Not So "LIVE" Allure of the Seas: TAKE 2

[LisaroseNY]

We are taking this cruise in April! I am looking forward to your review.

:)

[QTMichele]

OH MY GOSH! You guys are such great guilt trippers! LOL Thank you for your kind words and following me along my newest journey. How fun it is to share this with you!!!

 

I don't have long to write - I have to pick-up my kids from school in 20 minutes, but I thought I'd get a quick start to help tame the masses! ;)

 

OH.... for the ice show question... I didn't go since I had been before and wasn't overly impressed. It was a "good" show, but it wasn't great and I didn't feel the need to see it again. On the other hand, I had a great time at the How To Train Your Dragon On Ice show! There isn't a lot of technical skating, but I loved the props, and my kids loved the show. If you've seen the movie, then it should be easy to follow. If you haven't seen the movie, then maybe it will be more challenging to follow along, but, IMHO, it should be entertaining.

[QTMichele]

All the planning over the past year has finally come to pay off. Today is the day we make our way to the airport. Can you believe we contemplated driving? Fortunately, we found excellent prices on airfare - our family of 5 cost about $800 to fly direct, round-trip from WV to Ft. Lauderdale. Driving wouldn't have been much cheaper!

 

Packing for this trip was a hassle. Baggage limitations and excess cost stress me out, but I managed to pack 4 checked bags plus one small carry on for each of us. Plus a car seat. Imagine 2 adults and 3 kids meandering through the airport with all this junk.

 

I made sure our liquids were packed in the checked baggage. No problems there. Or so I thought. As the 5 of us went through security, I noticed something was holding us up. That something was MY bag. Uh oh. I was pulled aside and told that I had liquids in my bag and was reprimanded. Liquid? UM, NO MA'AM! The TSA officer searches my bag and pulls out a bottle - my son's POWDER medication. She then reprimands me that I should make TSA aware of anything that I think they may find suspicious. Okaaay. Sure. Will do that next time.

 

Minutes after we went through security our plane started boarding. There's nothing like cutting it close.

 

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale without delay. After picking up our car at Alamo (got a great price via Priceline), we found we were upgraded from a full size to a mini-van. Perfect! (Remember all that luggage?!) Our rate was $26/day - no complaints there.

 

I booked our hotel room through Priceline as well - love Priceline for car rentals and 4 star hotels in Hollywood, Florida. We "won" the Westin Diplomat and Spa at $92/night. At the time I booked through Priceline the hotel's rack rates were $360 and up. Did I mention how much I love Priceline?

 

We checked in and received an inter coastal view. The view was beautiful at night.

 

It was late for us, but we were hungry. We tried dinner at a Westin restaurant on the inter coastal. Service was slow, the food was hotel-food (you know, not so great, but edible), and the prices were reasonable. I had the flatbread pizza at $14, my daughter had the hamburger ($12), the kids' meals were $6, and my husband had a huge salad for $18. After dinner, we hit the sack.

 

 

 

[keyarra]

Oh my your little one is a cutie!!!

[Maddycakes]

I am sooo looking forward to reading your post regarding the new Labadee cabanas. There seems to be very little information about them because they are so new.

[keyarra]

I am sooo looking forward to reading your post regarding the new Labadee cabanas. There seems to be very little information about them because they are so new.

 

Me TOO!!!!

[BrianAlt]

Great pic of your son! :D

[bschoon60]

 

 

 

What a cute Baby!

[sailingawaysoon]

thanks for the update so far. I know it's hard when you have a schedule and family to sit down and worry about your cruise critic family also, but you are killing me!

[QTMichele]

Oh my your little one is a cutie!!!

 

Great pic of your son! :D

 

What a cute Baby!

 

Thanks! And he has a personality to match. ;)

[QTMichele]

If this is half as good as your last review it will be awesome!

 

Well, I don't know that it will be anywhere near my last review, but I'll try!

 

Welcome back, and looking forward to the rest! :)

 

Thanks, Carol!

 

Support - right back atcha!

 

Appreciate it!!!

[QTMichele]

Welcome back, I'm kind of hoping that I will once again be following in your footsteps. As we have discussed previously, I read every review before going on Allure and remember yours very well. I will also say reading reviews of Allure helped make it a great cruise more than any other because Allure is so different. That said, got our taxes done last night and got more back than we expected. I'm hopeful that when I get back from Jewel I'll book my return to Allure for 2013.

