Allure - Eastern Caribbean: March 12-19, 2017

We disembarked yesterday following our Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Allure with a family group of 12 members ranging in age from 18 months to mid-70s. Our DD, DS and their respective families (5 grandkids in all) were on their first cruise and just loved it. One is already looking at future Harmony cruises while the other is looking a bit further down the road and keeping ship options open. DW and I, on the other hand, are very unlikely to repeat on the Allure. We will be returning to Celebrity for our next cruise, already booked, and will continue to view it and HAL our preferred lines. This isn’t because the Allure isn’t a good ship, but many of its best offerings simply aren’t things of interest to DW and I.

EMBARKATION:

We arrived shortly before 10:30AM as our hotel shuttle’s next run wouldn’t have arrived until close to 1:00PM, too late in our view. With all the anxious family members waiting to board their first cruise ship, waiting for the later shuttle would have been cruel.

Partly because of the early arrival and resulting lack of crowds, but mostly because of a very well designed check-in process, we zipped through and were in the waiting room in no time. I was surprised to see the play area for children, a great touch to keep them busy while waiting to board.

Once boarding started, things went very quickly, even though we weren’t in suites and have no priority status. As per our plan, we headed straight away to Park Cafe. Although it was quite busy, we were able to pull a few tables together and sit as a group. I was drawn here by the reputation of the signature "Kummelweck" roast beef sandwiches and wasn’t disappointed. If fact, I returned a few days later to enjoy another one. The Park Cafe was also our last dining spot on the Allure, having had breakfast there on our final morning.

As a small aside, and keeping in mind many of the comments on butting in line in a previous thread [http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2452725], there was a long line of people waiting for food at the first (and slower) food counter and, as a consequence, only a couple of people at the counter serving the Kummelweck. The Park Cafe manager was there, and I asked him if it would be appropriate to skip the long line and go directly to pick up a sandwich. He replied positively, and I had lunch in hand in under thirty seconds.

CABIN:

We were in 11198, a D2 on the hump with an extended balcony. I don’t know if it’s an exception for these larger balconies, but the table was more than adequate for DW and I to dine on. We had breakfast there several times as well as one dinner. I only mention this as I’ve read a few comments recently about the tables being to small to eat at.

The cabin itself was adequate, with a number of small design issues but none of them serious. Although comparable cabins on Celebrity are a bit bigger and better laid out, in my opinion, we normally don’t spend very much time in our cabin anyway, so we were quite satisfied.

On the other hand, there were a few things with the cabin that we. Found a bit disappointing. For starters, when we first entered the cabin we could easily see dips on both sides of the bed created by the weight of passengers over the months. Obviously the mattress replacement time was well past, and both DW and I found the cupped mattress hard to sleep in/on.

In our cabin configuration, with the bed by the balcony, always our preference, the blackout curtains are appreciated in the morning when the sun rises. Unfortunately, ours was full of small holes and tears, creating an interesting if somewhat annoying light show. Like the mattress, the curtains’ expiry date was well past.

Our cabin steward was a very personable individual and responded to requests - more tissues, an extra blanket, etc. - quickly and courteously. On the other hand, basic tasks seem to fail her. An empty beer bottle sat on the table for three days before being taken away; she forgot to deliver our Cruise Compass on two evenings; and when I pulled out our suitcases from under the bed and looked to see if we had left anything there, I came face to face with an army of dust bunnies! I’d guess that it’s been months or more since a vacuum has found its way under the beds. Probably at the time they last turned the mattress! All that said, I really think that the stewards have far too many rooms to cover by themselves and that there’s bound to be some resulting slippage.

DINING:

Overall, we found food service in the MDR to be good but the food itself to be less than impressive. We ate in Silk, and our waiter and assistant waiter did a great job with the kids, including express meals on evenings some were off to activities with their play groups. Unfortunately, the kitchen staff seemed unable to match their level of performance. For example, DW and I love lamb and always look forward to it on a cruise. Our first offering was rack of lamb and the second lamb shanks. In both cases, the taste was so-o-o-o bland, offering none of the robust flavour of lamb.

Other free venues offered a good variety of food which we felt was at least as good as Silk’s in quality and taste.

THE SHIP:

Even if it isn’t our cup of tea, there is no denying the wonderful design of this ship. There are lots of “wow” factors, from Central Park to the Rising Tide Bar to the Carousel, but it’s some of the smaller things that drew my attention. On other ships, particularly on a first cruise, my wife is the first to admit that finding her way to our cabin is a challenge. Getting off an elevator, distinguishing port from starboard and fore from aft can take a bit of work, but with the Allure’s great signage, she didn’t get turned around even once.

Another thing all ships would benefit from is the interactive board by the elevators helping you to decide what it is you want to do and mapping out how to get there. The restaurant load check is an amazing idea.

The escalator from Deck 3 to Deck 2’s gangplank is another great bit of inspiration.

