Spring break on the Allure...a photo review

[clochette]

great review, look forward to reading more

[4belle2cruise]

The rest of the day consisted of: Barnes & Noble stop (we can never seem to have enough reading material)/dinner/hotel downtime/packing for the CRUISE the next day!

 

I sort of feel like I'm talking to myself in this review. Is anyone out there? Should I keep going?

 

Please finish. I am thoroughly enjoying your review and your sense of humor.

[bermudadude54]

I am following and enjoying the review. Is Gilberto's anywhere near Joe's Diner?

[CruisinShips]

Okay...so we finished up at the Everglades and headed back to Fort Lauderdale for lunch. I had read a ton about Gilbert's on these boards and wanted to try it out.

 

 

It's located right behind the Embassy Suites in this big strip mall. Sorry I can't remember the name of it, but you'll find it easily enough.

 

It's in the Harbor Shops (as you said, behind the Embassy Suites) immediately east of US1 and just south of 17th Street.

[MplsFamily]

I'm following along! Loving it so far.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cruisincha]

{Side bar: for you parents of daughters out there...NEVER allow them to go to the Tortuga Music Festival...or at the very least, send them with a chaperone and a swimsuit cover up!}

 

 

YIKES - my 16 year old was there!!!

[CruzieSue]

I am LUUUUVIN' your review (not going on Allure - just love a good review with photos !!!) You and I could be BFEs (besties forever 'n' ever) !!!!! :D (1) You don't hesitate to discipline other people's kids ... me either. Three little female munchkins were SITTING IN THE FLOOR and hogging one of the elevators on last cruise, pushing E-V-E-R-Y single button E-V-E-R-Y time anyone got on or off. After about the 4th time and we still weren't to our floor, hubby (bless his heart) beat me to it and let them know in no uncertain terms they had better NOT do that again. Next floor, they got off. They just moved to the other elevator. :p (2) You have my full and complete sympathy on the hotel fiasco. So unfair. Somebody say "compassion" !!! AND (3) I am still ROFLMBO over the "Deluxe Lizard Shoot and Beach Break" :'):');p Soooooo looking forward to the rest of your review !!!

[EB13]

Loving this review! Can't wait to hear about the actual cruise [emoji568] I'm a fellow reptile-phobe, I love the Caribbean/ hate it's wildlife [emoji30]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[VPIcruiser]

We were on the same cruise. We have two kids in elementary school and one in middle. They went to the kids club three times and said it is more fun when there aren't so many kids there. The two older kids loved the flow rider. We were lucky to catch them at some less crowded times and booked a group stand up lesson for the oldest. The second sea day, ice skating was super crowded but they got to skate for 20 minutes. The third sea day, skating wasn't crowded and they skated for 90 minutes.

 

We don't let our kids roam the ship without us and we almost always take the stairs. We didn't really encounter many kids misbehaving. We didn't see teenagers hanging out on the stairs like we usually do.

 

We had a great cruise, but it is a bit nicer cruising at the end of August when the ships

 

I look forward to reading the rest of your review.

[BLAMBKY]

 

- Thwarting chair hogs in the Solarium on sea days (yes, I did it, and you can, too!) :evilsmile:

 

- Vomit in the MDR and the RCCL hazmat team (now THAT made me whip out my camera) :confused:

 

 

But at least they weren't like some of the other kids bouncing a soccer ball in one of the lounges or LAYING ON THE FLOOR AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS BLOCKING PEOPLE FROM WALKING UP (yes, that happened, and yes, I will discipline other people's kids because I am that mean). But more on that later, guys!

 

 

 

Is it too soon to say, I love you?!:hearteyes:

 

My kids favorite mom inducing cringe story on me was when I pulled a toothpick out of a teens (not mine!) mouth at the top of the ski slope. :eek: Told them sorry but I do not want to see this coming out of your cheek when you fall! Yes, my kids were mortified....I kind of do not care. :rolleyes:

 

Ready to plow into the rest of your week!

[micmacmissy]

{Side bar: for you parents of daughters out there...NEVER allow them to go to the Tortuga Music Festival...or at the very least, send them with a chaperone and a swimsuit cover up!}

 

YIKES - my 16 year old was there!!!

 

:o Umm, well she came home in one piece, right? I guess what you didn't know didn't hurt you! ;p And next year you can go along with her- she'd love that, right???

[micmacmissy]

I am LUUUUVIN' your review (not going on Allure - just love a good review with photos !!!) You and I could be BFEs (besties forever 'n' ever) !!!!! :D (1) You don't hesitate to discipline other people's kids ... me either. Three little female munchkins were SITTING IN THE FLOOR and hogging one of the elevators on last cruise, pushing E-V-E-R-Y single button E-V-E-R-Y time anyone got on or off. After about the 4th time and we still weren't to our floor, hubby (bless his heart) beat me to it and let them know in no uncertain terms they had better NOT do that again. Next floor, they got off. They just moved to the other elevator. :p (2) You have my full and complete sympathy on the hotel fiasco. So unfair. Somebody say "compassion" !!! AND (3) I am still ROFLMBO over the "Deluxe Lizard Shoot and Beach Break" :'):');p Soooooo looking forward to the rest of your review !!!

