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

[jakesmom04]

Thank you for sharing the "suprise" with us. Brought tears to my eyes.

[BonTXNY]

I just finished watching your sister's surprise. I can't put into words how I felt. When she saw her aunts and uncles it moved me beyond words. WOW! BTW, Michele, take care of yourself. I could hear you coughing in the video.

[ausofte]

Sorry for the hijack, Michele, but, Stacia, this was the sweetest thing ever! And that little surprise in there just cracked me up. I wish there had been more!

 

Oh my gosh! I watched the video just a little while ago too - loved the end! The video is so sweet and funny - what a great guy!

 

Thank you! He really is a sweetie. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming: namely, an awesome Allure review.

[bionicman97]

I don't know if you figured out which software or not, but for mac it's iMovie on the free side :)

[rancan]

What a wonderful trip report so far!! I love all the pictures, and loved loved loved the video!! You are such a great writer!

 

We are going on the Allure for the first time in October (western), and I am getting more and more excited, especially after reading your report.

I just wish it wasn't so far away!

 

Looking forward to reading more!

[BillOh]

michele,

 

love both of your reviews!! this ? is more related to your eastern cruise. i was wondering if you would book the starboard side again for eastern ports or would you have rather been port side? we are trying to decide between our aft cabins on starboard side deck 11. or moving to deck 8 port side behind the parkside gallery/retail shop? if we move to 8 our cabins will be closer together but we will still have beds by closet (as we do right now)

 

Let me stick my nose in on that one as I had a Starboard on the Eastern cruise. In a few weeks I will look for another starboard side balcony, probably on deck 12 again. We had great views of the port and the mad rush to get back to the ship on time in St Thomas and St Maarten. In Nassau we were facing away from the port, but had a nice view of the barrier island.

[Girley]

Great job Michele! I am home on the couch sick today and am enjoying this time to read your reviews....forgive me if you mentioned it and I missed it, but did any of the children in your group use the Adventure Ocean, and what are your thoughts? I ave two daughters 8 and 10 and I admit am WAY overprotective and can't get comfortable with the thoughts of leaving them with strangers...and do you know if my 8 yr old will be able to go to the 9-11 group, so they can stay together? I hope you feel better soon!

[QTMichele]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting.

It's what life is all about.

 

Agreed!

 

I'm just back from my first cruise on the Allure and couldn't wait to start reading your review! I'm only on page three so far and already cried at the pictures of your sister discovering the rest of the family. How amazing! Can't wait to read the rest of the review over the next few days!

 

How was your cruise?!!!

 

Such a precious memory. Thanks for sharing it with us. I was tearing up.....she was so surprised. I can't imagine how ya'll kept that a secret!

 

I don't know how we managed either... there were a few slips that were covered up reasonably well.

[QTMichele]

I leave first thing Friday morning!!! But will understand if you can't finish it before then... I'll just have to see the real thing (y)

 

Woo hoo! I'm writing more as soon as I finish my responses! Not sure I'll be finished by Friday (it takes some time getting the pictures inserted), but I'll be moving along for you!

 

Thank you for sharing the "suprise" with us. Brought tears to my eyes.

 

Me too!

 

I just finished watching your sister's surprise. I can't put into words how I felt. When she saw her aunts and uncles it moved me beyond words. WOW! BTW, Michele, take care of yourself. I could hear you coughing in the video.

 

I'm trying... I went to the doctor's - I have a mild case of bronchitis, but I'm feeling pretty good overall. Thanks.

[QTMichele]

I don't know if you figured out which software or not, but for mac it's iMovie on the free side :)

 

I used it! I need more time to play around with it so I can figure it out. My video leaves a lot to be desired, but it gets the point across. ;)

 

What a wonderful trip report so far!! I love all the pictures, and loved loved loved the video!! You are such a great writer!

 

We are going on the Allure for the first time in October (western), and I am getting more and more excited, especially after reading your report.

I just wish it wasn't so far away!

 

Looking forward to reading more!

 

Thanks, thanks, thanks!

 

You're going to love Allure!!! Hope you write about your experience when you return. The time will fly by.