ROYAL PROMENADE:

Love it and hate it. This would be such a wonderful place if they would stop the almost constant sales pitches broadcast at defining volumes. DW or I would pick up our morning lattes at the Cafe Promenade but always took them elsewhere to drink.

CASH ACCOUNT:

For a number of reasons, I decided to go with a cash account, our first for any cruise. It turned out to be a very simple process, and I don’t need to worry about a belated billing for bottled water that seems to be the bane of credit card account holders.

On the last day, I checked my balance in the morning before giving DW the go ahead to take advantage of the onboard sales to buy a birthday present for our DD. Once that was done, we still had a balance of $60 OBC - NR, which I withdrew in full from the Casino. With the cash account, there was no 5% charge.

With the cash in hand and a balance of $0.00, I headed to Guest Services in the early afternoon while things were still very quiet and finalized the account.

PORTS OF CALL:

St. Thomas and St. Maarten we've visited previously and will be happy visiting again. This was our first Nassau stop, and once was enough.

DISEMBARKATION:

After breakfast at the Park Cafe, we made our way down to the Amber Theatre to wait for our number (6) to be called. We were down early, but didn’t even get to sit down before the call came. Our biggest surprise was the ease getting almost elevators from Deck 11 to Deck 8 and after eating, Deck 8 to Deck 5. Disembarkation off the ship was a breeze.

Custom was a bit an annoyance, however. We have Mobile Passport, and there were only three couples in the line when we joined it. Wonderful, we’d be out in a couple of minutes. At this point, a huge group of suites passengers arrived and were led to the sole Mobile Passport booth open that morning. As most of them weren’t even using Mobile Passport, this was a terrible waste of a government resource. They could have been taken to the head of any other line(s) and not impinged on those who are using the app being so heavily promoted by RCI. Oh, speaking of their promotion, even their disembarkation video has it wrong: the program is NOT limited to American citizens, as Canadians are also eligible.

Even with the delay, our time from leaving the theatre to walking out the terminal doors was very short. RCI does a remarkable job in processing and moving so many passengers during both the embarkation and disembarkation exercises.

Thank you for your review.

I was on the same cruise with a group of 8. Second time on the Allure. Had a great cruise but I think that we will be cruising on non-Oasis ships for awhile. I missed the views of the sea from areas other than our balcony and the top deck. Ship definitely still has the WOW factor and the entertainment is top notch. We enjoyed the food in the MDR, although it could be hotter. Our waiters were "adequate" and not as outstanding as we have had in the past. I wasn't sure if it was because they were overworked or just not overly personable. Not bad, but not outstanding at all. In case anybody is interested, the order of menus were: Mojo, Saffron (formal), Pimiento, Basil, Shiitake, Jasmine (formal), Pomodoro. We ate in Chops one night and the meal was outstanding! My last comment (sorry for hijacking) was that our room was warmer than I would have liked. Thermometer varied between 70-72F in the coldest AC setting. I prefer it much cooler. Public spaces were fine but not overly cool.

My last comment (sorry for hijacking) was that our room was warmer than I would have liked. Thermometer varied between 70-72F in the coldest AC setting. I prefer it much cooler. Public spaces were fine but not overly cool.

I agree, the AC seemed to struggle to keep things cool, particularly overnight. That seems counter-intuitive, as at night there's no hot sun to combat, but maybe there are other factors at play that I'm unaware of.

Thanks for the great review. We are booked same week but on Oasis next year. Did they have any type of special St Patricks day parties or celebrations on your sailing ?

I was on the same cruise with a group of 8. Second time on the Allure. Had a great cruise but I think that we will be cruising on non-Oasis ships for awhile. I missed the views of the sea from areas other than our balcony and the top deck. Ship definitely still has the WOW factor and the entertainment is top notch. We enjoyed the food in the MDR, although it could be hotter. Our waiters were "adequate" and not as outstanding as we have had in the past. I wasn't sure if it was because they were overworked or just not overly personable. Not bad, but not outstanding at all. In case anybody is interested, the order of menus were: Mojo, Saffron (formal), Pimiento, Basil, Shiitake, Jasmine (formal), Pomodoro. We ate in Chops one night and the meal was outstanding! My last comment (sorry for hijacking) was that our room was warmer than I would have liked. Thermometer varied between 70-72F in the coldest AC setting. I prefer it much cooler. Public spaces were fine but not overly cool.

We are booked same week next year on the Oasis. Did Royal have any type of St Patricks day Parties or celebrations on your sailing

We are booked same week next year on the Oasis. Did Royal have any type of St Patricks day Parties or celebrations on your sailing

There were decorations throughout the ship (though not over the top), and many, many people wearing their Green! The Bow and Stern pub was hopping and a special celebration took place there. Awoke the next morning and all decorations were gone!

There was also a special St. Paddy's Day Trivia in the morning and an afternoon St. Paddy's Day Searchword & Crossword Challenge.

It fell on the final Formal Night and the MDR offered nothing in the way of traditional Irish dishes. I can't speak for the Windjammer or other dining spots.