Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Me, #theboy, and the unwanted guest on Allure

sharse

By sharse,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted
The chief gardener on Allure put that myth to rest. They do not intentionally put them on and they do try to keep them off. How they arrive is that their eggs are laid in the soil that replacement plants come in and despite screening for them a few slip through and are born on board.

I never knew that lizards were oviparous, so I looked it up. Some are, some are viviparous. Interesting guys, those lizards. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted
ETA: if I recall correctly, during my Allure cruise, the starboard side faced the dock in all ports on our Western itinerary with the exception of Fort Lauderdale, where they supposedly dock port side once a month for reasons I am unsure of. Never did get around to watching the pier runners though!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You can edit your posts by clicking on "edit". (bottom right corner)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted

 

He had a fever according to the tried-and-true (if not terribly exact) method of mom's lips to child's forehead.

 

 

 

I do believe that is WebMD's preferred method of choice for fever measurement.

 

ACK! NO!!!! It's the back of the hand method. Lips? Feh!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CreativeCruiser119

CreativeCruiser119

Posted
Posted
You can edit your posts by clicking on "edit". (bottom right corner)

 

 

 

I know, I accidentally hit “quote” instead of “edit” on Tapatalk when I posted that so I thought I’d just add I’d add it to the quote! (Since I don’t know of a way to delete posts). Somehow I didn’t notice that before I posted it! Thanks so much for your help though!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hucifer

hucifer

Posted
Posted
ACK! NO!!!! It's the back of the hand method. Lips? Feh!

 

I actually found a site where people ask which method is better:

https://community.babycenter.com/post/a4832645/testing_forehead_temperature_with_lips_or_fingers

 

We may not have a clear winner here. Like the hotly debated topics: Toilet paper over or under? Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? Twilight or the Vampire Diaries? Yanny or Laurel?

 

We may never have consensus.

 

And the toilet paper is always OVER.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gatour

gatour

Posted
Posted

Probably to do life boat drills or test them by lowering them to the water.

 

ETA: if I recall correctly, during my Allure cruise, the starboard side faced the dock in all ports on our Western itinerary with the exception of Fort Lauderdale, where they supposedly dock port side once a month for reasons I am unsure of. Never did get around to watching the pier runners though!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
accio_7

accio_7

Posted
Posted

Thoroughly enjoying your review, but, oh man, the injury and illness that you and your son incurred on this cruise totally sucked :( How is your ankle now? Looking forward to reading more of your stories :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sharse

sharse

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Day 5 – Roatan

 

At 8:25am (ships time - two hours later than Roatan's actual time) the pilot boat pulled up against us on the port side and I watched the Roatan pilot board our ship. That's always a cool thing to watch, I think.

 

After breakfast at the Solarium Café (which was packed, indicating everyone had finally found out about it) I grabbed my daily juice from Vitality (apple, carrot, celery was today’s choice) and then it was time to get off the ship. This was the only day we actually had something pre-booked.

 

We left the cabin about 20 minutes after the gangway opened and we walked right off the ship. I had booked a private tour with Johan of Real Deal Tours, so we headed out to the craziness of the parking lot to find him. It was just #theboy and me, not a big group, and we hopped in Johan’s car and off we went. Our primary destination was the Sloth Hangout, but on the way he gave us a little tour and told us some of the history and culture of the island. We stopped at a good photo opportunity where Allure was in the background and at this location were several vendors who had set up a little market. Johan explained that if we chose to buy anything here we were actually supporting a family whose primary business is making things and selling them here. I bought a pair of earrings ($5) and my son wanted a carved wooden dolphin ($13, but I gave her $15). After this, we got a little more of an island tour on the way to the Sloth joint.

 

Once at the sloth joint, Johan went in and paid our admission and secured us a guide. (I can’t recall his name.) First we went to meet a capuchin Monkey named Michelle. He instructed us to just wait for her to come to us and without warning she jumped on my head. Scared me half to death, for such a cute little creature! I held her for a while, then after biting my finger (not hard) and pinching my nose, she jumped on my son’s head and did the same to him. After we left Michelle we went over to the sloth. We only saw one, and we each got to hold her about a minute or two. She was 7 years old, very light, very soft, and very, very cute!

 

After the sloth we saw some birds, had a scarlet Macaw jump on my head – can you say “Ouch!” Those suckers have sharp claws on their feet – and the “tour” of the place was over in probably 20 minutes. I thought it would be longer, but it was still enjoyable and the highlight, so far, of the “CBW” trip.

