The Significantly Less Complete Food Lovers Guide to the Allure of the Seas

[joand452]

One question about Allure -- did you use the game/card room at all? We enjoy family games, and always spend time playing cards or Scrabble -- also found it's a great way for the kids who don't want to be in the teen room to meet each other. But we were kind of disappointed in the game room on Oasis compared to other RCCL ships. Only a couple of board games, and they disappeared after the second day. Fortunately, we always bring our own.

 

We were on Oasis last month and used the internet cafe/card room on deck 14 quite a few times. There always seemed to be lots of games around. However, we were in there one day when about 4 teens were in there. They took numerous decks of cards and just left them laying on one of the tables. I don't think they used them for anything -- just made a mess with them and left! We always bring our own cards, too.

 

Never found the card room on Allure, but I bet it was in the same location as on Oasis! We used the forward tiny internet closet on deck 9.

[BrianAlt]

Thanks for the answer about the game room. I didn't use it on either ship. My wife, mother, mother-in-law and daughter did play Mah Jong, but they sat outside near the Wipeout Bar (deck 15 all the way aft). I would also guess that it's located in the same place on both ships.

 

As for Rita's and 150 CP, I'll be getting to those later in the review. :)

 

Thanks for all the kind comments. It really makes the writer look forward to sharing this information with all of you.

[Mmketeer]

As a Foodie I enjoyed your first post about the Oasis and though it wasn't the ship I was going to be sailing on I read it anyway and enjoyed it very much. But, now we are really talking here...so I can't wait to read your posts keeping in mind that I know the two ships are simular and you have been there and done that already. :) Looking forward to your posts!

[jillyfish]

Welcome Home Brian!

We looked and looked and looked for Otto at sailaway on the Port Everglades Webcam but had not luck finding him. :o

 

I've only read your first post........can't wait to sit down tonight to catch up on the rest! ~nice looking family ;)

[dirtgirl]

Welcome home! I am looking forward to the rest of your review! Sounds like you all had a great time!:)

[MoyCoy]

On pins and needles!!:) Can't wait for your review. I am sailing on the Allure in Sept.:D

[delacruz]

I can't wait! I hope that writing this review will help stave off any PCD you might have, and give us something to drool over until we get to 'taste' it for ourselves.

 

Your Almost Complete Oasis Food Review helped SO much when we planned our Oasis cruise 2 years ago, and really looking forward to whatever you have to add for the Allure - we still have 6 months :eek:.

[twinlges]

Stateparent, we have a great M&M going, come on over and join us!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1509693

 

Katie

[BrianAlt]

Part 2: Arriving in Florida

 

I booked our flights several months in advance on American into Miami. Yes, Miami was the wrong airport; the cruise leaves out of Fort Lauderdale. However, the price was right. The inbound flight was leaving at 1:30 PM, which was great. But the outbound flight was scheduled to leave at 8:50 PM. That would mean that we were all getting home after midnight, not preferred. We went with it anyway because it was the only flight I was finding right around the $400 round trip price point I was looking for. I quickly told my parents about the flights, they didn’t like the times, but they would live with it. My sister was significantly unhappier, but would live with this option also. Most of the flights I was seeing were between $700 and $800. Crazy when you have to pay for 4 people. $3000 is a serious ouch! But I bit the bullet on this flight mainly because of the price. We would figure out transfers to and from Miami later on.

 

Well, about a month later we found out that American was filing Chapter 11. They told us that everything would be the same, that our flights would be safe. Good news, but still makes you nervous.

 

Two months before the cruise a price drop finally occurs. Continental/United was offering $260 round trip from/to Newark and to/from Fort Lauderdale. Times were perfect, around noon both ways. But, yes, we were stuck. So what would have been the prefect flight was not to be.

 

Soon after American emailed us to tell us that our flights were changing. Flight into Miami would be at noon and flight out of Miami would be at 9:00 PM. Noon was better and 9 PM was only a small difference…fine. Why did I not check our reservations at that point? We had 5 seats in row 32. Well, now there was no more row 32, the plane only went up to row 30. We were all listed as being in seat 9D! Yes, all of us in one seat. Interesting feat. I didn’t check this until Thursday before the cruise and I only checked it then because of the problems American was having with the tornados and hail storms. I called them. They sympathized, but said we’d have to go to the airport where they assured me they would have seats. My wife called them, expecting better results. She was told the same thing. By the way, my parents and sister were fine in row 28.

 

I kept checking the website. I checked at least once an hour. Then on Friday at about 2 PM five seats opened up. Four of the seats were “premium” seats and would cost an extra $12 per person. I hated doing it, but I didn’t want to go without seats, so I paid for the seats.

 

Who needs such stress before a vacation? It’s pretty amazing that with all of the planning I did I never made sure about the seats! Sigh…

 

So we got to Miami and met up with our van right on time. Miguel was our driver and he did a great job. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on SE 17th Street, very close to the port. We went to the 15th Street Fisheries on, you got it, 15th Street. It’s a very nice restaurant on the water. The food was good and the prices were high. The view was very nice. The restaurant is about a mile away from the hotel. It’s walking distance albeit not a short walk and most of the walk is without sidewalks. We all took the hotel van for $3 per person. Most of us decided to walk back. It was a beautiful cool, windy night. My parents didn’t walk it, they took a cab back.

