First time Royal Caribbean... excited and have questions (Allure)

[Ortoch]

I bought my wife and mother a surprise Mother's Day cruise with our two children and the last time I cruised was 5+ years ago and on Carnival so I am almost a new cruiser in this situation. Our ages are 64,34,33,3, and 2 with myself being the only male in the group for informational purposes. We will be doing a Western Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas the week of the 17th and I have a few questions and would love any hidden gems for this cruise line and/or ship that anyone can share with me.

 

Questions:

 

1. We are in a ocean balcony suite that supposedly sleeps 5 (queen bed, pull out couch, and a pullman bed over couch) the suite number is #12678. Does anyone know where I can find a picture or diagram of this suite? It seems like an ocean balcony suite with a pullman bed is not a common thing so finding pictures is tough and I just wanted to make sure its an actual thing before we get to ship and find out its not.

 

2. With kids as young as mine wasting time on activities that are sub par is when meltdowns happen so what would you say are the must sees for young children and what are the must-not sees for them?

 

3. For excursions on this cruise we have Roatan booked with a tour group but what activities are kid friendly for Costa Maya, Cozumel, and the Bahamas?

 

4. One difference I see from the last cruise I was on with Carnival is that there is no set dining time we were able to pick and chose what we wanted which I kind of like. My question is there a formal night in the dining room or will we be cruise attire every night in the MDR?

 

Well those were the main questions I had but please feel free to throw tips, advice or information my way as I really am nervous/anxious about this trip with such young ones and all of us in the same room.

 

Thanks for any info in advance!

[Ourusualbeach]

Your cabin will look like this. Yes they do have them, we stayed in one of those cabins for 5 although it was only 3 of us.

 

https://www.google.ca/search?q=allure+of+the+seas+balcony+with+pullman&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#imgrc=JLu_mkNuqf1wsM:

 

There will be 2 formal nights. One on night 2 and the other on either night 5 or 6.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Some answers .....RC does have traditional set dining. There are two sittings - early and late - depending on the ship and sailing those times are around 6:00 p.m. And 8:00 p.m. There is also My Time Dining, which is what you have booked. You can reserve a specific time each evening; or just show up. If you just show up, you might have a short wait, similar to a restaurant at home.

 

Your 2-year-old is too young for the kids Adventure Ocean program, which begins at age 3. There is also a nursery for younger children. Children have to be toilet trained to use pools - no swim diapers in pools.

 

On the bigger ships you need to make reservations for the shows. Highly recommend the aqua theater show and ice show, even for the kids.

 

Reservations for the shows are loaded on your Seapass card. You are actually reserving a seat in the theater, not a specific assigned seat. If you decide not to go you just don't show up - not a big deal. There will be a line for people without reservations. Line is opened up about 10 minutes before show time for those without reservations. So if you have a reservation you need to get there before that happens.

 

Kids will love the carousel. No charge and usually you can just walk up and ride.

 

Can't offer much help as far as room sharing - will be tight! Organization will be your friend! Assuming you will have one bathroom. Would suggest perhaps if you are pushed for time that you use gym/workout showers - plenty of towels. People sharing bathrooms often do that.

 

Would suggest bringing everything you might possibly need for kids - diapers, possible meds, toys, Sippy cups (if used), etc. Ships do not have much of that kind of thing available and can be expensive. Also recommend a stroller of some type - big ship and a lot of walking.

 

Come back and perhaps start a new thread with a specific question in title if you have more questions. Enjoy your cruise!

[cb at sea]

There will be 5 of you in 182 sq. ft. (RCI's cabins aren't quite as large as Carnival's) Very tight! You will have sleeping space for 5, but once the sofa bed is open, there isn't much walking space! The pullman will either be over the main bed or the sofa bed.

[KnightsFan]

I'm sure you know this, so forgive me, but I worked in tourism for too long not to realize people forget this: Let your toddlers set the pace of everything, vacation meltdowns tend to be from the parents pushing the kids to hard.

 

Formal nights are on days 2 and 5. With my time dining you can actually set your dinner time up ahead of time through the cruise planner on RCI's website, or see if you can switch to traditional dining.

