Trip Report of our B2B cruise on the Allure, 12/1 - 12/7 (sorry, no pics, nothing really new to share)

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Review of our Allure of the Seas B2B cruises from 12/1 and 12/4. 3 days to Nassau and CocoCay and 4 days to the same ports with a sea day. No pictures, we’ve all been there! Although there are some criticisms here, overall we had a great time, we love cruising.

 

For the 3 day we were in a balcony cabin on deck 11 at the exact center of the ship and for the 4 day we were in a forward balcony cabin on deck 7. This was our first time trying a B2B as after we had booked the 3 day for my birthday, we decided 3 days was not enough and added the second one more than a month later. Interesting that the 4 day (Mon-Fri) was less expensive than the 3 day weekend one. This was a cruise “on the cheap” so to speak, no shore excursions, no specialty restaurants and being Diamond, no need for any drink package, but since I love the choices of Freestyle, we did buy those for the 3 day cruise.

 

Quick note on Deck 7 cabins. The aft elevator banks do not connect. If you are in a starboard cabin, be sure to use that set of elevators because due to the Boardwalk on Deck 6, there is no hallway connecting the two banks. The forward elevators have a hallway, so it is not an issue there.

 

My wife is a diabetic on the pump and a CGM. We were able to take these manually through security without issue. The people on the machines were very understanding and were friendly and easily did a hand check of her stuff.

 

Turnover day went smoothly and I will share a really neat story about that later!

 

First Category: Food

Well, let’s get this over with. For the record, we started cruising in the late 1990s when all you had were the buffet and the dining room and dinner was an occasion with 7 courses and super talented and attentive wait staff. It is wrong to compare then to now, but we can’t help ourselves. Food on the Grandeur in the late 90s was so much better than today. You’re right, not fair, but there you go.

 

We do not like the new menus. There is no variety, there are fewer courses and as before you got a separate dessert menu after dinner, now you must order everything at once. We ate in the dining room the first cruise and avoided it, except for one truly awful night, on the second.

 

Service was not the issue. Everyone was attentive to our needs, and I noticed they were attentive to the other tables as well. They were warm and friendly and we could joke around with them. Even the head waiter, Derek (him I remember, otherwise I am so terrible with names) paid us close attention. Besides mine, there were 2 other birthdays around us and there was chorus after chorus of spirited Happy Birthdays going around. Even the specialty cheesecake given to me for my birthday was really good, and I don’t normally like cheesecake. It was very light and fluffy.

 

So, with the free drinks, we ordered a drink every night with dinner. The bar staff, Enrigue, was so much fun. After the first night, he knew I wanted a rum old fashioned every night while my wife changed things up. He kidded around with us, which I always enjoy. Strangely, the drinks were not consistent. An old fashion should be an orange peel and a cherry garnish. Only the 2^nd one was properly made. Yes, I tipped him separately and generously.

 

Derek allowed us to change our table assignment for the 2^nd cruise to a window seat on deck 3. For the first cruise, we were right at the entrance on deck 3, table 101. Easy to find but the foot traffic was a bit much. We accepted the change.

 

The food was highly inconsistent and on 2 of the nights, finding something to order was difficult. One night my wife tried the “free” steak, and it was awful, fatty, dry and almost inedible. Something even Golden Corral would be ashamed to serve. Whoever puts these menus together and gets the ingredients for the kitchen needs to re-think this. Where dining was a major highlight of past cruises, now, it is just something to do and move on. 

 

What still works is the Park Café in Central Park. The Kummelweck is still a winner (bring back the chips!) and the bagels in the morning were super fresh. There used to be 2 or 3 bagels and 3-4 toppings, so of course, now there are only plain and onion bagels and plain and one other cream cheese. We took all our breakfasts and lunches there. The area is quiet and uncrowded.

 

During the first cruise, we did not eat in the Windjammer, the Promenade Café, nor Mexican place connected to the Windjammer, nor did we get pizza.

One stay-over day included lunch in the dining room. Only 6 people showed up. Mind you, I think previous B2B cruisers expected a fancier menu as several walked in and then walked out. Having no expectations, we stayed and had the best meal of the week. We both had the beef short ribs, and they were outstanding, fork tender, beefy with a creamy, rich gravy and served with al dente vegetables.

