One cruise on Allure or TWO on Carnival's newest ship?

[hubofhockey]

You equate the difference between Holiday Inn Express/Marriott Courtyard and Hyatt with the difference between CCL and RCI? OK, then.

 

Even granted that difference (which to me seems pretty ridiculous), the comparison would be like staying at the Holiday Inn Express in a very desirable location for two weeks versus staying at the Hyatt in a very desirable location for one week. I'd pick the two weeks every time!

 

Well, not exactly since on sea days the Holiday Inn Express is the location. ;) So, it comes down to what the primary reason for the cruise is. We took a cruise this past summer on the Carnival Magic. It was a Med cruise and was 9 days with 7 great ports. I was bored beyond belief at night and on the one sea day. This is Carnival's signature ship. It has some bright spots. But the entertainment was awful. There was NO SHOW on the opening night. The cruise director held a port talk which was not much more than him shilling for Carnival excursions. There was one full blown professional show in 9 days in the main theater. Service in the dining room was awful. Nobody ever checked after serving courses of food how things were. One night, we waited close to an hour for our main course and got an apology or excuse that the galley was being distracted by the chef's table. No excuse on another evening of poor service. We still had a great vacation because of the ports and the price of less than $5K for the four of us in a spa balcony cabin. But I would never put up with this BS on a Caribbean cruise, especially with their two tiny saltwater pools that are supposed to accomodate 4,000 people. I think Carnival is great for certain types of cruises and for budget minded cruisers and is a nice entry level line for many. We have had some great cruises on Carnival. But I do think that their level of service and entertainment has dropped and that they really don't compete on the same level as some other cruise lines.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Atlantis is great. But that day is not a long day at port. With those hours, the Aquaventure waterpark could be problematic. But you could still head to Atlantis and enjoy the property and the beach there. We love St Thomas as a gateway or ferry ride away to St John. Trunk Bay is our absolute favorite beach anywhere and we love going to St John. St Maarten is also a quick taxi ride to Orient Beach in St Martin and that will be a fun day too. So we love those two ports. But that is two days out of the seven on the cruise and the Allure itself is the focus of the vacation. Can't wait.

 

Excellent advise. Thanks.

 

In St Maarten, we are having a tour guide & I'm sure he will take us to Orient Beach and Maho beach where the planes fly over your head. I want to see that. In St Thomas, we will either go to St Johns or Sapphire beach or combo of both if possible. I'm bummed to hear that we wouldn't have much time at Atlantis. Is the Aquaventure waterpark where the waterslide is that takes you under the sharks? I want to walk in the tube and may do the water slide. Other than that, I don't need much for entertainment.:D

[gilboman]

No, I don't. The point is that I also don't equate going on a Carnival Breeze cruise with an Allure cruise. It's more along the lines of staying at a Holiday Inn Express (or Marriott Courtyard, if it makes Carnival fans happier) or a Hyatt. There are some things I'll pay a premium for. The question is how much and do I think there's value there. For many people, they like playing Newlywed Game or Marriage Game that they have on Carnival and consider the amateur talent shows to be great fun and, after all, they are the "fun ships". I just don't mind paying the premium for professional entertainment like Chicago, the aqua shows, ice shows, and more that comes with the Allure cruise. Obviously, there is a market for both types of vacations. I have been on enough Caribbean cruises where these ports seem so similar and I'm not cruising for ports in the Caribbean like I do in Europe, Alaska, or somewhere else.

 

I Think the holiday inn express is a good description for CCL and RCI is Hyatt PLACE..they wish they were hyatt. But its funny how some people stay at Hyatt Place and they leave out the place and pretend they're at the Hyatt Regency or whatever lol

 

And this is the point. Hyatt Place and Holiday Inn express are both low end properties offering similar things with Hyatt Place being a bit better , but it's not 2x better. Both are interchangeable and nowhere near luxury, both cater to the same crowd, cruising on a budget.

 

If you were looking for luxury or quality, you would not be on CCL or RCI. But I stay at 4/5* hotels but also stay at 3* hyatt place/holiday inn express types too, usually on fridays when I go downtown and don't want to cab home after drinking. I'm there to sleep a few hours and take a shower, either is fine.

