I sailed Allure and had a terrible time. Change my mind

[YamahaRyoko]

We booked the Allure Apr 21-28 because of our schedule, its itinerary and reputation.  I was so excited about this trip I was scared something would happen and we wouldn't be able to go.  Last year we cruised on the freedom.  We loved that ship.  I missed that ship.  Everyone was sad when it was time to go home. The truth is, I couldn't wait to get off the Allure.

Shows and Events
I'd like to say the shows were incredible, but they were overshadowed by people reserving seats and competition.  Despite the constant reminder that reserving seats is prohibited, people do it anyway and the staff did little to help.   When we went to see Blue Planet, there were people reserving ENTIRE ROWS for their family.  We were ousted three times.  They'd have a person standing on each end of the row, or run up and down the row shoo-ing people away.  When the show started, we were left standing around and an usher escorted us to the back of the theater to stand.  We had reserved all of our shows online the week before the sailing, so I felt pretty jaded I couldn't get a seat because of the aggressive competition and inconsiderate sail mates.  The same happened for the first showing of Ocean Aria.   We arrived ~40 minutes early.  The first two times we sat down in very open areas, people rushed over and claimed those seats are for their kids or for their family.  It was constant conflict.   Note this was canceled the first two sea days due to excessive rocking, and this contributed to the seating chaos.

The 70's party was awesome, except the droves of people trying to cross the ship through a crowd of a thousand people.  I was shoved and pushed around for an entire hour.  Do realize there's like maybe a dozen ways to cross the ship without shoving your way through a crowd of people enjoying a scheduled event.

I'm a little disappointed with the turn-outs for DJ or dance events, but I think that's RC's target audience.   People with toddlers and older people don't care for night club scenes.  (On-Air also steals a lot of people)

Bad Behavior
We tried to play family putt-putt, as this is one of our favorite moments on the ship.  There were 2-3 other families playing on the course, and two teenagers who were running all over the course smacking balls across it.  They were bouncing them off the glass wall on the ship, and hit a few overboard.  Every time a ball would land in my course I would pick it up and retain it.  I had 5 extra balls by the time we finished the course.  There were TWO flow-rider attendants also watching the chaos from the stairs.  They did nothing.  No staff intervened.

The solarium is also 16+, which to me means "older kids still allowed".  There were groups of teenagers in the hot tubs rough housing, splashing, shouting.  It was very disruptive and defeats the purpose of the solarium.  The pool attendant nearby said that they "Try to make all guests feel welcome, even teenagers" and that no actual rules were being broken when they checked.

Note - none of the hot tubs were actually hot.

At the ice skating rink there were two "speedsters" father and daughter who are apparently very good at skating, traveling 3 times faster than anyone else, cutting us off at the corners and whipping by BETWEEN my family members with a few inches to spare.  It was rude, dangerous and annoying.  Despite the rules posted about slower skaters having the right of way, the attendants said nothing.

Dining
This got royally screwed up.  When we booked in January, "My Time" wasn't available on the website.  It only allowed us a 5:30 dinner time.   We signed up with that, then called RC.  They said they'd switch us to My Time free of charge.  A few weeks before the cruise we wanted to reserve our times in advance, as we had all our excursions planned.   The website wouldn't let us.   We called RC again - when they switched us to "My Time" dining, they switched two of three people.  Our son was still on 5:30 dinner.  It was allegedly too late to switch him now, so we ALL had to dine at 5:30.  Here's the kicker - they still put "My Time" on two of our sea passes!  So when we went to dinner on day 1 at 5:30, they said we couldn't!   We had to explain the entire scenario to them, and they gave us a table for 5:30 dining every day.  When came to dinner on day 2 the exact same thing happened, and we had to explain it all again!

We liked our server.  He was friendly, funny and did a great job.  A senior citizen lady sits behind us every day, making nasty remarks to our server every time he checks on their table.   "Try not to take 4 hours today" and "You screw something up every day" and "Maybe you should find a new line of work"  It was so terribly awkward that on day 4 I was going to request another table.   But she wasn't there that day so I dropped it.  Day 5 we went with specialty dining. Then day 6 she was there, and we had to put up with it again.

