ALLURE OF THE SEAS JUNE 30 2019--THE CURSE OF BRANDON

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, island284 said:

Does anyone know definitely WHICH September Allure cruise?  Hope it’s not the one we are on. 

 

September 8 😇

 

I'll bet the roll call is hopping.

 

September 1 may be dicey as well

Edited July 9, 2019 by John&LaLa

[CRUISINGCPA]

I am so enjoying this review.  My daughter's boyfriend/roommate/fiance/co-houseowner has traveled with us on our last 2 cruises.  The first was his first & I think we got him hooked.  I have already let him know that his dowry will be instant D+ status!

 

Keep it coming.  We're on the Allure in 26 days!

 

Thank you!

 

[island284]

9 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

September 8 😇

 

I'll bet the roll call is hopping

No, the roll call is only 7 pages long with little reference to CK. 

[wolfganghowell]

beautiful couple.  He doesn't look unlucky.  Now tell your dinner guest to clean the kitchen up for you - your fan club awaits.

[STANMELB]

30 minutes ago, island284 said:

No, the roll call is only 7 pages long with little reference to CK. 

 

We were told on our 6-30-19 Allure cruise that there are 70 Pinnacles on the 9-1-2019 and 96 Pinnacles on the 9-8-2019 Allure Cruises. As we are Pinnacle and sailing in a L2 Crown Loft I am sure we will be able to dine in the Coastal Kitchen every night on our 9-1-2019 Allure cruise. I met Sue the first day and found her to be a very nice person.

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by STANMELB
Spelling

[Lionesss]

Good morning.

 

Was a late night, so I knew I would continue in the morning.

 

 

 

Next up:

 

All all access behind the scenes tour----or whatever its called.

 

 

But before I start I need to make  a mini opening statement:

 

Did you ever go to a play or movie and the opening really catches your attention, and then comes the boring part and you wonder why you came to see this show......................and then finally the great dynamic power packed ending and you wish there  was more!!!!!!  Welcome to the boring part.

 

Also for those of you who watch old nostalgic TV. or are old enough to remember the 50's show Dragnet (You know who you are ).................remember Joe Friday..................................................................."Just state the facts mam"..........

Ok I am just stating the facts.

 

We did this a few cruises back---it was awesome, we could not stop talking about it................. and booked it when excursions opened, we wanted Brandon to see what it was like, and did not want it to be sold out.

For months we talked about the detail, and things you get to see. 

 

We met at the dining venue called silk.

Kyle the shore excursions rep.  was our guide.

He was nice, organized, and tried to do his best.

 

The first stop was the dining room where an employee went over the role of all who worked and how  many were there.

Ok good explanation.

Then, the best part of the tour.

We met a chef from Jamaica, and he was awesome, you could tell he loved his job and loved being with people, namely us.

We toured various areas of the kitchen and the chef made it so informative, we were very pleased.

This man was dynamic, made it fun, you could tell his employees  respected him

 

Next a  new representative from the kitchen.

 

We saw a refrigerator  and got an explanation close to "this is a refrigerator for fruit, it has to be separated from vegetables, it has to stay cool, or fruit wont last"..........................................................................any questions???

Ok are you ready...........................................................(really).

The good part was we got out of the refrigerator fast.

 

Next we were divided into two groups.

We were wanded by security to  make sure no one was packing anything other than their lanyards.

Our group went into a freezer first, damn it was cold, lobster and all those shell fish.  I think they did it because it was quick, no one would ask questions but all I would say I learned from it  is we were in a ships freezer.

 

Now one of the two best parts of the tour.  The control room.

The guide stated again, you can take pictures in there, but no video or sound recordings.

The ships workers in there  were focused on the job at hand....so our tour guide gave a basic over view......and I mean basic.

He told us to look at one of the video monitors and said that is one of the engines.....yup, I can see that.

Then he told us to look at this big table which had a detailed blue print of everything on board.  Yup I can see that.

Come on last time we were here one of the officers not on duty gave us a detailed explanation of what we were looking at and the purpose. It was so power backed, and I loved it.................this time  I felt robbed. We left onward.........

