Just back from Allure 4/10-4/16, quick overview

[adidas5676]

Let me start by saying my husband and I haven't been on a vacation sans our small children in the 5 years since they were born so we loved every minute of our cruise.  The cruise from start to finish was fantastic, all the processes in place were easy breezy, and it turns out it's a lot less complicated than it seemed.

 

-we drove to Fort Lauderdale from north of Tampa and it was without issue, show your passport to enter the parking lot and then follow the signs and security directions to park

-Entering the terminal was as easy as showing your passport and boarding pass, go through security and then get your pre-cruise photo and wait to board the ship

-They let us board the ship around 11:30AM and once on board we were allowed to remove our masks.  Explore and/or eat until staterooms are ready at 1pm

-Staterooms have a sealed card with your SeaPass in them attached to the door

-we've been waiting for this cruise since our original one was canceled due to covid for May 2020 so we were able to upgrade to a Crown Loft Suite and I must say we both agreed was totally worth it.  Not something we'll get to do often but definitely made for a special trip.  The loft attendants were fantastic

-Allure sailed with 4112 passengers on this sailing, only the pools were a bit crowded.  Everything else we didn't really have to wait at all for anything

-Ports were Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya.  All fantastic, but head's up Costa Maya is apparently *always* rough seas and I was extremely sea sick with the 30mph winds and sleeping on the 17th deck.  Be prepared if you have that port.  I don't get sea sick and never have before, but that port was a different experience

-we did Bingo, Casino, Oceanaria, Ice Games and mini golf.  Oceanaria was by far the best show.  Ice Games was a bit cheesy and the skaters had several mistakes but give them credit for the small size of a rink they had to perform on.  Mama Mia is a 2.5 hour show and we didn't have enough free time to spend watching that so we skipped it.

-We did the 3 night specialty dining.  Chops was mostly great, Izumi was great, 150 Central Park service was great, dinner was not

-very organized processes for ports, you do not need to bring your passport.  Just your seapass card

-Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen were our most used spaces and we very much enjoyed this space.  Great service and food, plus the fancy coffee machine really helped us stay awake for all our adventures

-disembarking at the end of the cruise was also well organized and a breeze.  Just get your face ID and you're out of the terminal.

 

Any questions just ask!

[4Nathan]

Thanks for the review! We sail May 8.  Looking forward to our OS.  We debated booking a CLS for convenience to CK and SL but I didn’t want to give up the tub and huge balcony of our OS! How crowded is the suite lounge at happy hour?  Did you have to make dinner reservations for the Coastal kitchen ?  How far out before you sailed did the concierge  email you? Are they able to make all your dining/show reservations?  Is the reserved suite seating at shows held til right before show starts?  Were sun loungers readily available on the suite sun deck or do the ignorant chair hogs exist in suite class as well? Lol and one last question - how crowded was the solarium and does the crew ensure kids aren’t allowed to run wild through there?  Thank you so much!

[lisabdh1]

Do you have the dailies? Sorry the seas were so rough at Costa Maya, that had to be annoying!

[adidas5676]

3 hours ago, 4Nathan said:

Thanks for the review! We sail May 8.  Looking forward to our OS.  We debated booking a CLS for convenience to CK and SL but I didn’t want to give up the tub and huge balcony of our OS! How crowded is the suite lounge at happy hour?  Did you have to make dinner reservations for the Coastal kitchen ?  How far out before you sailed did the concierge  email you? Are they able to make all your dining/show reservations?  Is the reserved suite seating at shows held til right before show starts?  Were sun loungers readily available on the suite sun deck or do the ignorant chair hogs exist in suite class as well? Lol and one last question - how crowded was the solarium and does the crew ensure kids aren’t allowed to run wild through there?  Thank you so much!

We had no issues in the lounge for happy hour.  The only time we had trouble finding a seat in the lounge was around breakfast time when we stopped in for a coffee and fruit.  Great thing about suites is that you can order room service for free and that was a great convenience we put to use on port days so that we didn't have to rush.  We did make reservations for dinner at CK but all 3 nights we ate there there seemed to be available tables anyway.  Concierge emailed me the week of the cruise and was helpful setting dinner reservations and shows.  We only kept one show reservation, for Ice Games, and ended up being 15 minutes late because dinner ran late at Izumi so we don't know when they released seats that were reserved but even being late we had no issue finding good seats.  No chair hogs on the suite sun deck, it was empty.  Great spots up there though.  Solarium was pretty busy on sea days, as expected, we used two different hot tubs and it wasn't "crowded" but it wasn't empty either.  Wish the suite sun deck had it's own hot tub.  Did not see small children in the solarium at all.  Hope that helps and enjoy your cruise!

[adidas5676]

3 hours ago, lisabdh1 said:

Do you have the dailies? Sorry the seas were so rough at Costa Maya, that had to be annoying!