Shore Days

St. Maarten:  Will not go back.  Not much to see here; a bunch of shops downtown peddling made-in-china wares.  The French side (which many consider the good side) was largely destroyed by Irma (sad).  The competition for beach chairs is so heated, we had not one but three groups of locals trying to compete for our money.  They argued with us and argued with each other.  It was so bad we turned around and walked back up the street.  (Personal note, I think three chairs and 2 frozen drinks for $20 was the best deal.)

San Juan: Fantastic visit.  Cut short by Allures recent itinerary changes.  4.5 hours really isn't enough to fully enjoy this.  We took the RC old / new tour and it was fantastic.   This left about 40 minutes to explore Castillo de San Cristóbal.   It was also fantastic.  I felt very rushed though and there was no time to explore or hit the beach after.  I would certainly visit again, and hopefully swim at the window to the sea.

Labadee:  Professional photographers were trying to take pictures of groups at the Labadee letters with the ship behind it, but inconsiderate people kept running up and posing for their own photos.  One lady stood but 10 feet in front of the photographer to get her own photo.  When she was done, she lingered around "taking in the moment".  When asked to move, she got nasty about it and said "You can wait two damn seconds".  

Drink packages work on Labadee.  However, the pineapple drink (which is a 99c upcharge on the ship) is a full $12 on Labadee ($9 N/A).   It is what they called "island price" and not included with your beverage package.  The advertisement didn't explain this and the bartender didn't speak enough English to explain it either.  So get your pineapple on the ship.  Then know that each and every standard drink we had on labadee we were charged for, and had to visit the customer service desk to have it removed.  The island was beautiful.   BBQ lunch was very good.

Last note although there were hammocks scattered everywhere, a group of 7 people actually picked up and relocated the hammocks over to their area so that all 7 could have a hammock.  This sort of highlights my entire experience on the Allure, competing with other people at every corner.

The Deathblow
No poolside movies.  This is an activity my family has come to love;  the 10pm poolside movie while enjoying the hot tub or laying on a beach chair.  Due to this, my family spent no time in the public pool areas.  The Allure only has movies in the Aquatheater (no lounge chairs, no hot tubs) and both of the screens are broken.  Both screens literally have large disruptive squares of errors scattered about them.  Its not even worth mentioning in the survey; its so obvious you can only assume that everyone on the ship is aware that the screens are broken.  I know this is somewhat petty, but even the Majesty has pool side movies, and its something we've come to love.

Overall, I'm not sure if my issue is with RC or the Allure, but other cruisers.  This boat is so massive that maybe there's just too many people for me.  I found many people selfish and inconsiderate.   I spent upwards of $7000 for a week of vacation and spent much of the time irritated, in conflict or competing with other people for my positive experience.   I was thinking the three of us could check out Mariner next.  But Right now I'm feeling done with cruises.  Big fat hassle with too many logistics and too many costs if you're not going to enjoy yourself.  My mind is tainted;  now when I read about groups of 8 to 11 people I assume their going to do the seating thing, stand in front of professional photographers, and pull all the hammocks to themselves... doh!

Having said that, positive views or opinions on all this could help me right now.  I have enough negative ones of my own... lol

Edited May 2, 2019 by YamahaRyoko

[moesyk4]

We sailed on the Allure last month and didn't experience any of that. I did have one experience with seat savers on Carnival and it was awful. If I were to do it again, I would sit down and refuse to get up!

Sorry you didn't have a great time.

[ryano]

I dont see how I could possibly change your mind.  I havent been on one of the giants yet.   My last two RC cruises have been on Freedom and I too LOVED that ship!  I was SO sad to disembark!    I am so hoping Harmony of the Seas is as good.   ive been waiting to sail on an Oasis class ship for 10 years now since Oasis came out.  I finally found a great price on an accessible oceanview balcony (first balcony ever) and am really looking forward to this cruise.   It sucks to spend that kinda money and come away with a bad experience.  Dont swear off cruising altogether though!      

[Clarea]

Why should you need your mind changed?  I would have also been disappointed with what happened on your cruise.