[Cruising89143]

Well, not exactly since on sea days the Holiday Inn Express is the location. ;) So, it comes down to what the primary reason for the cruise is. We took a cruise this past summer on the Carnival Magic. It was a Med cruise and was 9 days with 7 great ports. I was bored beyond belief at night and on the one sea day. This is Carnival's signature ship. It has some bright spots. But the entertainment was awful. There was NO SHOW on the opening night. The cruise director held a port talk which was not much more than him shilling for Carnival excursions. There was one full blown professional show in 9 days in the main theater. Service in the dining room was awful. Nobody ever checked after serving courses of food how things were. One night, we waited close to an hour for our main course and got an apology or excuse that the galley was being distracted by the chef's table. No excuse on another evening of poor service. We still had a great vacation because of the ports and the price of less than $5K for the four of us in a spa balcony cabin. But I would never put up with this BS on a Caribbean cruise, especially with their two tiny saltwater pools that are supposed to accomodate 4,000 people. I think Carnival is great for certain types of cruises and for budget minded cruisers and is a nice entry level line for many. We have had some great cruises on Carnival. But I do think that their level of service and entertainment has dropped and that they really don't compete on the same level as some other cruise lines.

 

Yes when comparing ships and crew, RCI is a major step up over Carnival. I think that your description is just about right.;)

[SNJCruisers]

 

Unlike RCCL, which charges extra to eat at Johnnie Rockets for burgers and Rita's Cantina for mexican, Carnival offers Guy's Burger Joint and the BlueIguana Cantina for FREE.

 

...and RCI has Park Cafe, Wipeout Cafe, Sorrentos, Solarium Bistro (lunch), Cafe Promenade, Seaview Cafe, and Compass Deli, all for free. Did you not know about these? :confused:

 

 

All I was comparing was the fact that if you wanted a good burger or some mexican made to order for your lunch....these options were free on Carnival and it was a pay-for upgrade on RCCL.

[Aquahound]

All I was comparing was the fact that if you wanted a good burger or some mexican made to order for your lunch....these options were free on Carnival and it was a pay-for upgrade on RCCL.

 

And what I'm saying is you are wrong ref the examples I listed. Some of those do serve burgers and numerous other foods. I can see from your signature you have one RCI cruise on their oldest ship, so I'll assume you hadn't heard of all the restaurants I listed and give you the benefit of the doubt...especially if your info comes from somwhere like the CCL boards.

 

There are ships that do not have all or many of these. But to paint all of RCI with one brush based on what's available or not available on certain ships is wrong. And b y he way, this thread is about Allure. Allure does have most of those free restaurants.

[Sh1035]

off topic but has anyone stayed at one of the new Holiday Inn Express? I stayed at the one in Northern Virginia and it was gorgeous. Nicer then the Ritz on Amelia Island or in Sarasota. Nice flat screen, marble everywhere, huge room, very modern,great bed..it was for a wedding nearby and honestly the whole family was like this is a holiday inn? They had a great bar and a really nice manicured back patio overlooking the mountains.

[SNJCruisers]

And what I'm saying is you are wrong ref the examples I listed. Some of those do serve burgers and numerous other foods. I can see from your signature you have one RCI cruise on their oldest ship, so I'll assume you hadn't heard of all the restaurants I listed and give you the benefit of the doubt...especially if your info comes from somwhere like the CCL boards.

 

There are ships that do not have all or many of these. But to paint all of RCI with one brush based on what's available or not available on certain ships is wrong. And b y he way, this thread is about Allure. Allure does have most of those free restaurants.

 

All I was comparing was a burger specific restaurant and a mexican specific restaurant. On RCCL, there is a charge to eat at Johnnie Rockets and Ritas Cantina. On CCL, it is free to eat at Guy's Burger Joint and the BlueIguana Cantina.

 

For example...it is lunch time and I am craving a made to order burrito. If I am on an Oasis class ship, I can get one and pay extra for it. If I am on a non-Oasis class ship, I better hope we're visiting Cozumel because that's the only way I'm getting a ggod one made to order. If I am on a Carnival ship I can get it on many more than just two ships and it is included. If I want a good burger, I will pay 4.95 for it at Johnnie Rockets and I will get it for free on the different ships that have Guy's Burger Joint on Carnival. And once the 2.0 upgrade is done, it will be available fleet wide.

[Tapi]

And once the 2.0 upgrade is done, it will be available fleet wide.