Sorry, what is "dailies"?  It had been 5 years since our last cruise, we aren't caught up on the lingo! 🙂

[jbrinkm]

The only printed "daily" - I think you're referring to the Cruise Compass? - that I saw was in the hands of a staff member at guest services. I boarded this ship fully intending to hunt down and request printed Cruise Compasses but ended up liking the app.

[adidas5676]

Oh, the printed cruise compass was placed in our stateroom nightly by our loft attendants.  It was mostly just showtimes though, I also preferred the app.

[RJ257]

5 hours ago, adidas5676 said:

Let me start by saying my husband and I haven't been on a vacation sans our small children in the 5 years since they were born so we loved every minute of our cruise.  The cruise from start to finish was fantastic, all the processes in place were easy breezy, and it turns out it's a lot less complicated than it seemed.

 

-we drove to Fort Lauderdale from north of Tampa and it was without issue, show your passport to enter the parking lot and then follow the signs and security directions to park

-Entering the terminal was as easy as showing your passport and boarding pass, go through security and then get your pre-cruise photo and wait to board the ship

-They let us board the ship around 11:30AM and once on board we were allowed to remove our masks.  Explore and/or eat until staterooms are ready at 1pm

-Staterooms have a sealed card with your SeaPass in them attached to the door

-we've been waiting for this cruise since our original one was canceled due to covid for May 2020 so we were able to upgrade to a Crown Loft Suite and I must say we both agreed was totally worth it.  Not something we'll get to do often but definitely made for a special trip.  The loft attendants were fantastic

-Allure sailed with 4112 passengers on this sailing, only the pools were a bit crowded.  Everything else we didn't really have to wait at all for anything

-Ports were Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya.  All fantastic, but head's up Costa Maya is apparently *always* rough seas and I was extremely sea sick with the 30mph winds and sleeping on the 17th deck.  Be prepared if you have that port.  I don't get sea sick and never have before, but that port was a different experience

-we did Bingo, Casino, Oceanaria, Ice Games and mini golf.  Oceanaria was by far the best show.  Ice Games was a bit cheesy and the skaters had several mistakes but give them credit for the small size of a rink they had to perform on.  Mama Mia is a 2.5 hour show and we didn't have enough free time to spend watching that so we skipped it.

-We did the 3 night specialty dining.  Chops was mostly great, Izumi was great, 150 Central Park service was great, dinner was not

-very organized processes for ports, you do not need to bring your passport.  Just your seapass card

-Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen were our most used spaces and we very much enjoyed this space.  Great service and food, plus the fancy coffee machine really helped us stay awake for all our adventures

-disembarking at the end of the cruise was also well organized and a breeze.  Just get your face ID and you're out of the terminal.

 

Any questions just ask!

Hi,

 

I too was on that cruise. I drove in from West Palm Beach with a 12:30-1:00 boarding time. I was parking my car about 12:40-12:45 and so easy to get on board. Went right to my room on deck 12 as it was 1pm and room was ready.

 

The Solarium on sea days was very empty around 8:30-9:30 am when I arrived. A few afternoons at the Solarium bar I was only one seated around 5pm though folks came up and ordered drinks. I really thought there were far less passengers than the 4100 I was told about. I had no waiting anywhere and 80% of the time I was the only person in the elevator. No one sitting close to me at the 7:15 Aqua show.

 

The casino got busy later but honestly I didn't think it was very smoky at all unless you were right next to someone smoking which was rare for me. I found a couple of loose slots and won a fair amount of money so I was happy. Casino gave me $100 free slot play the last evening. Unfortunately that particular $100 didn't last long.

 

For those who like to sleep in ear plugs will come in handy. The room doors banging as people go to breakfast starts at about 6am every morning. That's on every ship Ive been on.

 

I take a copy of my passport as well as my sea pass card when getting off in port.

 

There was a good breeze blowing at Costa Maya but I didn't notice much rocking and rolling at all on board arriving or after leaving or at any time on this cruise. I'm sure it bothered some but it doesn't seem to bother me. Very nice weather for the week.

 

I had room service breakfast on my room balcony each morning, on time each day and warm food. They call when food is on the way.

 

I also agree that getting off the ship was very easy and quick. I will return!

Edited April 19, 2022 by RJ257
spelling

[EntropyGuardian]

Haven't been on a cruise for 6 years. Looking forward to Allure and other options being in Galveston by the time we can save up enough for a cruise. Did a pricing of interiors vs crown loft suite and I think I'd opt for a btb before doing that but it sounds like a great ship. 

[adidas5676]

49 minutes ago, RJ257 said:

Hi,

 

I too was on that cruise. I drove in from West Palm Beach with a 12:30-1:00 boarding time. I was parking my car about 12:40-12:45 and so easy to get on board. Went right to my room on deck 12 as it was 1pm and room was ready.

