Is it Live or is it Memorex?- Allure of the Seas Review September 18-25 with Pics!

[Motleu]

What a great review. Simply one of the best I have ever read and I read alot of them! Thanks for taking the time to document everything! Much appreciated!

[babymaxie]

Hopefully it's Ok down there. :o For sure there was enough space between the larger tables. I'm not sure how many smaller tables they have in traditional since they tend to put smaller parties together down there.

 

 

 

Thanks!!! It's funny how it can be somewhat inconsistent like that. It wasn't a bad meal by any means, I think the last time we were in Chops it was just so over the top amazing that we had kind of built it up in our heads. ;)

 

 

 

Thanks so much for reading! So glad you are enjoying it! :)

 

 

 

Thanks for an awesome review of your cruise on the Allure. We leave in December and I cannot wait to read and see more of your postings. You have done an amazing job writing about your adventures and giving some great opinions about things on the ship and what to look for.

[Darkwolfe]

Finally got a chance to get back in and continue looking through the review, still looking extremely good!

 

Really leaning towards a run on these ships for next year.

[brwnIgir1]

I LOVE your door signs! Especially the boat goat!

I missed the door signs.... tried to look back but didn't see them. Do you know what page they are on?

[KrystalWaters]

Jen,

Please forgive me if someone asked. I'm only on page 14, but what kind of camera are you using? Especially, the undewater photos. Those turtle pictures are absolutely amazing!! I see a copy of wallpapers and screensavers that I will be using. :p

 

This is one of the best reviews I've read.

 

Kristy:)

[skrapngal]

Where's the rest of the review???

 

Hope everything is ok with nenner1.

 

In the meantime, the rest of us are suffering from cruise review withdrawals!

[nancronin]

Jen,

Please forgive me if someone asked. I'm only on page 14, but what kind of camera are you using? Especially, the undewater photos. Those turtle pictures are absolutely amazing!! I see a copy of wallpapers and screensavers that I will be using. :p

 

This is one of the best reviews I've read.

 

Kristy:)

 

I think she said that the turtle ones were from the excursion site - not from her camera - they couldn't have been - she didn't have a waterproof camera! Her camera was a Canon PowerShot :D

[nenner1]

Sorry I left ya'll hanging a bit, the last few days have been a bit crazy around here! Let's pick up where we left off!

 

 

After a wonderful day in St. Maarten, somebody was pooped!

 

 

Plans for this evening were to hit up Family Karaoke, which was listed in the compass, get the kids some dinner and then head to our dinner reservation at Giovanni’s Table. The kids requested pizza from Sorrento’s (again!) so we thought we’d grab that and eat while we enjoyed a little bit of Karaoke. Once we hit On Air and waited a little while, it became obvious with the lack of kids in the bar that there really was to be no Family Karaoke this evening.

 

 

Ron went and asked the bartender and they knew nothing of it, so they told us it must have been a misprint. Big bummer, we had not had a chance to do Karaoke yet, and the kids were really looking forward to it. It was right about this time that we realized Sarah’s stuffed Minnie Mouse toy was missing. We discussed at length whether we had even brought in onboard or not, where it might have been left, and Brendan said he thought she had brought it to dinner the other night in the MDR. We thought about it and realized he had to have been right. After a thorough search of both rooms, we realized we would have to go to Guest Services to see if Minnie had been found.

 

We got the kids happily settled in the kids’ clubs again, and headed back down to Deck 5 to Guest Services. We described the lost item for the clerk behind the counter and she departed to go check the lost and found area. We joked amongst ourselves about the episode of Extreme Cruise ships on Oasis and the missing teddy bear that is waiting to get reunited with its owner. We wondered if that would be us that got the red flashing light and the big buzzer at disembarkation to be told we could not leave without picking up our poor lost Minnie Mouse..

 

Thankfully we did not have to worry about it long, as the clerk came right back out with Sarah’s Minnie! We had to fill out a line in a ledger book and leave a description of the item just in case someone else would try to claim the same thing. Whew. Potential crisis averted.

 

We had plenty of time before our Giovanni’s reservation and upon reaching Central Park, while still in the forward elevator bank; we noticed an interior catwalk that overlooked the park, with two outdoor overlooks, one port, and one starboard. We headed up to Deck 9 to check out this area. I had never read or seen pictures of this picturesque overlook, so I don’t know if it has been mentioned here or not. It is a quite tranquil spot- especially at night- and is great for pictures….if…..you have a better camera. (lol)

 

This is taken from the middle of the catwalk inside (you can kind of see the glare)

 

 

And this from the port side overlook:

 

 

 

Here is the door you go through to get outside:

[nenner1]

And the catwalk!