 

The hotel was serviceable. We had two suites, so my family of four was in one and my parents and sister were in the other. If we had to stay in this hotel for more than overnight I wouldn’t have been very happy. For one night it was perfect. My mother-in-law decided to visit a friend for the night and meet us at the pier in the morning. We had breakfast in the hotel the next day, complementary with the stay. The breakfast was so-so. Standard scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and bacon. However, they had to serve you, no self-service. They also had an omelet station, but the line was way too long. They also had fruit, cereals, breads, juices, etc. Basically, breakfast was fine and easy. The Easter Bunny was also walking around with a basket of candy to give the kids.

 

In the morning we found out that my mother-in-law’s friend, the one she was supposed to be staying with, slipped and fell the night before. She broke her elbow and would need surgery. My MiL had stayed with her in the hospital overnight. She wouldn’t be meeting us at the port as planned; she would meet us on the ship. No problem.

 

By 10 AM we were ready to leave the hotel and head to the port. The hotel did not have a shuttle, but they do have several vans waiting outside to take you to the port. The fare is $7 per person. A complete rip off, but why fight it? You’re about to be on a cruise. So for $50 we got to the port.

 

We were at the port before 10:30 AM and after checking in we waited till just after 11 AM to board the ship. After the typical oohing and ahhhing at the Promenade, we headed to the Boardwalk for even more oohs and ahhs! Most of us rode the carousel…

 

 

Then we headed for Central Park. I immediately stopped at Chops. We had two reservations for that evening, one at 7:30 for four and one at 8:00 for four. I asked them to put the tables together at 7:30. No problem! I so love the service on the ship. :)

 

Then I headed to the Park Café…but…I see the Trellis Bar! I must have a drink. I order my first Margarita of the cruise and then head to the Park Café. It’s noon and my mother-in-law walks right by me. Yay! She made it. My wife decides to take her mom up to the Solarium for lunch with our daughter and the rest of us stay at the Park Café. What did we eat at the Park Café? CORRECT! Roast Beef Sandwiches! With horseradish! Hooray! :D

 

Roast Beast Sammich #1

 

Next – Part 3: Dinner at Chops!

[BrianAlt]

My son has some pictures of the hotel and my sister has some of the restaurant. When I get those pics uploaded I'll share them with you.

[megr1125]

the roast beast looks good...except for the horseradish!! lol

[jillyfish]

The slab of roast beef in the sammich (#1) looks pretty thick. :o

How was it?

[BrianAlt]

The slab of roast beef in the sammich (#1) looks pretty thick. :o

How was it?

 

Good catch! It was...too thick! He should have been slicing it thinner. However it was tasty. The one I had later in the week was sliced thinner, was just as tasty and had less fat on it. It was great! I think the business of day 1 was making the carver not pay as much attention as he should have. I still enjoyed it.

[sakigemcam]

Enjoyed your last review, we'll be on Allure in July.

And I agree that RB looks really thick, saw another pic like that recently and wonder what the big deal is - we like our roast beef thin. But....I'm willing to give it a try!

Looking forward to your posts.

[sakigemcam]

Your Cruise Planning Doc is really really pretty. :D

 

Mine is 34 pages long in Word - not as pretty but definitely more compulsive!

[momoforeo]

My sixteen year-old daughter said that she loved the cruise. She's big into theater, so she went to all of the shows with us. She didn't make any friends the first night, so she kind of gave up after that. I think she was enjoying being with us, especially with mom.

 

My thirteen year-old son? Well, I saw him every day for dinner and for a few minutes here and there. Otherwise, I didn't know I had a son! He made about a dozen friends and that was that; never to be heard from again. He got in at 1 AM every day and I was usually asleep already! :p (Always the party animal, that's me.) He woke up at 10ish and I was long gone by then. Did he have fun? I hope so, but I really have no clear idea on that. Did it seem like he had fun? Absolutely!

 

We were on the same cruise and also had a great time. Just to add to the children's experience, my 12 year old son was hanging out with Brian's son for much of the cruise. He says he had a great time. My older 15 year old son had the same issue the first night with the teen club, but he went back the second night and met up with a bunch of different kids. He had a great time and we only saw him at breakfast, dinner and in ports of call.

[BrianAlt]

My older 15 year old son had the same issue the first night with the teen club, but he went back the second night and met up with a bunch of different kids. He had a great time and we only saw him at breakfast, dinner and in ports of call.

 

I wish she had gone back and tried again. I encouraged her to do so. Oh well. Thanks for the info.

[secret1122]

I've subscribed and am excited to read your review Brian. I just re-read the Oasis food review (and noticed that I had even posted a few times there? hmmm). We are doing Allure in Oct and are debating between Chefs Table and 150 CP. I'll be interested in seeing how your experiences on Oasis and Allure compare.

