Royal “allures” carnival girl: A comparison story.

[janetmojo]

Than you again for your kind words. It's a crazy weekend at work but I promise I will get to the nitty-gritty soon. I'm hoping to write a little bit tonight to tell you about how I got on board the Allure.

 

Wait we have to work for the next two weeks? :) JK I'm with ya, things are going to be crazy right up until we leave.

[amsred2]

GETTING ON BOARD THE ALLURE

 

 

I must back up a bit to tell you how I got on board the Allure. My husband, much to my chagrin, constantly watches documentaries on the Discovery channel. I know more about Rhinos and Lemurs than I ever wanted. I always cringe when there are giant images of ants crawling across my TV with the narrator exclaiming “What magnificent creatures can carry a billion times their body weight.” I plead for him to change the channel when “How It’s Made: Ceramic Tile Edition” is on.

One evening a show called “Mega Machines” was on and, as I started to groan, he told me to just take a minute to watch. The show featured a brand new, one of a kind ship; The Oasis of the Seas! I sat and enjoyed my first whole discovery channel documentary in awe (hubby was so proud). I wanted on that ship! It was like Disneyland for adults! My heart sank when I began to price the itineraries (plus airfare)! The cost wasn’t impossible, but we would have to skip two years worth of Carnival cruises to afford this dream of a vacation. Thus, it was added to my bucket list for later and I would salivate over it for a couple years!

Presently, our children have flown the coop, my husband is now a homemaker (I use that term VERY loosely), and I have excitedly began my first real (paid) career. I’ve always worked to make a little extra buckaroos, but I never had more than just a “job”. My career had been taking care of my family. I am loving the sense of accomplishment but having a “grown-up” job has its downside! I can no longer take off on a whim and jet set around the world. I must pick and choose my vacation days carefully as I work as a manager in a major department store (that rhymes with Stacy’s). Of course, the holiday season, now October 15th through January 15th, but also major sale events and big weekends are off limits. So the last couple years we have traveled around my schedule and budget for a couple vacations a year; usually right before and right after the holidays.

 

 

We had already decided that we were going to give cruising a break when, in April about two weeks before our Cabo trip, I received an offer from URcomped. I couldn’t believe that they were offering a free trip on Royal Caribbean and all I would have to do was fork over my credit card for port fees and taxes. At first, I kind of thought it was a scam; too good to be true! So I did some research and indeed it was real. I really wanted the Oasis but found the Allure to be equally enticing. I found the right time frame with a cruise leaving right before I was to be sequestered in the retail holiday lock-down. I paid the required fees, still praying it wasn’t a scam, and anxiously awaited access to the cruise planner.

After refreshing my computer every thirty seconds, two hours later (felt like days) my booking finally appeared on Royal’s website. YAY! One-hundred-eighty seven days until sail-away!

Next Up:Let the dreamin’ and schemin’ forever begin!

[Daized]

This is totally addictive stuff!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share!

 

Dayz

[firefly333]

Can't wait to here how oyu feel about Allure. :cool:Will be sailing on her for the third time in March.

 

you will be awed. im older. the only thing that i just never could figure out was the tech things on each deck to find out where things were. I tried to type locations into them

 

I prefer a map of the decks plastered somewhere, with a arrow you are here, here is what else is on this deck picture lol. If i dont know what on the deck, how can i type it in to find out?

 

But i loved the lunch deli in park place. be sure and find it and the shows were wow.

 

I loved it enough to do it twice. Last time i did a outside deck and it was too hot to sit out and i wished i got a inside deck where i could watch the high diving. kicking myself ... next time. I will know get a inside balcony. I made a quick decision that wasnt a great decision. Im a people watcher.

 

go for the inside balcony as close to aft as you can. thats what i should have done. woulda shoulda coulda .... and it would have cost less. duh on me.

[#55worktoplay]

This is so good I keep refreshing my page to see if you added more.