Now looking back, I know the no video recording is for security reasons, thats ok........but, now I wonder if no video recording is proof how lame this part was.

 

Onto the bridge.

Now I am excited.

It was as big and massive as I can remember...................................

Last time one of the officers took us by the hand, spoke with us for over 10 min. his job and how they work on the bridge.

Yea, not gonna happen.

We were read to from a computer screen on the wall over different levels of security when the number of staff needs to be present.

Then we were taken over to the side control desk and show it....with brief explanation. Looked out the windows, and then 

"any questions?????"

OMG,  really!!!!!!  They were trying to get rid of us, we did not get our picture in the captains chair, and take in all the views,  knowing what we got last time, I was now not getting happy at the lack of information on this bridge  tour.

But more over I felt Brandon, was robbed of the data that was presented last time, and not presented this time.

 

Next we were told we were going to the laundry.

 

So as we are leaving you can tell that DD and BFF had enough, and my DD goes, can we escape....................I go yes just exit stage left when we go to the elevators.

 

Now as we enter the laundry room, we had to wait for someone to come and give us an explanation.   We waited, waited, waited.  Finally a worker showed us how a  machine folds a sheet, and how a steamer works.  Any questions????

OMG, really. I actually felt like we were disturbing him, yet no one was working in that area at that time.  Maybe we disturbed his break.

Now Kyle comes up to me......

And  goes where are the other two?

I go the escapees?

He goes yes.  I go they left before the laundry.  They saw enough.

I think he got a little nervous, because they left and he did not know when they left.

 

So now we are lead out like school children to the elevators and Kyle goes any questions, mind you we are in the area in front of the elevators ding, ding, ding, goes the elevators and then he quickly goes, here's a souvenir to remember this tour by.  It was a placard with a mini rope to learn how to tie ship knots........................ (They better be careful, looking at it at first I thought someone would hang themselves)...................(just kidding, this section is lame and needed a little humor).

OH, Ok, were done????

 

Now last time the tour ended in a venue, with beverages and finger foods, (not that we needed any) and their were people who really knew how the ship functioned and provided great explanations were there to answer questions.  Our souvenir  on  that  tour was an apron.  I then gave that tour great reviews and recommended it to all. This tour, well not going to happen.

 

We felt robbed, and more-over----------- the Hype I gave Brandon over this tour was lacking.

 

So now what is one to do.

Later that day we our concierge asked us how our day went, we told her.

Out of respect for her she kindly  compensated for our tour, which she did not have to do, but it was a kind and generous act.   
All that I will say is when you professionally share your views on events, it is met with compensation.  Thank you Nancy.

 

 

Didn't I tell you it was part of the boring part!!!!!

 

 

 

Now onward------ forward, the next entry will start what I call the crescendo........the rising back upto the creme de la creme, the awesome, never ending story of the curse of Brandon............................

 

And what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.......

oh..........................what.............................. were on a ship.............................

 

I guess I should say 

What happens in the casino, is not acceptable and will not stay in the casino!!!

 

Later

[Biker19]

5 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

Onto the bridge.

Now I am excited.

It was as big and massive as I can remember...................................

"any questions?????"

Did you notice the board with the number of people on board?

[DShock]

15 hours ago, STANMELB said:

 

We were told on our 6-30-19 Allure cruise that there are 70 Pinnacles on the 9-1-2019 and 96 Pinnacles on the 9-8-2019 Allure Cruises. As we are Pinnacle and sailing in a L2 Crown Loft I am sure we will be able to dine in the Coastal Kitchen every night on our 9-1-2019 Allure cruise. I met Sue the first day and found her to be a very nice person.

 

Our TA confirmed this as well.  We originally booked 9/1 and 9/8 b2b but changed to 8/11 and 8/18 because of the number of Pinns onboard.  Nothing wrong with Pinns, we have met some that are super friendly and like to mingle and have been around others that seem snooty, stay to themselves or other Pinns they know.  We just wanted to avoid sailings where they flood the SL and CK since most tend to just park it in these spaces.

[Lionesss]

15 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Did you notice the board with the number of people on board?