 

 

Yes girlfriend- I am WITH you on that. If I catch kids being stupid I'll say something...and hey, if anyone catches MY kids being stupid, feel free to do the same! It takes a village!

[micmacmissy]

We were on the same cruise. We have two kids in elementary school and one in middle. They went to the kids club three times and said it is more fun when there aren't so many kids there. The two older kids loved the flow rider. We were lucky to catch them at some less crowded times and booked a group stand up lesson for the oldest. The second sea day, ice skating was super crowded but they got to skate for 20 minutes. The third sea day, skating wasn't crowded and they skated for 90 minutes.

 

We don't let our kids roam the ship without us and we almost always take the stairs. We didn't really encounter many kids misbehaving. We didn't see teenagers hanging out on the stairs like we usually do.

 

We had a great cruise, but it is a bit nicer cruising at the end of August when the ships

 

I look forward to reading the rest of your review.

 

 

 

We didn't really notice all the kids until the last two days. We probably will avoid spring break once our kids are out of high school- last time we cruised in late January and it was so nice and peaceful!

[micmacmissy]

Is it too soon to say, I love you?!:hearteyes:

 

 

 

My kids favorite mom inducing cringe story on me was when I pulled a toothpick out of a teens (not mine!) mouth at the top of the ski slope. :eek: Told them sorry but I do not want to see this coming out of your cheek when you fall! Yes, my kids were mortified....I kind of do not care. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Ready to plow into the rest of your week!

 

 

Aww, I love you too, boo!

 

I embarrass my children all the time. I tell them, that's the great thing about being 40ish. You just don't care anymore what people think!

[micmacmissy]

So this time last week I was having drinks at the Trellis Bar in Central Park and a 7pm dinner at Chops, but right now my family is sitting around saying they're hungry. Oh, yeah- I have to cook dinner. And clean it up. And get into an unmade bed. And go to work tomorrow.

 

I'll be back later tonight for the next installment!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[pinkandgreenmom]

I cannot wait to read your review!

 

And how is it that the mom is always sandwiched between the kids on a plane, while Dad seems to be off in his own row enjoying a drink and noise cancelling headphones? It happens every.single.time we step on an airplane.

[ckrobyn]

Loving your review and awesome sense of humor!

 

I'm sailing on the Allure in 20 days and can't wait to see your pics!!!:cool:

[Kesali]

Loving your review and hope you'll keep on writing!

 

BTW, I say it was totally the hotel's fault. You know they sold that room as quick as they could. Last August we went to Moncton and missed our flight. Yep... turns out the highway here closed some lanes and we didn't know. Anyways, luckily they were able to put us on the next flight. I am so glad I phoned the hotel to let them know we would be late checking in. Because later that night, THREE couples were trying to check in around 10 pm and the hotel gave away their rooms!! They were a group travelling together. Swore up & down they phoned the hotel and talked to so-and-so who promised their rooms would be there, but they weren't. Ugh..

 

Ohh, and my 13 year boy will be very happy to find there's a comic book store in FLL. :) Thanks. I'm adding that to my cruise planner information.

[A&L_Ont]

 

Although I do love a good alligator trim on a purse. Louis Vuitton makes one that is dreamy and costs more than my entire cruise did...but I digress.

 

 

Lisa fell in love with one like this at the Flagship LV Store on the Champs-Élysées, which I have nicknamed the location "The Mothership". Needless to say I stressed that Crocodile Bags would not be allowed to be imported to Canada. I also pointed it the simple fact that it was a bit out of her price range. She found the purse in seconds when I asked her about it just now, thankfully she didn't see the tab for Mother's Day Shipping.

 

 

 

Having won that discussion I could have shown her this extremely rare sign that I was about to erect in the store, but I knew better.

 

 

 

 

I had read a ton about Gilbert's on these boards and wanted to try it out.

 

We walked in and were greeted by the owner, Lenore. She's a transplant from Brooklyn and spent about ten minutes telling us all about the restaurant and how everything is made from scratch. They are known for their burgers because they only use really high quality meat, etc etc. Lenore was an absolute hoot and basically told us what to order. Then we sat down to wait...you order at the counter, pay, and they deliver it to your table. They have waitstaff, who were fantastic.

 

And the food? Well, it was FANTASTIC. The burgers were great, my vegan daughter ordered tomato basil soup and salad which was excellent...a really good meal and reasonably priced. Stop by and see Lenore next time you're in Fort Lauderdale!

 

 

Lenore is a blast. We have eaten there so many times that Gilbert's is a homing beacon for me. As soon as the plane lands my internal EPIRB, also known as my stomach, is activated until they place a juicy burger in front of me. They have something for almost everyone, even your daughter.

 

 

I sort of feel like I'm talking to myself in this review. Is anyone out there? Should I keep going?