 

It won't. 2.0 upgrades are not scheduled for the entire fleet. All ships that received the "Evolutions of Fun" upgrades (Fantasy, Ecstasy, Imagination, Sensation, Fascination) will NOT be receiving the 2.0 upgrades, and even when 2.0 is rolled to the remaining ships, not all venues will be installed.

 

BTW, I echo what's being said. You can talk about all the "alternative" offerings now available on Carnival, but they are truly lagging behind anything available on the Allure. There's just NO comparison.

 

Also, keep in mind one thing. A big reason why people sail on Carnival is because of its low prices, so free food venues make more sense. People that cruise on the Allure are not doing so because of its low prices or because they are on a budget, so alternative venues for a fee make more sense, and people are more than willing to pay extra. I know we did! :)

[QTMichele]

I just had to post my thoughts... ;)

 

I've been in Allure twice in the past year. Had a great time the first time, and had one of the best times of my life the second time. (review links in my sig)

 

I would happily try other cruise lines, but I am VERY happy with Royal and overwhelmed with Allure as a family/group ship. I tell everyone who will listen what a great time I had on Allure. No, she isn't for everyone, but there IS something for everyone. I want to go AGAIN!!!

[Cruising89143]

I just had to post my thoughts... ;)

 

I've been in Allure twice in the past year. Had a great time the first time, and had one of the best times of my life the second time. (review links in my sig)

 

I would happily try other cruise lines, but I am VERY happy with Royal and overwhelmed with Allure as a family/group ship. I tell everyone who will listen what a great time I had on Allure. No, she isn't for everyone, but there IS something for everyone. I want to go AGAIN!!!

 

I have to agree. The Allure is kind of addicting isn't she? I have number five on the Allure coming up in November. :)

[Canusa02]

Thought we were all set to book Allure...but I just priced out a cruise on Carnival's newest ship. It is HALF the price! (Same length, same amount of people, same type of balcony cabin.)

 

We could actually do two back to backs on Carnival for the same price of one week of Allure.

 

So those of you that have cruised both, tell me, why is Carnival so much cheaper??? Is the experience that much different?

 

I have never sailed Carnival, but I think that seven days is not enough time on a ship the size of the Allure. It was a nice ship, but we will likely book with a company we previously cruised with for the money savings.

It all depends on your preferences to determine which one you book. If the itinerary is the main thing, then I'd find a cheaper option with the itinerary I prefer. If the activities are the "it" factor, than you may want to stick with Allure.

I'd definitely recommend sailing the Allure or Oasis at least once. If you choose to do so, check out my favorite spot, Vintages, at least one evening. While Vintages itself is awesome, I loved taking a glass of wine outside into Central Park, sitting on one of the comfortable chairs, listening to the live, soothing music (or the sound of crickets piped in), and just relaxing. I know it doesn't sound cruise-y, but it was soooooooooooo relaxing.

[KG1924]

All I was comparing was a burger specific restaurant and a mexican specific restaurant. On RCCL, there is a charge to eat at Johnnie Rockets and Ritas Cantina. On CCL, it is free to eat at Guy's Burger Joint and the BlueIguana Cantina.

 

For example...it is lunch time and I am craving a made to order burrito. If I am on an Oasis class ship, I can get one and pay extra for it. If I am on a non-Oasis class ship, I better hope we're visiting Cozumel because that's the only way I'm getting a ggod one made to order. If I am on a Carnival ship I can get it on many more than just two ships and it is included. If I want a good burger, I will pay 4.95 for it at Johnnie Rockets and I will get it for free on the different ships that have Guy's Burger Joint on Carnival. And once the 2.0 upgrade is done, it will be available fleet wide.

 

OK, but on the flip side of that, you can't get a pretzel dog or those famous roast beef sandwiches from Park Cafe on Carnival period....pay or not(both of which are free on RC). So if you're really just comparing exact food options, then there are things on each that you can't get on the other. If you're really cruising to get a burrito, you're really missing out on a lot of other things these ships offer!! :p

The point is that they all have different options-not that one has necessarily better options, just different. I'm just sick of reading that the Oasis class "nickles and dimes" more....they have more pay options and they have more free options. My final bill on the Oasis was literally no more then any other cruise, Carnival or RC, yet I feel like I still had a better vacation overall. I like that the options are there so that the crowds are dispersed more.

[Skipbinner]

We're fairly close to Diamond + but I'm having 2nd. thoughts about the advantages. Sailing in 42 days on the Oasis & hear that the diamond lounge doesn't offer much other than "attractive looking" Was your escalation to Diamond + MUCH better than Diamond?