[cruisinfly]

You might consider trying a Celebrity cruise.  The Reflection and Equinox have just the right amount of people, fewer kids and families, minimal crowding, and you can wander into a show 10 minutes before it begins and find a good seat. It's more relaxed than RCI with better food. Your repeat passenger level from RCI will transfer to your Celebrity status. You won't find water slides, ice skating rinks, and putt-putt golf, however.

 

My suggestion for enjoying the ports includes doing some research and planning in advance so you don't end up wandering a tourist shopping area and negotiating on a crowded beach.  Just about every cruise port in the Caribbean is inundated with the same "shopping" experiences. I have always enjoyed St. Maarten/Martin but always had a plan that worked out.

[papaflamingo]

We did Allure on March 10.  Had a GREAT cruise.  Service was excellent in all venues all week.  Didn't have much trouble with rude people AND it was Spring Break!  Lot's of kids.  Sure some irritations, but nothing particularly stands out.  

Never had a problem with "seat savers," but we did have access to the Suite Reserved Seating so can't really say if it was going on or not. But quite simply don't let yourself get pushed out of seats.  If someone is saving 2 or 3 seats and there are other seats open, fine.  But if they're saving complete rows and there is no other availability, simply explain the rules and stand (or sit) your ground.  I don't like confrontation either, but you have every right to open seats.  

Seems like your biggest issue was rude and abrasive passengers.  Not much anyone can do about that.  It's tough for the crew because they are put in a very tough situation.  But if it happens constantly, go to someone who has the authority to take action and let them handle it.  

As for St. Martin, we took a van out to Orient Beach, rented beach chairs, and enjoyed the beautiful beach for the day drinking delicious Guavaberry Coladas.  Much nicer than Phillpsburg where the ship docks. 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by papaflamingo

[YamahaRyoko]

1 minute ago, ryano said:

I dont see how I could possibly change your mind.  I havent been on one of the giants yet.   My last two RC cruises have been on Freedom and I too LOVED that ship!  I was SO sad to disembark!    I am so hoping Harmony of the Seas is as good.   ive been waiting to sail on an Oasis class ship for 10 years now since Oasis came out.  I finally found a great price on an accessible oceanview balcony (first balcony ever) and am really looking forward to this cruise.   It sucks to spend that kinda money and come away with a bad experience.  Dont swear off cruising altogether though!      

Thanks.  I'm sure I'll start to get that itch again at some point and try again.  We got an oceanview balcony on 6 using "Pick my room" which was the cheapest option.  Perhaps that's lucky?  Strikes me the majority of those ships are balconies.  Its pretty massive when your looking at it from shore.

[KG1924]

I'm sorry that you didn't have a great sailing. There's literally nothing worse then looking forward to something for so long only to be disappointed. The only thing I would say is a lot of it probably has to be with the time of year. I know schedules aren't always flexible, but sailing Easter week may be one of the worst times (IMO of course lol!) We've done spring break times (one being Easter week) on 3 cruises (we don't have kids but my sisters do so we tend to go with what works for them) We've never had as negative experiences as you had but I also would pretty much refuse a spring break cruise unless it was REALLY cheap...and that's never the case. Everything is more, including airfare/hotels/etc. And it may be in my head but even the ports always seem more congested.

And as a person that frequently cruises with a group of 10+ people (12 in 2 weeks 😀) I promise that not every group holds seats. I've been on 11?? cruises and not once have we ever saved seats. Whoever is with us when we go in is who gets a seat. If we find an open section then we'll sit there and if the rest come before they're taken then so be it. I don't understand huge groups needing to sit right next to each other for shows anyway-it's not like you're going to sit and discuss it while the shows going on.

Edited May 2, 2019 by KG1924

[Lionesss]

To OP

 

I feel sorry for your experience.

 

You must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, with all those passengers doing their own thing.

It just takes a few events to ruin a well planned vacation.

 

I think your experience could have happened on any cruise ship, not just the Allure.

 

Hopefully you will have better luck and an awesome experience on your next adventure.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[George C]

Really dislike seat  savers at shows or pools, we had suite for Oasis cruise but none of there shows were crowded at all. Also for 7k should have had a suite. Seat savers are a problem on all lines once saw a fight break out on seat saving on a princess cruise ,  only show that seems crowded on all my rccl cruises was ice show.

