LIVE from the Allure -- Alluring Adventure Sets Sail on 9 January 2011!!!

[sleeples23]

Awww...man Spring Valley...oh well, looks like no piano bar on this trip! I know a lot of people like his schtick, but I prefer an entertainer who is more versatile and a better musician. I've heard some great ones on RCCL.

 

Matt Yee reminds me of thos "dueling piano" types who rely on props and antics. I can handle that late at night, but good piano bar players should be able to cover great music, good vocals (guests) and be able to do a range of songs. He is just not that.

 

Linda,

 

Which bar is it on the ship where they get the whole crowd to sing along? Would that be the Schooner, typically? I really can't stand when you are at a "sing along" type venue, but the entertainer changes it up so much that the whole sing along thing is impossible. That's where I've witnessed some huge, misplaced ego's.

 

Thanks,

Donna

[LLindaC]

That would be correct Donna. Changes it up, etc, One of his biggest shticks is to randomly sing the line from Grease....wella wella wella HOO

 

Over and over all night.

ad nauseum

[link99]

Have you been to Dazzles? How is the Music. Is there a live band? How are they. What type of music do they play.

 

Thanks

[RaiderFaninNM]

Yes! Our Gold book contains a 2-4-1 drink coupon, and another coupon for 10% a single glass of wine, beer or soda.

 

REALLY!!!!! :eek: :D

 

So please do tell me where did you buy this at and if you dont mind me asking how much was it, is it the sticker one can use all of the cruise or a one time shot, also does the Allure have the WoW phones??

 

Thanks for the replies!!

[bilyclub]

Today is our first day at sea, and we have done a whole lot of nothin'! Our Meet & Mingle was this morning, and we all received the notepad in a little folder, and they gave away some DVDs and umbrellas. Zach provided us a lot of details about the ship, and Royal in general. He mentioned that Liberty is going into dry dock next week, and the Freedom will follow. Both will be retrofitted with the new TVs, and the barber shops will be replaced with Cupcake Cupboards. Apparently, this concept has been very popular for them.

 

Yesterday we spent quite a bit of time exploring the ship. Tried our hand at general trivia, and 80s Music Trivia, which we dominated. :) And even though I had to do a Michael Jackson impersonation as part of a tie-breaker, I got that $#@! keychain!!

 

Last night was our Chef's Table - what a fantastic experience!!! Food was wonderful, wines were okay but still plentiful. In the past few days, they have changed the dessert to a trio of vanilla ice cream, chantilly cream and hazelnut flourless cake with ganache. With that comes a shot of iced frangelica. I will post the menu later, but all I can say is that this is well worth the $75 surcharge. It's truly a memorable night!

 

I'm off to the spa for a facial soon, and then dinner in the MDR. Because we were at Chef's Table, I did not get the menus from MDR last night - they are not posting them outside the room any longer. Tonight we will also catch Oceanaria, which I've heard rave reviews of, and then will head to Vintages to meet up with the folks we met at the Chef's Table last night. So I guess maybe my definition of 'nothing' differs from other people's :)

 

The menus should be on the touchscreen monitors by the elevators on all the decks.

[PCWalton1]

Today is our first day at sea, and we have done a whole lot of nothin'! Our Meet & Mingle was this morning, and we all received the notepad in a little folder, and they gave away some DVDs and umbrellas. Zach provided us a lot of details about the ship, and Royal in general. He mentioned that Liberty is going into dry dock next week, and the Freedom will follow. Both will be retrofitted with the new TVs, and the barber shops will be replaced with Cupcake Cupboards. Apparently, this concept has been very popular for them.

 

Yesterday we spent quite a bit of time exploring the ship. Tried our hand at general trivia, and 80s Music Trivia, which we dominated. :) And even though I had to do a Michael Jackson impersonation as part of a tie-breaker, I got that $#@! keychain!!

 

Last night was our Chef's Table - what a fantastic experience!!! Food was wonderful, wines were okay but still plentiful. In the past few days, they have changed the dessert to a trio of vanilla ice cream, chantilly cream and hazelnut flourless cake with ganache. With that comes a shot of iced frangelica. I will post the menu later, but all I can say is that this is well worth the $75 surcharge. It's truly a memorable night!