 

Your story telling is great! I can’t wait until you get on the ship.

 

I am feeling like you about being cruised out but have been on many RCL so I would like to change it up and try a different line but just cant seem to pull the trigger.

 

So I keep getting emails from URcomped and I’m reluctant to hit the Quote button. I may just do that now.

 

I like you work too much and family commitments so I have to plan things accordingly, Not to mention convincing hubby I need another cruise The last cruise we went on together our dog died in someone else’s care while loose in the creek and it was devastating so now he won’t leave our new dog behind so cruises together are over .

 

Enough of that! Anxiously waiting for more!

 

What date do you get on the beauty? You will love it. The last cruise I went on with my mother was on The Oasis and we had the 2bedroom Aqua Theatre suite (for a great deal in upsell from balcony) we never spent any time in the cabin there was just so much ship to see. It was great. I hope you feel the same.

 

Park Cafe was great for lunch and promenade Cafe came in handy for late night snacks after too many hours in the casino!

[amsred2]

Let the dreamin’ and schemin’ forever begin!

So now that everyone is caught up, let the fun stuff begin! I am a planner. Hubby would say I’m obsessive. If he had his way, we would just show up at the port on cruise day and play everything by ear. I suppose after years in the Navy, you just learn to go with “whatever”. This would stress me out beyond belief and I promise I would, in turn, make his life hell. Not to mention, my nails would be nubs, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and I would have chuncks of bald spots on my head.

Maybe it goes back to the little time I got to spend with mom planning that “first” cruise. Maybe it's the excitement of discovery but, for me, half of the fun is the dreamin’ and schemin’ leading up to the cruise. And believe me, I pour over every bit of existing information I can find about the cruise, the ship, the food, the tours and the ports. I come home from work every day and read CruiseCritic, social media, cruise news and anything I can dig up. On days off, I devour “food porn” and have even taken virtual walking tours of the ship as well as google maps tours of the ports.

Ok! Maybe I am a bit obsessive (don’t tell hubby I said that) but this is how I get through the long stretches between vacations!

Obviously I had never been on Royal or the Allure. Even with all my previous cruises, I have also never been to any of these ports (San Juan, St. Martin or Labadee) or sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. There were so many “firsts” with this cruise that I was in research heaven.

Well the minute my cruise booking was showing on the website, I started browsing Royal’s website. And that is where I’m going to, as my original title implies, start my comparison.

Next Up: Navigating Royal’s website: Carnival girl needs a compass!

[amsred2]

This is so good I keep refreshing my page to see if you added more.

 

 

Enough of that! Anxiously waiting for more! Thank you! I'm trying to drag out the suspense but also it is helping me to pass the time off as these last days are going to really drag on!

 

What date do you get on the beauty? You will love it. The last cruise I went on with my mother was on The Oasis and we had the 2bedroom Aqua Theatre suite (for a great deal in upsell from balcony) we never spent any time in the cabin there was just so much ship to see. It was great. I hope you feel the same. We leave for Fort Lauderdale on the 29th...sail on the 30th.

 

Park Cafe was great for lunch and promenade Cafe came in handy for late night snacks after too many hours in the casino!

Its definitely on my list of to-do...maybe first meal.

[MzShae]

I like your style of writing. Looking forward to the rest and your live review. Following

[amsred2]

Navigating Royal’s website: Carnival girl needs a compass

 

Somewhere in the middle of my twenty cruises with Carnival they changed their website and I hated it! It was so less computer-illiterate friendly than its predecessor. However, eventually I got the hang of it and cannot even remember what it used to be.

I keep this in mind every time I use Royal’s website! I keep telling myself that it will get easier but after 187 days of tap-tap-tapping away, I still un-ladylike cuss at the thing!

First, I was perturbed that I could only partially access my booking details. Initially, I thought I was doing something wrong. Eventually, my keen detective skills led me to a thread that informed me that you can’t access the full booking until ninety days out. I wasn’t sure how far out that Carnival let’s you access the full booking, but I never had any trouble within the 180-day time-frame.