 

That board was no longer used for that purpose, for our sailing it had some memos on it.

I remember what you are talking about  because it had the ships sailing # (how many times it sailed)

and 

under it was the breakdown of passengers and then crew.

 

Nope was not listed.

[Big_G]

On 7/9/2019 at 10:48 AM, John&LaLa said:

Thank's Sue, can I call you Sue?

Well written.

Not who I thought you were referring to last night. 

 

I had heard about the Allure sailing in September.  Looking forward to the resolution 

 

Do you know what sailing in September it is?

 

Should've waited. I got the answer. Thanks

Edited July 10, 2019 by Big_G

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, Lionesss said:

Now last time the tour ended in a venue, with beverages and finger foods, (not that we needed any) and their were people who really knew how the ship functioned and provided great explanations were there to answer questions.  Our souvenir  on  that  tour was an apron.  I then gave that tour great reviews and recommended it to all. This tour, well not going to happen.

 

We felt robbed, and more-over----------- the Hype I gave Brandon over this tour was lacking.

 

 

Yep, this "new" version of the All-Access tour started about 2 years ago... I did this "new" tour on Harmony, and my feedback to the tour leader was very  negative. I posted this on CC as well on my review. If you ever did the tour on previous ships before 2017 you know exactly what I mean (and as Lionesss perfectly explained)... the new tour is probably great for those who have never done it (newbies for example?) perhaps, however they truly don't know what they've missed.

 

Hey Lionesss, I used to post on almost everyone's review to say thank you for taking the time, however I've become more of a lurker. I still read all reviews without posting... on this one I just wanted to drop by to say "thank you" for the entertainment, you're awesome! 😀👍

[SRV FAN]

Thinking of Paul Harvey just now....waiting to hear "The Rest of the Story".... Lioness, I can't stand the suspense.... 

[Lionesss]

EXTRA--- EXTRA ---------READ ALL ABOUT IT.

 

So I do not want to be known as an ungreatful critical cruiser.

 

So at this time I would like to give so positive notes on other occurrences that went well or we liked.

 

1.  We did the green grotto cave tour and it was great, we had done it in the past and were very pleased again.

     Our guide was awesome.

2.  We did the dolphin push and pull in Cozumel and once again this exceeded out expectations.

 

Yes we book through RCI, and I know we paid a tad more, but just very happy with what we experienced.

 

3.  Pool-----------very clean, yea their were some towels basking in the sun on loungers for hours on end with no bodies, nothing done.....however we never had a problem finding a lounger near a pool, it may not have been in prime realstate, but was close enough to pool to not scorch your feet and that deck was hot.  However never saw a pool attendant, only lifeguards.  

4.  Luggage valet is the best thing ever invented, thank you to the person responsible.

5.  Booking drink package on line ahead of time is a money saver...........OMG, the cost on board!!!!!!!  And talk about "free pours'

     Yup, got our moneys worth.

6.  The concierges, what great resource persons.............kudos to them.

7.  The workers in CK after 6 ish cruises on Allure, they are like part of the family.

8.  The friendliness of the staff, awesome cannot say enough about the staff.......

9.  Chops, excellent and massive quantities of food prepared and presented well.  I had to waddle out of here.

 

And I guess I should now tell you about the one major disappointment that not even RCI can ever help resolve.

They  made me leave when my cruise was over.

Really!!!!!!

 

 

🙂

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, DShock said:

Our TA confirmed this as well.  We originally booked 9/1 and 9/8 b2b but changed to 8/11 and 8/18 because of the number of Pinns onboard.  Nothing wrong with Pinns, we have met some that are super friendly and like to mingle and have been around others that seem snooty, stay to themselves or other Pinns they know.  We just wanted to avoid sailings where they flood the SL and CK since most tend to just park it in these spaces.

Great plan

[SRV FAN]

35 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

EXTRA--- EXTRA ---------READ ALL ABOUT IT.

 

So I do not want to be known as an ungreatful critical cruiser.

 

So at this time I would like to give so positive notes on other occurrences that went well or we liked.

 

1.  We did the green grotto cave tour and it was great, we had done it in the past and were very pleased again.

     Our guide was awesome.