 

Thanks!

 

I agree about learning about the Allure/Oasis before you go... there's so much that should be done before boarding. My family kept thanking me for all the work I did putting everything together. They still have no idea what it's like to book for a group of 21 - all the reservations on an off the ship, excursion ideas, etc. It was a lot of time, but it was fun!

 

Congrats on the taxes! We did ours last night too. :D We'll be using part of ours to pay for our onboard expenses... I'm ashamed at how much we spent! LOL

[QTMichele]

I am sooo looking forward to reading your post regarding the new Labadee cabanas. There seems to be very little information about them because they are so new.

 

I'll get there! LOTS of info to share with pictures!!

 

Patience! Patience!

 

LOL - I have no patience.. I'm trying to "get it all done," but find there's just not enough time in the day to do it.

 

I've been SO looking forward to this review!!!! Michele, will you be posting the cruise compasses? I would love a more recent one :D

 

THANKS! I've been excited to start it for you! Just need more time...

 

I don't normally post compasses. I love ya'll, but the time it takes to scan them, upload them, post them... well, something has to give, and it's usually the Compasses. I'm sorry, but I'd be more than happy to look up anything for you. :)

[NeuroQueen]

Oh boy, I've been waiting for you to get back. Glad all went well and can't wait to read about it!!!

[kuddles14]

Loving it so far Michele. You have a great writing style. I already have a big smile on my face just from the cruise originally being small to a group of 21!!! Then the surprises. Oh I can't wait to see how that turns out!!!

[QTMichele]

Oh boy, I've been waiting for you to get back. Glad all went well and can't wait to read about it!!!

 

Loving it so far Michele. You have a great writing style. I already have a big smile on my face just from the cruise originally being small to a group of 21!!! Then the surprises. Oh I can't wait to see how that turns out!!!

 

Ooooh! I'm motivated to write more tonight!!!! The next installation is coming up!!!! Have to kiss my kids goodnight first, but I'll be "right back"!

[NerdyChuck]

Michele,

 

Not sure how it could be done, but we need a live chat so you can answer questions .. :-). New travel site.. Cruisetime with Michele....

 

Looking forward to the next installment ..

 

mG

 

PS: found out my wife will be able to use her Starbucks card onboard to get participation "stars". Did you ever go in there? How was it?

 

Still 130+ days for us..

[QTMichele]

Michele,

 

Not sure how it could be done, but we need a live chat so you can answer questions .. :-). New travel site.. Cruisetime with Michele....

 

Looking forward to the next installment ..

 

mG

 

PS: found out my wife will be able to use her Starbucks card onboard to get participation "stars". Did you ever go in there? How was it?

 

Still 130+ days for us..

 

Well, there is a "live chat" on a major social media site, but I don't think I'm allowed to talk about that here. BrianAlt - can you confirm? ;)

 

I'm not a coffee drinker so Starbucks isn't my cup of "tea," but I saw many people there! It's more of a kiosk location versus an actual store front, but it's nice nonetheless! You'll enjoy! The pastries looked yummy, but I had no room to try any of their yum yums.

 

Off for the next installation...

[bionicman97]

Thank God for your review!

 

It feels like an eternity since I've been on a cruise ;)

 

Looking forward to more :)

[Livabeth]

 

Packing for this trip was a hassle. Baggage limitations and excess cost stress me out, but I managed to pack 4 checked bags plus one small carry on for each of us. Plus a car seat. Imagine 2 adults and 3 kids meandering through the airport with all this junk.

 

 

I so understand the packing for a family thing. I struggle with it each time. We have the same amount of luggage as you for one less child.

 

Cathy

[QTMichele]

Friday morning and five hours of sleep later, I awoke to a day full of family activities. Two of our "surprises" from New York State (my aunt and uncle) were staying with my cousins, their sons, who live in West Palm Beach. I couldn't wait to check in and say hello to my family! We made plans to meet them at my cousin's home, then we went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

 

The drive to West Palm was horrible.... tons of rain and "cool" weather (much warmer than WV though - I wasn't complaining!). We finally made it. Thankfully, the weather cleared up and I was able to take a picture of my son copying my dad outside of the Cheesecake Factory:

 

 

Lunch was okay - it always sounds better than it is (I think the meals are overrated, but that's just me). The company was great though! My grandmother, who lives in Florida, joined us too!

