My Week On The GREATEST Ship In The World! Allure OTS 10/30/11: A Pictorial Review!

[jmorgania]

I absolutely love this ship. We sailed our honeymoon on her in February. we've booked the Oasis but not until June of 2013. I'm in total cruise withdrawl right now. Your review is great, bringing back many great memories!

[Wilda]

Excellent review- thanks so much for taking the time! It seems as though you are reliving it as you post...good way to "extend" your vacation:D

[Poorplaya]

I had to come back this morning hoping you had posted more and you did, great pics of the places alot of people dont get pictures of. Awesome.:D

[BillOh]

I never Can understand what's the big deal about Cupcakes.

 

I can never understanding using the QUOTE function on an entire post full of pictures and then adding one sentence. Hopefully everyone has megafast internet connections these days.

 

There are a lot of things on Allure I may never use, or use only once or twice, but having them there makes the things I want to use less crowded.

[PudgiPoo]

Amazing, I love your picture tour. Hard to believe, but you have shown things I have never seen here before. Thanks.

[BillOh]

 

Now you've really kicked in my post cruise depression. If you look down to the lower level where the guy in the yellow shirt is, that was our table :( Oliver, are you down there? I'd like another diet coke please.

[maritar]

Great review and the pictures! I love your "never seen before" pictures from the Allure. Thank you very much for taking time to post.

 

Can you tell where I can find this "gift from the ship yard" display? I'd like to take DH to see it when we go to the Allure in Dec.

 

A gift from the ship yard?

[fdthird]

Grady..the pictures and review are great and I am taken back to our June 14th Allure cruise and helped counting the days till our next Allure cruise this Sunday (11/13). I passed along your post to my son and daughter who will be with us this time so they can get an idea of what they are in for.

 

Keep up the really excellent work!!!

[LisaH]

The Boardwalk itself located on the aft area of Deck 6, and is totally open air above and to the rear. There are balcony rooms that look out onto it, giving what would otherwise be interior cabins a pleasant open verandah. As you enter The Boardwalk you get a sense of the Coney Island theme that the designers were going for. The walls of the entranceway have fun house mirrors and circus inspired panels. A Zoltar machine heckles guests to pay him for a reading of their fortunes. The centerpieces of the entrance are sculptures depicting the steps that the carousel horses go through during their creation. The real, full size carousel that calls The Boardwalk home then greets guests. You can really appreciate the detail and craftsmanship that went into it. One of the horses even sports a big Crown and Anchor logo on his saddle.

 

The Boardwalk is home to several shops and restaurants. The first that one comes across is the Boardwalk Dog House. It has several gourmet hot dogs on the menu, and is free of charge. I ate there once but was unimpressed. It tasted fine, but the bun was stale and hard just like nearly every other cruise ship hot dog I have eaten. I don’t know why they can’t ever seem to stock fresh bread. Across the way is a little donut shop. They serve coffee, teas and donuts in the mornings. Other shops include an ice cream parlor, a candy shop, a build-a-bear store, a novelty photo booth and a clothing store.

 

There are two large eateries on The Boardwalk. On the port side is “Rita’s Cantina”, a Mexican themed open-air restaurant serving tacos, fajitas and the like. They also have some pretty decent frozen margaritas. Across from Rita’s is “Johnny Rocket’s Diner”. For those that aren’t familiar, JR’s is a 1950s themed diner serving burgers, fries and shakes. It has both indoor and outdoors seating. A surcharge applies to both Rita’s and JR’s.

 

While the Boardwalk is impressive, the real stunner of the area is the “Aqua Theater”. It is a huge amphitheater with permanent beach chair seating. The “stage” is actually a rigid mesh that can be lowered to reveal a large pool beneath. The theater’s pool, when the stage is fully lowered, is over 14 feet deep. This allows high divers to jump safely into the pool from high up on the superstructure. Water jets that create a “dancing fountain” effect also surround the stage. Flanking the Aqua Theater are the ship’s dual rock climbing walls.

 

I did not spend a tremendous amount of time at The Boardwalk mostly due to its location on the ship. You have to mean to go there, it’s not a place you walk through going from A to B. I strolled down the Promenade and through Central Park many times during the week while on my way elsewhere. Obviously there is no way to solve that issue, but it certainly seemed like the whole area was under used.

 

 

An overview

 

The candy store

 

 

Johnny Rockets

 

 

 

So there IS a Johnny Rockets on the Allure? We loved it on Oasis and I did not realize there was one on Allure. My parents are cruising on Allure in Feb and will be happy.

[fdthird]

Just a heads up to Lisa and others who have done this...those of us reading this thread on a smart phone are spending a lot of time downloading the pictures Grady posts and when you quote a thread as a means of replying and it includes a half dozen pictures that were already downloaded it only adds to the download waits. How about unless you need the picture reposted to ask a question or make a comment, just hit the quick reply button? It will make the thread a lot easier to load for us mobile viewers!

