Allure Cabin Questions - Please Help!

[firsttimer12]

We are doing a family cruise on the Allure for Thanksgiving week. This will be our second cruise, the last one being on Adventure of the Seas. There, we had 2 OV Balcony rooms, one for me and DH, and the other for my 2 daughters (22 and 15). After hours and hours of knocking my head against a wall trying to decide which cabins we should book on the Allure, I booked one OV balcony and one Boardwalk balcony, rooms 12697 and 12688. Now, of course, I am second-guessing myself and thinking about looking at other rooms. My questions are:

- These are somewhat further back than other Boardwalk rooms. Will that make it more difficult to see anything going on at the water shows?

- Will we have more sway being up on the 12th level and more aft?

- I have read reviews saying Boardwalk rooms can be very noisy, and sometimes smell funny from the restaurants below. I have also read those saying once you close the doors, the noise is negligible. We don't spend a lot of time in the room (and this would be for the kids, who never go to sleep early). I thought it might be something a little different, but I am a little worried about whether this is actually a good idea or if Central Park would be better

- Also, I have NOT read anything about the Oceanview Balcony rooms that are in the Boardwalk area. Are they affected by the noise as well (because DH does sometimes try to get in naps and earlier to bed)?

Any info or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

[papaflamingo]

We're doing our first Boardwalk Balcony Mar. 3. We are in 12305 (about 3 cabins farther aft and across the ship from yours). I have wondered about the view also. I suspect that your cabin view will be more limited, but seems to me that there is a lot going on on the Boardwalk so I expect that when I sit on the balcony it'll be an interesting people watching time. We are with friends who have the last 3 cabins forward on our side. I'll try to post my opinion when we get back.
I am looking forward to it. Seems like it'll be a new experience. I do think that the Boardwalk will be preferable for me over Central Park as it has at least a look at the ocean and lots of entertaining activity. Central Park may be a bit too quiet. Also on Central Park you are below the pool decks, so I suppose that could factor in also.
As for movement, my guess is it won't be a problem. Unless you're very sensitive, Allure is so large and stable it would have to be pretty rough to get much movement.

[firsttimer12]

Thanks, I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Have a great cruise!

[KansCocoa]

Originally Posted by firsttimer12

- Also, I have NOT read anything about the Oceanview Balcony rooms that are in the Boardwalk area. Are they affected by the noise as well (because DH does sometimes try to get in naps and earlier to bed)?

Any info or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

I was on the Allure sailing last week with friends, who were in cabin #11329 (which is an Oceanview Balcony in the Boardwalk area).

They DID notice the noise...not just from the Boardwalk area, but from the Aqua Theater, as well...there was one particular night that featured a "Grease" sing-along at the Aqua Theater, which lasted until 1:00 am in the morning. It was pretty loud in the cabin, according to my friends.

So...if you're looking for "quiet" - for naps, or early to bed sleeping - I don't think the Boardwalk would be the best bet....but that's just my opinion.

[quantumleap]

Originally Posted by KansCocoa

I was on the Allure sailing last week with friends, who were in cabin #11329 (which is an Oceanview Balcony in the Boardwalk area).

They DID notice the noise...not just from the Boardwalk area, but from the Aqua Theater, as well...there was one particular night that featured a "Grease" sing-along at the Aqua Theater, which lasted until 1:00 am in the morning. It was pretty loud in the cabin, according to my friends.

So...if you're looking for "quiet" - for naps, or early to bed sleeping - I don't think the Boardwalk would be the best bet....but that's just my opinion.

According to the Allure deck plans on RCL's site, 11329 is a true Boardwalk Balcony cabin (facing the inside of the ship), rather than an Oceanview Balcony (facing the outside of the ship).

So unless that cabin number is a typo, it is not surprising that you'd get noise from the Boardwalk.

It would be interesting to know if outside Oceanview Balcony cabins closer to the end of the ship (like 11322, 11324, 11326, 11328...or the same positioned cabins on the Starboard side) do hear Boardwalk noise.

[HMH G]

Originally Posted by quantumleap

According to the Allure deck plans on RCL's site, 11329 is a true Boardwalk Balcony cabin (facing the inside of the ship), rather than an Oceanview Balcony (facing the outside of the ship).

So unless that cabin number is a typo, it is not surprising that you'd get noise from the Boardwalk.

It would be interesting to know if outside Oceanview Balcony cabins closer to the end of the ship (like 11322, 11324, 11326, 11328...or the same positioned cabins on the Starboard side) do hear Boardwalk noise.

My family had an oceanview balcony cabin just a couple of rooms in from the very back of the ship and I don't believe they ever had any noise complaints from the Boardwalk.

[relaxatsea]

We have had two Boardwalk Balcony cabins. We had 12717 on Oasis and 12715 on Allure.

We liked 12717 on Oasis so much we tried to get the same cabin on Allure, but could only get the one next door.

On Oasis, we found our cabin to be wonderful, very quiet, and with spectacular views of both the Aquatheatre and the sea beyond.

On Allure, although the view was likewise amazing, we did find we had considerable noise from the parties at Rita's Cantina.

We did not notice any cooking smells although we were right over Johnny Rockets and right across from Rita's Cantina. I have a very sensitive nose, and would definitely have noticed them.

The cabins were both beautiful, Oasis had the bed by the door and Allure had the bed by the balcony.

We somewhat preferred the bed by the door configuration, but both were just fine.

We had no problems at all being on Deck 12, no noticeable motion or any other concern.

I would highly recommend the Boardwalk Balcony cabins, just be aware that there may be some noise at night, but I think the advantages outweigh that disadvantage.

It is wonderful to see the Aquatheatre shows from your balcony and fun to watch the activities on the Boardwalk!

[firsttimer12]

Thanks, all. I had called Royal Caribbean to ask them some of these questions and they were not at all helpful, so this is great.

[roe2ship]

We had the last cabin 12329 on Oasis and had no issues with noise or any smells from the restaurants. When they are peforming the aqua show, you can hear some faint music in the cabin. I believe those shows have three night peformances so depending on how early your DH likes to go to bed....it could be an issue for him on those nights. Overall we were very pleased with a Boardwalk balcony and wouldn't hesitate to book another one. It is a different experience....a wonderful little change.