 

 

How gorgeous is Central Park at night???

 

 

There was a live strings trio playing, and the music really added to the tranquility of the atmosphere. Here is a short video showing how lovely it really is:

 

(Video-click picture to play)

 

 

We arrived at Giovanni’s shortly before our reservation time of 8PM. The restaurant was busy but not quite as bad as Chops the night before. Right away we saw the seating situation was very similar to Chops with the very tight tables that had one booth seat and one chair. Right away we asked if we could be seated elsewhere. It’s a good thing because the hostess then said she would see what she could do and had us wait a moment.

 

As we waited we observed the amazing looking dessert table: chocolate torte, cannoli, tiramisu, and zuppa inglese. Mmmmmm!

 

 

After a few minutes she came back and led us to a somewhat isolated 2-top table. As we were being seated we were informed our server was away at the moment but would be with us as soon as possible. I immediately thought, uh-oh…what did we get ourselves into by asking for this table but we would soon find out it was all good.

 

Our server did indeed come to greet us shortly. He was excellent- very personable and knowledgeable. As it turns out the party of two across the aisle from us (a decent distance of 3-4 feet, btw) was also just seated so he often addressed both tables at once to avoid having to do a spiel twice. That was absolutely fine with us. I wish we had noted his name to mention on the survey- the other couple actually asked him too and also asked for the manager to praise his service. So tonight’s meal was already off to a much better start.

 

So, we were presented with menus and asked for our drink orders. I had no problems getting iced tea in Chops the evening before, so I was surprised when I asked for it tonight that Giovanni’s actually did not have iced tea. Of course our amazing waiter said not to worry- that he would get me some. Awesome!

 

We started out with bread service, a crispy white country loaf with olive oil, vinaigrette, freshly ground pepper and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Our server had this neat little thumb pepper press bullet that he would just push the top of with his thumb and express fresh ground pepper! Neat!

 

Olive Oil/Vinaigrette/Parmesan dip:

 

 

Bread:

 

[nenner1]

Here is the menu at Giovanni’s (courtesy of Beyondships.com, I couldn’t get a good pic with my new camera) Please note this menu is from earlier this year and is slightly different than the one we had. I’m not sure if the changes are seasonal or permanent, but I will note the things we found to be different.

 

 

 

As an appetizer, we selected the Antipasti per Due, mainly to get some of the amazing looking fresh sliced prosciutto, which you can see prepared by this interesting contraption:

 

 

O…M...G it was SO GOOD! It melted in our mouths! So delish! We could have eaten a huge mound of it. In fact we could care less about the rest of the plate; the salami, gambonzola cheese, artichokes, zucchini, sardines….SARDINES (bleh!)….no it was the fantastic prosciutto that our forks were sparring over.

 

 

Now Ron and I have similar tastes in a lot of food, and so we often tend to order the same dish when in restaurants. Sorry about the lack of variety, but we did the same thing here at Giovanni’s. We both elected to have a pasta course as well as an entrée. Our amazing waiter whose name I wish I had gotten assured us the pasta courses are not entrée-sized. We were concerned about having too much food but I can assure you this evening we had room for dessert. Not sure if the portions are a tad smaller, or if it was just that good but we had no problems polishing everything off.

 

Having been reassured the pasta course would not gorge us, we both ordered the Risotto I Fungi- (it may have had other weird Italian words in the title) but basically it was mushroom risotto, and it was AMAZING mushroom risotto!

 

Thick, perfectly al dente, rich, earthy, creamy truffle undertones, fresh parmesan and blanched asparagus on top. Wow. Just sinful. Note that this risotto is not listed in the menu above, they must have switched it out with the Risotto al Pomodoro.

 

This was just sooo good. I could have eaten a TON of it!!

 

Mr. Awesome McAwesomely our server took this picture of us between courses. It was so nice to just sit back and relax during our meal, as opposed to being rushed the night before. We actually held Headliner reservations for 10:30 but already knew we’d be blowing them off. We were just too tired and the headliner show wasn’t really to our taste (it was signer Tony Tillman who does a lot of Rat Pack and Big Band songs, not really our cup of tea).