 

I can't help with excursions, but I would suggest not doing one in Nassau. It's a pretty mediocre port and seems to exist just to send cruise passengers to Atlantis. Instead use it to let your kids explore the ship when it's less than busy.

 

If your mom is game for it, you should talk to her about being on baby sitting duty one day and night so you and your wife can have a day alone without worrying about the kids. And then on another day, if she wants it, she can have a day to herself. And then on another day your wife gets a day to herself.

[kdnurs]

You might think about also the Adventures Ocean for the 2-3 year olds. They have some select activities for them too. One we enjoyed when our grandson was 6 months is a PLAY TIME with other toddlers. They set aside for times when the younger ones can come crawl, climb and play with age appropriate toys. A parent must stay with them but it was fun to watch the babies play together. The Family Movies are pretty fun too. Another poster did mention to bring a stroller. It was a blessing for us especially at dinner. The little guy would fall asleep and we would just tilt it back and enjoy dinner. Our staff would bring him cookies to go after dinner for a snack. Have a super cruise :-)

[matj2000]

Are you sure you want to put 5 people in that small cabin?

 

You should probably get your mother a different cabin.

 

That is going to be very crowded...

[gerif]

Sleeping suggestion - split the queen into two beds and let mom and your wife each have one. Put the two kids on the sofa bed and you take the Pullman (not advised for kids under 6 and I don’t think mom will appreciate climbing up and down during the night). It’s really going to be tight.

[Ortoch]

Wow thank you all for the great suggestions I love all these ideas. The baby ideas were amazing we had no idea toddlers couldn’t use the pools onboard. Is there no pool at all for toddlers?

 

Stroller was a great idea and thanks for all the tips about the room. We got a shower organizer and a door shoe organizer to help us keep the floor space clear since as you all pointed out it will be cramped. I got the ocean balcony room to help it feel bigger but we plan to take shifts in the room for napping or relaxing so I hope we can make it work.

 

What is the dress code for the formal dinners?

 

I will start a thread or do a search for some more specific questions but you have all been wonderfully helpful.

[Clarea]

... Is there no pool at all for toddlers? ..

There is a swim diaper splash area.

[time4u2go]

How big is an "ocean balcony suite"?

[Cheezus]

I can't help with excursions, but I would suggest not doing one in Nassau. It's a pretty mediocre port and seems to exist just to send cruise passengers to Atlantis. Instead use it to let your kids explore the ship when it's less than busy.

 

I would strongly disagree with this. There is generally 40+ excursions in Nassau through the cruise line. Countless others from non-sponsored others. Everything from intimate private islands, sailing, snorkeling, beaches, resort passes, island tours, a nice zoo, forts, etc.

 

The idea that Nassau is "mediocre" and has nothing to do is pretty much absurd.

 

To the OP. There is a lot to do at all of these ports. A couple suggestions:

 

- Costa Maya, look at Maya Chan (not ship sponsored)

 

- Cozumel you want to be conscious of the fact that many tours require a ferry to the mainland and may or may not be your cup of tea. But they do have some family activities in Cozumel like Playa Mia

 

- Nassau is loaded with stuff to do. Considering your childrens ages, I think something like Blue Lagoon might make sense. Shallow lagoon and non-rocky beach that is safe and perfect for the toddlers in your party. You would ride a nice ferry over. We have done this excursion several times with children of similar ages and it's always a hit.

 

On the ship, there is a movie theater and playroom in the kids area that you can use without actually being in one of the programs. Keep an eye on scheduled activities and you'll find stuff to do with them.

 

The boardwalk with the carousel is always a hit and the kids will almost definitely love the aqua and ice shows.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

As a mother and a wife, I just want to say that sharing a cruise cabin with my MIL doesn't seem like such a great present for my Mother's day...

Add to that two toddlers and it just make become a....

 

When we invited my parents on a cruise with us, there wasn't a single doubt about it - they'd be in a separate cabin. Same goes for the mother-in-law. She would be in a separate cabin.

