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The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas


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The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas

 

Part 1: Prologue

 

Many of you may have followed my previous review about the Oasis of the Seas. If not, you can find it here: The Almost Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Oasis of the Seas. If you recall my writing on that review you know that I posted a daily account of my eating adventures on the Oasis. Each day my wife and I visited a new specialty restaurant. I also wrote about what we did for breakfast and lunch and some of the places we ate off of the ship. You may remember that I never ate at the Windjammer. Guess what? I never did on this cruise either! :eek:

 

The review also had some information about the ship and things that I did each day in and around the ship.

 

I hope for this thread to be similar to that one. However, this one can only be similar as I did not have the same opportunity to eat at all of the specialty restaurants. This time I was travelling with my family and my extended family.

 

e1941216.jpg

Me, my wife, my son, my sister, my mother, my daughter and my father. Not pictured: my mother-in-law

 

So, if the previous review was The Almost Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Oasis of the Seas, why is this one The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas? Well, I'm sure many of you have guessed that travelling with this large party made it, let's say, a little more difficult to do what we wanted throughout the cruise. That doesn't necessarily make it less enjoyable, just different. So while my wife and I visited fewer specialty restaurants, we did visit a few. And I did take lots of pictures, especially of the food.

 

Before I get into the review of the Allure of the Seas, I'd like to give you a few of my thoughts:

  • Sailing on the Oasis or the Allure means lots of planning. If you don't enjoy pre-trip planning, these ships may not be for you. I'd like to share my planning document with you. Feel free to view it here: Allure Cruise.
  • Many have said to me that these ships are "too big". Honestly, I'm not sure what that means. Too big how? Too big to get around? My father who has a very hard time walking had no problem getting around the ship. (The Miami Airport is another story...ugh, what a terrible place. :mad:) The ship is easy to get used to and while at first I was correcting my family on the direction we needed to walk, by the end they were correcting ME! :) I love these Oasis class ships!
  • While I recommend you take advantage of everything the ship has to offer, obviously that's somewhere between difficult and impossible. Pick what you want to do and if you miss something, look forward to doing it the next time you return! :)
  • And finally, I'll end this section the way I ended the previous review, "I'm not afraid to have some fun. Are you?"

 

1ace9962.jpg

My son on the carousel

 

Next - Part 2: Arriving in Florida

 

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Oh I can not wait to read this review!! We are traveling as a family on the Allure July 29.. Myself, DH and DD (age 5), my sister and her hubby and 2 girls (22 & 20) and our parents - can't wait to hear about the 'family' larege group experience !

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OMG I am sooooo stealing your planner!!!!!

 

Can't wait to hear about ritas fiesta we are doing that the first night thought it would be a fun way to start the trip..

 

We did nachi cocum on out carnival cruise in 09 and we loved it!!

 

The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas

 

Part 1: Prologue

 

Many of you may have followed my previous review about the Oasis of the Seas. If not, you can find it here: The Almost Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Oasis of the Seas. If you recall my writing on that review you know that I posted a daily account of my eating adventures on the Oasis. Each day my wife and I visited a new specialty restaurant. I also wrote about what we did for breakfast and lunch and some of the places we ate off of the ship. You may remember that I never ate at the Windjammer. Guess what? I never did on this cruise either! :eek:

 

The review also had some information about the ship and things that I did each day in and around the ship.

 

I hope for this thread to be similar to that one. However, this one can only be similar as I did not have the same opportunity to eat at all of the specialty restaurants. This time I was travelling with my family and my extended family.

 

e1941216.jpg

Me, my wife, my son, my sister, my mother, my daughter and my father. Not pictured: my mother-in-law

 

So, if the previous review was The Almost Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Oasis of the Seas, why is this one The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas? Well, I'm sure many of you have guessed that travelling with this large party made it, let's say, a little more difficult to do what we wanted throughout the cruise. That doesn't necessarily make it less enjoyable, just different. So while my wife and I visited fewer specialty restaurants, we did visit a few. And I did take lots of pictures, especially of the food.

 

Before I get into the review of the Allure of the Seas, I'd like to give you a few of my thoughts:

  • Sailing on the Oasis or the Allure means lots of planning. If you don't enjoy pre-trip planning, these ships may not be for you. I'd like to share my planning document with you. Feel free to view it here: Allure Cruise.
  • Many have said to me that these ships are "too big". Honestly, I'm not sure what that means. Too big how? Too big to get around? My father who has a very hard time walking had no problem getting around the ship. (The Miami Airport is another story...ugh, what a terrible place. :mad:) The ship is easy to get used to and while at first I was correcting my family on the direction we needed to walk, by the end they were correcting ME! :) I love these Oasis class ships!
  • While I recommend you take advantage of everything the ship has to offer, obviously that's somewhere between difficult and impossible. Pick what you want to do and if you miss something, look forward to doing it the next time you return! :)
  • And finally, I'll end this section the way I ended the previous review, "I'm not afraid to have some fun. Are you?"

 

1ace9962.jpg

My son on the carousel

 

Next - Part 2: Arriving in Florida

 

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Did the kids love the Allure?

 

My sixteen year-old daughter said that she loved the cruise. She's big into theater, so she went to all of the shows with us. She didn't make any friends the first night, so she kind of gave up after that. I think she was enjoying being with us, especially with mom.

 

My thirteen year-old son? Well, I saw him every day for dinner and for a few minutes here and there. Otherwise, I didn't know I had a son! He made about a dozen friends and that was that; never to be heard from again. He got in at 1 AM every day and I was usually asleep already! :p (Always the party animal, that's me.) He woke up at 10ish and I was long gone by then. Did he have fun? I hope so, but I really have no clear idea on that. Did it seem like he had fun? Absolutely!