 

I'm off to the spa for a facial soon, and then dinner in the MDR. Because we were at Chef's Table, I did not get the menus from MDR last night - they are not posting them outside the room any longer. Tonight we will also catch Oceanaria, which I've heard rave reviews of, and then will head to Vintages to meet up with the folks we met at the Chef's Table last night. So I guess maybe my definition of 'nothing' differs from other people's :)

Gee, I wish I was doing nothing today. :D

[hawkfish]

The menus should be on the touchscreen monitors by the elevators on all the decks.

 

 

They should be, but they are not. The MDR menu on the touchscreens has been the same all week (the one from the first night).

[hawkfish]

Good morning from St. Maarten!!

 

Why I am up so early, I have no idea. I hope to God I am not turning into a morning person! :D

 

Yesterday was St. Thomas, and we took the Champagne Catamaran Sail to St. John. All in all, it was a good trip that I would do again. You leave out of Compass Point, which makes it about a 45 minute ride to St. John. There, you get about 90 minutes to swim, snorkel or lay on the beach of this pleasant little cove. The water is broken by some rock outcroppings, so it's fairly easy swimming, and we did see a bit of sea life - sea turtles, angels, blue damsels, jacks, and a stingray. The ride back includes some small snacks and rum punch, Andre champagne and sodas.

 

One of the best parts for me was that on ride back, we got caught in a rain storm, and it POURED!!! So cool to be out on the water, in the rain! For me, it was just so fascinating to watch it come across the water, completely soak us, and then be gone in about 5 minutes.

 

Only two cautions about this excursion (booked through the ship): you have to drive to the other side of the island from where you dock, and the guy who took us there drove like a bat out of hell! You are in an open-sided trolly that seats 5 across, racing up and down winding roads in mid-day traffic. Now, I have ridden AND driven in the Caribbean before and know that it's not always for the faint of heart. But if you don't enjoy those Adventurous Caribbean Cab Rides, then this excursion may not be for you. Though the guy on the way back was much more reasonable (and we tipped him because of it).

 

Secondly, the trip is advertised as 4.5-5 hours. Well, 1 hour of that is said trolly ride, and then they still got us back to the ship 45 minutes early. So the whole sail part is really only about 3 hours long. Not really a big deal, but just so you know....

 

After the afternoon on the boat, when we got back to the ship, we were all starving. We hit the hot dog stand to grab a quick bite, which was out of regular hot dogs (?), so we needed to stop somewhere else to get something for my semi-picky eater DH. We decided to hit Rita's, since we had heard not-such-great things about it, and wanted to make up our minds ourselves.

 

Let me tell you - Rita's is great! We got a bunch of different things to share, and I would have every one of them again. Someone had recommended the black bean soup to me the night before, and I can attest - it is fantastic! It is rather soupy, and we shared it by using it as a dip. But it has fantastic garlic flavor, with a tiny little bit of a kick - highly recommend it! We also shared Party Nachos (nachos with ground beef, cheese, olives, jalapenos, guacamole, salsa, sour cream), Chicken Quesadilla, and some little roll-up things called Cigars, but that really looked like flautas to me. Everything was great, and pretty much what you would expect from an American Mexican joint.

 

They also have something called Rita's Fiesta on two nights of the cruise. You must make a reservation ahead of time, and it's $20. That buys you all-you-can-drink margaritas and whatever food they are providing during this 2 hour party. I guess they also have lots of dancing and performers on that section of the boardwalk. Our fiestas were last night, and tonight.

 

Back in a few to add more about out evening - right now, I need to go grab some coffee! ;)

[LIGUYZ]

We saw El Gaucho on another cruise. They were hilarious! Looks like the Headliners are changing every week. ? I have written to RCCL in the past and they have given me the names of the entertainers, including Headliners. Who is playing in the Schooner bar? That's what I do for a living and have enjoyed a few duets with many of them....except Matt Yee.Lets just say the biggest ego on sea....

We LOVE Matt Yee !!!!

One of the best entertainers at sea !!!

And we're lifelong New Yorkers who are used to the best of the best.

But everyone has different tastes which is why having so many options on Allure is a great thing :)

[LIGUYZ]

We too did the 1/2 day champagne sail about 5 or 6 years ago through Princess. We loved it but at that time you boarded right next to the ship. Odd but it rained on us on the way back also.

Interesting, I'm starting to read more positives about Rita's.

[KaraBranden]

I am going on the Allure in 2 weeks!

What nights are the formal... 2nd and ??? 5th?

