cruise…just too full from dinners and drinks!

 

On boarding day we did try Sabor for lunch. Unfortunately, they had a limited menu due to an inspection at the time but we got several small plates, guacamole (made in the kitchen not tableside) and some spicy margaritas. As part of our Boardwalk cabin we did try Johnny Rockets for lunch one sea day. I was surprised how good my burger was (it has been 10 years since I went to a Johnny Rockets) and the onion rings. It was nice eating outside as always on this ship.

 

 

Drink package: At the time of booking the cruise they had a BOGO1/2 on drink packages. I kept this deal as it still ended up cheaper than the 30 percent deal Royal had a few months ago. Due to some health concerns, my wife did not drink as much this cruise so value wise it did not work out. But that is ok, I almost made up for it. The one thing that annoyed me throughout was signing receipts. I found that if I tipped a dollar, the bartender would usually not print me out a receipt.

 

However one bartender I found had keyed my Old Fashioned with premium liquor twice (even though I had ordered the same bourbon and drink from the same bartender a few more times)….so I had to go to guest services and get the two $2.36 charges removed. The bartender either keyed it wrong or did not tell me that the bourbon I chose was premium. I think it was keyed wrong because I only drank Makers, Four Roses, Bulleit, Buffalo Trace the whole time and no other bar charged me extra.

 

I found the pours to be generous the whole time. Some bars only had one bartender and the wait times were evident. I only had one offer for pool side service (did not see many servers walking around) but there are plenty of bars within walking distance. Overall I loved having all of the various bars/venues to choose from, just not enough time to really enjoy them all.

 

Entertainment:

Well this ship had some great entertainment! The ice shows were pretty cool (I liked Monopoly better than Train Your Dragon), and the dive shows were entertaining as well. Mamma Mia was good, but I had too many Old Fashions leading up to the show so a few times my head rested comfortably against the back of the chair. Our friends were show geeks and they enjoyed the quality of the show. The headliner was Jeff Tracta, who was on Bold and the Beautiful and is a great singer, impersonator, and comedian. Blue Planet we arrived too late and had to stand in the back, so we couldn’t see too much and my wife wasn’t feeling well, so we left early. The comedy show was pretty good.

 

They had several live bands around but we only saw one, doing a Beatles tribute. They were pretty good. The Quest was held in Studio B and was very fun as usual. What made this great to me was the large screen and slow motion replay of various quests. The cruise director was hilarious in his commentary.

 

 

Voom: - we booked the 30% special for one device as we have kids at home and stationed at various places while we were gone. No problems with wifi calling or anything. Seemed pretty fast and could access in all parts of the ship.

 

Ports: Nassau – since we only had a limited port stop there (7am – 2pm) and this was our first time on Oasis-class, we stayed on the ship.

St. Thomas – we walked off and went to the liquor store to buy our favorite silver rum that we can’t buy at home (Appleton silver). We took one litre with us to Sapphire Beach and we went ahead and bought 6 more for the ship/journey home. It ended up being $1 more than St. Maarten but I wasn’t sure if we would have time in St. Maarten after our private excursion to go shopping (especially the cheaper stores on Front Street versus the store at the terminal itself).

 

I researched several alternative beaches on St. Thomas (having been to Megan’s Bay before) and choose Sapphire this time. When we walked outside to the cab line, we were luckily the last 4 seats and didn’t have to wait like the others (drives me nuts sometimes to have to wait to fill every last seat before leaving). Sapphire is a great spot, but it was windy that day so we didn’t snorkel. We rented some chairs ($9/pp) and camped out and enjoyed the view, the food, and the Appleton. The beach was more crowded than I would have thought, but it is nice with lots of amenities. The bathrooms were not the cleanest, but the bar and food was really good.

St. Maarten - we have been several times and this time wanted to do some kind of boat/snorkel tour. I almost went with Capt. Bob Cass but my wife wanted something different, so I found a 55 ft sailboat excursion (Random Winds). They took us to the French side Long Bay, where we could snorkel, swim to the beach (and put some fancy mud on your face), paddleboard, or dive/jump off the front. The water was great, and the snorkeling was minimal…not much coral at all.

 

My wife tried paddle boarding for the first time and we got to paddle into the beach. Afterwards the crew (Anne from England) prepared a great lunch for everyone. I forgot to mention they had all the rum and beer you could drink…she prepared the drinks as requested the whole day. The second stop was near the airport and they had a nice trapeze swing for everyone to try. It was pretty fun and overall a nice relaxing excursion. You had to take a cab to get there (maybe 35 minutes from the port) but it was worth the extra effort. We had some time to shop in the port terminal so I bought 5 more liters of various rums to take back to the ship.

 

 

Disembarkation: we did self-assist and were on Deck 5 around 745am, and walked off the ship pretty easily (except waiting for 4 elevators to get to the Promenade Deck). I had 2 suitcases on me, so I couldn’t take the escalator to the customs control, I had to wait in line for the terminal elevator….which took about 10 minutes for me to reconnect with my wife.

They did not have the Global Entry line marked (this terminal did not have the machines), but they directed us to a control officer who cleared us very quickly. No questions asked about my 11 liters declared on the customs form.

 

I met our friends outside the terminal and gave them the large suitcase with the 11 liters so it could be delivered home more safely than via airplane. Besides waiting for elevators to get off the ship, disembarkation was very smooth. We were at the airport with 2 hrs to spare since our friends had to leave around 8am for the long drive back to North Carolina.

 

 

Allure definitely WOW’ed us and I will sail Oasis-class again in the future, probably with friends/children.

