Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

JUST OFF ALLURE - Mini review and questios anyone?

Mustangcruiser56

Recommended Posts

Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
Posted

Just returned from the Allure. We departed March 11 on the Western Intinerary. If anyone has questions I will do my best to answer. First off, thanks to all those who posted before me with tips and secrets. They were very helpful. To me, the best tip I got were the public areas aft on Decks 11 and 12. Almost always deserted and a great place to relax on any port sail away. Also a great place to watch the Aqua Shows.

 

PRE-CRUISE - spent the night before at the Embassy Suites near the port. Very nice hotel in a good location. I would recommend it.

 

THE SHIP - In a word "AMAZING"! Allure is an engineering miracle. The design of the ship is such that most of the time you don't realize how many people are on board. Our sailing was a spring break cruise with over 6000 passengers. Most times no problems. At every port we just walked off the ship. The neighborhood concept is great. Hard to believe all these places are on the same ship. Loved the Boardwalk and Central Park. On the negative side,it is a BIG ship. There are 17 decks and long walks. Is can get very crowded jsut after shows (but doesn't last very long) and on debarkation day.

 

OUR CABIN - 10146 - balcony on the port side. Bed by the baclony. Our cabin steward Firman was fantastic. Other than that, a pretty typical RCI cabin. Small, but enough storage for two. If three or more share the cabin, storage would be an issue. All I can suggest is to pack light.

 

THE FOOD - good in the MDR considering it is mass produced. On almost every night several appetizers were wonderful, and we tried them!!

 

As many have said the Windjammer is small for this size ship and I miss the eggs made to order station. I only ate three meals in the Windjammer because of this; two breakfasts and one lunch. Allure gets away with a somewhat substandard Winjammer (in my opinion) because there are so many other good and either free or low cost places to eat. PARK CAFE - loved it! Roast beef sandwiches, made to order salads and breakfast sandwiches were standouts! My only complaint here was they were out of coffee twice when we went and once were out of forks. Didn't deter us though because we liked it so much. WIPEOUT CAFE - really good for luch if you want something casual and fast. Burgers, hot dogs, pretzel dogs (really liked these), nachos, etc. RITAS - better than I thought it would be. There is a small charge. Very good margaritas. JOHNNY ROCKETS - very crisp onion rings and good burger for a moderate charge. SORRENTOS and PROMENADE CAFE - if you have been on other RCI ships you know what you are getting here. No surprises. We also ate at CHOPS and GIOVANNIS TABLE, both were great with food a cut above the MDR. Considering they charge a $30 and $20 surcharge respectively, it should be. Well worth it in my opinion. We wanted to try the Samba Grill but didn't have time. Had wine and tapas at Vintages and that was great. If you are willing to pay a little (our party of 4 had 2 glasses of wine and ordered 6 tapas for $64) it is a very nice and relaxing way to spend some time.

 

THE ENTERTAINMNENT - We saw all the reservation shows and with the exception of the Comedy Club they ranged from great to fantastic. I only thought the comedy show was fair. Live music in the various venues was pretty good, I would give it a B.

 

PORTS - Kind of dissapointing to me but than again we went on the Allure for the ship, not the ports. Labadee is a relaxing beach day. Falmouth, Jamaica I just don't get. Why does RCI go there? The port they have built is very nice but you are on your own outside the gate. We tried to venture into town and were immediately accosted by the locals. My teenager was offered drugs three times in a four block walk. Vendors followed me the entire time begging me to buy something or come to their shop. That experience was just not for me. We turned around and walked back to the ship. Any excursion from Falmouth is at least a combined one hour bus ride and in some cases 3-4 hours round trip depending on traffic. Who wants to spend 3 hours in a bus to climb Dunns River Falls? Again, I just don't get it. Why does RCI go here? I recommend staying on the ship. I love Cozumel. We felt very safe and locals were friendly. We had been to Coz many times so we booked the Amazing Cozumel Race excursion. This was a blast and I recommend it for anyone in reasonable physical shape. This event is very well organized and the people were great.

 

We had a great cruise. I would definetly sail the Allure again. I'm sure I didn't get to everything but this was a mini review, remember? Ha! Anyway, if you have questions about what I wrote or have other questins I didn't write about - fire away!

 

Happy cruisin'!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruisemama1

cruisemama1

Posted
Posted
Just returned from the Allure. We departed March 11 on the Western Intinerary. If anyone has questions I will do my best to answer. First off, thanks to all those who posted before me with tips and secrets. They were very helpful. To me, the best tip I got were the public areas aft on Decks 11 and 12. Almost always deserted and a great place to relax on any port sail away. Also a great place to watch the Aqua Shows.