2.  We did the dolphin push and pull in Cozumel and once again this exceeded out expectations.

 

Yes we book through RCI, and I know we paid a tad more, but just very happy with what we experienced.

 

3.  Pool-----------very clean, yea their were some towels basking in the sun on loungers for hours on end with no bodies, nothing done.....however we never had a problem finding a lounger near a pool, it may not have been in prime realstate, but was close enough to pool to not scorch your feet and that deck was hot.  However never saw a pool attendant, only lifeguards.  

4.  Luggage valet is the best thing ever invented, thank you to the person responsible.

5.  Booking drink package on line ahead of time is a money saver...........OMG, the cost on board!!!!!!!  And talk about "free pours'

     Yup, got our moneys worth.

6.  The concierges, what great resource persons.............kudos to them.

7.  The workers in CK after 6 ish cruises on Allure, they are like part of the family.

8.  The friendliness of the staff, awesome cannot say enough about the staff.......

9.  Chops, excellent and massive quantities of food prepared and presented well.  I had to waddle out of here.

 

And I guess I should now tell you about the one major disappointment that not even RCI can ever help resolve.

They  made me leave when my cruise was over.

Really!!!!!!

 

 

🙂

So what happened to the "Stowaway" story? Still intrigued...

 

[Lionesss]

20 hours ago, Lionesss said:

 

 

Later

  I am reposting the picture of my princess and BRANDON.

 

Why, because this next section needs a little background information in order for it to flow properly.

 

Yes you see as I stated before BRANDON is an athletic trainer for a not to be named university.  His university is not one under investigation lets say----- shall we -----for not so good practices that are currently awaiting their penalties.

His university drug screens for all illegal and banned substances from narcs to steroids and whatever else those body enhancing supplements are.  He has never and will not jeopardize losing his job, that he worked so hard for, yup he is strong,

He works out with the football team from 4:30am. to 4:30pm. with different sessions for different players, and yes his physique is from hard work.

 

Along comes Princess Christina who in her younger days used to be a competitive skater............never made the big times but knew how to work.  So missy starts working out not to be undone..............did you see the guns on her!!!!!!

She can press 275 pounds and hold it for the 10 count, yup she picks up Brandon and can carry him, not bad for a 131 pound weakling.

 

So before we sailed we had a little talk with the Incredible Hulk and Wonder Women.  We told them that the cruise line RCI has zero tolerance for any unruly behavior, whether it be something as simple as verbal confrontation to fighting.  Not that they would----- but I can see how he could intimidate someone.  With that being said on to

 

Are you ready.............................

 

Yes

 

 

CASINO ROYAL

 

So we had about $200 dollars left on our OBC, and made an offer to the kids, they could either use the onboard credit to buy souvenirs or have $200 cash to gamble in casino.  No brainer right?  Yup they took the cash.  (surprise)  oooopss should it have been  (really!).

 

So I am happily winning on my favorite slot machine drinking  my "skinny pirates" and the spouse is losing money on his not so favorite black jack table when un-be-known to us the our travel mates left the gym and decided to pay their respects to the casino.

 

So BRANDON'S favorite past time is Roulette.  

So he watches the  board to see if it has a trend,  red, black high low, I do not play roulette I am a slot person, but I guess he was just standing their minding his own business watching the screen. Really, if it were that easy we all would win.

 

So after about 20 min.   he places a bet and all that I know is he won money, he came out ahead $600 he was ecstatic and could not have been happier.  People on the table were happy for him....

Well not everyone................the man who works for the casino in charge of the table when placing his winnings ------------------short changed him, yup  Brandon knew he won $600 dollars------ and told the worker he owes him more money...............that attendant got very belligerent and nasty.............saying his payout was right .......................it was not till two other players at the table spoke up and said listen we play roulette often we want the pit boss here now to settle this.  The worker slammed the rest of the winnings on the table, never saying a word, but they said is attitude and look could kill.

Now BRANDON remembering Moma Lyons words of wisdom left the table did not want conflict and went to the bar to drink (Yup they had the drink package too).

 

The next day at dinner we find out what happened.