[laurasue]

Download the Royal Caribbean app, it’s got some good information you can check out on activities and menus. We are on the western sailing in October. Formal nights are night 2 and 6 (Monday and Friday). Dining time is 5:30 or 8 unless you have My Time Dining where you can eat whenever. You chose this when you booked and you can see it in your cruise docs if you don’t remember.

 

We are traveling with a 4yo. The kid friendly activities we’ve chosen are a private boat tour (snorkeling, beach time, fishing) in Nassau. In Cozumel I would look into Playa Mia or Paradise Beach. In Costa Maya you could do a beach day at Maya Chan, stay in the port area, or even consider location more in town like walking the Malecon or a beach club like Topicante or Jaimes Blue Reef (all inclusive). You can take a taxi or the tram the short ride to get there. My kids could spend hours digging in the sand and splashing in the water so I assume yours are the same. Happy cruising!

[Ortoch]

How big is an "ocean balcony suite"?

 

No idea someone above said it’s 190sq ft I think.

[emdia43]

When do you sail? 17th of when?

[Ortoch]

As a mother and a wife, I just want to say that sharing a cruise cabin with my MIL doesn't seem like such a great present for my Mother's day...

Add to that two toddlers and it just make become a....

 

When we invited my parents on a cruise with us, there wasn't a single doubt about it - they'd be in a separate cabin. Same goes for the mother-in-law. She would be in a separate cabin.

 

My wife actually wanted my mother to come they get along almost too well for a wife and mother in law sometimes.... lol but yeah if we had money for a second cabin we would do it next time.

[Ortoch]

I would strongly disagree with this. There is generally 40+ excursions in Nassau through the cruise line. Countless others from non-sponsored others. Everything from intimate private islands, sailing, snorkeling, beaches, resort passes, island tours, a nice zoo, forts, etc.

 

The idea that Nassau is "mediocre" and has nothing to do is pretty much absurd.

 

To the OP. There is a lot to do at all of these ports. A couple suggestions:

 

- Costa Maya, look at Maya Chan (not ship sponsored)

 

- Cozumel you want to be conscious of the fact that many tours require a ferry to the mainland and may or may not be your cup of tea. But they do have some family activities in Cozumel like Playa Mia

 

- Nassau is loaded with stuff to do. Considering your childrens ages, I think something like Blue Lagoon might make sense. Shallow lagoon and non-rocky beach that is safe and perfect for the toddlers in your party. You would ride a nice ferry over. We have done this excursion several times with children of similar ages and it's always a hit.

 

On the ship, there is a movie theater and playroom in the kids area that you can use without actually being in one of the programs. Keep an eye on scheduled activities and you'll find stuff to do with them.

 

The boardwalk with the carousel is always a hit and the kids will almost definitely love the aqua and ice shows.

 

Wow great ideas the lagoon and movie theater sound like things we would love.

[Ortoch]

Download the Royal Caribbean app, it’s got some good information you can check out on activities and menus. We are on the western sailing in October. Formal nights are night 2 and 6 (Monday and Friday). Dining time is 5:30 or 8 unless you have My Time Dining where you can eat whenever. You chose this when you booked and you can see it in your cruise docs if you don’t remember.

 

We are traveling with a 4yo. The kid friendly activities we’ve chosen are a private boat tour (snorkeling, beach time, fishing) in Nassau. In Cozumel I would look into Playa Mia or Paradise Beach. In Costa Maya you could do a beach day at Maya Chan, stay in the port area, or even consider location more in town like walking the Malecon or a beach club like Topicante or Jaimes Blue Reef (all inclusive). You can take a taxi or the tram the short ride to get there. My kids could spend hours digging in the sand and splashing in the water so I assume yours are the same. Happy cruising!

Thanks that’s two recommendations of Maya Chan and playa Mia might have to add them both.

[Ortoch]

When do you sail? 17th of when?

 

I believe our embarkation day is the 16th and the first full day of cruising is the 17th if my memory is correct.

[whitshel]

When is the cruise? Are you going in May 2019 for mothers day or are you going now? The week of the 17th in May '19 and september '18 are both Eastern.

[champagne123]

Just wanted to say...have a wonderful cruise! You and your family are going to be blown away on the Allure.