Allure of the Seas Halloween Week Trip Report 10-30 to 11-6 with Pics

Hello everyone this is my first review so just bare with me. This was my first RCI cruise and it was amazing. Me(Marie) and my son(Joseph) flew in the day before the cruise and stayed at the Hyatt Pier 66. Thank god we made it to Fort Lauderdale because up on the East Coast it was snowing. We boarded on Sunday October 30 for a weeklong cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Here are some pictures from the plane and the port from the hotel.

View from airplane window at Philly International

It seems to be very cloudy out.

Here is a view from the Fort Lauderdale airport looking out at Oasis of the Seas. I also would like to add to the fact that when the plane was lowering altitude I was able to see Allure of the Seas from the plane heading back to Fort Lauderdale from Nassau, but was too late with the camera.

The Emerald Princess docked at port viewed from our balcony.

Oasis of the Seas seen from the balcony.

Also this was the weekend of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

The Eurodam at port.

That afternoon we just sat up on our balcony and watched the ships disembark. It began to rain so we just sat and watch television for the night anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Allure. In the morning we went out to the top terrace and snapped some pictures of the ships in port.(But none could match the Allure)

After taking pictures of the view and ships we walked around the property and admired all of the yachts that were there that weekend. We then grabbed a taxi from the hotel to the port where we would soon board the best ship on the seas. You really can't understand the true size of the ship until you get upclose and see it towering above everything else. At the terminal we had the fastest check-in we have ever had. Ten minutes and you are onboard the ship taking in all of the magnificent areas. Here are a few pics of the ride their and the embarkation.

This ship is extremely massive in size and is extraordinary. It is amazing of all the research you can do on this ship, nothing can prepare you for what's in store for you until you actually get onboard.

Well I must head to bed now and catch up on all the sleep I missed. More to come tomorrow!

I love it!!! Just as nenner1 is ending her cruise report, another one pops up!!! Thanks in advance for all your work!

Can't wait to read and see more! Thanks!:D

Love the review so far! Can't wait to read the rest. It's interesting that you said that you could see the Allure coming back. That would've been a cool picture to see.

Here are some more pics of the boarding:

When we got onboard we decided to just explore a bit before heading for lunch. We then preceded to the Park Cafe for one of their famous roast beef sandwiches, but there was a line out the door and as far back as fifty feet! So we decided to just head to the Windjammer. The food was pretty good there too so not much to complain about. Anyway after lunch my son wanted to go to the aft balconies that are right above the aquasuites, so we went. Here is one of the shots from the balconies.

I would also like to add that it is amazing of how much of a workout it is getting from one end of the ship to the other or going up or down the stairs. I would like to close this post out with a few pictures we grabbed throughout the ship that day:

Central park

More pics of the ship on Day 1

Rising Tide Bar In Central Park

The Boardwalk Top View

That is all for now. More to come later.

Loving your review and pictures. Looking forward to more. Hoping to get on the Allure someday. Sailed on the Oasis last year and loved it.

. Your doing great so far for a first review. . We did this same cruise back in May.

Is it just me...I don't see any pictures!!

Is it just me...I don't see any pictures!!

I see them just fine so I think its just you

great start

Still loving it! Can't wait for the rest!

Great....can't wait to read more.

After walking around the ship for a few hours we went to our muster drill and sat through the regular procedure, but the good thing is that you no longer have to bring your life jacket with you, you just watch a video and it is all done. Afterward we headed up to the top deck grabbed some pina coladas and enjoyed our sailaway. It was a bit overcasty, but it didn't rain that day so we were happy about that. The ship actually left pretty early because the captain said they already had all food and luggage on at around 4:30. With us in port on Sunday was the Carnival Freedom and the Island Princess. Here are some of the sailaway pics:

Here is the Carnival Freedom leaving port that day. There is actually an extremely large mega yacht sitting right behind it, but you could never tell.

The Allure pulling away from terminal 18.

Island Princess docked across from us as we depart from Port Everglades.

I know this pictures is a little blurry, but it is a shot of somebody surfing on a flowrider in their backyard captured from atop the ship.

The Fort Lauderdale beach and jetty.

The Island Princess following us out of the port heading out to sea.

That night we decided to pass on having dinner in the Main Dining Room and just head to the Windjammar again for a meal. Part of it is us being lazy and being up pretty early to watch the ships pull into port. Also that night we went to see Chicago. It was actually better than I thought. Just like everybody says, it does get cold in the Amber Theater so bring pants or a sweatshirt. Later we just walked around the ship and admired all of the artwork that they have throughout. Next up is Nassau, Bahamas and Halloween!

Looking forward to more of your review and pictures too! They look great at home (couldn't see them at work this morning) and reading and looking at the pictures will get us through the rest of the week! We fly to Ft Lauderdale Friday afternoon and Sunday round two of our Allure adventure starts (round one was the June 14th sailing).

