erries

Erries your on this sundays cruise also?

No, I'm on the 5/18 sailing with theSHAH.

make sure to leave enough for me as I sail on the Allure once your trip ends!

theSHAH, I'm on this cruise too! I had to do a double take when I saw "11 days" on your countdown; life has been busy, and this cruise is sneaking up on me! Have you joined our roll call thread?

I second Johnny Rocket's for breakfast (you can eat outside on the Boardwalk, and it's usually never crowded) and Park Cafe for lunch. If your kids are picky eaters, they might also like Wipeout Cafe for lunch -- they have pizza, hot dogs, burgers, fries, etc. It's a walk-through buffet with no seating, but there are chairs and tables outside near the sports area, overlooking the ocean. I like to eat outside on a cruise whenever possible. :)

Can you get the drink of the day without the souvenir cup for a lower price? A lot of them sound good but I have no interest in the cups.

Absolutely! Just ask for it without the souvenir cup. It's cheaper and you don't have to deal with packing the cup and having it clutter up your cabinets at home.

I tend to like the other frou-frou drinks better -- the drink of the day is never bad, but it starts to taste the same after awhile. My all time favorites are the wildberry lava flow and the famous Labadoozie. :cool:

Can't answer your question -- yet! -- but we're sailing on the Allure in three weeks with my parents, who have never even been to Florida before, let alone sailing the Caribbean on the world's largest cruise ship. It'll be our sixth cruise, second on the Allure, and I can't wait to see what they think. I certainly hope they don't hate it!

I love Liberty and have a soft spot for Mariner, my first, but ultimately it's got to be Oasis/Allure. Go big or go home. :cool:

We were there two years ago (going again next month!) and also did the jet skis. We had a little bit of trouble getting started because it kept stalling out, but we were still really close to shore, so the guy who helped launch us just yelled instructions until we got it going again. It was totally worth the price (and as others have said, way cheaper than anywhere else). The water was unbelievably clear, even as far out as we went, and the area where we were allowed to ride was big/long enough for us to feel like we were leaving the resort and striking out on our own a little. We periodically crossed paths with a few others riding jet skis from nearby resorts, and we would ride each other's wakes. There was only one time my husband turned too sharply and I thought for a split second we might tip. :eek: What a fun experience. I highly recommend it!

I have never seen any one so concerned with cabin temperature. Seems like an awfully big deal to you.

Thank you for being the one to finally say this, lol.

Have no doubt: Nachi Cocom is awesome. If you want to read 17 pages and counting of Nachi love, check out this thread, started last summer but still active almost daily:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1858403

We never do any specialty dining and think the MDR food is great. I'm sure the specialty restaurants are awesome, but it always seems odd to me that so many people pay so much extra to do specialty dining multiple times on a cruise (sometimes every night!) when they already paid thousands of dollars. To each his own.

If you're a beach lover, try Magens Bay in St. Thomas and Orient Beach in St. Maarten.

Thanks for the review itself and also for the way you posted it. You're right, much easier to read without a million responses in between. Plus sometimes people lose momentum partway through a review and leave us hanging! :eek:

We've done the Oasis class twice now, going again next month. Definitely give it a shot -- I think your boys would love it.

I think it's so interesting that so many people mention not making it to dessert. We've only been there once, but now that I think about it, I don't think we had dessert either; the food was awesome, and the portions were big. Maybe everyone's sweet tooth is satisfied by all the fruity drinks?

When we're there in May, I'll be about halfway through my pregnancy. I'm already eating everything in sight, so maybe I'll be the first to make it to dessert. :p

I second the suggestion of the Champagne Bar. The free appetizers they serve are "fancy" and delicious. Pair it with a glass of wine, and it's a great way to relax before dinner.

And great to know about the Smart Casual specialty restaurants too! Just our style, much more than gowns & a tuxedo.

Also keep in mind that if you don't want to dress up on formal nights but would rather not spend extra money on specialty dining, you can always go to the Windjammer buffet for dinner on those nights. I've never done it, but I've read several reviews that said it's a different (better) atmosphere in the evening. You won't have to dress up or spend extra money, and you'll get the same food you'd get in the MDR -- which is awesome on lobster night. :D

Sure is nice to not have to worry about more than 100 folks at a time at the Nachi Cocom beach!

That's one of the (many) great things about Nachi -- no matter how many ships are in port that day, it won't be crowded. And after sharing the Allure with 6,000 people all week, I'll be ready for a mostly deserted beach!

OK, finally reserved Nachi Cocom for 6 people today, and am I glad that there were available reservations for the 5/18 Navigator of the Seas sailing! I was hoping that I hadn't waited too late; it turns out that Allure of the Seas is in port same day..

I'm on the Allure that week, and my group of six will be at Nachi that day as well. See you there! :cool:

How are you getting to the estate?

We haven't chosen a specific excursion yet or booked anything. I'm glad I read your message, though, because I hadn't even considered that it might not include transportation. Maybe the guided ones do and the ones marked "at your leisure" don't?

I can't believe how long and low that rainbow is! I don't think I've ever seen one with such a low arch. Sorry you didn't have the greatest weather for this excursion, but at least you got to see some cool sea life and spend a little time on the beach.

Live music at multiple venues in the evenings. One of our favorites is Bow & Stern, the English pub on the Promenade; another is the Viking Crown Lounge at the top of the ship. The former is great for people watching (grab a seat out in the Promenade) and usually has a guy playing guitar. The latter has awesome views of the front of the ship and the ocean and usually has some kind of jazz or easy listening music. There's also Latin dance music at Boleros, Jazz on 4, Blaze nightclub, piano at the Schooner Bar, and others -- I can virtually guarantee you'll find something you like. Hanging out and listening to live music is one of our favorite evening activities, especially if we're waiting around for a show or something.

Good luck getting this figured out -- I think we're all as confused as you are! Several of us were trying to find out more about this excursion here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1563167

About halfway down I posted a list of four separate RC excursions that all go to this location. Which one specifically did you book?

Don't forget to check the Wipeout Cafe; while it has a limited breakfast/lunch menu it may be easier to get in and out of than the Windjammer. Only downside is that it has no inside seating.

I know the Wipeout Cafe has burgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza, etc for lunch, but I don't think I was aware that they serve breakfast there. What kind of food is it?

I haven't been on the Allure in two years, so some things have changed. I was aware of the movies shown at the Aquatheater, but what's this about 3D movies? Where do they show those?

Disappointed to hear about the pool staff not doing anything about chair hogs. :(

Can you tell me if there is any snorkeling here?

We were there two years ago, and my husband rented snorkel equipment -- not the excursion that takes you out to a reef in a boat, just the snorkel and fins and goggles. I don't remember the exact price, but it was relatively cheap -- I'm thinking probably $10-15? He found a small reef with TONS of fish inside the roped off area where you're allowed to swim, and he spent almost literally the entire day out there, floating around and exploring it. The few times he let me use the gear while he took a break, I was able to swim down among the fish, with them going right past my goggles in front of me. For someone who hasn't done much snorkeling (only two other previous excursions on other islands), it was pretty incredible. Now this was two years ago, so I don't know if that area is still like that, but we're booked to go back in May... and my husband has his own equipment this time. :cool:

I've exclusively cruised in May, and it's always been virtually perfect -- hot and sunny, never more than a quick occasional shower (usually in Jamaica), warm ocean water, calm seas.