A short review of the Allure of the Seas, March 31 2019 sailing. LOVED IT!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I am not going to give a minute by minute review, but will cover what we liked or found interesting or what worked for us (like a life hack)... A bit of a comparison to our previous Princess and Norwegian cruises as well. :)

 

We were in an inside cabin 10423, all the way forward, with a sofa bed for our 8 yo DS. He was not thrilled about the sofa bed, because he loves pullman beds. When we first arrived, I thought the cabin was pretty spacious, but once the sofa bed was "unrolled", it was pretty clear that there was no space at all for walking around the cabin.

We usually like to leave the suitcases unpacked and live out of our 2 suitcases, but there was absolutely no space to put them. On Princess (Regal and Caribbean) we were able to store them lying down in the closet, but Allure's cabin design and closet's proximity to the sofa bed made it impossible.  It was pretty difficult to access the closet to begin with, unless you only needed the clothes that are hanging.

So, one suitcase was shoved under the desk, and the other suitcase had to be zipped up and had to be stored upright between the sofa and our bed, because we needed access to both of them many times a day.

After the first night we stopped unrolling the sofa bed (actually, the cabin steward stopped doing it), and our kiddo just slept on the sofa part of it, which is rather narrow, but just enough for a tall and lean 8 yo. He fell off of it during the second night, so we started propping a chair next to the sofa at night. That worked very well.

 

The bathroom was a lot smaller than a bathroom on the Norwegian Getaway. But the shower stall had rounded sliding doors, which was a much better design than on Princess with its yucky curtains that want to hug you and grow mold. A super pleasant surprise was a built-in, always on night light in the bathroom! Thanks, Allure! It helped immensely. We brought 3 night lights with us, but only had to use 1 in the main cabin. I am night blind, unfortunately.  The triple electrical outlet on the desk was most welcome, and worked great for us and our nightlight.  On our previous RCI cruises we were unable to use our plug-in night light because of the electrical outlet design (the night light had to be plugged in upside down and didn't fit).

 

The bed was comfortable (not so much on Regal Princess circa 2017) and had a double top soft layer of something. Pillows were fine as well. We had 6 pillows on our bed and 2 on the sofa.

 

The cabin location was great - we were close to the Solarium buffet and the Studio B. We used Central Park deck (8) to cross to the other side. It was lovely! Our cabin was quiet and clean, and our cabin attendant Tyron was wonderful - helpful, friendly, outgoing. He made towel animals for DS, and DS loved each and every one of them.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Sooo, apparently lotion and body wash are not provided onboard for mere mortals.... Only shampoo and conditioner in one in a refillable jar on the shower wall. I asked our cabin attendant about lotion, and he brought me a couple of tubes. Smells good. He also kept bringing more soap which was good because they are rather tiny.

 

There was no clothes line in the bathroom/shower. Only 6 hooks, but the air was dryer than on the other RCI ships in the past, so our wet swim suits dried by next morning. Very little counter space, unlike Norwegian. The sink was also narrow and partially under a glass shelf, causing a bit of an inconvenience. Norwegian bathroom design wins with its space and comfort.

 

Elevators were super fast.

 

Gotta give major props to the MDR and buffet staff! MDR service was lightening quick, water was refilled frequently, and the head waiters came by very often to ask if we had any issues with the waiters/asst waiters or service. We had MTD 6-8 pm, and showed up between 6 and 6:30. There was never any wait, but maybe a couple of minutes to situate us. Super happy with the MDR staff! Service on both Norwegian ships was awfully slow, moving like molasses. Seriously, a 2+ hour dinner was guaranteed on NCL, while on the Allure we were in and out within an hour, and that's with multiple appetizers and 1-2 entrees each. We made it to all the evening shows with time to spare on the Allure.

 

We ate all of our dinners in MDR. Most breakfasts - at the Solarium bistro (free), and 2 breakfasts at the WJ buffet, 1 at the Wipeout cafe. Wipeout cafe had a very small selection of breakfast foods, but had an omelette station which we didn't find at either Solarium or WJ. My DH loves custom made omelettes... I love smoked salmon for breakfast. So, RCI's breakfast wins in terms of smoked salmon, but Norwegian's breakfast buffet wins in terms of made-to-order egg stations and general variety of food offerings. Regal Princess wins no matter what when it comes to food, so no comparison there. :)

 

We didn't get to try MDR breakfast or lunch, just never got to it.