 

After lunch, we continued our family time by going back to the Westin. My in-laws recently moved to the Orlando area and were meeting us for the rest of the day and next. Seriously, we were over-indulging on family, but I'm a family girl and LOVED it!

 

My in-laws brought a surprise - my husband's niece! My kids were thrilled that their cousin was there. No lack of pictures there...

 

 

Dinner time was near and Italian was calling our name. We ventured to Mama Mia's in Hollywood. Jason and I had been there before and knew they would accommodate our large group. If you're counting, it was my family, my parents, my inlaws, and our niece - just 10. Mama Mia's has a variety of food ranging from decent to (very?) good.

 

After dinner I had to make a trip to Walgreens and Publix for a few pre-cruise items and some goodies for the hotel room. For the kids, of course. ;)

[QTMichele]

Thank God for your review!

 

It feels like an eternity since I've been on a cruise ;)

 

Looking forward to more :)

 

How was your trip, Curtis?

 

You need to book a cruise... Liberty, Thanksgiving 2012. :D

 

I so understand the packing for a family thing. I struggle with it each time. We have the same amount of luggage as you for one less child.

 

Cathy

 

I really, really struggled with it this time... I don't know how I managed, but I think having a toddler helped keep the luggage down. I could easily have packed another suitcase or two. On the other hand, we didn't use half of what we packed. :rolleyes:

[QTMichele]

A side vent...

 

But a little background first.

 

My parents earned another free cruise for 2 during the time they booked their cruise and the time I booked an aunt and uncle. The ever so generous parents used their Visa points to pay for my aunt and uncle's stateroom. However, they cashed in their points at final payment time so they decided to pay for the room with their credit card and turn in the points at the same time. Doing it this way ensured that my aunt and uncle's reservation wouldn't be cancelled since it takes a little while for the points to process. Royal Caribbean said they would refund the credit card payment as soon as the points processed. No problem, right?

 

Wrong.

 

My mom kept checking for the refund, but it never came. I called Royal Rewards (they administer the Visa points rewards) on 3 occasions. Each time I was told the refund would process within 7 to 10 business days.

 

Wrong again.

 

I threw my hands in the air and called our TA - let them earn their keep, right? Right. After a few back and forth calls, my TA finally called and informed me that Royal Caribbean refused to refund our credit card. They did agree to send the refund to the TA who would then refund us the money.

 

HUH?!

 

Ultimately, my parents have paid in full twice for one stateroom - once with their credit card and again with their Visa rewards. We've been promised that they will receive their money once the TA gets theirs - approximately 4 weeks after our cruise.

 

<<NOT holding my breath>>>

 

LESSON here: if you have Visa points, use them well before final payment!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Hi Michele, Your little boy is so so cute!! Looking forward to the rest of your review! ~Stacey

[QTMichele]

Today is the day that I'm really feeling the urge to take a bottle of Xanax. (I didn't.)

 

My excitement was really building as more of my family arrived. Another aunt and uncle arrived, along with my sister (not the one getting married). We spent the day at the Westin's pool and enjoyed each other's company.

 

My inlaws and niece left by mid afternoon. If you're following along, we are now left with my family unit of 5, my parents, my aunt and uncle that arrived today (the other set were in West Palm), and my (single) sister. It was dinner time, and we were hungry.

 

Our hotel concierge suggested a local Greek restaurant: Taverna Opa. Oh. My. Gosh. Can you say dancing on the tables with belly dancers 10 times fast?! And, yes, this is a family friendly place.

 

Oh, and guess what? My MOM was dancing on the table with a belly dancer! AND I HAVE PICTURES!!! LOL Actually, my dad has the pictures, but I'll be getting them... will try to remember to post later.

 

Dinner was great, but the music was LOUD. Fun atmosphere and very busy - go early or make reservations.

 

Later that evening, my sister - the one getting married - her fiancé, her son, and her fiancé's daughter arrived in Ft. Lauderdale. They stayed at a hotel closer to the port - no chance of them learning about our SURPRISES!!!

 

Tomorrow is the day... oh why don't I have a prescription for Xanax?!!!