Allure of the Seas May 20th sailing

[graphicguy]

YOu say it was never crowded, but from this pic, all of the available chairs have towels on them. Actually one towel saving 2 chairs!

 

We never had problems finding loungers in the Solarium area. Plus, you never tripped over people with their loungers "scrunched" together in the main pool area.

[Familygoboston]

While I hope the Costa Concordia tragedy will never repeat itself, one of the things we probably noticed more as a result was on the track where the lifeboats were (~330 people/boat). Also, instructions on how to "man" them.

 

 

 

 

 

I had always thought the lifeboat was filled with people and then lowered into the water. According to this, the boar is first lowered, and the passengers go down some sort of chute into the boats, which are in the water below. Just a little tidbit I hadn't known.

 

I just want to reassure people that the enclosed lifeboats are sufficient to accommodate all the passengers and enough crew to operate them, and the chutes and raft system is for crew. The crew practices those chutes as part of their training, but pax would not be expected to use those (unless many many things go wrong all at once:eek:)

 

YOu say it was never crowded, but from this pic, all of the available chairs have towels on them. Actually one towel saving 2 chairs!

And the crew member is RIGHT there about to remove the towel;) I found the chairs were occupied, but rarely "saved", but it was hard to get 4 chairs together. But even on sea days we could get 2 together, even at 10 or 11 AM. And the "front row" chairs were pretty hard to score after 10.

[yj2cute]

 

And the crew member is RIGHT there about to remove the towel;) I found the chairs were occupied, but rarely "saved", but it was hard to get 4 chairs together. But even on sea days we could get 2 together, even at 10 or 11 AM. And the "front row" chairs were pretty hard to score after 10.

 

Unfortunately I never made it to the Solarium on my recent Allure cruise, but do plan to spend some time there on my upcoming Oasis news. It's great that it's monitored so well. Thanks for the info.

[graphicguy]

Unfortunately I never made it to the Solarium on my recent Allure cruise, but do plan to spend some time there on my upcoming Oasis news. It's great that it's monitored so well. Thanks for the info.

 

yj2....the Solarium is indeed monitored, and the service there is actually great....whether by the bartender or the wait staff. It's a great area. We spent quite a bit of time there on sea days. We didn't get there particularly early and always found a spot. It was just a nice respite from the jam packed crowds at the main pools.

 

Boston....I'm going to have to take your word regarding the evacuation procedures. On the pictures of the lifteboats, it shows the chutes being populated by passengers, sliding to what look to be inflatables. But, I can't see how using the chutes would work with the enclosed lifeboats as you say.

 

Quick note about My Time Dining (MTD).....again, having sailed NCL and experiencing their "Freestyle" concept, AOS has a long ways to go. We booked sometimes two shows a night. Plus, we left the ship at every port. Dining in the Adagio MDR was a "catch it when you can" affair for us. We'd hit Adagio anywhere from 6-9...and everywhere in between (they stop seating at 9:30). There were two lines....one for MTC, and one for the folks with reservations. Both lines were long, regardless of the time of evening. There was always a significant wait (usually 20 minutes or so, but sometimes a 1/2 hour).

 

Once seated, the service was very good, however. As mentioned previously, the Adagio food ranged from very good to one night being very mediocre. Fish dishes seemed to be best. I'm trying to think of anything that stood out, but can't. So, that should tell you something.

 

Another thing about the MDRs, we ate dinner in Adagio 3 of the 7 nights on board. Two of those nights were suggested as Formal Nights. Walking around the ship on Formal Nights (I actually wore a dress shirt and pants along with a sport coat) I counted exactly 7 guys in a tux, both nights combined. I was actually pretty dressed up considering how others were dressed. And yes, I saw guys in the MDR wearing shorts. I know it's been bemoaned by some regarding the move away from formal dress, but more casual is the way it's going.

[threeofus]

Yes, I agree the ship did feel crowded. For some reason I didn't feel as crowded on our oasis cruise.

