Live from the Allure of the Seas - August 21-28, 2011

[HB Cruiser]

If you see Merion Mom, tell her I said hi! I'll be her roomie next week! I can't wait for our cruise! :D:D:D

 

Thanks for the ongoing review~ :)

 

While we will not be your roomies, tell Merion Mom HELLO from Tim & Crystal (HB Cruiser).

 

Have a great Cruise!

 

Tim

[TamaLee]

More! More! More! The picture of the Allure in St. Maartin was wild. The people look like ants.

[Daghis]

Just a quick note before heading off to some late night activities. Dinner at Izumi was fantastic, just as I had hoped. I have some food porn pictures to share later on.

 

Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets are still fabulous. We've got one more buy-one-get-one coupon to use. :)

 

The 70s party on the Royal Promenade was lots of fun, although I wish it weren't on a formal night since I'm not a formal kind of guy.

 

Anyway, more tomorrow with food porn!

[Daghis]

Izumi food!

 

Here are our appetizers - edamame, shrimp wonton soup, and tuna wasabe carpaccio...

 

 

Next up was vegetable tempura. Izumi makes the tastiest tempura I've ever eaten.

 

 

My favorite sushi here is the crispy spicy tuna roll.

 

 

The main course, the hot rock with beef tenderloin and vegetables

 

 

And, finally, a dessert sampler including green tea mousse, fruit, Asian-flavored caramel flan, and "doriyaki" (pancakes with red bean paste)

 

[Daghis]

Well, here we are on day 7. I'm always a little sad on the last day, knowing that the cruise is coming to its logical end, but I keep reminding myself that I've still got another 24 hours or so to go on this ship, so I need to enjoy them as much as possible!

 

Soon we'll be having breakfast, either in Park Café or in Johnny Rockets again. After that is the Captain's Corner, and then we'll have to see what to do! So many choices, so little time...

[lindalo5032]

"Izumi food!

 

The main course, the hot rock with beef tenderloin and vegetables"

 

/

 

THEY FORGOT TO COOK IT!!! ;):D;)

 

No kidding--do you really eat it like that?

[Beachcruzer]

Have a fantastic last day! Thank you so much for the commentary and pictures.

 

Have a safe trip home!

[tropiclvrs]

THEY FORGOT TO COOK IT!!![/b] ;):D;)

 

No kidding--do you really eat it like that?

 

The hot rock will cook it. You can kind of see that the one on the rock itself it getting cooked on the underside.

[Cruisin-Family]

Great pictures and thanks for sharing your journey!

 

Do they still provide souvenir cups for the soda package? Our 8 year old son is excited because this is the first cruise that we will allow him to purchase one…he wants to know what they look like.

Thanks!

[ATLfuzzy]

Looks like you have had a wonderful sailing. I have a best friend on the ship with you. SO...it seems like the ship stayed ahead of this hurricane the whole time. So, were there no rainy days or heavy bumps for you guys, or were you guys oblivious to it all? Would like to know as my friend is prone to seasickness and we had, uh, special fun last year on Oasis. You really haven't mentioned it much, so I'm hoping it was smooth sailing. Meanwhile the NC coast is taking a huge beating.

 

I'm hoping the getting home part tomorrow will not be a nightmare.

 

Happy seas for the last night.

[Janet524]

We just returned from our St. Maarten/St. Martin expedition. We went to Marigot and had a disappointing time there. It took a long time to get there due to traffic/construction, but what was really disappointing was lunch.

 

We stopped at a place near the taxi drop-off spot called Chez les Copains, a little café. Our food took over an hour to be served! quote]

 

Next time you visit Marigot, may I suggest the Tropicanna for lunch. DH and I have been going there for years and have always had excellent food and service. It's located on the water at Marina Royale, where there are several other restaurants (that we've never tried), as well as a number of nice shops. The food and service have always been excellent. Tropicanna has become "our place" in St. Martin, and we've had the same server(s) over the last 10 years or so.

