Not so "LIVE" Allure of the Seas Review with PIX!

[LTyler]

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTFIUL I LOVEE all your pictures cant wait to go on her!!! thanks for sharing!!! :):):)

[QTMichele]

Michele-What an absolutly incredible thread you've created! We booked the Allure for 4/1/12 during the Wow sale & like you, my DW & myself will be cruising for free! Woo hoo! Jusy using our RCL VISA reward points! This time we'll be taking our 2 dds. Just off the Celebrity Eclipse for a reconnecting cruise with my DW :) After we were home a couple weeks, the cruise blues set in...that WOW sale came at the perfect time!

 

So I'm just begining to research the Allure & found your thread this AM. It's so informative & it's a lot of fun! Thank you for all you've taught me about the ship in one afternoon of reading! Your opions & information are awesome.

 

Only wish we were sailing in Feb of 2012, was thinking we might hire you as our guides! Thank you for all your efforts & time doing this to benefit others like us! :)

 

Allured-Dawg

 

Love those WOW sales when no other discount applies. We just booked Liberty for next year - missed the WOW by a few days. No OBC for us, but I'm going to take advantage of the "bring a friend" promotion and get a few OBC dollars that way. ;) Anyway, I'm glad you had the courage to book your Allure cruise. Your family should have a great time!

 

I'd love to be your guide... no need to hire me, just pay for my cruise fare and I'll be on your sailing! ;)

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment!!!

 

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTFIUL I LOVEE all your pictures cant wait to go on her!!! thanks for sharing!!! :):)

 

THANK YOU!!! You're going to love Ms. Allure!

[read52]

Yay! Another picture review!!! I'm going on Allure in September and cant wait! I would love some info on the pre-paid resturants and the included ones. We have never paid for speciality dining and not sure we want to on this cruise either but we are not entirely sure what is included and what isnt.

 

Oh and i found when doing my picture review it was easier to upload to facebook and then in to CC ;)

 

Carly

 

There is a chart that shows all the eating places and when they are free or not. We ate at Johnny Rockets for breakfast twice because it was free and good.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Michele-how did you get to that viewing area ("wings") above the bridge?

That has to be one fantastic view!

 

 

Thanks!

Dawg

[elway1698]

Grdat review Michelle. i will see you on board in Feb.

 

We will be sailing in September and February! Can't wait!

[QTMichele]

Michele-how did you get to that viewing area ("wings") above the bridge?

That has to be one fantastic view!

 

 

Thanks!

Dawg

 

It was a wonderful view! And usually very quiet.

 

You get to it from deck 14, port side. Just keep walking until you dead end - you'll see the door. :) Note - There is no access on the starboard side.

[elway1698]

Alrighty, gang. That's it for tonight. I'll post my final impressions in a summary tomorrow. Thanks so much for joining me throughout my journey. :)

 

Thanks for all of the pics and suggestions. We are going in both September of this year and February of next year. You have made us very excited to go!

[Snorkel Dawg]

It was a wonderful view! And usually very quiet.

 

You get to it from deck 14, port side. Just keep walking until you dead end - you'll see the door. :) Note - There is no access on the starboard side.

 

SSsssshhhhh! I love a "secret" door!

 

We have only been on one ship that had a viewing area above the bridge that was open to passengers, it was aboard the Ruby Princess. Michele do you know is the door only open while in port? That's how it was on the Ruby...

 

Thanks again for all the info & tips! We appreciate it!

 

Secret-Door-Dawg ;)

[RaiderFaninNM]

Michele, Phewwww, just got through reading it, wow, thanks for the review! Great pics and thoughts, LOVED EVERY picture! Your thread made us VERY excited for our Allure vacation in June! THANKS!

[QTMichele]

Thanks for all of the pics and suggestions. We are going in both September of this year and February of next year. You have made us very excited to go!