 

[nenner1]

It wasn’t long before our entrée’s had arrived: the Flietto di Manzo alla Griglia, Patate Fritte A’ll Olio Agliato, Salsa a Barolo o Burro di Gorgonzola.

 

Translation: Filet of Beef tenderloin (8oz) grilled with garlic fries and served with choice of Barolo reduction or gorgonzola butter:

 

Fabulous!

 

 

 

The steaks were juicy, tender and cooked to perfection. Not as dramatically thick as the ones from Chops but it had much more flavor. We both chose the gorgonzola butter- Ron though it was a bit too heavy but I LOVED it! Rich, creamy, succulent and the perfect accompaniment! The garlic fries were pretty good too. I don’t care too much for steak fries personally but they weren’t greasy and had good flavor. Ron said the broccoli was “fine” but I don’t care much for broccoli so I didn’t eat it. (Saving room for dessert…umm, yeah, that’s my excuse!)

 

It didn’t take us too long to eat our steaks and you can bet we were ready for the delicious desserts.

 

Dessert Menu:

 

 

I was torn. I love anything chocolate, and that torte looked fabulous, but I also love tiramisu and had read Giovanni’s was terrific. I had also read good things about the cannoli- so I chose the hazelnut cannoli and tiramisu. Ron just had the tiramisu.

 

 

 

The verdict: yeah, as good as it looks. The tiramisu was wicked good. Best ever? Maybe. I thought the serving size was too small. ;) The cannoli was superb as well- crunch crisp yet flaky shell, and decadent creamy filling. Wasn’t overly chocolate, and the rich hazelnut flavor was delectable.

 

Overall just a fantastic dinner. We loved that the atmosphere was laid back and appealing, more comfortable than the slightly stuffy counterpart on other ships, Portofino.

 

Literally on the way out of the restaurant, our AO phone rang. Ron didn’t even recognize it was ours, even though it was in his pocket. Turns out Sarah had a potty accident. She had waited too long to go and just missed making it up on the potty before letting loose. We headed right up to get her, fearing she would be banned from the club, but those fears were unnecessary. The club staff handled it really well; they had already given her a change of clothes (little AO shorts) and placed her wet clothing in a Ziploc bag. There was no trouble at all, it was handled very well by the staff- happens all the time – they said. We stopped by to check out the older kids- under much protest. Not surprisingly though, they were more tired than they had liked to admit. They fell asleep rather quickly, and so did we!

 

Up next: A fun filled day at sea!

[nenner1]

I think I would have died on that boat ride!

 

We have traditional dining and I am hoping for a table for 2 not too too close to another table but looks like that might not happen.

 

I hope it doesn't. Honestly the only nights MTD seemed busy was formal nights. The other nights there was plenty of seating so hopefully you will be able to have a good table situation. I will say when there is a problem they always tried to help us (not that we had many problems!!! ).

 

 

We are thinking of buying a Nikon Coolpix S6100. How did you wind up liking the older version? Just curious.

 

Not bad, It's OK but the limitations are obvious to me after having a more complex camera. Zoom mostly is what I miss. It's kindof a pain to get to the video mode, you have to scroll through a menu.Those are my main gripes. It's a great little compact P&S. All of my pics from here on out are taken with it so you'll see the quality isn't bad at all. :)

 

What else is there right where the ship docks in St. Martin? Anything or is it best to take the water taxi to town?

 

Not too much, there are a few shops, more like kiosks. A couple of brick and mortar buildings. It think a Diamonds International. Not a lot there, most of the better shopping is in town. You could walk, but it is a bit of a walk (maybe a mile? IDK about estimating distances but it seemed like a lot longer than we would have been willing to walk. LOL!) The water taxi is $6/pp IIRC for all day...so a decent price.

 

Still lovin' your review. Here AND over "there!" Don't want to miss anything! ;)

 

Thanks! I'm slacking a bit on both sides, it's been a rough week!!

 

Is it the same review over there? Anyway you could post a link?

 

Sure! It's on the Disboards and it's geared more towards a comparison with DCL ships. I think I let loose a bit more over there...but...and this is one big BUT that one is far behind this one. Like, Day 1. :eek: LOL!

 

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2810383

 

Looks like an awesome excursion. My youngest would be terrified though. Like on our boat on Georgian Bay in the summer-lol.