Oh well! I could spend the next 97 days in between figuring out what I wanted to do while on-board.

I devoured info on drink packages, shore excursions, neighborhoods and shows (more on those to come).

Once I was granted full access, I looked in every nook and cranny of the website to find out where I could set my bed and dining preferences. No where to be found! Imagine how silly I felt when I called Royal to find out how to make sure hubby and I could snuggle in a king size bed. They informed me that the preferences were set by the booking agent and I could only change them by phone. I don’t believe I was ever asked by my URcomped rep, so I had no idea. Turns out they has assigned twin beds (which on second thought might help me sleep through my hubby’s machine gun snoring).

Anyway, they had also assigned My Time Dining. After 27 years, we do not need a table for two. What would we talk about? The kids? Sports? The people at the next table? We enjoy taking the adventure( or gamble?) on the same large table of strangers every night and having the same wait staff learn our preferences. We’ve made some great friends, cruisers and staff, that way. And the ones that weren’t so fun…well that makes for great storytelling.

The Royal agent happily changed my bed preference to King (well...I have earplugs) and dining to Late Seating.

Royal is not to blame for me not knowing my preferences but definite points to Carnival for being able to change these on your own booking.

One last thing...and the reason I really dislike Royal's website! It seems that every time I access it, place an order, change something, or hiccup, the website locks my booking. I have to reset my browser, turn around three times, pat the dogs head and wait for the stars to align before I can get back into my planner. I suspect this is a glitch in the new website but it really bites bullets.

Tally so far:

Website ease/access

Carnival 1- Royal 0

 

Next Up: What? We have to book shows?

[bangzoom6877]

I am obsessed with planning too! For any vacation, I find out as much as I can and plan, book, reserve as much as I can. My husband and kids make fun of me sometimes for it and we laugh together, but they always thank me for my obsessiveness! I like to know as much as possible before I go so that once there, I can just relax and enjoy it without the worry. We go to Disney World every two years, since the boys were very little, and I plan each and every day in the theme parks so that we maximize our time with minima, wait. With two kids in school and my husband and I both being teachers, we have to vacation when it is more crowded. Planning helps maximize the fun and minimize the stress!

 

I look at “food porn” too! I also search for the restaurant menus and read them over and over again, “study” the deck plans and now I will start looking for You Tube videos as well. Our cruise is just about 7 months away but to me it’s never too soon to start planning.

 

Can’t wait to read more, and I love how you always end with “next up...”! :D

[moesyk4]

First of all, I love your writing style!

Secondly, I am so sorry about your mom...we prioritize travel over a lot of other things and stories like this keep me desiring that. Family is just so important! I am so glad you were able to take the grief of her loss and channel into something I know she would be happy about!

Finally, I am so with you about all inclusives...we took one for our honeymoon and while it was gorgeous and we had fun, we said we wouldn't do it again! We love doing things and exploring and sitting on the beach for 7 days straight drinking endless drinks just isn't our thing.

Looking forward to the rest!

[MadamG2U]

I am so loving this! You have sucked me in, I keep taking a break at work to refresh to see if there is anything new!

 

MadamG2U

[mrs.mcd2018]

Following- I love this thread and I'm interested in the comparison

[akcruz]

Just found this review, loving it so far can't wait for the rest!

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[Pami1968]

Loving this!

I have (generally) migrated from CCL to RCL myself.

It was just time. Love the different activities and shows, and the change in venues onboard.

But, I have to agree about the website comparison. I’m still confused by Royal’s.

[FLcruisergrl]

CHAPTER 2: The year that changed my mind and my life.

 

Warning: This part of the story does not carry with it my usual satire and you may even need a tissue. Feel free to skip to the live review starting September 29. However, it is important to me to tell this part of the story. I promise it will be the only part of this voyage that isn’t filled with fun facts, fabulous information, happy memories and possibly/probably a few drunken tall tales once the cruise begins.