 

No problem - I'm so glad you found my review useful. :) I'm really excited for you to go too... and it looks like I'll be on just before you board in February. :D

 

A question for you... how would you compare Carnival's Dream and Liberty to RCI's Freedom of the Seas? I'm in the process of planning a family reunion cruise and was "this" close to booking Carnival's Liberty; however, I found a 5 night on Liberty of the Seas which is a better fit for some in our family. On the one hand, I'm very excited we're staying with Royal (if it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality here - we love Royal and know what we're getting). On the other hand, I do want to try other lines at some point and am curious at what I'll be missing. THANKS for any thoughts you'd like to share. :)

[QTMichele]

SSsssshhhhh! I love a "secret" door!

 

We have only been on one ship that had a viewing area above the bridge that was open to passengers, it was aboard the Ruby Princess. Michele do you know is the door only open while in port? That's how it was on the Ruby...

 

Thanks again for all the info & tips! We appreciate it!

 

Secret-Door-Dawg ;)

 

SDD - Just don't let anyone else know our little secret, okay? ;)

 

As far as I know, you can access this area at any time the weather conditions are appropriate.

 

Don't forget to check out the aft "secrets" too, okay?

 

Take care, QT Big Mouth

 

Michele, Phewwww, just got through reading it, wow, thanks for the review! Great pics and thoughts, LOVED EVERY picture! Your thread made us VERY excited for our Allure vacation in June! THANKS!

 

YAY! My intent is to help with the excitement and anticipation of this ship - she's lovely! In fact, I may have to go back and re-read my review in a few months to help with my own over-the-top excitment with our "upcoming" Allure cruise... only 9 more months to go!

 

Have a great time on your Allure cruise - and be sure to check back in and let us know how much you loved it! (And the "negatives" too!)

 

Thanks for reading!

[Snorkel Dawg]

SDD - Just don't let anyone else know our little secret, okay? ;)

 

As far as I know, you can access this area at any time the weather conditions are appropriate.

 

Don't forget to check out the aft "secrets" too, okay?

 

Take care, QT Big Mouth

 

 

 

Hey Michelle-I by no means want to hijack your rockin thread but wanted to show you this pic.

 

On the secret balcony by snokeldawgs, on Flickr

 

While we were up on the "wings" of the Ruby Princess last year in Aruba feeling really special because very few knew of this place! (or how to get up there) I'm on the right in the white T shirt with a cruizer buddy, my DW is on the left in a black cover up next to one of our dds. I love the perspective of Aruba in this shot, the bridge, the colors & us not knowing our pic was even being taken. (which a CC friend took from their balcony)...

 

Anyways my family as well as myself are all jacked about being able to do this aboard the Allure...Thanks to you! :)

 

We'll be checkin out those SWEET secret balconys you mentioned as well!

 

Thanks again!

Tail-Waggin-Dawg!

[elway1698]

No problem - I'm so glad you found my review useful. :) I'm really excited for you to go too... and it looks like I'll be on just before you board in February. :D

 

A question for you... how would you compare Carnival's Dream and Liberty to RCI's Freedom of the Seas? I'm in the process of planning a family reunion cruise and was "this" close to booking Carnival's Liberty; however, I found a 5 night on Liberty of the Seas which is a better fit for some in our family. On the one hand, I'm very excited we're staying with Royal (if it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality here - we love Royal and know what we're getting). On the other hand, I do want to try other lines at some point and am curious at what I'll be missing. THANKS for any thoughts you'd like to share. :)

 

Michelle,

We will never sail Carnival again based on some billing issues where we had a 25% discount on a future cruise not applied. Won't bore you with the details. Royal to us is definitely better. Freedom has been our favorite ship thus far. We did the Dream in February and there were some good things. We did the behind the scenes tour and the chefs table. Both were amazing because we had never seen some hidden parts of the ship. Met the captain and got a picture with him along with making our own chocolate melting cake. The overall problem with Carnvial, in my opinion, is the ship is NOT a destination in itself and you get what you pay for. Staying on the ship for Royal there is all kinds of things to do. Freedom was great, and you made it sound like Allure was a port all to itself. Carnival is just not geared that way. Hope that helps a little. I would do Liberty on Royal in a heartbeat. If you have specific questions please just ask. Again, loved your review and pics. Thanks so much! And to bad we are missing each other by a week. Oh well.