I was upset, but did not want to be a helicopter parent and solve their issues, but it bugged me.----------------------------

Trying to take advantage of young players.

 

So I slept on it, and the next day I just shared the story with the concierge.

I said I did not want anything done, we are happy, all is well, but it bugged us.

 

Well the next thing you know The head of the casino (Jose) (I guess all important people on the Allure are called Jose), left a message on our machine that he wanted to meet with us.

 

Well we did.

 

We went to the casino, and Jose and another pit boss met with us, guess he wanted a witness.

And he asked us if we would share with him what happened.

So Brandon did and repeated what I posted above.

 

So Jose goes, Brandon, we run the ship like Vegas, if this happened over 24 hours ago, it is long over due, we cannot compensate for issues that long ago.

The look on Brandon's face.....here we made him speak to Jose, and this occurs. And he feels like heck.

 

Well not to be undone, and the mother in me comes out.

 

I started.

................Jose I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us.

If you recall what Brandon just said, he received his proper winnings, we are not asking for money.............................we just wanted someone to be aware that it took two fellow gamblers to address the issue of a wrong payout and Brandon  did get the proper winnings issued.   And the treatment  was uncalled for from a service employee.

And Jose, I am greatful you treat the casino on the rules and guidelines based out of Vegas, and just like Vegas I know those little security cameras have this all recorded.......and you can view for yourself what occurred if you have not already done so!

 

OMG

Jose, apologized, went to the associate---told him  to pull the schedule and see who was at the table.

He then asked if there was anything else he could do for us, we said no, and thanked him for his time..

None of us ever gambled after that night and I am happy to say Brandon went home $800 ahead, (should have asked for a cut), it was a long and interesting night using the drink package at the bar.

 

Thank you Brandon, for staying calm

Thank you Jose, for listening we appreciate what you did.

Thank you slot gods, for my revenue.

 

And I am sure you will all be glad to hear the next posting will be, but not limited to.....

 

STOWAWAYS

 

But first a side note    (REALLY)!!!!

 

I think all know by now I am newly retired.

The spouse is in the work force and had to grace their presence with his today.

He was not thrilled at 5am. after a late night that he had to kiss his beautiful wife and pet    "THE CAT' who were comfortably sleeping in the bed he wish he did not leave.

 

So in-order to be productive.

I decided to finish the wash and iron.

 

Well let me tell you flying first class and stuffing the suitcases to the 70 pound mark, I am one of those "SUSIE HOMEMAKERS"   (get it  SUE....SUSIE.....)   🙂    Where everything has to be washed (washy---washy) and those needing ironing ironed before he gets home.............wash done..............now gotta get the old board out and start pressing away.

 

So when I am done, ironing and putting everything away the spouse will be so proud of me, and I could be a good wifey or spousy................

 

This could take awhile

 

But when I share the next story you will be so proud of me just knowing I am done ironing and read the next chapter with calmness and reassurance.

 

See you later as the last mist of steam leaves the iron.

 

later.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Lionesss
momism

[Espn]

I love your review style and can't wait for more. Sort of like a book you can't put down. Thanks for taking the time to entertain and inform us.

[John&LaLa]

5 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Yep, this "new" version of the All-Access tour started about 2 years ago... I did this "new" tour on Harmony, and my feedback to the tour leader was very  negative. I posted this on CC as well on my review. If you ever did the tour on previous ships before 2017 you know exactly what I mean (and as Lionesss perfectly explained)... the new tour is probably great for those who have never done it (newbies for example?) perhaps, however they truly don't know what they've missed.

 

Hey Lionesss, I used to post on almost everyone's review to say thank you for taking the time, however I've become more of a lurker. I still read all reviews without posting... on this one I just wanted to drop by to say "thank you" for the entertainment, you're awesome! 😀👍

 

Use of the love/laugh/thanks buttons works well

[Lionesss]

When I first started out with this thread I had no idea where it would take me.

 

Yea, some of it was fun, and some of it was painful to follow.  Yup, very painful.

 

But after I have read so  many reviews I tried to do something different and include the family escapades.

Yes all of what I posted actually occurred.

