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

[QTMichele]

That's why you need to book a cruise, Curtis!

[samoyedlover24]

The pools were empty on sea days - I couldn't believe it! ;)

 

Seriously, I took those either upon boarding or during port days. Some of my pictures are "out of order" in my review because I believe they'll make more sense grouped by topic. Posting the pictures in the order I took them would be a disaster. :p

 

 

 

We had absolutely no problems with the elevators. We were initially planning on taking the stairs most of the time, but my husband hurt his back mid-week so we took the "safe" route. Have a great time in your loft suite!!! I say take the stairs - it's great exercise and will keep you living longer so you can continue to cruise! ;)

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

I posted my explanation for the pool just above. Port days were great days to spend on the ship if you wanted space.

 

We went to the Solarium almost every day. It could get pretty crowded, but there were almost always loungers available. The glass roof allows for tanning - don't worry about that! Plus, it's not all glass, there are large spaces open to the sky. I used 50 spf sunscreen, but still had to take care not to burn. You won't have to keep moving to catch the rays. :)

 

I'll post more on my feelings about the ship in my summary, so stay tuned! I will share with you now that I felt incredibly homesick for my kids - there are just so many things to do as a FAMILY on the ship. We're all going next year, so I didn't feel too guilty - I just missed them a bunch. It didn't help that my 2 year old was really sick just before we left. Thankfully, they were all in good hands.

 

***

 

Okay, all, I want to post more, but I'm not sure that I'm going to have time tonight. My kiddies are still awake and they shouldn't be. Plus, my laundry is growing again. Sigh.

 

Thanks for reading!

Michele,

 

Sorry if I mislead you, but I'm not staying in a Loft Suite :mad::( I was just using it as an example. Thanks though for answering my question!

 

—samoyedlover24

[bionicman97]

That's why you need to book a cruise, Curtis!

 

Not to worry, it's booked :D We leave a week from Tomorrow on the Jewel for 10 days (Labadee, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica & Grand Cayman).

 

Your review is excellent for getting me in the mood to go. ;)

 

I'm going to try to be conservative this cruise and only take a couple thousand pics - just can't decide if I need a new lens first :cool:

 

Of course, a 40 page review will follow our return :eek::rolleyes::D

[QTMichele]

Michele,

 

Sorry if I mislead you, but I'm not staying in a Loft Suite I was just using it as an example. Thanks though for answering my question!

 

—samoyedlover24

 

Oh, that's too bad!!! I was hoping you'd return and post all about your experience in such a 'lofty' suite. ;)

 

Not to worry, it's booked :D We leave a week from Tomorrow on the Jewel for 10 days (Labadee, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica & Grand Cayman).

 

Your review is excellent for getting me in the mood to go. ;)

 

I'm going to try to be conservative this cruise and only take a couple thousand pics - just can't decide if I need a new lens first :cool:

 

Of course, a 40 page review will follow our return

 

Oh, yes, I know!!! I can't wait to read your 40 page review - with pictures from your new lens! :D

[QTMichele]

After our visit to the Loyalty Ambassador, we hit the Rising Tide Bar.

 

 

 

We purchased the Live the Allure book on the Rising Tide Bar for $12.99. It's a great souvenir, and a lot of fun looking for the clues. The answers were available on the last day (day 7) for the majority of the day. NOTE - at the back of the book, they advertise the Live the Freedom, Live the Liberty and Live the Oasis. The Freedom and Liberty books are new to me!

 

We were supposed to attend Ocean Aria this evening; however, due to windy conditions, it was rescheduled for Thursday (St. Martin) at 5.

 

Tomorrow we visit St. Thomas and take our first ship's excursion.

[emen822]

Michele,

Your pictures are fantastic! I'm really enjoying your review on this gloomy day in NYC. :o:)

[bionicman97]

After our visit to the Loyalty Ambassador, we hit the Rising Tide Bar.

 

 

 

We purchased the Live the Allure book on the Rising Tide Bar for $12.99. It's a great souvenir, and a lot of fun looking for the clues. The answers were available on the last day (day 7) for the majority of the day. NOTE - at the back of the book, they advertise the Live the Freedom, Live the Liberty and Live the Oasis. The Freedom and Liberty books are new to me!

 

We were supposed to attend Ocean Aria this evening; however, due to windy conditions, it was rescheduled for Thursday (St. Martin) at 5.

 

Tomorrow we visit St. Thomas and take our first ship's excursion.

 

I haven't heard of these books before. Sounds pretty neat. What kind of questions do they ask?