 

PRE-CRUISE - spent the night before at the Embassy Suites near the port. Very nice hotel in a good location. I would recommend it.

 

THE SHIP - In a word "AMAZING"! Allure is an engineering miracle. The design of the ship is such that most of the time you don't realize how many people are on board. Our sailing was a spring break cruise with over 6000 passengers. Most times no problems. At every port we just walked off the ship. The neighborhood concept is great. Hard to believe all these places are on the same ship. Loved the Boardwalk and Central Park. On the negative side,it is a BIG ship. There are 17 decks and long walks. Is can get very crowded jsut after shows (but doesn't last very long) and on debarkation day.

 

OUR CABIN - 10146 - balcony on the port side. Bed by the baclony. Our cabin steward Firman was fantastic. Other than that, a pretty typical RCI cabin. Small, but enough storage for two. If three or more share the cabin, storage would be an issue. All I can suggest is to pack light.

 

THE FOOD - good in the MDR considering it is mass produced. On almost every night several appetizers were wonderful, and we tried them!!

 

As many have said the Windjammer is small for this size ship and I miss the eggs made to order station. I only ate three meals in the Windjammer because of this; two breakfasts and one lunch. Allure gets away with a somewhat substandard Winjammer (in my opinion) because there are so many other good and either free or low cost places to eat. PARK CAFE - loved it! Roast beef sandwiches, made to order salads and breakfast sandwiches were standouts! My only complaint here was they were out of coffee twice when we went and once were out of forks. Didn't deter us though because we liked it so much. WIPEOUT CAFE - really good for luch if you want something casual and fast. Burgers, hot dogs, pretzel dogs (really liked these), nachos, etc. RITAS - better than I thought it would be. There is a small charge. Very good margaritas. JOHNNY ROCKETS - very crisp onion rings and good burger for a moderate charge. SORRENTOS and PROMENADE CAFE - if you have been on other RCI ships you know what you are getting here. No surprises. We also ate at CHOPS and GIOVANNIS TABLE, both were great with food a cut above the MDR. Considering they charge a $30 and $20 surcharge respectively, it should be. Well worth it in my opinion. We wanted to try the Samba Grill but didn't have time. Had wine and tapas at Vintages and that was great. If you are willing to pay a little (our party of 4 had 2 glasses of wine and ordered 6 tapas for $64) it is a very nice and relaxing way to spend some time.

 

THE ENTERTAINMNENT - We saw all the reservation shows and with the exception of the Comedy Club they ranged from great to fantastic. I only thought the comedy show was fair. Live music in the various venues was pretty good, I would give it a B.

 

PORTS - Kind of dissapointing to me but than again we went on the Allure for the ship, not the ports. Labadee is a relaxing beach day. Falmouth, Jamaica I just don't get. Why does RCI go there? The port they have built is very nice but you are on your own outside the gate. We tried to venture into town and were immediately accosted by the locals. My teenager was offered drugs three times in a four block walk. Vendors followed me the entire time begging me to buy something or come to their shop. That experience was just not for me. We turned around and walked back to the ship. Any excursion from Falmouth is at least a combined one hour bus ride and in some cases 3-4 hours round trip depending on traffic. Who wants to spend 3 hours in a bus to climb Dunns River Falls? Again, I just don't get it. Why does RCI go here? I recommend staying on the ship. I love Cozumel. We felt very safe and locals were friendly. We had been to Coz many times so we booked the Amazing Cozumel Race excursion. This was a blast and I recommend it for anyone in reasonable physical shape. This event is very well organized and the people were great.

 

We had a great cruise. I would definetly sail the Allure again. I'm sure I didn't get to everything but this was a mini review, remember? Ha! Anyway, if you have questions about what I wrote or have other questins I didn't write about - fire away!

 

Happy cruisin'!

 

My favorite question to ask.....

 

Did you see the blue beer bags? :p:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
therealHU

therealHU

Posted
Posted

nice review. thanks for the info. quick question. I'm new around here so please bare with me as this question may have been answered before.

 

How is the A/C in a balcony room. I just have this fear that the A/C will not adequetly (sp?) cool a balcony room. I have heard stories about folks sleeping with the balcony door open and of course the A/C on. Does that affect the temp in other rooms?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruisemama1

cruisemama1

Posted
Posted
Saw them and got one the first sea day (Monday). If you like beer by the pool, definitely the way to go.

