Hens on the High Seas.....Allure OTS Feb 17

[zdad59]

This will act as a place holder, since I am cheap and didn’t get the Voom package.    I will say though that the on boarding process was super easy.   Took 10 minutes to get from our hotel to the port.    Took 10 minutes to get through the on boarding process.   Ship wasn’t cleared for boarding yet so we stood in the main lounge for 10-15 minutes.   Once open we went directly to the Solarium Bar and got our traditional Blue Hawaiians.  

 

Much more ore to this adventure when we get back.     Thanks to everyone here that helped me plan the trip.  

 

 

[cruisegal40]

Can't wait until you get back and tell us all about it.

[zdad59]

Brief update...

 

Rooms opened promptly at 1pm.    When we get to our rooms, each room has a tray of fruits and cheeses and a bottle of wine on ice waiting there....compliments of the Royal Caribbean Social media team!!    I chat with them occasionally on FB but they reached out and really started this trip off with a bang!

Edited February 17, 2019 by zdad59

[zdad59]

And it gets even better.....a 2nd tray from RCL Social Media Team has arrived!    Taking bets on if a 3rd will show up. 

 

[zdad59]

Well...if you took the under, you lost the bet.     Delivery 3 just arrived.   This time chocolate covered strawberries.    This is insane.  

 

 

[tcmagnum]

Those drinks look amazing!!

And those strawberries!!!! Mmm.

Have an amazing trip!!!!

 

[Cel_cruise]

Have a wonderful trip!! Hope you check in when WiFi is free!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zdad59]

We’re back!    Sitting in FLL waiting for our flight home.     A detailed review and trip report will follow tomorrow but the three word summary version is....

 

Ship Shape — Still looking good. 

MDR — They tried hard. 

Mama Mia — WOW...Outstanding show.  

Other entertainment — Really VERY good. 

Overall service — The “B” team. 

Nassau — Meh....tourist trappy

Cozumel — Better than expected. 

Roatan — Best beach EVER. 

Costa Maya — Fun Fun Fun. 

 

Kareme in the Solarium Bar is the best bartender we’ve ever had.   If you are getting on in the next weeks, go order a “Kareme Special”.    He’ll know exactly who told you to get it.  The drink is the Blue Hawaiian in the picture a few posts above.  Kareme and “the boys” below.  

[jean-lynd]

1 hour ago, zdad59 said:

We’re back!    Sitting in FLL waiting for our flight home.     A detailed review and trip report will follow tomorrow but the three word summary version is....

 

Ship Shape — Still looking good. 

MDR — They tried hard. 

Mama Mia — WOW...Outstanding show.  

Other entertainment — Really VERY good. 

Overall service — The “B” team. 

Nassau — Meh....tourist trappy

Cozumel — Better than expected. 

Roatan — Best beach EVER. 

Costa Maya — Fun Fun Fun. 

 

Kareme in the Solarium Bar is the best bartender we’ve ever had.   If you are getting on in the next weeks, go order a “Kareme Special”.    He’ll know exactly who told you to get it.  The drink is the Blue Hawaiian in the picture a few posts above.  Kareme and “the boys” below.  

We loved Kareme, too!

[EeyoreRN]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this!  Those Blue Hawaiians look amazing!  Following, can't wait to read more.

[MrFunInTheSun]

Gee I need to get your hookup with the social media group. 😀 I’ve done live trip reports on my past four cruises and didn’t get those wonderful extras. 😀 Onward to Allure of the seas in 69 more days! 😀🚢🌴🍸

 

Looking forward to your report. 

[renza]

Can’t wait to hear more. 

[zdad59]

10 hours ago, MrFunInTheSun said:

Gee I need to get your hookup with the social media group. 😀 I’ve done live trip reports on my past four cruises and didn’t get those wonderful extras. 😀 Onward to Allure of the seas in 69 more days! 😀🚢🌴🍸

 

Looking forward to your report. 

Serendipity I guess.    It all came from a comment I made on a Facebook post that Royal caribbean international posted.   They asked me to private message them and then asked for my reservation info.   Them BOOM.   

[zdad59]

OK...its trip report and review time !!!!   Gonna try and do this chronologically, but the alcohol fog may screw a few things up.   Feel free to ask questions any time you would like.    We start with the trip down and pre-gaming.

 

We traveled from the Philadelphia suburbs.    We flew from Baltimore Washington airport, which we usually do.    American flights are so so and expensive.   Not enough Southwest choices, so we drive the extra hour and get a nice cheap flight from BWI to Ft. Lauderdale.    Southwest does not serve Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale is a short drive.   We flew in a day early, as we always do.    The flight was uneventful.    Four of us together, meeting another couple in Miami.     We decided on an UBER XL for the ride from FLL to our hotel in Miami.    $68 before tip for the 4 of us and 8 bags.     It all fit nicely in the XL.    Our driver was a real lead foot.    My wife and the others loved it.   I white knuckled it all the way.   40-45 minute ride and we were at our hotel.    When travelling TO Miami, be sure your driver uses the Express lanes.    I think you have to cover the tolls, but well worth it.   We passed a lot of stopped traffic, and this was on a Saturday.

 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn - Brickell.    It was a nice hotel.   I'd give it 4.25 stars.    Check in was a breeze.    The room was nice and clean.    FREE Breakfast the next morning was varied and tasty.    I would recommend a stay here pre cruise.

 

For dinner the evening before, the gang went to Calle Ocho, for dinner at a restaurant called Old's Havana.     A really good menu, great service, and centrally located, and only and $8 UBER ride away from the Brickell area.    It was a really fun evening walking around a very vibrant part of town.

 

Next Post...…..Embarkation and Sail away.