[cynt]

You might want to try a luxury cruise line like Paul Gauguin.  Fewer people and less chaos.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by cynt

[fdthird]

So with all those problems, you think total strangers can make you think you loved it??  Not gonna happen IMHO. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by fdthird

[lowbass]

We were on the exact same Allure cruise as you but it was on 3/24-3/31. We didn't experience any of the issues that you did. We had reserved some shows and never had a problem with seats but maybe it was the location that you wanted to sit. We always sat in the balcony and there were always plenty of seating. MOF, we went to some shows on standby and still were able to get good seats.

 

We never went to see any movies but, the screens in the Aqua theater were working on our cruise. And we didn't have a seating issue there either. To be honest, I never saw people trying to hold a bunch of seats for others at any venue.

 

We enjoyed the 70's party also. It was a lot of people there so we just found a nice spot out of the way and enjoyed the event. With a large crowd like that in a confined space you're going to get some pushing and shoving when people move. Especially if you're right in the middle of it.

 

Philipsburg St. Maarten is one of our favorite ports. As soon as we got off the water taxi we had locals trying to make deals for beach chairs. We told one that we were going to look around and come back later and they said ok. So we walked around, shopped then came back and found the same local and made a deal(2 beach chairs, umbrella, 5 beers and free WiFi for $25).

 

We were only in San Juan until 1:30pm. So we looked around, did a little shopping and grabbed some lunch(Kan Kan pork chop).

 

Labadee was great. We waited a few minutes until others had taken their pics at the sign then we took our pics. I agree, the cost of the pineapple for the drink was insane. But you can still get the drink in a regular cup without the additional cost. This being our first time to Labadee we learned very quickly that you had to be quick to claim some loungers and a good spot. We ended up walking around to "Adventure Bay beach and grabbing some loungers from a stack they had there. I had the drink package and my wife had the refreshment package. No issues with charges for drinks on Labdee or on the ship.

 

This was our first cruise on Royal(only been on 5 other cruises all Carnival), and we were very satisfied with Allure and Royal. MOF we enjoyed it so much that when we came home we booked another Royal cruise but on Symphony for next year. 

[YamahaRyoko]

41 minutes ago, KG1924 said:

I'm sorry that you didn't have a great sailing. There's literally nothing worse then looking forward to something for so long only to be disappointed. The only thing I would say is a lot of it probably has to be with the time of year. I know schedules aren't always flexible, but sailing Easter week may be one of the worst times (IMO of course lol!) We've done spring break times (one being Easter week) on 3 cruises (we don't have kids but my sisters do so we tend to go with what works for them) We've never had as negative experiences as you had but I also would pretty much refuse a spring break cruise unless it was REALLY cheap...and that's never the case. Everything is more, including airfare/hotels/etc. And it may be in my head but even the ports always seem more congested.

And as a person that frequently cruises with a group of 10+ people (12 in 2 weeks 😀) I promise that not every group holds seats. I've been on 11?? cruises and not once have we ever saved seats. Whoever is with us when we go in is who gets a seat. If we find an open section then we'll sit there and if the rest come before they're taken then so be it. I don't understand huge groups needing to sit right next to each other for shows anyway-it's not like you're going to sit and discuss it while the shows going on.

 

That's a really good point.  I had not added all of that up in my head.  Previous cruises our son was in grade school and we'd just pull him for a week.  Now that he's in high school we feel really bad doing that so we scheduled it on spring break (which was also Easter weekend.)  Not to mention that airfare coming home on a Sunday was $400 a person.  Saturday disembarkations seem significantly cheaper. We could do summer (I was thinking that would be unbearably hot with thousands of little kids?) or Christmas (unbearably expensive?)

 

12 minutes ago, Itisi said:

 

Wow.  What a bad experience.  Have you looked into cruising  on a mid sized ship instead?

 

We sailed on Freedom and I think that's mid size (its a step down from Oasis class) and we loved it.  I also found it hard to make friends on Allure;  you almost never see the same people twice outside of dinner.  I think Freedom left the Caribbean but we could try its sister Independence or possibly Mariner?

