Allure of The Seas Review in many chapters!

[Familygoboston]

Oh Im so excited!! I can't wait to read the whole thing when I get a moment but I'm so glad you had a great cruise! Welcome Home!!

[macruisefan]

I'm also curious about the All Access Tour. Does the Oasis of the Seas have the same tour? Is it only open to guests staying in Grand Suites and above? I'll be in a Junior Suite on my upcoming cruise on Oasis, and I know the junior suites do not have the concierge benefit... I'm hoping that I might book a tour like this. Thanks for your in-depth review! It was really good reading! :)

 

I know they do it on Allure and Oasis. I'm not sure about what other ships offer it. It's open to anyone- nothing to do with being in a suite. Just have to pay and you're in.

[mark290]

Great job. Thank you.

[Familygoboston]

So I got to read it, and somehow I just knew you'd have nothing good to say about a cruise you loved;):p

 

Just kidden' It's an honest balanced review and I agree with almost all of your opinions except the gambling (I just don't do it at all) and the suite (I just don't do it all;)) I especially agree about JR's; this happens to me about once a year with Kentucky Fried Chicken too- it looks good, then after I eat it I can't touch it for a year! Now it's been several years, because I can learn!

 

I know some will disagree with your take on service, but I think you are spot on...it's the classic thing...they wanna be thought of as doing anything for you, but frankly, they can only do what they do; no problems, no special requests. Then they give you the comment card and insist you say they did everything they could for you...welll...noooo! :rolleyes: Well then, you really can't advertise you'll "do anything" for a passenger (probably why they had to abandon the "Why Not" campaign. I'm sure they got sick of hearing it!) But that kind of treatment would frost my a$$ if I had paid suite money. If I am getting cookie cutter service, I only want to pay for cookie cutter service.

 

Thanks for your review! I enjoyed your take after reading you elsewhere on the boards...happy cruising!

[rgriff70]

Thank you for sharing your great information!! We're sailing the Eastern on Allure on 9-30. I appreciate that you shared the good with the not so good and, more importantly, didn't let the not so good take over and potentially ruin your trip. I'm definitely looking forward to our trip even more now. :D

[Gonzo70]

All in all, I feel the other review is unduly harsh about the smoking situation.

 

 

Enjoyed your detailed review! :)

 

I do not think that I was "unduly harsh" in my review with regards to the smoking situation; this was my perception. Like you, I had a nice cruise overall, but discussed both pros and cons in my review. For me the large number of indoor smoking venues (there are five on Allure) and their impact on nearby non-smoking venues was by far and away the largest con. I did mention in my review that I am particularly sensitive to cigarette smoke and therefore the average person would be less impacted than I was. The smell in the MDR and theater was faint and only in the front area of Deck 4 (and my wife was not able to detect the odor in these venues). Likewise in Central Park the odor was only faint (there are vents in Central Park where the smoke from indoor smoking areas is vented out) as was the odor in the Diamond Lounge (which is above Boleros).

 

As for the gym during the first couple days of the cruise the smokey smell was profound and my wife (who is far less bothered by smoke) was astonished by the odor. There was a line of people complaining about the smell during my first two visits to the gym; fortunately by mid cruise it was much improved (I imagine smoke from one of the indoor smoking venues was being vented into the casino; as an FYI, multiple threads in the past have referenced strong smokey smells at times in the gym on Allure). I am curious, did you got to the gym on boarding day or the day we were in Nassau? These are the days the smell was by far the worst and I cannot imagine anybody not immediately being overwhelmed by the smell.

 

The casino also had an overwhelming stench of smoke even when the ship was in port; even my wife was not able to walk through the casino while it was closed because of the smell. Likewise half of the Royal Promenade reeked of smoke because of Boleros having so many smokers and having a large open entrance. The casino, the gym (for the first couple of days), and half of the Royal Promenade were the three most impacted areas. The other areas I mentioned in my review were mild odors and likely would not be detectable by most people.

[Kcb1959]

Thank you for a detailed review on your cruise. Like everything else in life, you will have some good and some not so good. I can't wait for my story after I sail next April!!

[Ocean Boy]

I very much enjoyed reading your write up. I have to agree with the point you made about the comment cards. When we were on Explorer our waiter, who really did an excellent job, told us so many times about how important the comment cards were and that he get excellent. One night I turned to my brother and said that if he asked one more time then he would be kissing it goodbye. It just got to be really annoying.

 

I also agree about Johnny Rocket's. Somehow, I always seem to forget about the sick feeling that I get in my stomach after eating the grease in there and my the time my next cruise comes around I do it all over again!

[sensfan318]

Excellent review! My wife and I were also on the Sept 2 sailing and had a great time. This was our second sailing on the Allure and did notice the smoke smell in the gym upon boarding the ship but Monday morning I didnt notice it at all.

We also found the smoke smell more prominent around Boleros and the Bow & Stern as opposed to our first sailing.

Also, does anyone know if these Brazilian tour groups are now a common occurence on the Allure, Oasis, and Freedom? There was way to many, it was like being at DisneyWorld. Cutting in line at the Flowrider & Wipeout cafe, loud & obnoxious....thank god for the Solarium! 600-700 and the majority of them are tweens is to much for our liking. Nothing wrong with large tour groups, but again a large group of tweens :X Just wish there was a way to know if and when these large tour groups will be onboard.

Regardless, awesome cruise.....oh and the Prohibition Party is a definite must ;)

[janetz]

I enjoyed your detailed review very much. I have added the access tour on my to do list. :D

[supsan]

The reason for the smoking smell in the gym is that one of the a/c returns for they gym is right outside one of the crews bars, Brita (sp). Therefore if the crew is smoking outside or the wind is blowing the wrong way the smoke will come through the a/c, which may be why it was stronger on port days. One of the things I noticed on the all access tour.