 

I never felt the need to take any grand adventures or big risks. After all, we were a military family and every move, every new duty station, was already more of an adventure than I was comfortable with. By nature, I am not a risk taker and do not like to do things outside of my comfort zone. Although initially excited, that first cruise was a big step for me and of course it BOMBED!

 

After the cruise from Hell, I recovered and went on with daily life, cemented on the idea that I was meant to stay, not only on dry land, but also in my nice cozy, safe lifestyle.

 

Really there isn’t much to tell in the ten years that followed. We changed duty stations every couple of years, our kids turned into teenagers, hubby grew in his career and I held down the fort while he was deployed. We enjoyed all the necessities, and a few luxuries, but never another real vacation. I was to scared to spend the money on another catastrophe.

 

In the meantime, my parents had discovered a new zest for life and a new hobby: cruising. Most of my adult life I lived far away from my parents but I regularly spent hours on the phone with my mom. Once she found a love for the sea, she wanted to share it with everyone…all the time. Pretty much every conversation was how great the food is, how you get “one stop” for entertainment, gambling and shopping. She would coo over how relaxing a cruise is and how it made my parents feel like kids again. I would roll my eyes as she droned on about how I should give it another shot and how I can’t judge a whole industry on one incident that was “pretty much your own doing”. Mom never nagged me to make her a grandparent (maybe cuz I made her one at 44 and by this time she had 13 grandkids) but now I kind of know how those childless children feel. She nagged me relentlessly to take a cruise with her. I always mumbled a “No. It cost too much” or “The Seasickness” or “Too much time away from the kids” (who were old enough to take care of themselves).

 

During one of our visits home, I sat facing her at the table were she implored me to go on this fancy ship with a fancy cabin and a… BUTLER! Her face was radiant as she lamented how great it would be for her and I to get pampered while my dad and hubby went scuba diving (like me, mom was not adventurous and scuba was not our idea of a good time). She would pay for everything; flights, scuba qualifications for hubby, cabin, tips, spa treatments and even a night at the steakhouse (this made me begin to crack a little).

 

Seeing the look on her face as she practically begged me to go…I caved. I gave hubby the look that said “be quiet, it’s done!” and it was decided that we would cruise with them in five months’ time. She was so over the moon that within five minutes (not exaggerating) mom had booked flights, cruise, pre-cruise scuba certifications and hotel.

 

Now all our conversations would be about upcoming tours, ports, spa packages and pre/post cruise fun. I loved doing all the dreaming and scheming with her during the time “in-between”. A few months later, hubby was scuba certified and my parents were off to a “pre-cruise” cruise.

 

She wasn’t feeling great during that cruise and did not come back bragging about how wonderful it was. We new something was wrong and finally convinced her to go to the doctor, but it wasn’t good news.

 

Her first thoughts after hearing her devastating diagnosis were about our cruise together. She demanded that we NOT cancel and made us promise to continue the voyage…no matter what! We cried “nonsense” and insisted that she would make the cruise just three months away.

 

Six weeks later mom was gone!

 

As a tribute to her, we went on the cruise that she had so excitedly booked. As promised, we embarked the ship with heavy hearts. But as the smell of the salty air and the crackle of sail-away excitement overtook me, it was as if I was seeing it all though her eyes and my love for the sea was forever rooted in my soul.

 

It will always haunt me that we never got to share those precious memories together, but now I take her in my heart, and feel her with, me on every voyage.

 

Next Up:

Happier times and how I got to be a Carnival girl!

 

Dammit, you warned me! 😭

[Lovetotraveltami]

Every review I read becomes my favorite and I can’t wait to read more of yours. Safe travels and hope your trip is wonderful. What a great tribute to your Mother.