 

Solarium bistro was a very nice choice for a  breakfast or lunch buffet. Only a small line or no line at all.  Even though it offered a small variety of foods, the choices were pretty good and healthy. Except for the filled non-desert crepes - they were pretty bad.

 

We didn't take any pics of food.

 

Dinners in MDR were fine. Somebody here told me about the menus being available through Royal app - it was very helpful. Even though the menus were not extensive, like on Princess, and even more limited than Norwegian menus, the food was actually much better than Norwegian. Many fellow CC members said that Norwegian food was better than RCI, and I thought to myself - gosh, does it really get even worse?????!!!!!???? Rest assured - RCI was better. Yes, I know it's subjective. We are not extremely picky about the food, but my biggest gripe about NCL's food was the fact that it was mostly cold instead of hot, oversalted, dry, or tasteless. RCI's food was nice and hot, tasted good, and there wasn't a single dish I didn't want to finish because it was bad. Which, coincidentally happened a lot on the NCL ships. Both my DH and I were pleasantly surprised on the very first night because we set our expectations very low, but night after night we were pretty happy with our food choices. 

[dwayneb236]

We enjoyed the Allure as well. MDR breakfast was good but slow. We ended up going to the buffet side after the first try. 

[thegraminator]

Thanks  for  sharing  your  mini  review !    Sounds  like  you  all  had  a  pretty  great  cruise !     What  are  your  thoughts  on  the  entertainment   and activities  on board ?   TIA !  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

 

3 hours ago, thegraminator said:

Thanks  for  sharing  your  mini  review !    Sounds  like  you  all  had  a  pretty  great  cruise !     What  are  your  thoughts  on  the  entertainment   and activities  on board ?   TIA !  

I'll cover those in my next post. :) Tomorrow!

Edited April 12, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[sailor05]

Thanks for the review! Helps build our excitement for our time on the Allure in 1 month!

[kag19]

Looking forward to your next installment!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

We loved all the entertainment and activities offered onboard.

 

I made reservations for Mamma Mia for myself for the second night, but unfortunately got a migraine and went back to the cabin. People said it was wonderful, though. Too bad I didn't get to enjoy it myself.

 

We enjoyed the OceanAria on the second night. It was very good, and we especially liked the "funny guy", who was actually the Aqua team captain. :) We later saw him in the Blue Planet performance.  We sat in the 5th row chairs (not bench), and DS had to sit in my lap because he couldn't see over the adults' heads in a row in front of us.  People in the first row got splashed A LOT. If you don't want to be splashed, don't sit there. :)

 

We saw the Headliner show with Adam Kario and loved it. The guy is funny and skilled, and his show is fast paced and engaging. 

A note about Amber Theater: it has A/C vents under the seats. It was uncomfortably cold because the cold air was blasting from under our butts. We were in the front, about 5th or 6th row. For another show I sat in one of the last rows, and it was much better.

 

We liked the Blue Planet show as well, but some of the songs were just OK. Some elements were great, and some were meh...

 

The Monopoly/Ice Games show was nice, but pretty much every skater fell down when they attempted a jump with more than 1 turn. But it was nice anyway, and I can't skate, so who am I to judge?

 

I didn't care for the Family Comedy show all that much, but both guys solicited some laughs, so I am sure other people thought they were funny. I left after about 20 minutes.

 

FlowRider boogie boarding had a min height requirement of 52", which my 8 yo barely cleared. But he didn't get to do it, because the line was kind of long and in direct sun. He'd burn to a crisp, even with SPF, and my DH was afraid that DS was going to get hurt in a wipeout. Instead, DS super duper enjoyed the skating rink! He fell in love with skating! Even though he fell a lot during his first skating session... I brought mittens/gloves for both of us. It was the right decision. Some other kids stopped skating after the first fall because their hands would get an ice burn.

You have to have long pants and socks, and they provide skates and helmets. You can sign the waiver on your TV.

 

DS didn't get to do the zip line because it has a 75# min. So, it's definitely for older or heavier kids. I didn't see how long the line for that was.

 

Both DS and I enjoyed the carousel. The first couple of days it wasn't very busy, but later....