 

:cool: I thought for sure Sarah was going to freak out but thank goodness she *loved* it! Otherwise, it would have been a looong ride!!!

 

We had a similar camera disaster at Disney. My Nikon D40 crapped out suddenly. During the afternoon parade. In the Magic Kingdom-day 2 of our trip. Are you KIDDING me?

 

Oh wow...right during the parade?!?! That STINKS!!!

 

Sent DH out that night to buy a new one. He calls me at 830 pm, telling me he can't find one. Where are you dear? At the outlet mall. Are you kidding me again! That's for purses, shoes and last year's fashions. Go to a Target!!

 

LOL, guys....gotta love 'em! :D

 

He wisely did. And got us a Canon p and s which we still use when we want something portable. The Nikon? Not fixable, cheaper to buy a new one. Got a D60, with the extended warranty. Still love the Canon though, it does the trick when space is tight.

 

Ooh, I bet you love that D60! Nice!!

 

Loving your review. Hoping to do one of the Explorer next March. Are you using Photobucket to get the pix on here?

 

A friend of mine just got off Explorer and she had a terrific cruise!!! YOu will love it! And yes, I use photobucket! Thanks so much for reading!!! :)

[nenner1]

Wow after that review, I think Captain Alan is going to get lots of business!

 

Your trip with Captain Alan looks and sounded like a GREAT trip. Last time I booked an independent snorkeling trip was in St Thomas with Yacht Adventures on "Island Girl". I was very disappointed. I said I wouldn't book another, but after seeing your trip with Captain Alan, I've changed my mind. Thanks for the review.

 

You're welcome! I think if you give Capt. Alan a try you won't be disappointed!!:cool:

 

Fantastic review:)

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it! :)

 

Hmm I didn't have any PG thoughts about that mud and Capt. Alan. ;)

 

Can't wait for the rest of the review!

 

LOL, I still swear he moonlights as Capt. Jack Sparrow!! :p

[nenner1]

Sorry about the camera. I had a Canon IS3, too, and it crapped out on us at Disney World a couple of years ago. It still worked, but the pictures were all grainy. Fortunately, at that time, it was my "back up" camera -- I had a Nikon D60 by then. Now I also have a Panasonic Lumix p&s -- which is what I took to Disney on our last trip since I didn't feel like carrying the Nikon (those things get heavy!). I've been there plenty of times, but still took over 500 pics!!

 

I have heard great things about the Lumix! I've seen some pics taken by it and they are very nice! :)

 

Anyway, I was going to make a suggestion about your camera. Did you dry it thoroughly after it soaking? I suggest you take out the battery, leave the battery compartment door open and submerge everything in dry rice for a few days. It may be too late to help now, but it wouldn't hurt. After a few days, recharge the battery (that should be in the rice, too) and see if it will turn on again. I've never had to do this with a camera (knock on wood), but have done it with plenty of cell phones! Good luck!

 

LOL it's funny you mentioned it, on the van on the way back we were actually talking with the group of 3 gals and they were going to go to Windjammer and ask for a bowl of dry rice. We meant to do that as well, and just never did. It has turned on since coming hom ebut is still acting very wonky and I was having some trouble with it prior to the cruise anyway (lens not retracting and that sort of thing)...so we have just let it sit to dry, and if it ends up coming back, it will be a good backup. If not...well...I have my eye on the Rebel T1 and I hope maybe I will get it for a present either for Christmas or my birthday......:rolleyes: LOL!

 

Still loving your review!!

Thanks!! We may be done with the ports, but it's still far from over!!

 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Your review is awesome! My family will be sailing on the Allure in April 2012 and this was so helpful. This will be our first Cruise on RCI and we are really looking forward to it!

 

You are so welcome, glad it is helping you plan!!! Starting out at the top are you? :p Ha ha, you will love Allure!!!

 

Thanks for the awesome review.I will be cruising on the Allure this Sunday with 25 family and friends.

 

Thanks so much for reading, I wish I was where you are right now!!!! :o

[nenner1]

What a great review. Simply one of the best I have ever read and I read alot of them! Thanks for taking the time to document everything! Much appreciated!

 

Thanks so much for the compliments! I'n so glad you are enjoying it! :)

 

Thanks for an awesome review of your cruise on the Allure. We leave in December and I cannot wait to read and see more of your postings. You have done an amazing job writing about your adventures and giving some great opinions about things on the ship and what to look for.