[ahill13]

Tally so far:

Website ease/access

Carnival 1- Royal 0

 

I completely agree. And it doesnt feel like one website...there is one place for your booking another to book add ons and excursions and another for the crown and cruise.

[BecciBoo]

I agree also, over the years it has gotten worse not better:mad:

 

I hate it that there is no search engine at all, just FAQ. I can never find what I'm looking for.

[mom2tcdx2]

Following along, I am an obsessive planner too. Cruises, Disney etc, everything is planned out as much as possible. I think I just enjoy the planning aspect. I too dreamed of sailing on the Oasis when the ship came out but prices were always insane - I could easily do 2 Carnival cruises to one on Royal - hence I have 10 cruises on Carnival, with 2 more booked.

 

Finally about a year ago I booked the Oasis out of Port Canaveral, later on I saw better pricing actually for the Allure so we jumped ship and was finally able to book the Allure. We are in a boardwalk balcony at a price I thought was super reasonable for Royal. This will be my husbands first cruise with Royal, and I have only sailed a 3 day on the Enchantment. Truly can't wait till our sailing date gets here and am thoroughly enjoying people's reviews while we wait.

[joand452]

Looking forward to more!

[BobNoxious]

I typically shy away from reviews without a lot of pics, but WOW... this is some really REALLY good storytelling. I am subscribed and looking forward to this review.

[amsred2]

I typically shy away from reviews without a lot of pics, but WOW... this is some really REALLY good storytelling. I am subscribed and looking forward to this review.

Oh my! I am overwhelmed with the responses I am getting. Thank you so much. I really started this thread as a way to pass the long days right before I leave but it's been almost therapeutic. I am loving the process. More to come tonight after work!

[Pianogrl44]

Such great writing, thanks for a wonderful lead-up to your cruise :)

[amsred2]

What? We have to book shows?

One of the things that excited me about RCL was the full Broadway shows. I love going to the theater and can’t wait to see Mama Mia! Hubby, on the other hand would rather see a live production of Discovery’s Ancient Aliens or How It’s Made: Lawnmowers! I will be dragging him along after plying him with lots of alcohol but assured him the other shows will be more to his liking. I think we will both really enjoy the Oceanaria diving show and Blue Planet is probably closer to a Discovery Channel vibe than most of the shows offered. He wants to go to the ice show but I think for him, it’s akin to watching a Nascar race. He just watches to see the crashes.

 

 

After devouring every review I could find, I learned that it’s recommended to book activities in advance. I began to cringe about having to arrange every evening around the shows. When I griped a little about this part, hubby reminded me that I always obsessively plan everything. I pondered that thought a moment, when he also pointed out that, even with my fanatical planning, we end up changing our minds about half the time anyway. No where does it say that we can’t skip a reserved show and say…end up at the Casino instead (happens a lot).

 

 

On Carnival, we always try to attend the comedy shows. However, much of the time the line is super long, and the seating is limited so we don’t get in. So, a plus to Royal for being able to reserve the comedy club in advance and not having to worry about getting a seat. Carnival usually has four comedians on a seven-day voyage. On the other hand, from what I understand, Royal has only one performer for each sailing.

 

Concerning the cruise planner: Once I do the hokey pokey, repeat "LAYOR" three times (Royal backwards), close one eye, and refresh my browser to get onto the site, I really do love the cruise planner page. I am able to see all my shows and excursions in their assigned day and time. I have printed the planner to have displayed in our cabin and hubby has no excuse to “forget” we had Mama Mia scheduled for day two at 5PM.

 

 

So I am still undecided on the scheduling of the shows on RCL vs. Carnival's "go with the flow". I think this showdown will have to wait until we experience it.

 

 

As for the comedy club it might be a wash considering the pros and cons of both cruise lines. Again, we will have to see!

Tally so far:

Website ease/access

Carnival 1- Royal 0

Advance Reservations

TBD

Next Up: Excursions! "Just Make Up Your Mind Already!"