 

Note: I later learned there are actually TWO sloth places in Roatan. Victor Bodden’s, which is where we went, and Daniel Johnson’s, which is where I thought Johan would be taking us. Johan said Johnson’s typically has an hour wait to get in, and is smaller than Boddens. Has anyone been to both that can confirm or deny that? I’m curious.

 

We got back in the car after buying #theboy a shirt, and Johan drove us down to the West End. We just drove by to see it, didn’t really care to stop because it was super hot, super early (again, ship's time was 2 hours ahead of Roatan time), and not much was going on, but I’m glad we got to see it. I imagine quite a lot of fun could be had in that neck of the woods.

 

Before I knew it we were back at the port saying goodbye and thank you to Johan. I told him I will definitely call him again and book an outing for our whole family when we are back in April aboard the Carnival Magic.

 

Before getting on the ship I wanted to head to a good spot at the port to take a selfie with my son (would that be an “ussie?) with the bow of the Allure in the background. As I dug through my bag and couldn’t find my phone I became increasingly anxious. There are approximately 437 pockets in my travel bag, and after scouring each of them thrice, I was ready to throw up.

 

A nice port worker saw the panic in my face and after I told him I couldn’t find my phone and was hoping it was still in Johan’s car, I asked if there was a quiet place I could call him. The port was so busy with shoppers and travelers I couldn’t hear myself think. They called security, ushered me to the security shack by the main gate, and I was expecting to have to pay $2.50 a minute on my son’s Sprint phone to call Johan, but one of the security guys let me call using his phone! So very kind of him. And sure enough… because it could have been worse… Johan confirmed my phone was in his car. It took him about 10 minutes to get back to the port, but that’s what he did, returned my phone (and, to be honest, a little bit of my dignity) and we parted ways again. Straight back to the ship we went, and the phone went straight in the safe, after I secured a drink of the day of course. First things first. I earned that Citrus Cooler. And the one after that.

 

Interesting side note. While standing at the gate waiting for Johan to return I was chatting with a few of the tour operators who were standing there trying to get Allure's passengers to buy from them. One gentleman asked which ports this cruise had been on so far and commented that he was glad we hadn't gone to Belize. I asked him why, and the gist of his answer is that the tour operators there are very unethical and pushy. When I told him I would be going to Belize on my next cruise, he told me in no uncertain terms that while in most ports, including Roatan, it is fine to plan tours directly and not through the cruise line, do NOT do that in Belize. He made me promise him that I would ONLY book through the cruise line next year. Has anyone reading this had any experiences in Belize to share?

 

Back to the review. Lunch in the windjammer was next, and then a little relaxing and cocktail consuming. This night we had reservations for the ice show. We were looking forward to that.

 

The Monopoly Ice Show turned out better than I expected. I was ready to leave about 10 minutes in, but it got better and we ended up enojoying it. After the show we went to dinner. We sat in a different section with different waiters and we really enjoyed them. They didn’t seem frantic or rushed as the past few had seemed. We had shrimp cocktail and baked potato soup and found both very enjoyable. #Theboy decided to go simple and order the chicken breast, because, well, that’s hard to screw up. He ate it all. I had the lasagna al Forno. Again, hard to screw up, but I swear there was a half pound of ground beef on my plate alone. I could eat maybe half of the lasagna. We both had the chocolate cake for dessert and this was the first time we left dinner actually FULL.

 

Went to our “secret” deck on 7 aft and watched the movie 15:17 to Paris, and then it was time for bed.

Edited by sharse
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

Posted
Posted
then went to the Aqua Theater as we had reservations for Ocean Aria. I am glad we arrived early because I didn’t realize that many seats there are an uncomfortable wooden bench seat. No thanks. We were early enough to secure decent seats that were actual chairs.