[QTMichele]

I have to agree. The Allure is kind of addicting isn't she? I have number five on the Allure coming up in November. :)

 

Rub it in.... Just 5?! LOL

 

Yes, she is addicting, and I love her. :)

[Jbird81]

To be quite honest, sailing on both a RCL and CCL ship, I didn't find the differences drastically different. Some things were better on one ship then the other, which I knew would happen. I'd say go for the B2B cruise in all honesty.

[VacationsRme]

Allure has more to offer in general. One fun filled week. Your family will love Allure I'm sure.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

OK, but on the flip side of that, you can't get a pretzel dog or those famous roast beef sandwiches from Park Cafe on Carnival period....pay or not(both of which are free on RC). So if you're really just comparing exact food options, then there are things on each that you can't get on the other. If you're really cruising to get a burrito, you're really missing out on a lot of other things these ships offer!! :p

The point is that they all have different options-not that one has necessarily better options, just different. I'm just sick of reading that the Oasis class "nickles and dimes" more....they have more pay options and they have more free options. My final bill on the Oasis was literally no more then any other cruise, Carnival or RC, yet I feel like I still had a better vacation overall. I like that the options are there so that the crowds are dispersed more.

 

You have made the most sense so far. Thank you. As a person that usually opts for Carnival, the one thing they lack is crowd control and you have made total sense and probably the reason Carnival won't build such a huge mega ship. They have to learn how to master crowd control at all venues not just eating. Although I know the Mariner was horrible when it came to tendering due to crowds and everyone wanting to go into port and Mariner has a lot less people than the Allure so that is one thing that concerns me is how to get everyone off the boat in the mornings regardless of tender or docked ports. A little off subject of OP's post so sorry about that.

[outtoseacruise]

You have to look at more then just the price and consider everything. Which cruise line fits your needs. If you have kids that will be sailing it brings in more questions.

For us Royal Caribbean fits our family the best. They offer what we feel is the best kids, tots, and babies program out there. We have tried Carnival and Holland and neither one of them can offer anything close to Royal Caribbean for the kids.

We made the leap and tried Oasis last November and it was probably one of the best cruises we have had. We liked it so much that we had to go on Allure last month. Prior to going on Oasis in November we were happy with Freedom & Voyager Class of Ships. Now all we want to do is Oasis Class even though Freedom is only 50 minutes away. We thought everyone was crazy to pay the premium for them and now we see it is worth it.

Carnival is ok, we even got married on the Pride back in 2003 but we prefer Royal over them any day.

B2B is nice but what if you don't like it and are stuck on the ship for a 2nd week?

If you haven't tried Oasis Class you should. You also have to remember you get what you pay for and sometimes cheap isn't always best. I even have almost 100,000 points on my Carnival Credit Card and have no interest in using them compared to 204,000 on my Royal Caribbean Card that I am working on getting a 2nd free cruise on.

[hubofhockey]

It won't. 2.0 upgrades are not scheduled for the entire fleet. All ships that received the "Evolutions of Fun" upgrades (Fantasy, Ecstasy, Imagination, Sensation, Fascination) will NOT be receiving the 2.0 upgrades, and even when 2.0 is rolled to the remaining ships, not all venues will be installed.

 

BTW, I echo what's being said. You can talk about all the "alternative" offerings now available on Carnival, but they are truly lagging behind anything available on the Allure. There's just NO comparison.

 

Also, keep in mind one thing. A big reason why people sail on Carnival is because of its low prices, so free food venues make more sense. People that cruise on the Allure are not doing so because of its low prices or because they are on a budget, so alternative venues for a fee make more sense, and people are more than willing to pay extra. I know we did! :)

 

I don't want to make it sound as if I am dumping on Carnival. We've had some good cruises on the line. But 95% of this 2.0 stuff is related to SELLING you more alcohol (libraries now are self serve wine bars :eek:). The burger joint photos I've seen looks like people standing in line to get burgers and fries and not a sit down restaurant like Johnny Rockets.

