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Most of the Allure's specialty dining is the same restaurants you find in the rest of the fleet, but there is one notable exception that we never miss: Samba Grill. It's located in the Solarium Bistro and only open for dinner. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where they come around to your table with all-you-can-eat meats that they shave directly onto your plate (similar to the Fogo de Chao chain, if you've been there. They also have a Mexican place, Sabor, but it's never been better than just so-so in my experience. Those are the only two that are somewhat unique. That being said ... probably my favorite place to eat on ANY ship is 150 Central Park.

I have a friend on the ship right now. I'll report back next week if nobody else beats me to it. 🙂

Thank you for sharing your experience. So sorry for your loss. Best wishes to your daughter and granddaughter.

A good tip whether it's Royal Up or booking a guarantee cabin: do your research, decide which cabin in that category is the least desirable (for you), and decide if you would be content with that cabin assignment. If so, and anything better is just an extra perk, go for it! If not, then ... yeah, buyer beware.

Yeah, I'm glad that most ships offer you the choice. For people like us who primarily use our photos for digital photo frames, social media etc., the digital version makes a lot more sense, but I know you're not alone in preferring the hard copy prints!

I also saved a bunch on photo packages and a fair amount on excursions. No discounts on dining, and I didn't pay attention to the rest. 😉 As always, there will be some wins and some misses. Definitely worth checking the cruise planner for anything you currently have booked!

Yes, that is an option as well.

Sounds like a reasonable guess. I've also wondered if that's part of the reason why cruise planner prices have risen across the board recently ... raise prices by 30%, then have a 30% Black Friday sale and break even. 😉

To answer your question ... yes. 🙂 These were from a December 5-day cruise on the Mariner some years ago: If cruising were once-in-a-lifetime thing for me, I probably would have been pretty disappointed. But the crew made the best of things, and so did we. Not a bad cruise, overall!

Also keep in mind that the 24 hour period isn't necessarily midnight to midnight, unless you want it to be. If you start it at 11:00 AM on Monday, it will end at 10:59 AM on Tuesday. So if you time your usage periods strategically, you can have internet access for a good portion of four days.

Glad to hear it. Some people seem to really enjoy it, and this will keep them out of the way for the rest of us. 😁

I hope so too! Would you please let us know if you run into any issues?

Unfortunately, no. It's only on the Allure and the Radiance. 😞

I had similar concerns, but as others have said, I find that the neighborhood concept spreads out the crowds remarkably well. To be fair, I don't recall ever having more than 6k passengers on a sailing so I've never experienced a TRULY full Oasis class ship. As on any ship, there are times and places where passengers accumulate and crowds form. But in my experience, crowding hasn't been the norm. I enjoy different classes for different reasons, so we tend to go back & forth, but I would never hesitate to book an Oasis class.

I've sailed out of Port Everglades twice this year and the ship wi-fi connection has been hit or miss. Often we can connect, but then get booted out before we actually accomplish anything. FWIW, DH's iPhone tends to do better than my Android.

Another difference is that Symphony doesn't have Sabor or Samba Grill. But at least that means that the Solarium Bistro is open for dinner, since that's where Samba Grill is located on the Allure.

It's four years old so some of you may have seen it, but I just discovered this documentary and thought I would share since I didn't find any references in a forum search. "The Secret Life of the Cruise," on Amazon Prime Video. It covers nearly every aspect of running a weeklong Caribbean cruise on a MSC megaship, just shy of the Oasis class in size. I also found it interesting to see how some aspects differ from lines such as Royal Caribbean that cater primarily to American audiences. Anyway ... if you have Amazon Prime and 67 minutes to spare, check it out! 🙂

I also really enjoy 150 Central Park! And since you'll be on the Allure I would highly recommend including Samba Grill. There are only two ships in the fleet that have one, and it's worth every penny. Plus, you will get your fill of steak so you could skip Chops this time around. 🙂

I'm glad you pointed that out! I meant to mention the big screen. There wasn't a whole lot going on the week of our cruise--I think they had an evening movie or two--but it could be a really big draw if you're cruising during the Superbowl or something 🙂

Oh, I absolutely agree! If I had my way they would leave one "classis" Oasis. Who knows, maybe they will change their minds and leave this beauty alone. And the Christmas cruise sounds wonderful! I'm smiling just imagining those kids finding their gifts. 🙂

For your sake I hope she is convinced, but I apologize in advance if her experience is different than mine! 😁 If you're towards the aft and one of the lower decks, I really think it's the best of both worlds. For reference, this was the fifth cabin from the aft, second lowest deck (deck 9).