 

Great job Michele! I am home on the couch sick today and am enjoying this time to read your reviews....forgive me if you mentioned it and I missed it, but did any of the children in your group use the Adventure Ocean, and what are your thoughts? I ave two daughters 8 and 10 and I admit am WAY overprotective and can't get comfortable with the thoughts of leaving them with strangers...and do you know if my 8 yr old will be able to go to the 9-11 group, so they can stay together? I hope you feel better soon!

 

Thank you. :) And hope you feel better.

 

I'll address Adventure Ocean in more detail at the end of my review, but a quick answer now would be... Go to AO during their open house (first day) and get a feel for things. It will be a little chaotic during open house as the kids check things out while the parents them up, but it is a lot more structured when the club opens. There are a lot of kids with several staff, and I think you'll find them reassuring. The club is clean, bright, and full of fun stuff. Ultimately, it's your choice to leave them or not, but most kids find the club to be a lot of fun and don't want to leave.

 

I do not have personal experience with moving a child up or down an age bracket; however, I've read that it depends how busy the club is. Most of the time you cannot, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Check on the family boards - you'll get a lot more answers from personal experience there. :)

[QTMichele]

After returning to the ship, we went back to our cabin and dressed for dinner. The kids were worn out and wanted to hang out in the cabin. We left them money for room service (gotta tip them!) and ordered a pay per view movie for them. They were thrilled that they got a night without the parents!

 

My youngest sister (not the "surprised" one) bought my parents an intimate Valentine's dinner for 7 at Giovanni's Table as part of their birthday gifts. My sister knew that they wouldn't want to go alone when family was onboard, so she splurged and purchased all the "geriatric" family members dinner. They had a great time and a great meal!

 

In the meantime, Jason and I went to the Bow and Stern Pub and ordered a few drinks. Here's my Valentine's Day strawberry margarita. Like the straw wrapper?

 

 

A few of my (younger) family members stopped by and had a drink with us, then it was time for Jason and me to make our 8:30 Chop's dinner reservations. After our last meal at Chop's Grille (Allure 2011), we couldn't wait to go back. We were not disappointed - our meal was wonderful.

 

I ordered (and ate!) the shrimp cocktail, mashed potatoes, broccolini, petite filet mignon, and creme brûlée. Because it was Valentine's Day, we also received a cream filled chocolate layer cake. I'm not a chocolate cake fan, but this was very good and very moist.

 

 

 

You'd think our meal would stop there, but it didn't. Jason didn't want dessert, but I encouraged him to order something to take back to the kids. Our waiter agreed. The next thing I know, Jason has a Mississippi Mud Pie for himself, a Mississippi Mud Pie for our kids (to go), AND an Irish Coffee.

 

We are gluttons.

 

Our desserts made it back to the room, and the kids attempted to eat them, but couldn't. Those mud pies are just too rich, even for my sweet-tooth kids!

 

The Love and Marriage Game Show is scheduled for tonight, and I wanted to go. Jason stayed behind (nothing like Valentine's romance when you've been married for 14 years LOL). Several of my family was at the show, and we were looking forward to watching the auditions.

 

They were the worst I've ever seen.

 

Seriously lame auditions, but I put the blame more on the cruise director than on the audience members. The show itself was funny enough, but I thought it was a little weak.

 

I guess now is a good time to bring up our cruise director. We had Ken Rush, and I'm just not a huge fan. He had quite a few funny moments, but he lacked something. I don't cruise for the cruise director's, so this didn't break my cruise, but there was a noticeable difference in the 'quality' of the cruise director led shows.

 

Next up: Jamaica and a Wedding

[joand452]

Michele, great job on the video. Here I am crying at my desk again! Good thing the boss is not here!

 

We received vouchers for dinner from our TA (one for each week, too). I'm looking forward to Chops. The last time we went to the ship's steakhouse was on Crown Princess and my meal left a lot to be desired (but I'm too whimpy to ever say anything). I do remember a good meal at Chops on our first Mariner cruise. I'm happy to read that you had a good experience. We haven't decided what we'll do for week two (it depends on whether or not we get Giovanni's Table on turnaround day like we did on Allure). DH will not be interested in the Solarium Bistro, so it may be Chops again.