 

As noted earlier, my price for the a D7 on the Allure is very close to what Carnival gets on the Allure. With gratuities, April 13 on the Allure Midship regular balcony for two is $2,807 ($2,647 + $160 gruatuties). That is their past guest price. My D7 on the Allure is $2,940. The difference is $67 per person for the entire trip. I understand that I get one less day. But $67 is not material and I figure all of the shows are worth 3 or 4 times that and I am on a much nicer ship. I think the Allure is a bargain compared to the freaking Breeze. Before any Carnival fanboys bring up that I could get a lower price if I booked their ES rates, I have no interest in non-refundable deposits along with all of the other restrictions on price reductions involved with ES rates. It still is nowhere close to two cruises for the price of one on the Breeze. Maybe it is for the cheapest inside cabin on the bottom of the ship. I don't know and I'm not interested. I see the Allure as a bargain at what I'm getting compared to the Breeze.

[storm1of4]

You welcome! :)

 

I believe someone mentioned it as well, but when figuring out how much your vacation is going to cost, factor in the onboard spending. The Allure will offer you more "opportunities" to spend!

 

Yes Oasis class has some fun restaurants you'll want to eat in and you'll spend more $$ on this class of ship. Just by the nature of the OP's question I think the OP would be happier with CCL and taking two weeks for the price of one. CCL is just fine.

I, like most D+ members would miss the D+ perks and RCI ships and RCI culture.

[Aquahound]

OK, but on the flip side of that, you can't get a pretzel dog or those famous roast beef sandwiches from Park Cafe on Carnival period....pay or not(both of which are free on RC). So if you're really just comparing exact food options, then there are things on each that you can't get on the other. If you're really cruising to get a burrito, you're really missing out on a lot of other things these ships offer!! :p

The point is that they all have different options-not that one has necessarily better options, just different. I'm just sick of reading that the Oasis class "nickles and dimes" more....they have more pay options and they have more free options. My final bill on the Oasis was literally no more then any other cruise, Carnival or RC, yet I feel like I still had a better vacation overall. I like that the options are there so that the crowds are dispersed more.

 

Thank you. You are right on point and said better than I did. The point I was trying to make was that RCI does have several free options. Some of my favorites were the Cuban mix or the crepes in Compass Deli, Roast Beef in Park Cafe, and Lamb Osso-Bucco in Seaview Cafe.

 

By the way, the free burgers I ate at Wipeout Cafe were pretty darn good.... I thought!

[Cruising89143]

. Although I know the Mariner was horrible when it came to tendering due to crowds and everyone wanting to go into port and Mariner has a lot less people than the Allure so that is one thing that concerns me is how to get everyone off the boat in the mornings regardless of tender or docked ports. A little off subject of OP's post so sorry about that.

 

 

There are no issues with leaving the Oasis or Allure in port. First they do not tender at all. Second they have gangways open at both the front and aft area of the ship. It moves quickly.

[KG1924]

You have made the most sense so far. Thank you. As a person that usually opts for Carnival, the one thing they lack is crowd control and you have made total sense and probably the reason Carnival won't build such a huge mega ship. They have to learn how to master crowd control at all venues not just eating. Although I know the Mariner was horrible when it came to tendering due to crowds and everyone wanting to go into port and Mariner has a lot less people than the Allure so that is one thing that concerns me is how to get everyone off the boat in the mornings regardless of tender or docked ports. A little off subject of OP's post so sorry about that.

 

Don't worry about getting on and off....especially getting off. The Oasis class doesn't tender (could you imagine 6000+ tendering??? :eek:) which obviously leaves a few great ports out of their itineraries (I love Grand Cayman) We did have a little line in Nassau, but it was the security check in area, not the actual ship. And even that was not bad at all. We didn't need to be off the ship right away at any port, but never a line getting off the ship. You are going to have a blast-it's truly a great ship to experience even just once. I know you had said that you're going with a group and in my opinion, you couldn't pick a better class of ship. We had a group of 50 on the Oasis from upper 60's down to a 1 year old-everyone loved it!! Have so much fun!!!!

[KG1924]

Thank you. You are right on point and said better than I did. The point I was trying to make was that RCI does have several free options. Some of my favorites were the Cuban mix or the crepes in Compass Deli, Roast Beef in Park Cafe, and Lamb Osso-Bucco in Seaview Cafe.

 

By the way, the free burgers I ate at Wipeout Cafe were pretty darn good.... I thought!

 

I loved the Wipeout cafe! It was so great to play around on the flow rider and grab a quick bite right there. I know its just good old junk food, but that and a cold beer while sitting on a lounge chair just sounds like heaven right about now.....now if only the beer was free too:p