 

 

I know exactly what you are talking about. This is why the times we have had to Muster in the Aquatheater, I got there early. For others reading is this different on Harmony and Symphony, some pictures I've seen suggested no hard wooden benches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

Posted
Posted
Day 5 – Roatan

 

 

I always say I can find something of value in every review. I've done 3 Oasis class cruises with another one scheduled, all on the Eastern Itinerary. I had forgotten that they have added Roatan to the itinerary. I want to dive there someday, so thanks for that reminder. Not that I was having any trouble finding something of value. Though I should ahve saved this thread till next week when I'm off my feet after foot surgery. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
smithblat

smithblat

Posted
Posted
Day 5 – Roatan

 

Interesting side note. While standing at the gate waiting for Johan to return I was chatting with a few of the tour operators who were standing there trying to get Allure's passengers to buy from them. One gentleman asked which ports this cruise had been on so far and commented that he was glad we hadn't gone to Belize. I asked him why, and the gist of his answer is that the tour operators there are very unethical and pushy. When I told him I would be going to Belize on my next cruise, he told me in no uncertain terms that while in most ports, including Roatan, it is fine to plan tours directly and not through the cruise line, do NOT do that in Belize. He made me promise him that I would ONLY book through the cruise line next year. Has anyone reading this had any experiences in Belize to share?

 

B

 

I booked cave tubing in Belize with Regie a good number of years ago--- http://regtourbz.com/ The tour was great and he was fantastic. Lots of email communication before our trip and picked is up right where he said he would. We bypassed the lines of people waiting to get in the water from the ship tours and went to some different caves that they didn't. Stopped for authentic lunch on the way back. Totally recommend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
m32446

m32446

Posted
Posted

Note: I later learned there are actually TWO sloth places in Roatan. Victor Bodden’s, which is where we went, and Daniel Johnson’s, which is where I thought Johan would be taking us. Johan said Johnson’s typically has an hour wait to get in, and is smaller than Boddens. Has anyone been to both that can confirm or deny that? I’m curious.

 

...

 

Interesting side note. While standing at the gate waiting for Johan to return I was chatting with a few of the tour operators who were standing there trying to get Allure's passengers to buy from them. One gentleman asked which ports this cruise had been on so far and commented that he was glad we hadn't gone to Belize. I asked him why, and the gist of his answer is that the tour operators there are very unethical and pushy. When I told him I would be going to Belize on my next cruise, he told me in no uncertain terms that while in most ports, including Roatan, it is fine to plan tours directly and not through the cruise line, do NOT do that in Belize. He made me promise him that I would ONLY book through the cruise line next year. Has anyone reading this had any experiences in Belize to share?

 

 

I haven't been to both, but we did Johnson's place, and there was no wait at all to get in. There were plenty of groups there, and we just all went through each of the sections with our little tour guide guy, no problem. Having never been to Victor Bodden's I don't know about size comparison, but there were some other animals besides the ones you mentioned on ours, so I'm unsure about the veracity of your guide's comments.

 

And I got our Belize excursion from Shore Excurioneer, although I don't remember which company actually fulfilled it. Was no problem at all, and we had a lovely time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
beachnative

beachnative

Posted
Posted

Your review has been fantastic...I am enjoying it more than most because of your writing style.

 

It is odd how a little thing can be like fingernails on a chalkboard . Your calling your son #theboy has been irritating me yet causing me to smile at the same time. For 8 pages I have tried to figure out why it bothers me and I finally came to me. I used to have a friend who always referred to his wife as “the wife” and never referred to her by her name. When he said “my wife” we believed he was being disrespectful. HOWEVER, when you call Nicholas #theboy it sounds endearing and cute because for 8 pages your love for him and the joy of your relationship has shined brightly and nicely enhanced your story. #theboy is so very fortunate to have such a wonderful mom.

 

 

Thank you for taking your time to include personal details in your review. They added to the pleasure of reading these pages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

Posted
Posted
Your review has been fantastic...I am enjoying it more than most because of your writing style.

 

It is odd how a little thing can be like fingernails on a chalkboard . Your calling your son #theboy has been irritating me yet causing me to smile at the same time. For 8 pages I have tried to figure out why it bothers me and I finally came to me. I used to have a friend who always referred to his wife as “the wife” and never referred to her by her name. When he said “my wife” we believed he was being disrespectful. HOWEVER, when you call Nicholas #theboy it sounds endearing and cute because for 8 pages your love for him and the joy of your relationship has shined brightly and nicely enhanced your story. #theboy is so very fortunate to have such a wonderful mom.

.

 

Great post. I will say "the wife" on occasion as a joke. Any one who knows me knows I adore my wife and she gets treated how a good wife should be. That said, my ringtone when she calls is the sound of a RED ALERT sound followed, WARNING, IT'S THE WIFE! My nails on chalkboard is when people say they use the jacuzzi on the ship. [/thread hijack]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...