 

For every dish like those beef ribs, then we had the disaster on the French night meu. On the 2^nd night of the 4 night, we returned to the dining room to our new window table and watched mother nature put on a show of a sunset. The French menu had Chicken Cordon Blue, which we both wanted to try. When served, mine was twice as big as my wife’s. That was warning #1. When I cut into mine, the bread crumb layer was thicker than the chicken. Wrong. After one cut, the breast, with the ham, slid right out from the bread crumb layer leaving a large tube of breadcrumbs and a naked chicken breast. Even worse than that was the gruyere cheese sauce was flavorless, not a hint of cheese. The very worst thing RCCL has ever served us, it displayed a complete lack of skill on how to prepare and serve the dish. Yes, I called over the head waiter and showed him the kitchen disaster. Yes they gave me another dish, but it wasn’t what I had really expected or wanted. Being that the next two nights were repeats from our first cruise with menu’s we didn’t really appreciate, it was our last night in the dining room. RCCL needs to re-think this cost cutting in the dining room, the meals you serve here are totally second rate.

 

We finished the week with a late lunch at Johnny Rockets, which was very good and had first rate malts and a dinner at the Windjammer which was just okay as we mostly wanted just salad and fruit.

 

So, food wise, a few hits, many misses, IMHO, an area RCCL needs to seriously improve.

 

2^nd Category: Entertainment.

 

Everything here was a home run. On my birthday, we saw Mama Mia. Unlike other shows, RCCL does not cut down the show, it is the full two-act Broadway version of the show. So, it is a long evening and well worth every minute. Superbly cast and produced, Mama Mia is the perfect cruise show. It is fun, entertaining and acceptable for families. We saw it twice. Prepare yourself for a great time.

 

Blue Planet was premiering an all new version. We met the Choreographer and Stage Manager will getting on and off the ship during the turn around. I’m glad we did since we didn’t know it was a new version. Another very entertaining show with a talented group of singers, acrobats and dancers and only 45 minutes.

 

We also saw Oceanaria and Bladez, two more hits. The diving is amazing, and the skating show is really fun. Bladez doesn’t have a plot, it is a series skating to music acts, including a set to 80s music. The only show we missed was the comedy show.

 

One evening we sat in on the pianist’s Elton John- Billy Joel show. He is a very competent keyboard player. Unfortunately, his vocal range is way, way too limited for these two artists. He had a habit of shouting lines and many in the audience just cringed at his rather flat voice. He needed to bring more sing a long and less solos to the set, heck, we all know all the songs anyway!

 

The islands – well, we’ve been to both many times before and we finally had a visit to Nassau where it didn’t rain, both times! We didn’t do any shore excursions and we didn’t upgrade our visit to Coco Cay. We walked around Nassau and took the bay shuttle to Paradise Island just to walk around. The 2^nd day at Coco was hugely chilly, so we didn’t do much there.

 

I’ll finish with my favorite memory from the cruise. As I said, we loved Mama Mia. After returning to the ship for the 4-day cruise, you have to check in at your muster station. Ours was at the theater and our check-in person was none other than the actor who plays Bill in Mama Mia. He is a tall Australian and I recognized him immediately. Also, in the theater were two of the ensemble cast. Well, since the ship was only just starting boarding, we got to spend a merry 15-20 minutes with them. They were very kind and were gracious to accept our praises and we took several pictures. It just gave that second cruise a beautiful start. Even funnier, that night we skipped dinner as we were full from the Beef Short Ribs and had a later supper of salad in the Windjammer. We sat in back to watch the performers of Oceanaria beginning to warm up. Lo and behold, there was the actor who played Bill and his buddy, the actor who played Sam! No, we didn’t invite ourselves to dine with them. We did get another 5 minutes and more pictures. We ran into them 2 more times as well. I had to promise them no, we were not stalking them! They were so nice and it really tickled us to meet them.

So, another cruise under our feet. We still enjoy cruising and in fact, have 2 more planned, the Wonder in May of 2024 and the Independence in Norway in 2025. I will answer any questions.

[perfect match]

We have an upcoming B2B on Allure, so I appreciate your review. I sure hope Royal takes your advice and improves the menus and quality in the MDR! Other than that, we’re really looking forward to being back onboard Allure.