 

We tried not to take the elevators in order to keep fit, but having a cabin on deck 17 made it difficult. After deck 15 you had to go around to the other side to access the neck deck. The elevators were ALWAYS jammed and there was always a long wait. The only thing that took longer than the elevators was trying to get a glass of wine in the MDR. After the first night we took a glass from the CL every night.

 

There were many aspects of the cruise that we enjoyed, but we did not enjoy the MDR. Food is mediocre at best. I did pay $ for a steak one night and it was quite good.

 

Loved the pool deck with the umbrellas!

Loved the loft cabin.

Loved the great view of the aqua theater

Loved central park and the park cafe

 

Getting on and off was a breeze!!!!!!

[graphicguy]

After dinner, the shows, etc, I usually like to spend a bit of time in the casino. I'm not looking to hit big, just a little diversion to see if lady luck might be perched on my shoulder. Like most cruise ships, there's a smoking side to the casino, and a non-smoking side. I'm not a smoking/non-smoking zealot. I don't smoke. If you do, don't blow it in my direction and we'll be fine.

 

Regardless of which side you're on, you'll know you're in the casino because you'll smell the smoke...even true as you approach the casino. Not much you can do about it. But, most cruise ships I've experienced put up a valiant effort to separate the smokers from non-smokers.

 

 

 

 

A high roller I'm not. I bring $200 to gamble. Once it's gone, I'm done. I don't play slots. I don't like the video "hold-em, blackjack or stud" poker machines. I like liver interaction. As such, I pretty much stick to a live dealer on black jack or Caribbean Stud tables. This cruise, I stuck strictly to blackjack.

 

When not in port, you can play every day. The least amount you can wager on their tables for blackjack is $10. If you play during the day on sea days, the minimum drops to $6/hand.

 

I lost $100 the first night. This is not looking good. 2nd through 6th night I'd fluctuate from being down or up $50.

 

The last night on board, with only $50 of my original $200 left, I got hot. Through a combination of successful splits, and some very fortunate side bets (you can bet whether your first two cards will equal 20 as a side bet, with various odds when you pair, or suit up your 20), I ended up with a $1,100 chip stack. Subtract the original $200 I started with, and I netted $900.

 

That made me happy!

[graphicguy]

I keep raving about our cabin location, aft-7726. Here's another reason we liked just walking 2 seconds down the hall to have this view.....

 

 

We could actually walk behind the Aqua Theater to get this view. BTW, I doubt anyone knew it but there was a shuffle board behind the Aqua Theater.

 

This was the view from the area when the performers were actually practicing.

 

 

 

Heading back behind the Aqua Theater....those windows directly above the rock wall was the control room where all the lighting, music, screens, and platforms for the divers and water below were controlled.

 

 

View from our vantage point looking out into the seats of the Aqua Theater.....

 

 

And finally, looking across the ship from our vantage point to see the rock wall ...

 

[mivama]

I love the pictures from the Aqua Theatre perspective! I've never seen any shots from those angles. I'm assuming the walkway behind the Aqua Theatre is closed while a show is going on. I'll have to look for the shuffle board when I'm on board in August!

Great review!!

[graphicguy]

I love the pictures from the Aqua Theatre perspective! I've never seen any shots from those angles. I'm assuming the walkway behind the Aqua Theatre is closed while a show is going on. I'll have to look for the shuffle board when I'm on board in August!

Great review!!

 

Hi mivama....thanks so much!

 

You know, that's a really good questions. I don't know if the area behind the Aqua Theater are closed during performances. I never when back there at those time. The quick answer is probably "yes, it is closed". But, I really don't know for certain.

[kamusta1]

I see my FlowRider board! We stayed on the Deck 12 Boardwalk Balcony, 8 rooms from the back of the ship.

 

 

View from our vantage point looking out into the seats of the Aqua Theater.....

 

 

And finally, looking across the ship from our vantage point to see the rock wall ...

 

[kamusta1]

Yeah they rope off the areas.

 

Hi mivama....thanks so much!