For some context: my very first cruise was in a Junior Suite, and cruise #2 was a company cruise, so we didn't pay but we didn't have a a say in our cabins, either. That was my one-and-only inside cabin, and I realized that speaking strictly for myself, cruising without a balcony just isn't worth it. Over the next few years, I mostly sailed in low- to mid-level suites, with the occasional splurge suite and the occasional standard balcony cabin. Then life happened, and I wound up with a new cruising companion ... who has a bit of an ocean phobia. 😉 And while he does enjoy cruising, one of my favorite parts (watching the ocean go by from my own private space) holds zero appeal for him. He never goes on the balcony unless we're in port and facing land, and consequently I spend less time out there myself. So I wondered if maybe a Boardwalk balcony towards the aft would be a good compromise for us: I could point my chair aft for the ocean view, and he could point his forward for the Boardwalk view! Of course, that means sacrificing the privacy of most OV balconies, and I was also worried about the noise level since we tend to be early to bed and early to rise. But I figured we would never know unless we tried. So we did. 🙂 AND, I am pleased to report, I really liked it! More than I thought I would, actually. I did sometimes miss the privacy and the unobstructed ocean view, but I wasn't mad at this view either. Besides which, there were some compensations: watching DH actually enjoy the balcony, for one! We also watched the late showing of the Aqua Theater show from our balcony twice. Noise wasn't a major problem either. When the balcony door is closed and latched, the outside noise is pretty well muted. The only exception was the Aqua Theater show--you definitely hear that. But the late show ends at 11:00, so it wasn't too bad. To be fair, the Allure is the only ship that would provide this view, and I'm not sure I would enjoy it as much with the giant purple tubes in the way. 😉 But I suspect if we return to the Allure before she gets amped, we will stick to Boardwalk--and maybe I'll give it a shot on another ship as well. 🙂 While I'm at it, here's the stuff people always want to know: 1. Passenger count was 5905, so just a couple hundred over the double occupancy 100% rate. But when you consider the last-minute cancelations that likely happened due to Hurricane Ian or COVID, that's a pretty fully booked ship for October! 2. Port Everglades was enforcing check-in times, however, they had one line for everybody from 10:00 to 11:30. 🤨 I was a bit peeved when I saw that, since we had 10:30, but it was actually a non-issue since the lines moved so fast. We were seated in the terminal by 10:40 and onboard before 11:00. 3. They did not board by C&A status. When I asked, the staffer told me that they hadn't been doing that since COVID ... which is not true. 😉 We last sailed from Port Everglades in February, and at that time we did get priority boarding. Oh well. We still didn't have long to wait--I travel with a walker, and although they don't always escort me to the wheelchair area, this time they did, and we only waited there for about 10 minutes. And in case I can answer any other questions, here is where we ate and what we (or at least one us) did. Restaurants: Samba Grill, Sabor, Johnny Rockets (breakfast only), MDR, Windjammer, Solarium Bistro, Park Café, Vitality Café, Sorrento's, Café Promenade, Dog House, Boardwalk Donuts Shows & activities: Mamma Mia, Oceanaria, Ice Games, Flow Rider, zipline, rock wall, Q&A with entertainment staff Happy sails to all! 🙂

I sailed all three of the Sovereign class, plus a handful of decommissioned ships from other lines. I'm sometimes nostalgic for the memories, but I enjoy the newer ships just fine. 🙂

I'm assuming you meant decent (=of satisfactory quality) rather than descent (the process of descending)? If so, I'm not sure what you think the leadership should or should not have been doing of late...but at any rate, as smokeybandit pointed out, the massive loans required to keep from going under during the shutdown are a HUGE financial drain. Not to mention all of the expense involved in the Cruise with Confidence program. Being cash flow positive at this stage is commendable, IMHO.

Thank you for your good attitude, even if it is a "work in progress," as you say. 🙂 Canceled vacation plans can be S U P E R sad, but it is refreshing to see people keep things in perspective. Hoping you find something fun to do next week, and enjoy making your plans for the next cruise!