Just Off The Allure - Tips For A More Enjoyable Cruise

There are plenty of reviews available for the Allure, so I won’t get into in-depth comments about the physical plant of the ship and/or the ports of call. Suffice it to say that we booked B2B cruises for the western and eastern Caribbean with the premise that we would enjoy the ship and not worry about the ports of call. During the two weeks we were on the ship, we only got off at one port, Falmouth, Jamaica, simply because we hadn’t been there before. I will say that the ship exceptionally clean and well maintained, even the public restrooms were clean and sparkling at all times.

By way of perspective on our comments, we are senior and seasoned travelers, with more than 35 cruises under our belts, all of them on smaller ships than the Allure. Prior to our cruise, I scoured the boards here for tips and here are some tips that we thought were worth mentioning to make your own cruise on the Allure more enjoyable:

*The Windjammer gives a new meaning to jammer upon boarding and for breakfast on port days. On boarding day, head for the Wipeout Café or the Park Café in Central Park to avoid the lines and the crowds in the ‘jammer.

*The Allure was the loudest ship we have ever sailed on, but there are still quiet spots to be found and enjoyed. Central Park was fine most of the time, unless the Caribbean band on the pool deck was playing and then it was noisy in Central Park as well. The Library was small, but a quiet spot to read for a bit. If you go for one of the “inside” balconies, opt for Central Park since the Boardwalk is noisier and the shows in the Aqua Theater can be distracting if you are trying to turn in early for an upcoming port day. Our advice is to book an ocean view balcony.

*Bring earplugs if you plan to see any musical shows in the Amber Theater or enjoy the pool deck while the Caribbean band is playing. All music on the Allure is over-amplified. When you can’t converse with someone sitting next to you on the pool deck – it’s too loud.

*Bring earplugs if you want to experience the ‘70s disco party in the Royal Promenade. Once again, the music and the cruise director’s voice were over-amplified and the sound levels were deafening. In fact, anytime the cruise director had a microphone he tended to shout into it so that his voice was distorted and his words unintelligible.

*If you choose My-Time dining, ask for a quiet corner if you want to converse with your table mates. The background music is turned up to where it is foreground music and the patrons get very loud trying to talk above it. Even our waiters agreed it was way too loud to enjoy dinner conversation.

*For a quiet breakfast without the ‘jammer crowds, try the Solarium Bistro or the Wipeout Café. The Wipeout Café offers made-to-order omelets. You can also find a quiet breakfast spot at the Park Café. Johnny Rocket’s was also a nice spot for breakfast as well - at no charge.

*If you book back-to-back cruises, you will be treated to a free lunch at Giovani’s Table on turnaround day after you are cleared through customs and return to the ship. Also for continuing cruisers, don’t worry about trying to cram in the shows during the first week. During the continuing cruisers briefing, you will be given a sheet to request show reservations for the next cruise and will be given priority for those reservations.

*As far as specialty dining is concerned, Chops is Chops. We thought it was a bit over-rated and over-priced for the experience with better service in the MDR. We much preferred the Samba Grill Brazilian-style steakhouse which was setup in the Solarium Bistro in the evenings. The service was much better than Chops and you get a nice selection of different meats. Our tip for the Samba would be to go light on the appetizers and salad bar so that you are still hungry for the meats – and then request small portions. There were nine meats on the menu and you’ll get all nine, not just one as an entrée selection. At Giovani’s Table, we both made the mistake of requesting a pasta dish in addition to the entrée and it was too much. Share a pasta dish and you’ll be able to enjoy your entrée. The food and service there were excellent. We tried Sabor one evening for the ala cart pricing for Mexican food. The food was excellent, but halfway through our meal a Latin music band setup adjacent to Johnny Rocket’s and blasted latin music toward the Sabor to the point that we couldn’t talk and/or hear our waiter. We cut our meal short, which was easy to do as it was ala cart priced.

*Once last, sort of tongue-in-cheek tip: Don’t worry about checking out pool towels on your sea pass – just look for a chair hog nest (identifiable by pool towels held down by a flip flop and a paperback) and help yourself to a towel. Enforcement of reserving loungers is non-existent. I saw groups setting up their chair hog nests before going ashore and their loungers were still “reserved” that afternoon.

The Allure has plenty of everything- things to do, places to dine, places to shop, and most of all plenty of noise. Just be prepared and know what to expect and you’ll be able to enjoy your cruise in comfort and with relative ease.

We will be on Allure on Feb. 14th, so thanks for the tips!

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*Bring earplugs if you plan to see any musical shows in the Amber Theater or enjoy the pool deck while the Caribbean band is playing. All music on the Allure is over-amplified. When you can’t converse with someone sitting next to you on the pool deck – it’s too loud.

Based on my 2 cruises, which are now 2+ years in the past this is new or a one time thing? From the beach pool we could hear the Caribbean band at a pleasant level.

 

Enforcement of reserving loungers is non-existent. I saw groups setting up their chair hog nests before going ashore and their loungers were still “reserved” that afternoon.

At least on Sea Days the deck patrol was out in force for us. I've only spent one port day on the ship and that was Nassau May 1st, 2011.

Will be on Allure feb 21st, thanks for the info.

I know this has been beaten to death but how were the matresses on the ship?

Bill - sound levels can be a subjective thing, but I found the Allure to be way too loud anywhere there was an opportunity for amplification. As I said, we had to wear earplugs in the Amber Theater and the 70's Disco Party. When the volume is cranked up loud enough that it's distorted - it's too much.