A lot of free balloon twisting - look for it on the Compass!!!! DS enjoyed it very much. They do have a cash tip jar, so if you want to tip a couple of bucks - feel free.

DS and DS enjoyed the Family Carnival/Party on the last sea day (face painting, balloons, free popcorn, treats, games, etc.).

 

All three of us enjoyed chilling and relaxing (DS learned a new word - chillaxing) at the Central park. Sometimes it wasn't really quiet due to the music blasting on the pool deck, but most of the time we chilled with some food, or a book or a game on a phone... We found the Park Cafe to be a very nice option for a light lunch. DS loved the neverending bags of chips (doritos and lays) and panini sandwiches, while DH liked their salads and desserts. I liked Chihuahua quesadilla. It was our go to place after we came back aboard after the day on the beach. Unlike the buffets, it was actually open at 4 pm. We didn't care for the morning offerings, which were "create your own bagel" and some breakfast paninis.

 

In the evening there were musical performances offered (guitar) for people in the Central Park. We listened to some in passing, and thought they were nice.

 

I didn't like Allure's free coffee. It was too bitter for me, even with a ton of cream and sweetener. A nice selection of tea, all generic, though.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

True to his nature, DS refused to go to the kid's club or even register for it "just in case". So, I cannot comment on the quality of the program.

The Ocean Club did offer a black light puppet show a couple of time during the sailing. I think it was definitely suited to younger kids. DS is 8, and even though he didn't complain, I think that he already outgrew this particular show. We do enjoy puppet show series offered at home in the summer.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

We did the Blue Lagoon Stingray encounter excursion:

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

WE also went to Blue Kay in Costa Maya. We really like that place:

 

 

 

Wifi was good for browsing, but not for a skype call on Samsung Galaxy J3. I could hear my mom, but she couldn't hear me. I was able to skype text message her.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

We finally found THE beach in Cozumel that we loved. Playa Palancar all the way! We don't like all inclusive.

The water perfectly shallow for quite some distance. Perfect for kids. Nice soft sand for the kiddo to play with, shallow, clear water, not all inclusive, $10 for a 2 chair/1 umbrella set up.

 

We arrived super early due to the time difference between the ship and the locale, so we were there among the first. Got to choose where we wanted to land and enjoyed ourselves very much. 

 

Last year we got mango margaritas at the Money bar that pale in comparison with the ones we got at Playa Palancar. The ones at the Money bar were tiny for $7 and made with a tasteless mix, and the ones here were made with mango puree and were huge (22 oz) for $10. Yum!

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

Thank you for sharing! We also LOVE Palancar! Great beach, drinks & food. It's always less crowded than the all inclusive beaches. We travel to Cozumel several times a year & always spend at least one day there.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

14 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

We did the Blue Lagoon Stingray encounter excursion:

 

 

 

[cruisegirl1976]

Happy to hear that you enjoyed the Allure 🙂

[moesyk4]

We were boarding as you were getting off...agree with most of your review! I enjoyed Norwegian food as well as RCCL though. I told DH about the Omelette station and he was super bummed...we only stopped there for one morning and the selection was so sad we left. We love made to order omelettes!

[rcprncss]

Question:  How much was the taxi to Blue Kay and Playa Palancar?

 

I haven't been to Costa Maya yet.  I found your response on another thread.  Blue Kay sounds like where I would want to be.

 

We have been to Cozumel.  We have gone to Paradise Beach and Nachi Cocum.  We liked them both.  Playa Palancar looks beautiful too!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

8 minutes ago, rcprncss said:

Question:  How much was the taxi to Blue Kay and Playa Palancar?

 

I haven't been to Costa Maya yet.  I found your response on another thread.  Blue Kay sounds like where I would want to be.

 

We have been to Cozumel.  We have gone to Paradise Beach and Nachi Cocum.  We liked them both.  Playa Palancar looks beautiful too!

Blue Kay taxi is $8 per taxi each way. They are regulated and all the same price, no matter which bar you go to on Malecon.

 

Playa Palancar taxi was $25 each way, since it's farther away than some closer beaches. :) Money bar taxi was $12 each way in December, but while pretty, it's actually not the beach we've been looking for.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[rcprncss]

Thanks.  Sounds like Blue Kay is the place to go.  🙂