I'm sailing the Allure in May. My recommendation; if you're debating between these two restaurants, sign up for the Chef's Table package. That will get you Chef's Table, 150 CP, and Chops Grill. That deal has you pay full price for Chef's Table (which was one of your debated options), but then you get $5 off Chops, and 150 CP will be free. So you can dine at both your debated restaurants, plus a third, all for the price of less than two. It's a great deal.

[secret1122]

Part 2: Arriving in Florida

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on SE 17th Street, very close to the port.

 

The hotel was serviceable. We had two suites, so my family of four was in one and my parents and sister were in the other. If we had to stay in this hotel for more than overnight I wouldn’t have been very happy. For one night it was perfect. My mother-in-law decided to visit a friend for the night and meet us at the pier in the morning. We had breakfast in the hotel the next day, complementary with the stay. The breakfast was so-so. Standard scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and bacon. However, they had to serve you, no self-service. They also had an omelet station, but the line was way too long. They also had fruit, cereals, breads, juices, etc. Basically, breakfast was fine and easy. The Easter Bunny was also walking around with a basket of candy to give the kids.

 

By 10 AM we were ready to leave the hotel and head to the port. The hotel did not have a shuttle, but they do have several vans waiting outside to take you to the port. The fare is $7 per person. A complete rip off, but why fight it? You’re about to be on a cruise. So for $50 we got to the port

I noticed from my Roll Call that most everyone on my cruise chose this same hotel. I booked the SpringHill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port for $99 per night, which according to some travel sites is about half the price of the Embassy. I don't cruise until next month so I can't comment on the quality of rooms, but it does come with complimentary self-service breakfast (hot) and free transportation to the port. I don't know what entices so many people to stay at the Embassy, but if cost is the issue, my personal preference is to choose the hotel that costs half as much and offers free transportation. I can report later on the quality of the rooms.

[jillyfish]

Good catch! It was...too thick! He should have been slicing it thinner. However it was tasty. The one I had later in the week was sliced thinner, was just as tasty and had less fat on it. It was great! I think the business of day 1 was making the carver not pay as much attention as he should have. I still enjoyed it.

 

Max'smom Allure review April 1-8 also shows a very thick single piece of beef on her sandwich. :(

 

Do they slice it when you order it? Wonder if you can request thin slices? :confused:

[lindy sails]

Great review loved the details about all the great restaurants! Is there a swimming pool at the Solarium?

[BrianAlt]

I'm sailing the Allure in May. My recommendation; if you're debating between these two restaurants, sign up for the Chef's Table package. That will get you Chef's Table, 150 CP, and Chops Grill. That deal has you pay full price for Chef's Table (which was one of your debated options), but then you get $5 off Chops, and 150 CP will be free. So you can dine at both your debated restaurants, plus a third, all for the price of less than two. It's a great deal.

 

Good recommendation! The issues that I have with this package are that 1) you must eat at Chops on day one (which we did anyway), and 2) that you must make your reservations on board.

 

These packages happened to be offered right after specialty dining reservations were opened up on our cruise, so I had already made our plans. But I would definitely be worried about trying to get reservations for all 8 of us.

 

The other option I believe is: Chops, Giovanni's and a choice of Izumi or Samba. I think these packages are great if you are going as a couple or maybe two couples. Things get more complicated when you're a big group.

[BrianAlt]

I noticed from my Roll Call that most everyone on my cruise chose this same hotel. I booked the SpringHill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port for $99 per night, which according to some travel sites is about half the price of the Embassy. I don't cruise until next month so I can't comment on the quality of rooms, but it does come with complimentary self-service breakfast (hot) and free transportation to the port. I don't know what entices so many people to stay at the Embassy, but if cost is the issue, my personal preference is to choose the hotel that costs half as much and offers free transportation. I can report later on the quality of the rooms.

 

Yes, it is half the price. But we got a suite which comfortably slept the seven of us in 2 rooms. Transportation to the port can sometimes be tricky. Everyone is vying for the same vans. Make sure they have a sign up sheet the night before and go for the earliest time. If not you may not show up at the port until after noon. If they don't have a sign up sheet, expect chaos and you might just want to get a cab anyway.

[BrianAlt]

Max'smom Allure review April 1-8 also shows a very thick single piece of beef on her sandwich. :(

 

Do they slice it when you order it? Wonder if you can request thin slices? :confused:

 

Yes, it is sliced in front of you as you order it. The man that was doing the slicing looked flustered and wanted to quickly service everyone coming in. I wanted to ask him to slice it thinner, but I was afraid he might fall over if I did. ;) Later in the week when I went in it was more relaxed and I made sure it was a better sandwich.

 

By the way, even though it was thicker than it should have been, it was still tasty and tender.

[BrianAlt]

Is there a swimming pool at the Solarium?

 

Absolutely! I didn't have a picture, but here's one I found online:

 

 

Part 3 coming up this morning...