 

You know, that's a really good questions. I don't know if the area behind the Aqua Theater are closed during performances. I never when back there at those time. The quick answer is probably "yes, it is closed". But, I really don't know for certain.

[liberiben]

I see my FlowRider board! We stayed on the Deck 12 Boardwalk Balcony, 8 rooms from the back of the ship.

Did you get your board directly from Waveloch or elsewhere. Those Bandits were terrible.

[kamusta1]

I ordered them directly from Waveloch. I know of only one place in New Jeresy where you can buy them. If you going to flowride often having our own board is the way to go. I agree the bandits are not the best if you are an advanced rider.

 

Did you get your board directly from Waveloch or elsewhere. Those Bandits were terrible.

[liberiben]

Not advanced, we are advancing :) No, we only do it on the ships, plan on going to Orlando and maybe doing it a couple times this year. When we rented it they let us try all the boards they have for the crew and I fell in love with the Shuvit.

[Erik101]

YOu say it was never crowded, but from this pic, all of the available chairs have towels on them. Actually one towel saving 2 chairs!

 

Your signature states that you were on the Allure this past January so unless you never stepped foot in the Solarium, you will know that the photo shown is only a glimpse of the entire Solarium. The poster you responded to was accurate. With the exception of the shaded area, there was always a place to lounge and plenty of space.

 

Have a look when you go on the Oasis and then you'll see the difference between the entire Solarium and the photo taken.

[kamusta1]

Hehe. We are "advancing too" and pretty much only do it on ships too. We have 2 Shuvits and they are great boards and are priced lower than the other boards waveloch offers.

 

Not advanced, we are advancing :) No, we only do it on the ships, plan on going to Orlando and maybe doing it a couple times this year. When we rented it they let us try all the boards they have for the crew and I fell in love with the Shuvit.

[liberiben]

What length do you have, they told us the one they had was 40, but they were not sure, I was looking at the 39. And you and your fiance are more advanced than us(we have similar friends on FB and have seen videos).

[kamusta1]

We have 38" with the side channel's. I'm pretty sure they only have 38" onboard. I orignally bought at 40" by accident and it was bigger that the one I rode on Liberty. I didnt like the bigger board so I sold and bought the 38" Do you remember which color Shuvit you rode?

 

Oh really..you have seen the videos? lol. My gf rides better than me.

Add me on FB!

 

I have the contact info of the guy at Waveloch who sells boards.

 

 

What length do you have, they told us the one they had was 40, but they were not sure, I was looking at the 39. And you and your fiance are more advanced than us(we have similar friends on FB and have seen videos).

[liberiben]

It was a grey top, it had a grip like foam texture to it.

[graphicguy]

Your signature states that you were on the Allure this past January so unless you never stepped foot in the Solarium, you will know that the photo shown is only a glimpse of the entire Solarium. The poster you responded to was accurate. With the exception of the shaded area, there was always a place to lounge and plenty of space.

 

Have a look when you go on the Oasis and then you'll see the difference between the entire Solarium and the photo taken.

 

Yeah....my pic didn't even remotely cover the actual size of the Solarium. No problems finding a lounger. Glad you pointed that out.:D

[kamusta1]

That one is definetly a 38".

 

It was a grey top, it had a grip like foam texture to it.

[mike9960]

How did you get the alcohol on the ship?

[liberiben]

That one is definetly a 38".

Yes, my husband and I highly doubted that it was a 40, since it was much shorter than the 42 bandit. Thanks.

[jlajla]

We were on this sailing as well, and I am glad to hear several people say that the ship felt crowded, because I felt like a sardine through most of the cruise, unlike ANY other cruise I have ever been on.

 

Working on my own review to post soon, but enjoying reading yours. :)

[jlajla]

We were on this sailing as well, and I am glad to hear several people say that the ship felt crowded, because I felt like a sardine through most of the cruise, unlike ANY other cruise I have ever been on.

 

Working on my own review to post soon, but enjoying reading yours. :)