 

 

Yes, welcome to the Cruise Critic Writer's Review Syndrome also known as CCWRS for short. Sometimes you feel like you are talking to yourself, but there are people following along. Many just enjoy in silence. I'm here for the ride and will chime in. Great job so far, loving it. [emoji3]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited April 17, 2017 by A&L_Ont

[CruisenLexie]

Can't wait to hear the rest of this review! Thinks for the heads up on the burger place. We usually eat at Duffys in that same strip mall.

 

Sent from my TM101A620M using Forums mobile app

[A&L_Ont]

Can't wait to hear the rest of this review! Thinks for the heads up on the burger place. We usually eat at Duffys in that same strip mall.

 

Sent from my TM101A620M using Forums mobile app

 

 

It is the opposite side of the fountain from Duffys' date=' and maybe a minutes walk. Well worth it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[boontj2003]

Sigh. Here I am, just a few hours off the Allure of the Seas, stuffed into the center plane seat between two sleeping teenagers, with a 5-year old sitting behind me kicking the back of my seat every eleven seconds (in between his bouts of nasty, wet, hacks coughing which makes me concerned for everyone on the plane). My husband is across the aisle - somehow he managed to ditch sitting with the kids AND scored the Bose noise-cancelling headphones for this flight..grrrr. I figure rather than try and sleep myself (never will happen), instead I'll start a review of our spring break on the Allure.

 

Bear in mind that I will not have the wonderful photos of Gambee, or the rich detail of CheapoDad, or the wry commentary of SailorJack. I also don't take pictures of my food, every sign I walk by, OR the faucet handles in the ladies bathroom on the port side of the 8th floor, although I appreciate the folks who do. But I WILL do my best and try to share some photos and stuff that I thought was interesting, and my observations of the week...in my own weird way. So you can look forward to my covering at the very least the following topics:

 

 

- Spanish women, and how they dress so much better than we do :hearteyes:

- Surviving spring break with 1,900 kids on board (of which only 2 are yours) and how well those kids behave until approximately day five, when the parents give up and allow the over-sugared screaming little tyrants to run loose throughout the ship :eek:

 

- Thwarting chair hogs in the Solarium on sea days (yes, I did it, and you can, too!) :evilsmile:

 

- Vomit in the MDR and the RCCL hazmat team (now THAT made me whip out my camera) :confused:

 

...and other random thoughts as they come to me.

BOOKING AND PLANNING

We booked this trip about 15 months out, because I am super picky about cabins, and we specifically wanted an Oceanview balcony with the kids across the hall in a Boardwalk balcony (and not just any Boardwalk balcony, but one of the ones waaaay in the back so you can also see the ocean.) On our last cruise, we all four shared a room (one of those big aft corner cabins on Freedom class) but this time, 4 years later, the kids are much bigger, smellier, crankier, and take much longer showers. So: separate cabins it is! Once we decided on the cruise we wanted, I used Cruise Compete (I think it's ok to say that, because it isn't a travel agent- it's a website where you plug in your cruise info and a bunch of different travel agencies email you their best offer. By doing it this way we scored OBC of $400 on the kids cabins and $425 on ours while paying the same price listed on the RCCL website. Cruise booked...then we waited and waited.

The only things I pre-booked through the cruise planner was all of the entertainment (seriously, you have to, trust me on this) and the Internet package for 2 devices. Obviously, both of our teenagers need to stay connected to the Internet while away; you know, in case there is some sort of limited edition mascara release at Sephora while we're gone, or a flash sale at Game Stop online. Go ahead and comment on how important you think it is for kids to disconnect and families to re-engage. I admit it...I'm a bad mother and let them get the Internet...but at least they weren't like some of the other kids bouncing a soccer ball in one of the lounges or LAYING ON THE FLOOR AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS BLOCKING PEOPLE FROM WALKING UP (yes, that happened, and yes, I will discipline other people's kids because I am that mean). But more on that later, guys!

 

So...this time we decided to fly to Fort Lauderdale two days early, on a Friday afternoon. You know, so we could relax and unwind a little before relaxing and unwinding on the ship. But we make plans and the airlines laugh...storms in Atlanta meant our 4pm flight didn't take off until 8pm. That's okay...we won't arrive at the hotel until midnight, but we'll have a nice comfy room at the Hyatt Place 17th Street. Right? Right? Riiight???

 

Be happy you got out...we were at the airport at 4:30 am to find out our flight was cancelled...and everything oversold. NO flight for us...we drove 22 hours to get there!

[JimAOk1945]

Love your writing style! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your adventure. We haven't cruised on the Allure yet, but I have it on my bucket list. It will take some convincing to get my wife to agree since she prefers the smaller ships.

 

Please continue your review. Don't leave us hanging! :D

[Destaw71835]

I'm enjoying your review. I've been searching for a more recent review with pics of the Allure. We are booked for September.

 

Thanks [emoji846]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dvirgada]

Thank you for sharing so far!!