 

Thanks

[LisaH]

Just a heads up to Lisa and others who have done this...those of us reading this thread on a smart phone are spending a lot of time downloading the pictures Grady posts and when you quote a thread as a means of replying and it includes a half dozen pictures that were already downloaded it only adds to the download waits. How about unless you need the picture reposted to ask a question or make a comment, just hit the quick reply button? It will make the thread a lot easier to load for us mobile viewers!

 

Thanks

 

Ok, good to know! Thanks...

[babymaxie]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone, I appreciate it! I really enjoy posting these reviews, its my therapy to get over post cruise depression. :D

 

I am going on the Allure in a month and with your pictures, you are showing me things I really want to look for. I cannot wait to get on that huge ship and explore. I also loved your youtube videos. Cannot wait to read the rest of your blog about your cruise.

[BillOh]

Just a heads up to Lisa and others who have done this...those of us reading this thread on a smart phone are spending a lot of time downloading the pictures Grady posts and when you quote a thread as a means of replying and it includes a half dozen pictures that were already downloaded it only adds to the download waits. How about unless you need the picture reposted to ask a question or make a comment, just hit the quick reply button? It will make the thread a lot easier to load for us mobile viewers!

 

Thanks

 

Good point, I didn't think about Iphone, or tapatalk access. I dislike how in this forum software the quote button is much more prominent than a simply reply.

[will773]

 

 

I feel like I'm looking at my own pictures!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: Yours above, mine below.

 

 

[fdthird]

Smart a$$!

[LBumb]

great review

[ILuvCruisin']

Excellent review.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

[Nessa1dc]

First of all, I'm loving your review...I'll be on her in a mere 23 days....a very painful wait.

 

I hate to take you all the way back to your pre-cruise hotel....We will be staying at the Westin Beach Resort....was that the one and same? How far from the airport to hotel? How far from the hotel to the Port? How long to each? What kind of room did you have? Anything we should request?

 

Thank you in advance.

[sharon1202]

My first post on Cruise Critic must be reflected upon my first RCI cruise on the Allure in Dec 2010.

 

What can I say?

 

I miss this ship dearly but look forward to our encounter again one day in the future:rolleyes:

 

And yes, this IS the greatest ship in the world as this thread title claims!!

[slideshell]

First of all, I'm loving your review...I'll be on her in a mere 23 days....a very painful wait.

 

I hate to take you all the way back to your pre-cruise hotel....We will be staying at the Westin Beach Resort....was that the one and same? How far from the airport to hotel? How far from the hotel to the Port? How long to each? What kind of room did you have? Anything we should request?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

i was going to ask the same thing - we just booked our pre-cruise rooms at the westin as well - got it on priceline so curious to see what you thought about it and how easy it is to get around - i think we're going to have a rental car since we're going to be there three days prior to cruising so wondering what is nearby - thanks

 

and your review and photos are wonderful - we're sailing on the oasis this time around but you are making me think about planning an allure cruise :)

[DarthGrady]

Great review and the pictures! I love your "never seen before" pictures from the Allure. Thank you very much for taking time to post.

 

Can you tell where I can find this "gift from the ship yard" display? I'd like to take DH to see it when we go to the Allure in Dec.

 

Its in the casino, starboard side outer wall, just as you enter from the hallway that wraps around from Studio B. I don't know how well it will work, but I'm attaching a deck plan and I circled the area.

 

They are not always easy to find, but many ships have these little gifts that the ship yards place on board. They are like a little signature by the workers.

Edited November 10, 2011 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

My first post on Cruise Critic must be reflected upon my first RCI cruise on the Allure in Dec 2010.

 

What can I say?

 

I miss this ship dearly but look forward to our encounter again one day in the future:rolleyes:

 

And yes, this IS the greatest ship in the world as this thread title claims!!

 

Welcome to CC! Glad my thread could have your first post.:)

[DarthGrady]

First of all, I'm loving your review...I'll be on her in a mere 23 days....a very painful wait.

 

I hate to take you all the way back to your pre-cruise hotel....We will be staying at the Westin Beach Resort....was that the one and same? How far from the airport to hotel? How far from the hotel to the Port? How long to each? What kind of room did you have? Anything we should request?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

No, unfortunately it was not the Westin by the beach. It is the one in North Ft. Lauderdale right off I-95. I think it's exit 33 if you're driving.

 

It was a very nice hotel though, very modern inside with a great pool deck. We originally booked a regular room, but the guy upgraded us to a junior suite since the hotel was oversold that night.

 

FYI: I have also stayed at the Mariott North, which is on the other side of I-95. It is also a very nice hotel. I mention that because it also frequently pops up on Priceline and Travelocity.

 

The airport is further South, between Ft. Lauderdale and Dania. Its about a 20 minute drive from the Westin to the air port depending on traffic. The drive to the cruise port is VERY easy. You just drive South on I95, then take I595 directly into Port Everglades. That was about a 10-15 minute drive. The discount parking we used was right where I-95 ends into the port.

[DarthGrady]

I feel like I'm looking at my own pictures!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: Yours above, mine below.

 

Great minds think alike eh? :D;)

[HMH G]

:) Great pictures!

We were on the Allure in June, and these pics really make me miss it :(