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Allure of the Seas-Sept. 30, 2012 My Experience


Eng23
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Hello. My name is Harold and I want to show you the Allure of the Seas and my experiences onboard. And there will be pictures, I promise! A little about me, I am a 40ish firefighter from Southeastern Virginia. This was my 7th cruise (All Royal Caribbean so far) and I have been cruising since 2009. I was travelling solo but did have a friend from Virginia that was also cruising this sailing. I was originally booked in a standard oceanview balcony but upgraded to a JS just before the cruise.

Our sailing had a very active CC Roll Call and I was able to meet many new friends and also sailed with some old friends.

Okay let's get down to business.

Allure of the Seas 7 night Eastern itinerary. Sept. 30th-Oct. 7th 2012.

Ports: Nassau, St. Thomas USVI, and St. Maarten NA.

2 Days pre-cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.

Stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th St. Ft. Lauderdale.

 

On Sept. 28th I left Norfolk, Va. very early in the A.M. and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 1pm. I met my friend who had arrived earlier on a different airline and we shared a taxi to the Embassy Suites. The taxi fare was $12 and the ride took about 8-10 minutes.

 

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The hotel entrance. More to come.....

Edited by Eng23
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The Embassy Suites is a popular hotel with cruiser's due to it being close to the cruise port. Check in was a breeze and I was off to my suite.

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Inside of the hotel.

 

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View from my "suite" balcony.

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The pool area.

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Pool and hot tub.

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I love picture reviews!!!! How did you like your hotel?

 

The hotel was really nice. It's a typical Embassy Suites but I have to say it has one of the nicest pool areas I have seen. The pool area is great when you consider you are in the middle of a big city near a port area but yet you feel like you are on a tropical island somewhere.

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Continuing on, with arriving on a Friday afternoon I had some free time to take care of a few things. When I travel I try to streamline as much as possible to cut down on any hassles at the airports. Therefore I did not pack much in the way of liquids (shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.). Luckily right behind the Embassy Suites is a shopping center with a Publix Market, Total Wine, a few restaurants, and other shops. I spent the afternoon stocking up my supplies and checking out the restaurants. Sorry no pics of this adventure.

 

After my shopping spree I returned to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed the pool and spa. Here's a few more pics:

 

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Pool waterfall.

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Koi pond and waterfall.

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Sushi anyone????

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If you are familiar with the Embassy Suites brand you know that there is a Manager's Reception in the evenings with complimentary beverages and snacks. I ventured into the reception for a bit but as it had already been a long day I did not burn the midnight oil. I made one more evening trip to the hot tub and then called it a day.

 

More to follow.....:)

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Saturday Sept. 29, 2012: One day to go!

Saturday dawned a little cloudy with a scattered rain shower, it did not last long. As I ventured out to get my Starbucks fix (there is one 3 blocks from the hotel) the rain shower had passed so I did not get wet and I said hello to the passing joggers. A quick walk back to the hotel and the sun was starting to shine. As I headed to my rom I stopped to take a look towards the port and here is what I saw:

 

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The Oasis was in port preparing for her turn around. :)

Next I headed down for some breakfast:

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The breakfast dining area.

Here's a couple more of the Oasis:

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After breakfast I passed time in my room preparing for the day's slate of college football games. One of the restaurants that is located right behind the hotel is Duffy's Sports Bar&Grill. this is the place to go to get your sports fix before going on your cruise. Duffy's is an excellent sports bar with good food and a wide selection of beverages. Most of the day was spent at Duffy's. After football it was back to the hotel for some pool time and then get ready to head out for the evening at Southport Raw Bar.

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Saturday evening I went to a favorite restaurant of mine in Ft. Lauderdale. The Southport Raw Bar, it is located at 1536 Cordova Rd. This is the street that crosses 17th St. next to the Embassy Suites. It's about a 2 block walk from the hotel. It is definitley a locals kind of place, it's not fancy but the food is good as are the drinks and there is a nice deck overlooking one of the many waterways in Ft. Lauderdale. The southport Raw Bar:

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That's me on the left!

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Moon over the waterway.

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Saturday evening was wrapped up at the Manager's Reception and the hot tub one more time. Bed would come early as the next day would start very early. When it comes to cruising I'm kind of a geek because I like it so much. You'll see what I mean soon enough. ;)

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Just so everyone knows the date stamp on the pictures is incorrect. In my excitement of cruising I forgot to set the correct year. The Allure of the Seas does not have a Flux Capacitor that I am aware of, 2011 is not correct but the time on the pictures is. Sorry about the technical glitch....:o

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