 

You are very welcome, thanks for reading it!! December is literally right around the corner! You will have a blast!!!:)

 

Finally got a chance to get back in and continue looking through the review, still looking extremely good!

 

Really leaning towards a run on these ships for next year.

 

Thanks! These ships are just amazing, I think they have totally redefined cruising for us!:cool:

[nenner1]

I missed the door signs.... tried to look back but didn't see them. Do you know what page they are on?

 

Here you go, they were easier to find in photobucket! ;)

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!!! :D

 

Jen,

Please forgive me if someone asked. I'm only on page 14, but what kind of camera are you using? Especially, the undewater photos. Those turtle pictures are absolutely amazing!! I see a copy of wallpapers and screensavers that I will be using.

 

This is one of the best reviews I've read.

 

Kristy

 

I think she said that the turtle ones were from the excursion site - not from her camera - they couldn't have been - she didn't have a waterproof camera! Her camera was a Canon PowerShot

 

Hi Kristy, like nancronin said, I am using a Canon Powershot S3IS, which I bought in 2007. It isn;t waterproof, so no I didn't take the turtle pics. They did come from the excursion site doubloon.com and I wanted to post them because they were a very accurate representation of what we saw in real life. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of the turtles, if we'd even see them before the excursion so I wanted to let everybody see what we'd seen!:D

Thanks so much for reading, glad you are enjoying it!

 

And nancronin, thank you as well for helping out in my absence! :)

[nenner1]

Where's the rest of the review???

 

Hope everything is ok with nenner1.

 

In the meantime, the rest of us are suffering from cruise review withdrawals!

 

LOL sorry I left you hanging for so long! Three lashes for me! :D

More good stuff coming up soon!!! Lots of fun at sea. We even get to the solarium finally!!! :cool:

[metairiegal]

Did you notice in your picture of Central Park that the butterflies look like a hidden Mickey? I just asked dh if he could see it and he said yes, so it's not just me. Or, is it? :D

[joand452]

Your server in Giovanni's wasn't by chance Mihai from Romania? He's tall, dark hair and quite handsome. And a very outgoing personality. He was our server on Mariner of the Seas in 2005, and I've judged just about every wait team against him since then.

 

On our Allure cruise, we were given lunch at Giovanni's on turnaround day (we were on a B2B). I couldn't believe that Mihai was our server again! He'd left RCI for a couple of years to open a restaurant in Romania, but came back to RCI to earn some money, he said.

 

I probably have a picture of him somewhere, but thought maybe his name would ring a bell. All the servers we had on Allure were excellent -- in each and every venue. Hope the same holds true for Oasis in March!

[sharonlacey]

Cant thank you enough for bringing us all on your vacation.

 

Thanks again...............Sharon;)

[BballinQT24]

Those desserts look delicious! Still enjoying the review and looking forward to more!

[shamda]

Wow, what a great review and such enjoyable pictures. You certainly have a beautiful family and it looks like everyone had such a great time! I am sure your kids will remember this trip fondly for a long long time. Thanks again!

[tomko2]

Your review is wonderful. You seem like such a lovely person with a beautiful, caring family; wishing all things good for you and yours.

I was anxiously awaiting Giovanni's Table review and you covered all my questions. :D

Many, many thanks for doing this great review.

Kathy:)

Allure of the Seas Jan 2012

[OklaCruiserMom]

Finally hit the end (so far)! I've read this whole thread and am loving your review. So much detail and positive, constructive evaluation of your experiences! I am taking my kids on this same trip in late May, and I am taking careful mental notes. My kids will be 18, 18, and 11 at sailing, and parent-wise, it's just me. I know the girls will be able to look after The Boy, but I am wondering about taking advantage of the kids' club services, at least a little. I'm confused about how it works. Is it free? Cost $ only after certain hours? Have to sign up way ahead of time? Drop in any time?

 

Your family is so cute and it looks like your kids were pleasant and happy most of the time. Mine can do more than their share of bickering, despite the girls' advanced age, but I'm praying they have too much fun to get cranky.

 

If it's ok, I might pm you later with specific questions about the ports. This will be our first cruise, first time to any of these locations.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this review, and looking forward to the rest!!!

[KKB]

It has taken me several days to finish it all!

Could you tell my the price for Capt. Alan's?

THX!