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OMG I am sooooo stealing your planner!!!!!

Enjoy! That's one reason I posted it. :)

 

We did nachi cocum on out carnival cruise in 09 and we loved it!!

 

Second time at Nachi for my wife and me. Opinions come later... ;)

 

WhooHoo! We are traveling on family cruise on Allure next October (if the itineraries ever come out!!!) so I am so looking forward to reading your review! Thank you!!!!

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Yay! I enjoyed your Oasis review, can't wait to read this one. Glad you had a great time on your cruise. We're sailing the Allure in a few months.

Thanks! :) Have a great cruise!

 

Brilliant planner BTW! :)

 

And thanks again!

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YAY...the review is here! I've been looking forward to this - we all get a chance to relive the cruise through your eyes :). I'm in serious post cruise withdrawal and I need something to help relive my cruise too - this is just what the doctor ordered! Sooooo looking forward to the rest!!

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Unfortunately my notes are on my iPad and I thought it would be available on iCloud...but not to be. I'll have to post the next installment tonight. Sorry for the delay, but it's coming up soon.

 

 

No worries.....it'll give us all something to look forward too later :p

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My sixteen year-old daughter said that she loved the cruise. She's big into theater, so she went to all of the shows with us. She didn't make any friends the first night, so she kind of gave up after that. I think she was enjoying being with us, especially with mom.

 

My thirteen year-old son? Well, I saw him every day for dinner and for a few minutes here and there. Otherwise, I didn't know I had a son! He made about a dozen friends and that was that; never to be heard from again. He got in at 1 AM every day and I was usually asleep already! :p (Always the party animal, that's me.) He woke up at 10ish and I was long gone by then. Did he have fun? I hope so, but I really have no clear idea on that. Did it seem like he had fun? Absolutely!

 

Brian, my daughter will be 13 when we sail on Allure in October. Is there structured programs/activites for the teens or do they just hangout together?? I'm alittle leery about letting her stay out until 1 a.m. , but we are travelling with friends and will have a guy friend to be with.

 

BTW ... great start to your review and I can't wait to read more!!

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Brian, my daughter will be 13 when we sail on Allure in October. Is there structured programs/activites for the teens or do they just hangout together?? I'm alittle leery about letting her stay out until 1 a.m. , but we are travelling with friends and will have a guy friend to be with.

 

There are events, my son played Amazing Race during the day with a group. His team won. :) At night it's mostly just, "hang out in the teen lounge." But there are events at night too. There was a special teen party and one night was teen Flowrider and another was teen swimming.

 

While it sounds bad as a parent of a young teen, it seems to me that the kids just all hang out together. So as long as your daughter is in a group of kids, all will be safe.

 

As for the 1 AM thing, it's hard to prevent. They're all out until then. One night it was almost 1:30 and my wife went nuts. She found my son on the Promenade with 5 others, just walking through. The counselors apparently told them 2 AM was okay. Well, it wasn't for us and at least half of the other parents weren't happy either. We told him, 1 AM curfew, no excuses. And it didn't happen again.

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Hi Brian

 

Great to read you again. I really enjoyed the Oasis manuscript/novel.

Like you I am a 'foodie' (whatever that means) and we are jumping on Allure this coming Sunday (4/22). We were on last September and truly loved the ship and the dining possiblilities.

 

Having cruised RCI for 23 years now we don't really go to the MDR any more - not because I think the product is bad - I just believe I've already eaten everything they may serve multiple times.

 

For our upcoming cruise we have 150, Chops, Giovannis and Izumi reserved. To fill in I am planning on reserving 150 again after figuring out when the menu changes and then walking into Ritas and Vintages.

 

We have decided not to do the fiesta mainly because it is a fixed menu and it seems like ot would be more fun with a group.

 

I really like Vintages for a relaxing dinner - I found the tapas really good and pretty inexpensive for what you get. I am curious whether you made it there this cruise (and your opinion of course).

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So I just finished your Oasis review and cannot wait for this one. As I think you know I recently won a cruise on FB "the sea is calling sweepstakes" and we just got the green light that RCI has awarded us our first choice on the Allure in Feb. My husband and I just love the specialty restaurants and usually have to double our visits to each, so it is nice to know there are many options. I did however notice that you did not do the Chefs table on the Allure. If you were to pick a night to have done this which night would you chose? Also heard (quite possibly from you or Stacey (cruisedivaNJ) that Rita's is to become Jimmy Buffets? Do you know if there is any truth to this? If so when? We have been to Jimmy Buffets all over the place and could live without that if that is truly the case?? Oh so many questions so much time!! Thankyou for all the countless hours of reviews, they come in so very handy!

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Can't wait to read your review, as we are booked for July 15 with extended family and our own son and a friend, ages 16 and 17. We've been on Oasis twice with the boys, and they loved it. I am surprised to hear the counselors told the kids 1:30-2:00 am was permitted -- on both our Oasis cruises, there was a ship curfew of 1am for under age 18. Our boys had a self-imposed 12 midnight curfew, though, after they discovered free room service food ends then! They were always back by 11:45 so they could get one last order in!

 

One question about Allure -- did you use the game/card room at all? We enjoy family games, and always spend time playing cards or Scrabble -- also found it's a great way for the kids who don't want to be in the teen room to meet each other. But we were kind of disappointed in the game room on Oasis compared to other RCCL ships. Only a couple of board games, and they disappeared after the second day. Fortunately, we always bring our own.

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I've subscribed and am excited to read your review Brian. I just re-read the Oasis food review (and noticed that I had even posted a few times there? hmmm). We are doing Allure in Oct and are debating between Chefs Table and 150 CP. I'll be interested in seeing how your experiences on Oasis and Allure compare.

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