[QTMichele]

Hey Michelle-I by no means want to hijack your rockin thread but wanted to show you this pic.

 

 

While we were up on the "wings" of the Ruby Princess last year in Aruba feeling really special because very few knew of this place! (or how to get up there) I'm on the right in the white T shirt with a cruizer buddy, my DW is on the left in a black cover up next to one of our dds. I love the perspective of Aruba in this shot, the bridge, the colors & us not knowing our pic was even being taken. (which a CC friend took from their balcony)...

 

Anyways my family as well as myself are all jacked about being able to do this aboard the Allure...Thanks to you! :)

 

We'll be checkin out those SWEET secret balconys you mentioned as well!

 

Thanks again!

Tail-Waggin-Dawg!

 

LOVE the picture!!! I think you're really, REALLY going to like this area on the Allure! Can't wait to hear your thoughts about that. :)

[QTMichele]

Michelle,

We will never sail Carnival again based on some billing issues where we had a 25% discount on a future cruise not applied. Won't bore you with the details. Royal to us is definitely better. Freedom has been our favorite ship thus far. We did the Dream in February and there were some good things. We did the behind the scenes tour and the chefs table. Both were amazing because we had never seen some hidden parts of the ship. Met the captain and got a picture with him along with making our own chocolate melting cake. The overall problem with Carnvial, in my opinion, is the ship is NOT a destination in itself and you get what you pay for. Staying on the ship for Royal there is all kinds of things to do. Freedom was great, and you made it sound like Allure was a port all to itself. Carnival is just not geared that way. Hope that helps a little. I would do Liberty on Royal in a heartbeat. If you have specific questions please just ask. Again, loved your review and pics. Thanks so much! And to bad we are missing each other by a week. Oh well.

 

Thanks for sharing! Your thoughts are interesting, and the first time I've read (or at least remember reading) the opinion that Carnival's ships aren't a destination in their own right. I definitely feel that Allure was a destination unto itself - it's really just amazing! In fact, my husband and I LOVE St. Martin (honeymooned there), but decided to only get off the ship to buy a few token gifts in the immediate area off the ship, then we got right back on and ENJOYED a mostly empty Allure. FANTASTIC afternoon it was. :)

 

Anyway, we've just booked several staterooms on the Liberty of the Seas knowing that we're going to love her just as much as Freedom! We're still open to trying one of Carnival's newer ships. Someday. ;)

 

OH... the solution to not being on "my" Allure sailing in February is to rebook your cruise to "my" date! EASY! ;)

[elway1698]

Thanks for sharing! Your thoughts are interesting, and the first time I've read (or at least remember reading) the opinion that Carnival's ships aren't a destination in their own right. I definitely feel that Allure was a destination unto itself - it's really just amazing! In fact, my husband and I LOVE St. Martin (honeymooned there), but decided to only get off the ship to buy a few token gifts in the immediate area off the ship, then we got right back on and ENJOYED a mostly empty Allure. FANTASTIC afternoon it was. :)

 

Anyway, we've just booked several staterooms on the Liberty of the Seas knowing that we're going to love her just as much as Freedom! We're still open to trying one of Carnival's newer ships. Someday. ;)

 

OH... the solution to not being on "my" Allure sailing in February is to rebook your cruise to "my" date! EASY! ;)

 

Michelle,

Great decision on Liberty of the Seas! :) Again, we cannot wait to get on Allure which is why we booked the two cruises 6 months apart. As far as re-booking I will have to get back to you on that one LOL..again thanks for the review and pics.

[RaiderFaninNM]

QTMichele, not sure if you mentioned this but who or what was the "Headliner Show" the week you were on board?