 

 

Yours in Cruising,

John in NC

[RCLFan]

Enjoyed your Review; will be Sailing Allure in June having sailed in October on Oasis, I very much am looking forward to seeing Mama Mia (Cats on Oasis was just OK though Talent was Great)

[Nickles]

Very nice review. I sailed Oasis back in 2012 as my first cruise and I've been spoiled for every other ship. I've always said that I would bring the kids the next time because they would enjoy it. Can't wait to sail her sister Allure in April 2018!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BillOh]

However, I have long desired to sail on one of the big girls and when the cruise was first announced a few years ago they had a deal on Boardwalk balconies that I could not resist! (price was the same as the typical inside room).

 

 

I love that ship and enjoy hearing what first timers have to say about it. Congrats on getting a good deal, those are few and far between on that class of ship. You will definitely enjoy the 2nd and 3rd time on the ship. Thanks for writing.

[Ready 2 Cruise]

Thanks for posting a great review, I appreciate the information :D

We are sailing on Allure in 11 days and can't wait!

[easyboy]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for your review.

[M&JfromSDL]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. We are just over 4 weeks out from our Allure cruise and getting excited.

[imlulu]

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear you had a good time.

[BobbyD]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Allure in about a month. Group of 8 with 3 first timers!

 

Was there any entertainment in the English Pub on the Royal Promenade? I have heard conflicting stories about Royal getting rid of the entertainment in that venue.

[gsosings]

Thanks for posting a great review, I appreciate the information :D

We are sailing on Allure in 11 days and can't wait!

 

Ditto on the appreciation for John's extensive review! :)

 

We will be onboard the 2/12 sailing as well - snagged the very last Promenade cabin about a month ago :D

 

So looking forward to this one, after having to cancel our last 3!!:(:eek::D

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Allure in about a month. Group of 8 with 3 first timers!

 

Was there any entertainment in the English Pub on the Royal Promenade? I have heard conflicting stories about Royal getting rid of the entertainment in that venue.

 

We were on the same cruise. There was entertainment in the pub every night we walked by.:)

[Tromler]

Was the fountain working under the Rising Tide Bar? It wasn't on all week in Oct last year, so curious if they repaired.

 

We will be back on her in March.

[Mountainmommalrn]

Great review! We will be on the Allure 6/4. Can't wait!

[BobbyD]

We were on the same cruise. There was entertainment in the pub every night we walked by.:)

 

Great! Thank you.

[CruisingMarch2016]

We are booked in March for the Sail/snorkel experience. Any tips or things to bring?

How much was the cab ride? I didn't realize it was 35 minute ride to them?

Any other helpful things appreciated!!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks for your review! Good information and your format was easy to read.

[jpolm]

Great quick trip review. Glad u loved her. We loved the oasis and wanted to try harmony or allure but for when we want to go oasis came in cheaper so we will sail again we feel the same loved it and we missed some stuff but knew we would return again. So far we have rebooked (3rd time) and hope to go this July. We are bringing our kids and want my 9 year old to experience it again before he's too big for the kid stuff. My teens will have a blast again too. The kids club was so phenomenal and allowed dh and I some alike time that it's time again!

 

I see you've sailed Carnival we also want to try one of their newer ships maybe vista I like that's there a lot of open outside spaces. How did u like royal compared to carnival?

[Ready 2 Cruise]

Ditto on the appreciation for John's extensive review! :)

 

We will be onboard the 2/12 sailing as well - snagged the very last Promenade cabin about a month ago :D

 

So looking forward to this one, after having to cancel our last 3!!:(:eek::D

 

We also have a Promenade cabin, really getting excited!

Did you join the roll call? They've planned a Pub Crawl 😁

[gsosings]

We also have a Promenade cabin, really getting excited!

Did you join the roll call? They've planned a Pub Crawl 😁

 

Hi guys..

 

yes for the roll call, but not doing pub crawl (we're not big drinkers!:D)

but love to sing - so we'll be in karaoke EVERY night :D;)

 

We're SO anticipating this cruise - had to cancel our last 3 for various reasons :(

I actually started researching, planning, and packing a MONTH AGO!!:D:D

 

G & Dave

[squiffynimrod]

Was the fountain working under the Rising Tide Bar? It wasn't on all week in Oct last year, so curious if they repaired.

 

 

We were on the same cruise and the fountain was working, but not consistently. Off for the first couple of days, then it was and I only saw the main jet working once.

 

As for entertainment, mid week we sat in the Schooner bar and had front row seats for the mayhem that was Matt Yee and his ancient Hawaiian sing along. We blew off the headliner show to see it. Fun fun fun. Adult, raucous, politically incorrect and the best time on the boat.

[molsonschooner]

Thanks for the great review. We are on Harmony this year but I am looking at Allure for next year.

[Ready 2 Cruise]

Hi guys..

 

yes for the roll call, but not doing pub crawl (we're not big drinkers!:D)

but love to sing - so we'll be in karaoke EVERY night :D;)

 

We're SO anticipating this cruise - had to cancel our last 3 for various reasons :(

I actually started researching, planning, and packing a MONTH AGO!!:D:D

 

G & Dave

 

Hopefully, the 4th time is the charm! I'm sure we'll see you at 🎤 karaoke, we don't sing but we really enjoy watching it 😁

[gsosings]

I'll be singing as either 'G' or 'Gman'.. 😎

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Forums mobile app

[SAM BOO]

Always love your reviews JohnBoy. I am the show geek friend. I loved Mama Mia!! I wish I had seen it twice. The comedy show was OK but I wish we has stayed and watched the band in Dazzle instead(the band was made up of the stars from Mama Mia) and the lounge it's self was beautiful. The Margaritas in Boleros were the best ever. I can't believe I never zip lined or rode the carousel! I loved the Dream Works characters as much as any kid on the ship. I would love to do this ship with all of our kids.