[Virtopia]

Thanks for the review! I'm on the Sept 23rd sailing and also staying at the Hilton Marina. Can you provide some more details about it please? What is in walking distance as my friend and I won't have a car.

 

Thanks!

[ducktoon1]

Also, does anyone know if these Brazilian tour groups are now a common occurence on the Allure, Oasis, and Freedom? There was way to many, it was like being at DisneyWorld.

 

Seems to be a growing trend. When we were on Oasis in Aug 2010, there was a large group (hundreds) of Venezualan teens onboard. We heard that it was a Quinceañera celebration and this week was just part of a multiweek trip. (seemed to be organized by a tour group) We were on Allure in Aug 2012 and there were also a large number of South Americans onboard (based on the numbers Ken Rush read on his morning show) but they didn't seem to be as organized.

[BillOh]

Seems to be a growing trend. When we were on Oasis in Aug 2010, there was a large group (hundreds) of Venezualan teens onboard. We heard that it was a Quinceañera celebration and this week was just part of a multiweek trip. (seemed to be organized by a tour group) We were on Allure in Aug 2012 and there were also a large number of South Americans onboard (based on the numbers Ken Rush read on his morning show) but they didn't seem to be as organized.

 

Is the dollar way down vs their currency? I'm glad I don't cruise during their time of the year! I hate to disparage an entire nation, but I ran into thousands of Brazilian tour groups in Disney world and those people could ruin the entire Disney parks and overwhelm even the Disney employees!

[macruisefan]

Thanks for the review! I'm on the Sept 23rd sailing and also staying at the Hilton Marina. Can you provide some more details about it please? What is in walking distance as my friend and I won't have a car.

 

Thanks!

 

The Hilton Marina is great. Nice property, China Grill is a great place for dinner too! Nice pool, and a great outdoor snack bar and bar, all right on the marina! My only negative was that I had just come from The Ritz! LOL!

 

As far as "walking distance", If you were out for a brisk walk one morning, you could cover the distance. As for hauling your bags over, it would be a pain. Also, I'm not certain the port even allows pedestrians. You have to go through port security traffic lanes to get out there, and I'm not sure it's really a pedestrian friendly place.

 

That being said, a cab from there is going to cost you less than $10. They might have a shuttle (since I had a car, I didn't really pay attention), but I am always a little leary about the shuttles (how often does it go, how many people are waiting for it, does it stop at a bunch of different terminals, etc...) For $10, you can't beat a cab!

[rsharp83]

As a first time cruiser (April 14 Allure) I found your review very interesting and somewhat puzzling. As a regular traveler to Vegas over the last 10 years I assumed the cruise industry would work somewhat like what I have experienced in Vegas resorts. When my wife and I go by ourselves we know what kind of service and perks to expect because we are not big spenders. We stay in good strip hotels but not necessarily the best ones. We gamble some but we can go to off strip places and play nickel video poker and have fun. We see shows and dine but not in the top tier restaurants. We get some comps and services but we know we won't get any big favors like free show tickets or free dining in expensive restaurants.

 

But we also will go to Vegas with another couple that is part of a business trip and when we do that things are much different. They tend ot go to Vegas more often, spend more money while there, stay at Belagio or Wynn, etc. They expect and get a much greater level of service and perks on their trips (and we benefit from going with them!) The hotels know that they spend money.

 

After reading this review I am shocked that RCI (and maybe all the cruise lines?) don't operate like this. I cannot fathom that a person spending the kind of money you have described with Grand Suites, concierge level services, casino betting with $25 a hand BJ and all specialty dining would not be catered to by the staff. Do the people behind the desk not SEE what you are doing and spending on board? (In Vegas they sure as heck would, every penny).

 

Especially astounding to me is that they would not work you in for a SECOND dinner at their most expensive dining venue.

 

I guess I'm just a bit shocked at some of what you described. I'm not expecting top level service and perks for the Ocean view balcony room I've got but if I had what you describe booked I think I'd at least expect my dinner reservations to be correct.

 

One of the couples traveling with us as first timers is the couple that we go to Vegas with on occasion. Hopefully we won't run into any of the service issues you described here, because they won't be happy if they don't get competent service or if something gets screwed up.

 

Thanks for your review, I found it very interesting.

[Familygoboston]

Randy- did you see my post above? I've been sailing RC for a while, and reading these boards for a while too and frankly many people who stay in suites report this as a problem, especially those who are new to Royal and may have had other travel experiences. MAcruiser may be happy with the extra space for the extra bucks, but in the rest of the world the " whales" expect things to be different for them than other pax, and on these ships they are just ...not! I've read it here many times, but when I mention it, I tend to get flamed by the folks who are very loyal to this cruise line (maybe they just don't realize it since this is the only vacation they do).

It's not about being a snob, or entitled, it's about the fact that in any other hospitality industry, the big spenders get treated a certain way, they expect that for their money and that doesn't happen here.

You will have a fine time on our cruise;), everyone in the "middle" usually does. It's a great experience for the money. It's the high end where they come up short, and then have the nerve to insist you rate them " excellent"!

 

Caveat- there are some concierges on some ships who are excellent! But the policies remain the same!

[cherylroslyn]

Excellent thorough review!!!!!

[lakelorain]

Enjoyed your detailed review. It's a shame you didn't turn in your comments card. You have some great suggestions for improvement.

[kac31]

subscribing

[elou]

Would you have the cruise compasses that you could post? Thanks.

[nukester]

your a super guy who did a super review and you told it as it was... great job and thanks

 

john going on her in march 2013