 

I thank the critics (yup that is why it is called cruise critic) from bringing to my attention how my thread was heading.

It is appreciated.

 

And yea, some of it was funny and some of it got old.

 

But you know after 1,000 hits by an unknown number of cruise critics, it must have at least drawn some attention.

The number of hits was not my initial intention, but wow.

 

When I look at all avenues of life as well as cruise critic it is my outlet to escape from: 

 

 

Earthquakes

Volcanoes erupting

Floods

Tropical storms 

Sink holes

People losing their lives to sharks.

All leading stories on the news....

 

 

And my own health issues.  Which thank God are under control.

 

 

 

So with that, I thank you for letting me entertain you.

 

It is time to sail into the sunset....................(Oh God that was painful)

 

But.........................

 

"....Remember in life..............there is always something olde to be sought and enjoyed always something new to be found treasured and shared, thank you for sharing your time with me.............................."

 

Sue 

 

 

P.S.  BRANDON     🙂

 

[Ocean Boy]

Don't let one negative post get to you. You have been around here long enough to know that there will always be someone...

[mcgore83]

Ocean boy is correct. Please continue the review! Very well written and entertaining.

[SRV FAN]

1 hour ago, Lionesss said:

When I first started out with this thread I had no idea where it would take me.

 

Yea, some of it was fun, and some of it was painful to follow.  Yup, very painful.

 

But after I have read so  many reviews I tried to do something different and include the family escapades.

Yes all of what I posted actually occurred.

 

I thank the critics (yup that is why it is called cruise critic) from bringing to my attention how my thread was heading.

It is appreciated.

 

And yea, some of it was funny and some of it got old.

 

But you know after 1,000 hits by an unknown number of cruise critics, it must have at least drawn some attention.

The number of hits was not my initial intention, but wow.

 

When I look at all avenues of life as well as cruise critic it is my outlet to escape from: 

 

 

Earthquakes

Volcanoes erupting

Floods

Tropical storms 

Sink holes

People losing their lives to sharks.

All leading stories on the news....

 

 

And my own health issues.  Which thank God are under control.

 

 

 

So with that, I thank you for letting me entertain you.

 

It is time to sail into the sunset....................(Oh God that was painful)

 

But.........................

 

"....Remember in life..............there is always something olde to be sought and enjoyed always something new to be found treasured and shared, thank you for sharing your time with me.............................."

 

Sue 

 

 

P.S.  BRANDON     🙂

 

Stowaways??? Was that just a “tease”? 

 

 

[CruisinCons]

Wait! Don't go!!  I just got here and read all five pages!  Now you have to finish!  The stowaway?  I need to know!!! 

[deedle7544]

Come back - don;t let one spoil it for many. And also, Brandon has a following now.

 

So let's go!!!!!

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, Lionesss said:

When I first started out with this thread I had no idea where it would take me.

 

Yea, some of it was fun, and some of it was painful to follow.  Yup, very painful.

 

But after I have read so  many reviews I tried to do something different and include the family escapades.

Yes all of what I posted actually occurred.

 

I thank the critics (yup that is why it is called cruise critic) from bringing to my attention how my thread was heading.

It is appreciated.

 

And yea, some of it was funny and some of it got old.

 

But you know after 1,000 hits by an unknown number of cruise critics, it must have at least drawn some attention.

The number of hits was not my initial intention, but wow.

 

When I look at all avenues of life as well as cruise critic it is my outlet to escape from: 

 

 

Earthquakes

Volcanoes erupting

Floods

Tropical storms 

Sink holes

People losing their lives to sharks.

All leading stories on the news....

 

 

And my own health issues.  Which thank God are under control.

 

 

 

So with that, I thank you for letting me entertain you.

 

It is time to sail into the sunset....................(Oh God that was painful)

 

But.........................

 

"....Remember in life..............there is always something olde to be sought and enjoyed always something new to be found treasured and shared, thank you for sharing your time with me.............................."

 

Sue 

 

 

P.S.  BRANDON     🙂

 

 

Well, I've enjoyed it. Appreciate the effort immensely.  These things are hard to do.