 

The album cover for the next Album from the boy band.....BOYZ 2 WHEELCHAIRS

Edited February 25, 2019 by zdad59

[zdad59]

Embarkation & Day 1:

 

We had a nice breakfast at the Hampton Inn and began our trek to the ship around 10am.    We chose to use a shuttle that Hampton Inn had set up.   $8 per person.   It was a nice van with a small trailer in tow for the luggage.    Took about 10 minutes to get over to the ship. 

 

We pulled into the van/bus parking area, and were immediately met by porters.    Before we could blink, they had our luggage whisked away, and we were crossing the road to the beautiful new Terminal A.     What a sight.    Suite and other special guests were pulled off to the right side for an quick ship access whilst us lowly humans took the escalator up to the check in area.    We were there early and walked straight to an agent.   They snapped a picture of our passports and we were on our way.   A quick pass through the security check point and we were upstairs in the lounge.    The ship hadn't been cleared to take passengers yet, so we stood around for about 10 minutes.    When they began boarding, they did so by C&A level. Pinnacle and D+ first, then all to Platinum, then Gold, then everyone.  It was a no brainer.

 

On board we went straight to the solarium bar, where we met Kareme the bartender for the first time.     He became our best friend for the week.    He whipped up our traditional first drink, a Blue Hawaiian.   His method was unique and we named it the "Kareme Special".   Then it was lunch in the Solarium Bistro.  

 

When we were done with lunch, we strolled for a few minutes until 1PM, when the cabins were promptly open.   We had cabins 11152, 11154, 11156.   Bed positioning was Near Bath, near Slider, Near Bath respectively.     Nice rooms but it did seems that storage space was less than what we had on Harmony.   But we made do fine.

 

As noted in the first couple of posts, the Room Service brigade showed up three time in the next 15 minutes, bringing each room a cheese plate, fruit plate, two bottles of wine, and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.   This was all compliments of the Royal Caribbean Social Media Team.    They replied to a comment I made to one of their Facebook posts.   In a private message they asked for my reservation info and said they had a surprise for me.    We were kind of blown away.

 

Sail away was OK.   Not nearly as cool as sailing out of Port Lauderdale.  

 

We had a 5:30 seating for dinner in the MDR.    We were on Deck 4, at a six top at a window, off to the right side of the room after you enter.     They have a new procedure for taking drink orders since we last sailed.   Now they have the Asst. Waiter take the order and get to the bartenders.   A bar server (never the same one twice) brings the drink. Well starting day one, and every day after, they got the drink order wrong.    And we ordered the same thing every day.   Worse yet, they got an order for Makers Mark on the rocks wrong every time.    So bad they even brought Jack Daniels and coke twice instead.     Dinner was good, except for the French onion soup, which was thin, not flavorful, wilted crouton, etc.   We made mention of it to the floor manager and told him we'd give it a 2nd chance tomorrow...….more on that in the Day 2 post.

 

After dinner, we went to see Mama Mia.    What a fantastic show.    Good music, great performers.   The 2 1/2 hours show went by quickly.    A totally enjoyable show.    The best part in a quiet but funny scene, the cast member told the joke...the audience laughed...and when it quieted some a baby let out a huge chuckle.   It broke down the audience and the cast as well.   Everyone was in tears laughing for a moment.   Perfectly timed.

 

After the show, the ladies called it an evening.   Two of the men went to Deck 15 for a cigar and session 1 of "Solving the World's Problems".    When that was done, I went and played a little poker in the casino, beginning a great week with a bunch of new friends at the poker table.

 

Next:   Day 2...Nassau (yawn) and the French Onion Soup Ultimatum.

 

Six Blue Hawaiians all in a row.

 

The Executive Staff of the "Solving the World's Problems" team.

 

Kareme making the first batch.

 

Cool propeller art in Terminal A.    We were assured they would be back on the ship before we departed.

 

Zdad and Mrs. Zdad getting ready to board.

Edited February 26, 2019 by zdad59

[brillohead]

35 minutes ago, zdad59 said:

 

 

Zdad and Mrs. Zdad getting ready to board.

Accomplices and... __________????

Inquiring minds wanna know!

 

[zdad59]

1 minute ago, brillohead said:

Accomplices and... __________????

Inquiring minds wanna know!

 

 

 

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, zdad59 said:

 

 

That's what I was hoping it said!  

[cindivan]

6 hours ago, zdad59 said:

The album cover for the next Album from the boy band.....BOYZ 2 WHEELCHAIRS



Love that!  Totally going to steal that at some point with our guys!!

 

loving your review. Glad you had such fun!

[EeyoreRN]

Loving this!  More please...

[mcgore83]

Great beginning!  Excited to read more.

[ShillyShally]

What a fun review, loving your recap and photos!  Love the t-shirts!!

[Madsofa]

great review so far! And I'm convinced - heading to the solarium on day one for a "Kareme special"  We'll be on the Allure on March 10th and it can't come soon enough for this cold, sun loving Canadian. 

[MomtoCCC]

41 minutes ago, Madsofa said:

great review so far! And I'm convinced - heading to the solarium on day one for a "Kareme special"  We'll be on the Allure on March 10th and it can't come soon enough for this cold, sun loving Canadian. 

Same here.. I'll see you at the Solarium bar on March 10 for a Kareme Special :)  Didn't realize you could have lunch there as well.. probably much less crowded than WindJammer

[zdad59]

10 minutes ago, MomtoCCC said:

Same here.. I'll see you at the Solarium bar on March 10 for a Kareme Special 🙂 Didn't realize you could have lunch there as well.. probably much less crowded than WindJammer

 

The bar is on deck 16.    The Solarium Bistro is right underneath it on Deck 15.   Solarium is a few decks tall. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by zdad59