Midwestgal - mattresses can also be a subjective thing. I didn't have any trouble sleeping on the Allure, so I guess the mattresses are OK. But then, I also camp out and sleep on self-inflating pads, so I'm probably not the best judge of mattress quality and the nuances of comfort.

We will be on here Feb. 28. Thanks for the tips.

Thank you for your review. Like food, sound levels are subjective. On our Allure cruise, the parades were noisy, but we had no trouble conversing with people who were watching it next to us. We also did not experience loud sound in the theatre, but it was rather noisy in the MDR and Windjammer. We found the mattress to be very comfortable.

Great tips - we haven't booked this class of ship yet - so I appreciate your advice.

Bill - sound levels can be a subjective thing, but I found the Allure to be way too loud anywhere there was an opportunity for amplification. As I said, we had to wear earplugs in the Amber Theater and the 70's Disco Party. When the volume is cranked up loud enough that it's distorted - it's too much.

 

Midwestgal - mattresses can also be a subjective thing. I didn't have any trouble sleeping on the Allure, so I guess the mattresses are OK. But then, I also camp out and sleep on self-inflating pads, so I'm probably not the best judge of mattress quality and the nuances of comfort.

If noise is a problem to you & your spouse, do not cruise on any of the Brilliance class. Added many more speakers in the Centrum after refurbs.

Thank you for sharing, particularly liked the Alternative suggestions for breakfast. Appreciated.

Thank you for sharing, particularly liked the Alternative suggestions for breakfast. Appreciated.

Our pleasure. We only ate in the 'jammer once in two weeks and that was in the middle of the afternoon on a port day. There are plenty of alternatives. One thing I really liked about the other venues for breakfast was that in the Park Café I could grab a tumbler and get a full glass of milk for breakfast and not have to drink from a carton like I did in elementary school. Also enjoyed the ambiance in Central Park for breakfast, chirping birds and an occasional rooster sounds piped in.

We've only sailed on the Allure once......had a Central Park Balcony......and I agree with you. The noise level from the pool band was unbelievable!! Also kids at the pool. No afternoon napping was done on this cruise. Evenings....there was no problem.....but the afternoons were horrible.

Thanks for your points of view and tips! I am half deaf so I don't think the loudness will bother me. We will have our first time on the Allure in June with our children and grandchildren and I can hardly wait! I usually loathe cruises to Nassau but I find myself wishing this one went there so I would not have to get off the ship. Instead we go to San Juan so I can miss that!

Enjoyed your post.

Keith

Thanks for the tips!

Great tips. We were on Allure the week of January 10 and I would agree with your comments, especially the shows being so loud.

Just an FYI for folks...Park Cafe has Lox and Bagels in the morning so that was my go to breakfast place. I think they have Lox and Bagels in the dining room too but I like a quick breakfast so I can get to the pool before all the deck chairs are taken. SaragassoPirate is right. There are so many who put a towel on a chair and then are not seen for hours and hours.

We loved our Allure cruise.

Thanks for the info - we'll be on for a B2B starting Feb 14th. A couple of questions please:

1) Do you have pricing info on Internet packages? And were they offering special prices towards the end of the cruises?

2) Did you notice if they were offering any special drink packages (other than the standard)? There have been reports of 10 drinks punch cards or one day packages on here recently so I was wondering if Allure had any of that.

Thanks!

... Do you have pricing info on Internet packages? ...

One device is $15 per day, two devices is $22.50 per day. If you are a C&A member, wait until you are onboard in order to get your discount.

So you seem to have problems with music. WE are also just off the Allure and had none of those problems.

We were on the inaugural 12 night transatlantic from Florida to Spain last year. We loved the ship and thought this ship deserves the respect of spending time on it to explore. Can't understand how people can do that on an intensive port-focused 7 night cruise. With only 1 port day (Malaga) we were busy all the time - at our own pace - and it never felt crowded.

One recommendation is visiting Vintages for the tapas (especially the Iberico Jamon was delicious) and the great selection of wine - especially Australian! You can sit inside or at tables outside, watching the passing parade!

We also had lunch on embarkation day at Giovanni's - was wonderful. Be careful not to over order! Being Australian, Spanish is not a language we come across very often, but thanks to our translation app on our phone we joined another couple from Spain and had a delightful time. They became friends on our cruise.

One restaurant we did not enjoy - and our booking was reimbursed - was the Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. All the meat tasted the same and was covered in an oily marinade. Was disgusting. Have had far better.

The mattresses were fine and we did not find any noise issues which concerned us.

All in all, we loved the ship. Now, we are looking forward to the Ovation OFS arriving in Sydney for a Christmas Cruise to New Zealand.

Thanks for sharing these tips!

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Did they get rid of Vintages (I think that's what it's called)? The wine bar/tapas place? I thought it was very reasonably priced and good food and a lot of it too.

I only remember loud music coming out of Boleros at night with the Latin band. They were fantastic, but I don't remember it being too loud in other places. It's been a few years though.

Thanks for tips! Going on Allure end of March and looking forward to it!

Has anyone seen the 10-drink punch cards on the Allure ships? Heard they are being promo'd just wasn't sure where they are showing up.

Did they get rid of Vintages (I think that's what it's called)? The wine bar/tapas place? I thought it was very reasonably priced and good food and a lot of it too....

Vintages is still on Allure, serving wine and tapas.

Is there a thread that is "Everything Allure"? There is so much I need to learn about Allure!! What a ship!

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