Looking forward to more of your review and pictures too! They look great at home (couldn't see them at work this morning) and reading and looking at the pictures will get us through the rest of the week! We fly to Ft Lauderdale Friday afternoon and Sunday round two of our Allure adventure starts (round one was the June 14th sailing).

That is funny because my sons birthday is June 14th!:D

Thanks everyone for the nice comments!! More will come tomorrow or the day after.:D:D

Here is a pic I snatched of Allure in Nassau last Monday!

I leave on Sunday, YES THIS SUNDAY, and can't wait, thanks for the review!

Questions:

Favorite place on ship,

How was the weather?

What is your allure, MUST DO's?

Any other tips are welcomed!

Thanks look forward to more!

Heather

I leave on Sunday, YES THIS SUNDAY, and can't wait, thanks for the review!

 

Questions:

Favorite place on ship,

How was the weather?

What is your allure, MUST DO's?

 

Any other tips are welcomed!

 

Thanks look forward to more!

 

Heather

Also storage question, was there under the bed storage?

I leave on Sunday, YES THIS SUNDAY, and can't wait, thanks for the review!

 

Questions:

Favorite place on ship,

How was the weather?

What is your allure, MUST DO's?

 

Any other tips are welcomed!

 

Thanks look forward to more!

 

Heather

My favorite place on the ship is either the sun deck(area on top of bridge) or the Central Park. The weather the first day was cloudy in Fort Lauderdale, but it didn't rain. The only other time we had bad weather was in St. Thomas where it rained from 11:00 to 5:00, luckily it was light. For a tip I would recommend trying to seeing all of the shows. That is what we did and we loved them all. For the storage question, you basically can fit anything under the beds. Also be aware that there is not much closet space so pack smartly. You can probably just keep reading my report and I will most likely get to all of the areas that concern you. Thank you for reading and your nice words!:D

I leave on Sunday, YES THIS SUNDAY, and can't wait, thanks for the review!

 

Questions:

Favorite place on ship,

How was the weather?

What is your allure, MUST DO's?

 

Any other tips are welcomed!

 

Thanks look forward to more!

 

Heather

Have a great cruise! Allure is AWESOME!!!!

I was on this cruise with you, and the one before. I loved our cruises and love seeing your pictures. Allure was just fabulous. The word about park cafe has gotten out. We enjoyed embarkation lunch for both cruises in the Solarium Bistro. It was busy, but tolerable both visits.

Sorry everyone for the delay, I have been planning my thanksgiving cruise for next year. Anyway hope it was worth the wait!

The next morning we pulled into Nassau and awaiting us was Carnival Fantasy and Aida Aura. In the distance you could faintly make out a figure of the Disney Dream that was too docking in Nassau that Monday morning. We didn't have anything planned, but to just do some shopping and try to walk over the old fort on top of the hill. After all of the crowds left the ship for the day, we headed to the Windjammer to grab breakfast before we headed out. Afterward we went to the room to grab out equipment(sail pass cards, cameras, money, etc.), headed to deck 2 gangway, and out the ship. The weather that day called for thunderstorms, but oddly enough the sun was shining all day with only a few clouds in the sky. Here are some pictures as we were out on the top deck and when we were walking down the pier:

The Carnival Fantasy already docked at its berth.

What is the lifeboat doing out on the water? Oh whoops that is the Aida Aura.

The Disney Dream still en route to its pier.

Atlantis Beach Resort over on Paradise Island.

This is a picture of Allure of the Seas(right), a Brazilian Naval boat(right), Disney Dream(left), and the Aida Aura(left)

Some of you may already have seen this picture, but I will put it up again.

Next Up: Fort Fincastle, & the Straw Market

After we made it down the long pier, we began to walk to Fort Fincastle. The walk should have been just a mile, but we got lost and ended up in some bad parts of Nassau. Before you actually get there, there are these steps called the Queen's Staircase, which was pretty cool. Anyway we finally made it up there and to our surprise it is like a tourist scam. They set up all of these shacks telling you that you have to buy something or they will kick you out. Also if you wanted to go up into the fort they said it cost $5 a person. We decided not to pay and just walk around it. On the other side there was a sign that sad no admission cost. Oh well, it is a small fort anyway. We still got a few pictures and enjoyed the view and the history. Here are some pictures of the fort:

This is the Queen's Staircase, which was used as a secret passage to the fort that is located in a 100 foot valley, shaped opening in the earth. As you can see it is now mainly used as a way to exercise for the locals.

The 'Welcome to Fort Fincastle' sign.

These cannons are located right in front of the castle facing toward the harbor. If you were to look inside of them now, they are used as trash cans.

View of the cruise ships at dock from the fort. No matter where you go in Nassau, you basically have some sort of view of the ships towering over the town.

The historic water tower located right next to the fort.

We saw tons of these little lizards running around on the sides of streets and everywhere. I decided to grab a picture of a few of them.

Up Next: Nassau Downtown & the Straw Market