 

The Solarium on sea days was very empty around 8:30-9:30 am when I arrived. A few afternoons at the Solarium bar I was only one seated around 5pm though folks came up and ordered drinks. I really thought there were far less passengers than the 4100 I was told about. I had no waiting anywhere and 80% of the time I was the only person in the elevator. No one sitting close to me at the 7:15 Aqua show.

 

The casino got busy later but honestly I didn't think it was very smoky at all unless you were right next to someone smoking which was rare for me. I found a couple of loose slots and won a fair amount of money so I was happy. Casino gave me $100 free slot play the last evening. Unfortunately that particular $100 didn't last long.

 

For those who like to sleep in ear plugs will come in handy. The room doors banging as people go to breakfast starts at about 6am every morning. That's on every ship Ive been on.

 

I take a copy of my passport as well as my sea pass card when getting off in port.

 

There was a good breeze blowing at Costa Maya but I didn't notice much rocking and rolling at all on board arriving or after leaving or at any time on this cruise. I'm sure it bothered some but it doesn't seem to bother me. Very nice weather for the week.

 

I had room service breakfast on my room balcony each morning, on time each day and warm food. They call when food is on the way.

 

I also agree that getting off the ship was very easy and quick. I will return!

Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well.  I agree we had fantastic weather, loved all the breezes in the ports and heard from locals that the breezes were a rarity so we got lucky.

 

It was my first time playing in a casino (yes, ever, and I'm 37!), how did you find out you got free play on the last day?  Did you get a notice in your stateroom or something?

[JamesEM]

Thanks for the review, will be on the ship in a few weeks. 

[RJ257]

22 hours ago, adidas5676 said:

Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well.  I agree we had fantastic weather, loved all the breezes in the ports and heard from locals that the breezes were a rarity so we got lucky.

 

It was my first time playing in a casino (yes, ever, and I'm 37!), how did you find out you got free play on the last day?  Did you get a notice in your stateroom or something?

I was in the casino 9:30-10:00 ish and heard my name called on the speaker to come to the casino desk. I thought it odd and maybe a sea pass card problem. They handed me a $100 certificate with instructions on how to play it. Nice! I thanked the lady and went on my way:) I also received an Instant Reward Cruise Certificate later that was in my room but figured many people got one of those.

[adidas5676]

2 hours ago, RJ257 said:

I was in the casino 9:30-10:00 ish and heard my name called on the speaker to come to the casino desk. I thought it odd and maybe a sea pass card problem. They handed me a $100 certificate with instructions on how to play it. Nice! I thanked the lady and went on my way:) I also received an Instant Reward Cruise Certificate later that was in my room but figured many people got one of those.

Wow must have been your lucky night, congrats!

[Terpsfan1]

Considering this cruise and others that go to Cozumel and Costa Maya.  Did you feel that there were any safety issues in Mexico? I am a seasoned traveler, but have heard a variety of warnings regarding travel Mexico.

[RJ257]

5 hours ago, Terpsfan1 said:

Considering this cruise and others that go to Cozumel and Costa Maya.  Did you feel that there were any safety issues in Mexico? I am a seasoned traveler, but have heard a variety of warnings regarding travel Mexico.

I observed nothing that concerned me about safety at the stop in Cozumel. I only went to the shops at the end of the dock in Costa Maya so no problem there. In Roatan, West Bay area lots of armed security patrolling the beach at Infinity Resort.

[jbrinkm]

8 hours ago, Terpsfan1 said:

Considering this cruise and others that go to Cozumel and Costa Maya.  Did you feel that there were any safety issues in Mexico? I am a seasoned traveler, but have heard a variety of warnings regarding travel Mexico.

 

I was also on this cruise and also didn't see anything of concern (and did activities out of the port in each of the stops). Two small things I noted, however, were first, an attempt at a scam in Cozumel by the taxi driver. We were headed to Paradise Beach a la carte (only for the morning as we were snorkeling and had a cabana in the afternoon) and - once we were in the taxi headed there - he told us that it was full for the day and we should go to this other place for $20pp. It was BS - Paradise Beach was not full for the day (their website usually says so AND he waited until we were already driving to tell us, they didn't say anything at the port before we started going). We tried to call right away but couldn't get the number and connection in time, so just went to the Cabana first and then made the call. We were able to still go, easily, but it cost us an extra cab ride. The second thing was that we went to Jaime's in Costa Maya and when they got us the taxi to go back, they took down our cab number "to make sure you make it back to the port ok." I hadn't felt unsafe at all until they said that!

[adidas5676]

14 hours ago, Terpsfan1 said:

Considering this cruise and others that go to Cozumel and Costa Maya.  Did you feel that there were any safety issues in Mexico? I am a seasoned traveler, but have heard a variety of warnings regarding travel Mexico.

We experienced zero safety issues in either Mexico port (Cozumel and Costa Maya).  We did a dolphin swim in Cozumel then some shopping by the port, and in Costa Maya we went to some far away Mayan ruins then a lagoon then back to port for shopping.