[cancerelly]

 

On the secret balcony by snokeldawgs, on Flickr

 

While we were up on the "wings" of the Ruby Princess last year in Aruba...................

 

Hi Tail-Waggin Dawg, sorry but I have to correct you on this. It is not Aruba, but my lovely Island of Curacao you were on when this nice picture was taken.

 

 

Nice review Michelle, I have reading it, prepairing for my upcoming cruise in october. Thank you for taking the time to give us a pre-cruise look at Allure.

 

Cancerelly.

[QTMichele]

QTMichele, not sure if you mentioned this but who or what was the "Headliner Show" the week you were on board?

 

The Unexpected Boys... A musical tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

 

We skipped this one. If I recall, my husband was tired and I was glued to a book while sitting on my balcony. ;)

 

Nice review Michelle, I have reading it, prepairing for my upcoming cruise in october. Thank you for taking the time to give us a pre-cruise look at Allure.

 

Cancerelly.

 

Thanks! Have a great cruise!!!

[green eyed lady]

QTMichele, not sure if you mentioned this but who or what was the "Headliner Show" the week you were on board?

 

Hi RaiderFan,

We're on the same sailing and Gail of "Gail and Ken" posted that our headliner is going to be Abbacadabra...a tribute band to ABBA. :eek: I wish it was the Frankie Valli tribute band that Michele had. We are huge Jersey Boys fans :D

[joecat]

 

Don't forget to check out the aft "secrets" too, okay?

 

Take care, QT Big Mouth

 

Michele,

I can't believe you gave up the "Aft Secret Spot" too!?!? LOL. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't been on her yet but I've read that the aft spots are really nice and quiet while at sea.:)

[Snorkel Dawg]

 

On the secret balcony by snokeldawgs, on Flickr

 

While we were up on the "wings" of the Ruby Princess last year in Aruba...................

 

Hi Tail-Waggin Dawg, sorry but I have to correct you on this. It is not Aruba, but my lovely Island of Curacao you were on when this nice picture was taken.

 

 

Nice review Michelle, I have reading it, prepairing for my upcoming cruise in october. Thank you for taking the time to give us a pre-cruise look at Allure.

 

Cancerelly.

 

 

 

Cancerelly-Don't be sorry at all. I'm sorry. And I stand corrected. You are exactlly right, I somehow mistakenly confused the islands. How I did that I don't know, we swam with dolphins at the Dolphin academy in Curacao & it was one of the most memorable days of my life.

 

Aruba-on-the-brain-Dawg or...

I'm not in Kanasa anymore...lol

[Snorkel Dawg]

Michele,

I can't believe you gave up the "Aft Secret Spot" too!?!? LOL. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't been on her yet but I've read that the aft spots are really nice and quiet while at sea.:)

 

 

No worries Joe!

 

If they waterboarded me to get the secret info, with my confused old brain I would tell them it was on a different ship. Since I turned 50 Sunday, I can't remember what I had for breakfast, let alone the secret balcony location...

 

"Duh"-Dawg :confused:

[QTMichele]

Michele,

I can't believe you gave up the "Aft Secret Spot" too!?!? LOL. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't been on her yet but I've read that the aft spots are really nice and quiet while at sea.:)

 

They are nice and quiet. Well, usually quiet. When there is a show going on, you can definitely hear it from the balconies. ;) I enjoyed being out there for a little bit, but it wasn't a "hot spot" for me since I like a little more action going on around me (a bar attendant for one! lol). It was a great place when I wanted to do a little reading and watch the wake - beautiful!

 

No worries Joe!

 

If they waterboarded me to get the secret info, with my confused old brain I would tell them it was on a different ship. Since I turned 50 Sunday, I can't remember what I had for breakfast, let alone the secret balcony location...

 

"Duh"-Dawg :confused:

 

I'm not even 40 yet and can't remember my kids' names... so perhaps there really is no secret spot and I'm making it all up?!

[BillOh]

Speaking of the wake, isn't it amazing, it goes on for miles! I think I have a good wake shot I will post in my review tonight.