Thanks!

[bilyclub]

They should be, but they are not. The MDR menu on the touchscreens has been the same all week (the one from the first night).

 

Do they have the map and ships course on the cabin TV yet?

The computer guys onboard must be overworked or lazy.

[bilyclub]

Saw Matt Yee at the blackjack table on Allure, once. He had a lvery large amount of chips in front of him.

[texascat]

I love the review!!! Glad that you are having a wonderful time, in the sunny warm weather, while we are all freezing in this cold nasty snow!!!

 

Enjoy and can't wait to hear more!

[Cruising89143]

Just a note about Rita's Fiesta. You receive three drinks and food for the $20.00. Drinks are not unlimited. The menu is pre-planned and you do not order from the menu. We were there last night. We have dined twice at Rita's. Food is good but not great but much better than the Seafood Shack on Oasis.

[mjthecruiser]

When did you find out that a second Rita's fiesta was going to be held?

[hawkfish]

Do they have the map and ships course on the cabin TV yet?

The computer guys onboard must be overworked or lazy.

 

 

No! And that's one thing we miss quite a bit! It's always to see just where you are, especially when you are moving among all these islands.

[hawkfish]

Just a note about Rita's Fiesta. You receive three drinks and food for the $20.00. Drinks are not unlimited. The menu is pre-planned and you do not order from the menu. We were there last night. We have dined twice at Rita's. Food is good but not great but much better than the Seafood Shack on Oasis.

 

 

That is interesting, because that is NOT what the server told us last night (who was trying to sell us tickets to tonight's party). :rolleyes:

 

And agreed - it's certainly not Rick Bayless quality. But it's as good as any cheap Mexican you get back home. I had just heard such horror stories, and it's really not all that bad. And that black bean soup is better than much of what I've had in the MDR.

[QTMichele]

That is interesting, because that is NOT what the server told us last night (who was trying to sell us tickets to tonight's party). :rolleyes:

 

 

They have it listed as 3 drinks, but maybe the waiters/bartenders are generous? Let's hope! We have this reserved. :)

[kahliasmom]

They should be, but they are not. The MDR menu on the touchscreens has been the same all week (the one from the first night).

 

The touchscreen two weeks ago, the menu for the week was on it and you just had to scroll through to find the one you wanted.

[Cruising89143]

They have it listed as 3 drinks, but maybe the waiters/bartenders are generous? Let's hope! We have this reserved. :)

 

When you check in at the counter, each person is given a snap on wrist band. On that band is three tabs numbered, 1,2 and 3. Each time you order a drink, they ask for a tab. After you use the three tabs, they ask for your SeaPass card. It is well worth the twenty bucks. You don't have to order Margarita's either. You can have beer, bottled water, soda, etc. Just costs you a numbered tab each time.:)

[Cruising89143]

Thanks cruisingator. I think I saw that show on the Freedom. Our grown children are also sailing with us and would like that show if still on the schedule.

Do you know if there are new coupon books?

 

Thanks, Marci

 

The coupon books are the ones that we had on the Freedom back in August.

 

The Headliner ended up being El Gaucho. Beatlemania had issues catching their flight.

[Cruising89143]

do they have those comfy round chairs in the solarium that everyone loves? I know people posted pics of them during the ignaugural cruises but I know they were not there for the Dec 26 cruise.

 

Those chairs are now in the suites deck area. Saw them earlier in the week.

[QTMichele]

When you check in at the counter, each person is given a snap on wrist band. On that band is three tabs numbered, 1,2 and 3. Each time you order a drink, they ask for a tab. After you use the three tabs, they ask for your SeaPass card. It is well worth the twenty bucks. You don't have to order Margarita's either. You can have beer, bottled water, soda, etc. Just costs you a numbered tab each time.:)

 

Thanks! I had read this somewhere, but it's a good reminder. I'm sure 3 drinks will be plenty for me! I'm such a lightweight! :rolleyes:

 

Those chairs are now in the suites deck area. Saw them earlier in the week.

 

I'm not begrudging the suite guests, but it would be nice if RCI had the foresight to purchase additional for them instead of eliminating them for the rest of us.:rolleyes: Thanks for sharing this with us!

[AF-1]

Crusingator; I will be on Allure next week 23rd; if I go to Ritas and pay the $7.95 do I order off the menu anything I want and as much as I want?