 

Great pics also :)

[QTMichele]

One more from the Rising Tide Bar

 

 

Day 4 - St. Thomas

 

We had a very early morning wake up call through the ship's PA system this morning. At 4:30am, three guests were called and asked to report to Guest Relations. Later in the cruise, Cruise Director Allan announced on his Babbling Brooks morning program that the three people were "of age" kids whose parents were concerned about their whereabouts. The "kids" were found sleeping in their beds. A lot of very happy cruisers discussed this for the remainder of the week.

 

Our real wake up call was at 7:30. We had breakfast at Park Cafe, then prepared for our ship's excursion to St. John. For $40 per person we received a ferry ride to St. John, a guided shopping tour (we skipped this portion), and personal time before heading back to the ship. Rum punch was provided on the return trip. We thought it was a good price, and only a little more than doing it "on our own."

 

We had to meet our group just outside the gates of the pier. This was the craziest part since there were so many people, but it wasn't difficult by any means. While waiting, we saw this:

 

Captain Johnny's Golf Bag!

 

Allan Brooks (CD), Captain Johnny and two others were going golfing on St. Thomas. Captain Johnny later announced that Allan did really, really poorly with a score of 70-something on the front 9 and 70-something on the back 9. Sounds like my kind of golfer!

 

Our ferry left at approximately 10:30. It was a nice ride to St. John, and took approximately 35-40 minutes. I was a little concerned about "rough" seas as I've read this route can cause some sea sickness, but I thought it was great and handled it without a problem. The ferry captain even gave us some history and little tid-bits about the scenery we were passing. The views were wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

[Calker]

Can't wait for your next post. I am really enjoying your review and pictures.

 

thanks for taking the time to inform all of us.

[QTMichele]

Upon arrival at St. John's, we took a taxi to Trunk Bay. Admission fee is $4 per person which includes use of a marked snorkel trail. The seas were a bit too rough and they closed the snorkel trail. So long for the snorkels we brought with us!

 

The beach did not disappoint - it was beautiful and clean.

 

 

 

 

 

Our view UP... hope those coconuts don't fall on us!

 

[Tiggercat]

We were in cabin 8556 on this same sailing! Joel was awesome!

[QTMichele]

Trunk Bay was beautiful, and had several ammenities to make our day comfortable. Bathrooms, showers, snacks, chairs, and more were available for free or purchase. The restrooms were clean and the beer was reasonably priced. We didn't rent chairs or purchase lunch. Here's a quick look around the grounds:

 

 

Snack Bar

 

Paved path leading to/from the beach to other areas of the park

 

Showers/Changing Rooms

 

The following pictures were taken on our way back to town.

 

 

[QTMichele]

Back to Cruz Bay, we walked around a bit and had lunch at a brewery. Cruz Bay is such a quaint little town!

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch and a brief walking tour/shopping expedition for our kids, we went back to the ferry location.

 

Our trip back was uneventful and relaxing. We made one stop to drop off passengers at the Marriott on St. Thomas.

 

Marriott

[Fenten]

Loving reading your review Michelle. Thanks for putting in all the effort.

 

I am starting to have anxiety about missing my kids on my upcoming cruise on April 10. You mentioned that you did get homesick for your kids. We'll be leaving a 2 and 4 year old home with the grandparents. Any tips to avoid this? Stay clear of the kiddie pools? :)

[fdthird]

More, More, More!!!!

[QTMichele]

We arrived back on St. Thomas at 5:30 - exactly the time we had to be back on board. On our walk back to the ship, we saw this little guy. Or girl.

 

 

The iguanas were all over - pretty cool.

 

 

After boarding, we went to the cantilevered whirlpool near the Solarium to watch sail away. Ahh... very nice!

 

 

 

Tonight we have dinner at Rita's Fiesta! We pre-booked dinner for $20 per person which includes 3 beers or margaritas (there is a $10 per person option which includes soda).

 

On our way to dinner, we ran into this hottie:

[QTMichele]

Upon our arrival at Rita's Cantina for Rita's Fiesta, we saw a long line. Line?! Is this for those who pre-booked, or is it a stand-by line?

 

It's the pre-booked line so we waited. And waited. It didn't take too long, but it wasn't the most efficient line I've been in. No complaining from me though - I've just been handed three drink tickets that I will put to use!

 

Our view while standing in line waiting for Rita's

 

Here's a picture of my husband after he put some of his tickets to use.

 

A picture of us. Jason says I look like Little Bo Peep!

 

Because it was just the two of us, we were placed at a table for 4 with two women.