[storm1of4]

Thank you so much for the great review!

[TamaLee]

Enjoy your last evening. Safe travels home.

[LBumb]

enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Daghis]

It's Sunday morning... early... and that can only mean one thing: time to leave. In a few minutes, we'll head off for our final trip to the packed Windjammer, then pack up our stuff and get ready to say goodbye to Allure of the Seas.

 

I'll have more time after breakfast for some final thoughts, so stay tuned.

[cruiseturbo]

Thank you for your review! It has helped me pass the time until my cruise on the Allure which is in 7 days now!!!

 

I have been on the Allure twice already but I can't get enough of her and it is always good to hear other people impressions of everything.

 

Have a safe trip home!:)

 

Debra

[CrusingJoe]

It's interesting that you phrased it that way (both FoD and GLBT). There were two signs on the board by Guest Services. There is a "Friends of Dorothy" meeting at Blaze at 10:30 pm each night. I've not gone to that as I'm just not a Blaze kind of guy. :)

 

There's also an "LBGT" gathering in the Champagne & Martini Bar at 5:30 pm. I went once, but didn't notice any obvious group. I haven't been back at that time since as we've generally had dinner arrangements to get ready for.

 

I phrased it that way, as I have seen a lot of discussions on this board, that some people have never heard of FOD,(under 40 or cruises from over the pond.) It's very interesting they would post two groups at two different venues. Great idea, thanks RCCL......... Do you know if Park Cafe is open 24hours?

 

Joe

[floatel_lvr]

Thanks for taking the time to share so much of your vacation with us. We have about 5 weeks before we get to give Allure a try. Your journal has only helped build the excitement and anticipation of our upcoming trip.

 

Regards,

Rich

[Daghis]

Do you know if Park Cafe is open 24hours?

No, it's not. I'll be posting my Cruise Compasses later and you'll be able to double check. I think it's only open for breakfast and lunch.

[Daghis]

So, were there no rainy days or heavy bumps for you guys, or were you guys oblivious to it all?

Sailing on the Allure was fine for us. There was some mild rocking, but nothing that made it hard to walk in a straight line. We heard from some others that they felt a little seasick, but lying down, ginger ale, and a Bonine patch helped. Other than that, everyone else seemed okay.

[Daghis]

We are now sitting at the airport, waiting for our flight in a couple of hours. Getting off the ship went as smoothly as expected. We had a high luggage tag number (58), so we were able to relax while our boys finished getting ready. At 9:15, we headed to the Amber Theater and waited briefly there. Then around 9:30, our number was called and we headed out.

 

The luggage was very easily found, and the line for Customs and Immigration moved reasonably swiftly.

 

We quickly got all five of us loaded into a taxi and arrived at the airport.

[Daghis]

Do they still provide souvenir cups for the soda package? Our 8 year old son is excited because this is the first cruise that we will allow him to purchase one…he wants to know what they look like.

Yes, the soda package still comes with a large souvenir cup. We have quite a collection of those from previous cruises.

[time4me2fly]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. Have a safe flight home.

Now it's time to start planning excursions for your next cruise. :D

 

Thanks for sharing your cruise vacation with us.

[kath00]

Thanks for the great review! We all appreciate your time and effort.

 

One quick question: can you order other types of sushi at Izumi? Is there a menu with choices? I don't eat beef and tuna sushi for some reason is my least fave sushi. But I LOVE sushi in general so I am wondering if there are other choices.

 

Thanks! Katherine

[sunnyinnj]

Thanks for the great review! We all appreciate your time and effort.

 

One quick question: can you order other types of sushi at Izumi? Is there a menu with choices? I don't eat beef and tuna sushi for some reason is my least fave sushi. But I LOVE sushi in general so I am wondering if there are other choices.

 

Thanks! Katherine

 

Found this online while I was looking for other restaurants on board:

 

http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-Menu-5.html

 

:)