[DShock]

We cruise on Allure often and never, ever have been disappointed. And anytime I am on any cruise ship I am so fortunate just to be there. I think you should stay off all Oasis class ships and maybe cruise ships in general as you will always find something to complain about.  There are those among us that look for issues and you may be one of them!!

[YamahaRyoko]

50 minutes ago, cruisinfly said:

You might consider trying a Celebrity cruise.  The Reflection and Equinox have just the right amount of people, fewer kids and families, minimal crowding, and you can wander into a show 10 minutes before it begins and find a good seat. It's more relaxed than RCI with better food. Your repeat passenger level from RCI will transfer to your Celebrity status. You won't find water slides, ice skating rinks, and putt-putt golf, however.

 

I'll read into it.  Thank you for the suggestion.  It may be good to try another cruise line eventually;  I just thought that when it comes to quality and service RC was the known winner.   Whenever I see the Carnival ships they look dirty, rusty with letters burnt out... doh

[er345]

I understand how frustrating other cruisers can be.  I am amazed at how entitled some people can be. We experienced the row savers in the Aquatheater on Symphony.  A family used every spare item they had to put on the seats. They started with about 4 people saving about 16 seats.  There were shoes, purses, sunglasses etc on every single seat!

 

It seems most of your problems were caused by other rude people so that could happen on any ship.  I only hope if you cruise again on a smaller ship you have a much better experience. You have to find the kind of vacation that works for you. 

[39august]

Why in the world didn't you just sit where the seats were actually empty in the theater? I have done so several times despite people trying to "save" seats. However, we do not care for the "big girls" either. Just too many people !

[Grandma Dazzles]

Truly sorry that you encountered such bad behavior from other cruisers.  It seems as if you had a particular bad experience.  Notice that other cruisers around the same time didn’t share many of your complaints.

 

Wonder if perhaps you were not assertive with the people saving seats. Please note I am not suggesting being confrontational, but I don’t understand your statement that “you were ousted three times” - doesn’t make sense.  If you sit down and stay in your seats people cannot save them.  A simple “no seat saving” has always worked for me and my family. 

 

As far as the solarium, if the attendants said they had checked and the teenagers were over 16 then no rules were being broken. Adults often are laughing and noisy.  Solarium is not designated as a quiet area.  

 

Again, sorry you didn’t enjoy your cruise, but I think you might be happier on a smaller, more intimate, and possibly more upscale cruise.  

[YamahaRyoko]

27 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

Truly sorry that you encountered such bad behavior from other cruisers.  It seems as if you had a particular bad experience.  Notice that other cruisers around the same time didn’t share many of your complaints.

 

Wonder if perhaps you were not assertive with the people saving seats. Please note I am not suggesting being confrontational, but I don’t understand your statement that “you were ousted three times” - doesn’t make sense.  If you sit down and stay in your seats people cannot save them.  A simple “no seat saving” has always worked for me and my family. 

 

As far as the solarium, if the attendants said they had checked and the teenagers were over 16 then no rules were being broken. Adults often are laughing and noisy.  Solarium is not designated as a quiet area.  

 

Again, sorry you didn’t enjoy your cruise, but I think you might be happier on a smaller, more intimate, and possibly more upscale cruise.  

 

Thanks for the reply.  Does the third sentence imply I'm the issue or that this isn't a typical experience?  Maybe it is me, not being able to brush off the ruder side of humanity so quickly.

 

The seats...in detail then.  I saw man, woman, purse, jacket and took the remaining 3 seats after that.  That lady started hollering the other three are saved for her children and we need to move.  In addition to the one saved by a purse and the other saved by a jacket.

 

Now you have two choices - get ousted and try somewhere else (again) or get in an argument (perhaps fight with husband) over the 3 additional seats saved for their kids.  Possibly have an attendant notice (unlikely) and have to explain that your side of an altercation because you want the 3 open seats, but they want them for their kids, and likely be kindly shown new seats regardless as a resolve to the argument.   The attendant doesnt want any unhappy guests, including the ones with the 3 kids.  If you win, you now have to sit next to angry people, unless they get up and move.   Is it worth it?  ...... I might think it is... but does my WIFE think that's worth it?