[Buffett fan]

Alrighty, fellow CCers. I've uploaded the SURPRISE video to Facebook. Here's the link:

 

 

Now, it took me all of 10 or 15 minutes to put this together, and it's my FIRST time EVER making a video and using the software. There are LOTS of kinks, but I think you'll get the idea. ;)

 

 

Just watched the video....it was amazing! Brought tears to my eyes :o

[Buffett fan]

Michele - I'm finally caught up on the review - thanks so much for all the time you've put into this! Our cruise was wonderful, but way, way too quick! Thanks to all the research I did through you, Stacey, Brian Alt, Trainman and Radio, it all paid off. We didn't get to do EVERYTHING, but we sure did manage to have another great cruise! We're already trying to decide on our next cruise. Until then, I will live vicariously through my CC & FB friends :D Kudo's to all!!

[murrayghj]

Hi Michelle,

 

I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet onboard, but I feel like I know you through your activity on the roll call and your wonderful reviews.

 

The video and pics are beautiful! What a wonderful family you have. We were with Marc and Ruth when we saw you in Jamaica but it didn’t feel like a good time to interrupt. Hopefully we’ll have a chance sometime in the future!

 

Thank you for the awesome review....

 

Heather

[bionicman97]

I'm too hungry to follow the review right now, but I will anyway ;) :)

[Yin&Yang]

Thanks!

 

No, not everyone has to check in at the same time. They have a list on a clipboard with your name on it. When you check in, they will write down how many people checked in with you. You'll just need to let them know how many more to expect if your entire party isn't with you.

 

I'm not sure about the water, but I'm guessing the answer is... no? I'll have to ask my husband to see if he remembers them saying anything about it.

 

Thanks so much for the info Michele, I really appreciate it! AND, thank you for sharing such a special trip with all of us. I too, get "attached" to people when I read reviews and get just as emotional.

[QTMichele]

Michele, great job on the video. Here I am crying at my desk again! Good thing the boss is not here!

 

We received vouchers for dinner from our TA (one for each week, too). I'm looking forward to Chops. The last time we went to the ship's steakhouse was on Crown Princess and my meal left a lot to be desired (but I'm too whimpy to ever say anything). I do remember a good meal at Chops on our first Mariner cruise. I'm happy to read that you had a good experience. We haven't decided what we'll do for week two (it depends on whether or not we get Giovanni's Table on turnaround day like we did on Allure). DH will not be interested in the Solarium Bistro, so it may be Chops again.

 

I don't think I'll post any more crying moments! LOL I'm getting ready to write about the wedding though. ;)

 

On Mariner, we thought Chops was good, but we loved Portofino. Our Chop's meals on Allure have been wonderful though. Hopefully yours will be too.

 

Just watched the video....it was amazing! Brought tears to my eyes :o

 

You should've been there - you could FEEL it!

 

Michele - I'm finally caught up on the review - thanks so much for all the time you've put into this! Our cruise was wonderful, but way, way too quick! Thanks to all the research I did through you, Stacey, Brian Alt, Trainman and Radio, it all paid off. We didn't get to do EVERYTHING, but we sure did manage to have another great cruise! We're already trying to decide on our next cruise. Until then, I will live vicariously through my CC & FB friends :D Kudo's to all!!

 

You're welcome!!! We have a great group of support, don't we? Glad your cruise went well, but sorry it went so quickly. They always do.

[QTMichele]

Hi Michelle,

 

I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet onboard, but I feel like I know you through your activity on the roll call and your wonderful reviews.

 

The video and pics are beautiful! What a wonderful family you have. We were with Marc and Ruth when we saw you in Jamaica but it didn’t feel like a good time to interrupt. Hopefully we’ll have a chance sometime in the future!

 

Thank you for the awesome review....

