Some thoughts on Allure TA 25th October 2015 from a Royal Caribbean novice

Just returned from Allure on a very enjoyable cruise. This trip opened my eyes up to big ship cruising and I loved it!

By way of background this was my 2nd Royal Caribbean cruise. The first was in May for a three nighter on the new Anthem of the Seas. I had reservations about how crowded I felt on that ship. Not everywhere, but some of the venues seemed very busy. It was very impressive though and like nothing I'd seen before.

My previous cruises have come from Celebrity and Azamara exclusively and it is very difficult to compare the products. I'm Zenith level in Captain's Club (said to background my experience rather than for bragging rights) and the leap to experience the difference Royal offers was driven wholly by the friends who were on this Transatlantic with me.

I'd booked a cabin very soon after the cruise opened. I secured a midship Grand Suite, but when I discovered that Allure had added aft GSs at dry dock and having a love of the aft view I switched. The only one left was 12730 which is the mid-sized one of the three. I had some reservations before the trip, based on the reports coming back here. I nearly changed back, but decided to stick with it. I'm very glad I did. I loved the cabin and location. Yes, it's a walk, but the view is worth it. The cabin is a good size and the balcony huge with a wonderful view of the Aqua Theatre. Loved the bathroom and at six foot had no problem with shower headroom. I loved the bed and bedding and pillows. Really comfortable. The separate bedroom was very quiet being as it was out of the way on the back corner of the ship. For the most part I slept very well.

With a GS you get a gold card and this offers some very nice perks on Allure. I made use of some of them more than others. Coastal Kitchen for breakfast is great. We ate there a couple of times in the evening too. The Suite Lounge is a nice place to hang out, but I didn't make best use of it. Other friends with me weren't gold card holders and I preferred to hang out with them of an evening. The Suite sun area is very nice and there were always my favourite chair and footstool arrangement to occupy. There is seating under cover too, so if the weather is bad you can still sit out on comfy lounge settees. The first few days of the cruise was thus and we had some big swells and lots of rain. Thankfully we left this behind for the last six days of the cruise, so a sunny spot easily found was the order of the day.

Food is subjective I know. I heard some saying they were disappointed in the food on the ship. I have to say I was impressed with it wherever we chose to eat on the ship. We ate in said Coastal Kitchen, 150 Central Park, Sabor, Chops, Giovanni's Table, the Main Dining Room, even Windjammer one evening. I sampled the Kummelweck in Central Park Cafe and had a penchant for the hot dogs, watching the Carousel. The food everywhere was excellent. I was very impressed.

To be continued...........

I am not a great entertainment fan, but there were a couple of things that I wanted to see. The first was Mamma Mia which happened early in the cruise. The first night after travelling and a few martinis I went and fell asleep halfway through. Another of the advantages of a gold card is you get reserved seating in the theatre by showing up at least fifteen minutes before the performance so I could go the next night and make sure I stayed awake. It was great. I've seen the show in the West End not long after it opened there. The production on Allure was the full show and really professional. There was also an Adele tribute. Wow! She was superb. So superb I went the following night too. I think I missed out on other good stuff because I have a tendency to hit the wall after dinner, but seeing those two shows (well three and a half) and I was happy. Was also able to watch the Aqua Theatre shows a couple of times from the balcony, including the ubiquitous belly flop contest that I'd never seen before. It was fun.

My favoured cruise line is on the much smaller Azamara ships where you see the officers and crew multiple times around the ship and are able to get to know them and they get to know you too. Whilst it just can't be the same on such a big ship as Allure I was very impressed with the visibility of Captain Rock Star on his Harley. I think I saw him every day from the first to the last. There were some great staff in Coastal and also the Suite Lounge. I came across some really great crew in other parts of the ship and at this point will highlight a few:

Boney, Ryan, Ezzine in Coastal Kitchen

Concierges Angel and Ana

Bar server Altug from Turkey and Tricia who worked at the Trellis Bar

Gemma in Vintages. She's a star!

Zaheer who worked at the Boardwalk

I know there are more I have missed.

To be continued...........

A sum up of the ship and what my favourite parts.

I really liked the Central Park area with the Trellis Bar and restaurants. Watching the Rising Tide Bar from the dome there was fun. Even more to have a ride on the Tide. I found Dazzles a nice room. There were a lot of repeat cruisers on this trip and found it too hot and busy for me. Jazz was a good venue, but once again as an allocated free drink bar in the evening it was busy. The Boardwalk is such a fun area and feels very open. You can take a ride on the Carousel for a bit of nostalgia. We did. You can look up and watch the zip liners or you could give it a try. I did that too. I should have stayed on the Carousel!

Many of my cruising friends say "you'd never get me on a ship with all those people". I think I might have said that in the past. However the much vaunted "neighbourhoods" really do work. Sometimes it's really hard to believe you are on such a large ship. I feel Oasis Class is more successful here than Quantum. The extra width of Allure really makes a difference over Anthem. The only time you really get an impression of being with a lot of people is when you traverse the different areas using the lifts which always seemed busy and involved a wait. Once out around the ship though everyone dissipates.

So overall a really great cruise with some equally great friends. I'm booked on Ovation next year, but am seriously considering changing to Harmony. So I'm coming back. That's got to be a good sign!

Phil

I snagged 11330 on the Allure for 2/14 with my parents who adore the balconies. I keep thinking I am crazy for spending this much for a grand suite-yes this is our first suite-but then I read a review like this. I am so glad you had a great time on a fall Allure cruise-I think our winter cruise is going to be another trip of a lifetime.

Phil, it was marvelous seeing you on board the beautiful Allure!!! I am really happy that you took the leap of faith when you're such an Azamara devotee. I must admit that I too had reservations about the sheer size of the Allure--first time for us as well as you--but it all worked out. I think when you have a caring, welcoming, and happy crew it makes for a happy cruise irrespective of the number of passengers on the ship with you. There's room in our cruising lives for all kinds of cruises. Variety is good as the Allure so aptly proved. We're looking forward to sailing with you again! :)

Really interesting to read your review. I've always been afraid of the larger ships but maybe one day we'll give it a try. I've read your reports before and know they are well balanced.

Nice review, thank you for sharing, sounds like a good cruise.

Fabulous review. Glad you enjoyed it .. And are coming back for more!!!

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I have been on Oasis and Allure twice, however not since the new additions. I have also had a lot of people tell me that they won't do it because of the crowds. I have told them the same thing you said, that you never (well rarely) really feel any crowds at all. With the number of venues open for different meals, activities, entertainment, it really manages the people very well. The only time I ever noticed the crowd was during the 70's Party on the Promenade. But it's like that on any ship.

Great review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

Thank you for your review. As a relative newbie to RC and a frequent cruiser on other smaller, more boutique-type ships, your comments warm my heart and we agree on many things.

I have sailed Oasis twice (including a TA) and Allure twice along with 21 other RC sailings.

I love Oasis class for the sheer variety of entertainment and different neighborhoods. Like you, I'm always telling folks that I never feel crowded. My favorite class is Voyager class (Navigator, in particular) followed by Oasis class. Like you, Quantum did nothing for me. It's too narrow, and it feels ill-designed, stabilization wise.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your cruise. I sure hated to miss it, but health first. Please come and join us on Harmony TA. The pricing is high right now, so either wait, or bite the bullet and put down a deposit, and be ready to jump on a price drop.

Thanks for a great review. Karen

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