 

Thanks and thanks for your review. Also, do you have any comments regarding folks who tried to smuggle booze and got busted? Did you hear any fellow guests commenting on how they got caught? Not that I would consider smuggle or anything...my BF is determined to try...:o

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
nice review. thanks for the info. quick question. I'm new around here so please bare with me as this question may have been answered before.

 

How is the A/C in a balcony room. I just have this fear that the A/C will not adequetly (sp?) cool a balcony room. I have heard stories about folks sleeping with the balcony door open and of course the A/C on. Does that affect the temp in other rooms?

 

We did not have a problem but keep in mind we sailed in March. The daily highs were 78-82. Weather was perfect. I understand the A/C on Allure and Oasis shuts off when you open the door. I tried to confirm this but couldn't. When I opened our balcony door, the fan kept blowing but the air didnlt seem quite so cool. I guess where I come down on this is that it might be an issue in the summer but it wasn't in March.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks and thanks for your review. Also, do you have any comments regarding folks who tried to smuggle booze and got busted? Did you hear any fellow guests commenting on how they got caught? Not that I would consider smuggle or anything...my BF is determined to try...:o

 

My wife tried this once and got busted so she hasn't tried again. They x-ray everything so i assume that's how she was caught. They freeze your sea pass account until you go the naughty room and get your lecture. They smile when they say they get to keep the booze. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yes we were. Saw you post on the other thread. We got in line about 5:30 (Allure time) and the line was almost to Senor Frogs. It only took us 15-20 minutes to get through though. No idea as to why the delay. That was a first for me in Coz and I have been there before with multiple large ships.

 

BTW - I had good to great service on the Allure last week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clwnmt2

clwnmt2

Posted
Posted

Just a comment about smuggling booze. BIL got called to the naughty room 3 weeks ago because he bought a 175 of rum in Florida and had it with him when he got on the Allure.THey also had rum runners that were not found and something else. THey were given their booze on the last night so they could pack it. Not sure if it was because it was not spring break that he got it back but it was all returned to him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
What deck are the life boats on? Are deck six balcony's obstructed view? Just booked for Dec 2012 for balcony deck six and was wondering about life boats.

 

The life boats are on Deck 5. They do not block a view directly out from Deck 6 balconys (our friends had one) but they do stick out a bit from the ship a little so they might block the view straight down. I don't think it would be much different than higher cabins though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jman1118

Jman1118

Posted
Posted

I have multiple questions. When I was on Carnival Dream, the pool deck was very hot and I received some burns to my feet, does Allure have a problem with a hot pool deck? We have two adjoined staterooms on deck 6, can we connect the balconies? how bad is the wait in the windjammer? and do you know if they will let a 18 year old in the teen area?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
therealHU

therealHU

Posted
Posted
We did not have a problem but keep in mind we sailed in March. The daily highs were 78-82. Weather was perfect. I understand the A/C on Allure and Oasis shuts off when you open the door. I tried to confirm this but couldn't. When I opened our balcony door, the fan kept blowing but the air didnlt seem quite so cool. I guess where I come down on this is that it might be an issue in the summer but it wasn't in March.
ok. thanks for your help. glad you enjoyed.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ginak1112

ginak1112

Posted
Posted
I have multiple questions. When I was on Carnival Dream, the pool deck was very hot and I received some burns to my feet, does Allure have a problem with a hot pool deck? We have two adjoined staterooms on deck 6, can we connect the balconies? how bad is the wait in the windjammer? and do you know if they will let a 18 year old in the teen area?

 

 

They are VERY strict with the ages and kids/teen clubs. They will not allow anyone over the age of 17 to be with the teen groups. If there is staff in the area then they will know because the kids must sign in. We had a 17 and 18 year old together last week and found this out very quickly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mustangcruiser56

Mustangcruiser56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I have multiple questions. When I was on Carnival Dream, the pool deck was very hot and I received some burns to my feet, does Allure have a problem with a hot pool deck? We have two adjoined staterooms on deck 6, can we connect the balconies? how bad is the wait in the windjammer? and do you know if they will let a 18 year old in the teen area?

 

On our cruise the deck temps were very comfortable. Having said that, even though it was sunny every day the outside temp was between 78 and 84. Not sure if there would be an issue if you cruise in the summer.

 

See my response above about opening up adjoining balconies. They can be opened and I am not aware of a new policy that says you can't although the poster above had heard of such a policy.

 

Windjammer wait at peak times can be an issue. The windjammer is really not big enough for this ship. BUT, there are so many other great free places to eat it was not an issue with us.

 

As for the teen question, I'll ask my 15 year old whEn he gets home. He spent a lot of time in the teen area so he may know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...