 

Heather

 

I know! I wish there was time for the M&M, but I knew I'd be pulled in so many directions I didn't register. Next time! I really missed meeting everyone, but hope you understand. Thank you for the nice comments. Oh, and you should've stopped to say hello! We're down-to-earth people and would've said hello back. LOL

 

I'm too hungry to follow the review right now, but I will anyway ;) :)

 

LOL - I don't think I'll be posting any more food pictures... you should be safe.

 

Thanks so much for the info Michele, I really appreciate it! AND, thank you for sharing such a special trip with all of us. I too, get "attached" to people when I read reviews and get just as emotional.

 

You're welcome! Thanks for reading. :)

[QTMichele]

Room service starts our day. We have learned that room service is our friend when we have plans to start our day. It sure beats getting everyone dressed before heading off to {pick a breakfast venue} for breakfast, then going back to the cabin to change (because you know that someone will spill breakfast on their clothing) before hitting the destination of the day.

 

Speaking of destination for the day, today is the Wedding Day in Jamaica!

 

I met my sister in her stateroom to check on her - how exciting to see her in her gown! My 16 year old niece did her hair and it turned out beautiful!

 

 

We left to meet everyone in the Promenade before getting off the ship to meet our driver. Here's a picture of my parents with my sister:

 

 

Once everyone was in tow, we made it off the ship to a little "chaos." We had no idea where to meet our driver. Oops! We asked a few official looking port employees, and they all sent us to the excursions area.

 

Definitely not the place.

 

I finally found someone who was able to find our driver for us (thank you anonymous port employee!!!). Our driver was very nice and understanding, and took us to his van. We piled in, and off to the mysterious private beach in Montego Bay we went.

 

***For those who care, we used Tropical Weddings Jamaica. The pre-planning was very easy, with great communication. The price was similar to Royal Caribbean's weddings, but we received a few more services.***

 

Our drive took us through the town of Falmouth - not much to see or do there, and our driver told us that people who lived in town were a higher class. I'd hate to see the lower class. (Well, I have, and it breaks my heart.) this was a great lesson for a few of the people in our group - they had never seen poverty quite like this. Lesson learned.

 

A fun little site was passing by the school where Bolt trained for his running (his AMAZING running!). The high school track was made of grass. I wish I had a good picture to share, but being in a moving vehicle leaves a lot to be desired with a point and shoot camera.

 

We eventually made it to our destination, and, quite honestly, were a little surprised at our private beach destination. The building surrounding it were a little run down. This was definitely not a resort venue! On the other hand, the beach itself was pretty, and my sister was happy. That's all that matters.

 

Our first view of the ceremony site:

 

We were seated, and the groom awaited his bride.

 

 

 

[sharonlacey]

What great pics! Thanks!

[erries]

I'm super curious to hear about the reactions of other cruisers seeing your sister in her wedding dress. I mean, I assume from your pictures that she was walking around on the ship and disembarking and everything with her dress on, right? I've seen wedding ceremonies at Myrtle Beach before, but never on a cruise! I was just curious to know how your fellow cruisers reacted. I bet she received a lot of congratulations from random strangers!

[Host Faith]

Beautiful wedding site! Your sister made a lovely bride :)

[QTMichele]

I'm super curious to hear about the reactions of other cruisers seeing your sister in her wedding dress. I mean, I assume from your pictures that she was walking around on the ship and disembarking and everything with her dress on, right? I've seen wedding ceremonies at Myrtle Beach before, but never on a cruise! I was just curious to know how your fellow cruisers reacted. I bet she received a lot of congratulations from random strangers!

 

Women in wedding dresses attract a lot of attention! Our group - er, my sister - had many stares, smiles, good wishes, and even photographs! A lot of Asians were especially intrigued to take her picture. My sister thought it was great!

 

What great pics! Thanks!

 

Beautiful wedding site! Your sister made a lovely bride :)

 

Thanks so much! I'll pass along your remarks - it will make her day.

[BonTXNY]

Not sure how run down the buildings were but the beach looks spectacular. Almost as beautiful as the bride. I know you don't feel well and I know you have a family to take care of and I know how time consuming it is to post pictures but.. but... more pictures please?? I think I'm addicted :p