 

(Edit to add the dipping sauce.  Once they arrived her kids opted to sit on the wood row of the aqua theater in front of them, so no one sat in those seats anyway. )

 

Regarding solarium, I suppose I didn't view this as a "quiet zone" but an escape where "adults can enjoy time without kids around".  16 to me is a kid.  I have one >.<

Edited May 2, 2019 by YamahaRyoko

[screenname2004]

 We were on the same cruise as you but we didn't run into any major issues. For example, because of the ocean swell, our reserved Ocean Aria show for day 3 was moved to day 6 at 10:45 PM after the 7 & 9 PM show. Since the 9 PM show works better for us, we decide to do a "drop-in" for the show. We were there around 8:40 PM and told the attendant we have no reservation for that show. She let us in and we got very good center section seats (between the row reserved for Sky class and the row for Star class, the seats reserved for the Key program were several rows behind us.). There were people saving seats for Mama Mia but not a whole row. Anyway, we managed to find seats about row 6 or 7 in the center section. We did find a kid keep playing the same hole over and over again at the miniature golf. After waiting for a few minutes, we asked if he can let us play the hole first. He stepped aside and we continued with our game. 

[voyager70]

21 minutes ago, 39august said:

Why in the world didn't you just sit where the seats were actually empty in the theater? I have done so several times despite people trying to "save" seats. However, we do not care for the "big girls" either. Just too many people !

Agree, we don't put up with people trying to save entire rows.  That's BS.  We take the 2 end seats and let them deal with it.

If it starts getting ugly get a crew member to explain to them saving seats is not allowed.

 

[Cel_cruise]

OP - I would be really disappointed with that experience as well.  

 

We sailed Symphony the week before your cruise and actually experienced several similar issues, but after we had reserved Key seating for the aquashow and we couldn’t get ANY seating - never mind Key seating - for the show 20 min before, we went to speak to the Guest Services Manager Adrian.   While Adrian and Kate the Activity Manager couldn’t fix the bad time we had - they made sure that we FELT better - with lots of wine and reserved seating in all of our future reserved shoes.   Admittedly - some of our problem was royals fault, not just others. 

 

Also - our last cruise was on Liberty and Navigator  - and for the first 2 days, I really missed it!!!  I did come around to enjoying the ship and it’s offerings and I loved the quality of the shows - but I came to realize that I also really like Liberty/Freedom and also Voyager(Navigator) class and will definitely make sure we go on those ships again!!

 

I think that you should give cruising another try because you did have such a good time before!    Ship wise - maybe a voyager or freedom class would be better than Oasis class?   

 

I will say though - We are trying to decide our next cruise and I am eyeing the amped 3 or 4 day cruises also.   I’m thinking we might start with the 4 day during the week to avoid the ‘long weekend party crowd’ just to give ourselves the best chance to avoid some unhappiness.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Cel_cruise

[lazydayz]

OP, I feel your pain. While we had a good time on Allure in March, hubby suggested and I agreed to take a break from Oasis class. Just too many people and a few we encountered were very rude. Most were nice, but an encounter or three with rude ones started making us and our granddaughters uncomfortable. When you are spending many thousands of dollars, you deserve a pleasant vacation. We are off to the Mariner next. 

[twangster]

I think the guest issues you experienced can happen on any ship.  That behavior is not created by the size of the ship.  

 

Every solarium on every ship is 16+.  A group of 16+ teens being boisterous but within the rules is not much different than a group of adults who have consumed a lot of adult beverages and grown boisterous.  It happens, but not every cruise.

 

As far as saving rows in the theater, I'd just sit down.  I understand saving a few seats for a small family to be together but an entire row?  Sorry, not sorry, I'm sitting down.  Go find a crew member who will set them straight - no saving seats.

 

Outdoor movies are played in the aqua theater but not every night as the aqua shows take precedence.   That is definitely a disadvantage of Oasis class.  

 

Not all ships are for everyone.  We are lucky there are so many different sizes and styles to chose from.  You tried and now you know but I hope you understand the guest issues you experienced can happen on any ship and any cruise line.