 

Our tablemates, Diana and Diane

 

"Double D's" as I called them (darn those 3 margarita tickets!) had won their cruise from Oprah's Favorite Things show!!! This was their first cruise, and they were having a great time. They were fun to chat with and helped make our evening a lot of fun. Along with Ms. Strawberry Margarita. We shut the place down.

 

By the way, the margaritas are full size, and, at $10 each around the ship, this is a great deal!

 

 

 

Tonight's show is the QUEST! I wasn't sure if I was going to make it because it didn't start until 11:45 pm! Somehow I managed, probably because I told myself I could buy another strawberry margarita while I was waiting for the show to begin. Oh my, it's funny enough without having drinks slosh about my insides, and even funnier when my head is floating above the clouds.

 

Waiting for the Quest to begin wasn't difficult - the Bar Flair Preshow kept me entertained. The Bar Flair show is a lot of fun - 3 bartenders do their thing and show their stuff. It's really fun to watch, and a few lucky audience members get free drinks.

 

As always, the Quest was pretty funny. Sure, it's juvenille, but it makes me laugh.

 

Tomorrow we dock in St. Martin. See you there!

[QTMichele]

Oops! Forgot to add these pictures:

 

A Conga line. Sort of.

 

The Quest

 

Our towel animal tonight

[QTMichele]

I haven't heard of these books before. Sounds pretty neat. What kind of questions do they ask?

 

Great pics also :)

 

Curtis - the book is informative and a great souvenir (64 pages). It's set up as a self-tour divided into 6 trails (neighborhoods, really). For example, the first trail is, "Trail 1 Solarium and Pool & Sports Zone." Your trail starts in the Solarium where you are given a few tidbits of information (adult only, Solarium Bistro, Samba, etc.), then walks you through each of several more destinations along the trail (main pool - sports pool & H2O, teen zone, Allure Dunes, Zip Line, Flowriders, and sports court).

 

Along this trail there are a few questions/clues for you to answer. For example, clue 1: Head into the Forward Elevator Lobby on Deck 16 to solve your first clue. Clue 1 asks: Which unexpected creature makes an appearance amongst the floral features?

 

If you don't know the answer(s), you can get an answer sheet on the last day of the cruise (check your compass for details).

 

We were in cabin 8556 on this same sailing! Joel was awesome!

 

Small world! Did you love the location?! I can't say enough about Joel - he was just so nice!

 

Loving reading your review Michelle. Thanks for putting in all the effort.

 

I am starting to have anxiety about missing my kids on my upcoming cruise on April 10. You mentioned that you did get homesick for your kids. We'll be leaving a 2 and 4 year old home with the grandparents. Any tips to avoid this? Stay clear of the kiddie pools? :)

 

Part of my homesickness was due to my baby (toddler - he's 2) getting sick a few days before we left. He was so pitiful and clingy that it was very difficult to leave him. I think it would have been much easier if he hadn't gotten sick. Also, the ship is super family friendly, so everywhere I turned I could find something that my kids would love to do. You'll notice I took a ton of pictures of the H2O Zone and not as many of the other pools... where was my mind?!

 

You'll have a great time, as I did, so try not to worry too much about the kids. Just remember, they'll love having one-on-one time with their grandparents. Mine did!

 

Thanks again for all the nice comments. I appreciate them! Thanks for sticking around and re-living my journey with me.

[IrishLassie]

Have really been enjoying your review & the GREAT pictures.

Was wondering if they have Rita's on Oasis (I guess I could look in my brochure!). That sounds like so much fun & especially the "3 drink tickets". How was the food?

We can hardly wait for our cruise! :D

[ldyaradiall]

We were on the Oasis sorry no Rita's there.

[QTMichele]

Have really been enjoying your review & the GREAT pictures.

 

Was wondering if they have Rita's on Oasis (I guess I could look in my brochure!). That sounds like so much fun & especially the "3 drink tickets". How was the food?

 

We can hardly wait for our cruise! :D

 

Thanks for reading. :)

 

Oasis has the Seafood Shack, no Rita's.

 

The food was decent - nothing great/gourment, but I enjoyed it. We went a second time so we could order off the menu and I thought the food was good then too. Stay tuned to find out what I ordered. ;)

 

Have a great cruise!

[jacksmom09]

Great review! Can't wait for more!

[bionicman97]

Trunk and cruise bay look awesome! Great pics

 

The souvineer books sounds pretty neat.

[QTMichele]

Great review! Can't wait for more!

 

Ooh! You're leaving soon!!! Have a great cruise! :)