Nov 4, Allure of the Seas, Western Caribbean - A Review and Complete Pictorial Guide!

[mrsfecura]

Gambee! I just finished your review and it was fab! I found the link to yours while reading Sherri's (CC name: Middle Aged Drama Queen) Allure review and am SO glad I started reading it!!

My fave photos were the ones you took of the Allure at night! Gorgeous!

Booking Allure for 2014 thanks to you and Sherri.

Be well!

[knicksak2]

Im still finishing the review as im up to day 7 night time but i just thought i would say that your thread is now the 5th most viewed thread on the RCI board...pretty impressive

 

and what a great job you have done on the review

Edited February 12, 2013 by knicksak2

[milpston]

 

 

I am glad you found my review and enjoyed it, you're welcome. This reviews definitely require a lot of work, but they are also very rewarding. Maybe sometime you could try one.

 

You know the day you board for your B2B is the day we disembark from Silhouette, I hope you have a great time on your cruise. Happy Sailings.

 

 

Well I very much hope you enjoy your time on the silhouette and I will be looking eagerly for your review on my return. It will play a big part in whether I stay with Royal Caribbean or try another line.

 

I have now read a number of reviews and yours is still the best by far!! I have decided I will be doing my own review of my B2B to offer my perspective to the CC masses.

 

I have one question that I thought you would be the most likely person on here to know the answer. I arrive in FL the day before our cruise. Do you know what time the Allure usually sails into port early on the Sunday morning or late the Saturday night? I will be jet lagged and unable to sleep so would love to head down to your spot by the rocks to see it arrive??

[tmahoney]

I think I replied all the comments, please if I missed yours tell me. For some reason I think I missed one of someone offering me a martini, I remember reading it. I try my best to reply all of them, but I think that one escaped me and I can't find it.

 

I am currently working on the 150 part of the review, it is quite extensive.

 

Thank you for posting the picture of the zip line details. I'm going in May and want to do it. Yay! Great job!

[relaxatsea]

Hi Gambee,

 

I am on page 30 of your review and determined to read it all the way to the end.

 

Your comments and photos are wonderful and I am also enjoying all of your intereaction with your bf and your mom!

 

Great job!! Thanks so much!!

[Domb23]

I loved the review!! Do you have a link of just the cruise compasses? Or do you know what pages on the post they are?? It would be a great help, and I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks!!

 

CAS

[gambee]

Gambee! I just finished your review and it was fab! I found the link to yours while reading Sherri's (CC name: Middle Aged Drama Queen) Allure review and am SO glad I started reading it!!

My fave photos were the ones you took of the Allure at night! Gorgeous!

Booking Allure for 2014 thanks to you and Sherri.

Be well!

 

Thank you for your kind comment, those are my favorite pictures by far as well. I hope you have a fun time on your cruise.

 

Im still finishing the review as im up to day 7 night time but i just thought i would say that your thread is now the 5th most viewed thread on the RCI board...pretty impressive

 

and what a great job you have done on the review

 

Thank you for your comment, I am defiantly very happy with the results of the review. Thanks for reading :)

 

Well I very much hope you enjoy your time on the silhouette and I will be looking eagerly for your review on my return. It will play a big part in whether I stay with Royal Caribbean or try another line.

 

I have now read a number of reviews and yours is still the best by far!! I have decided I will be doing my own review of my B2B to offer my perspective to the CC masses.

 

I have one question that I thought you would be the most likely person on here to know the answer. I arrive in FL the day before our cruise. Do you know what time the Allure usually sails into port early on the Sunday morning or late the Saturday night? I will be jet lagged and unable to sleep so would love to head down to your spot by the rocks to see it arrive??

 

We were very skeptical of booking Silhouette, we been back and forth on it. But the deciding factor was the ship itself, I see a lot of potential and hopefully it will be as much fun as our Allure trip. We can't wait to board!

 

A B2B review, oh my, that would take me over a month to complete. My hat goes out to you :)

 

I believe we docked around 4-6am not sure what the exact time was, but I know it around there. Not sure if I would go to the rocks at that time, it might be dangerous if you fall and there is no one there to help you. Be careful.

 

Have a fun trip =)

 

Thank you for posting the picture of the zip line details. I'm going in May and want to do it. Yay! Great job!

 

You're very welcome :-)

 

Hi Gambee,

 

I am on page 30 of your review and determined to read it all the way to the end.

 

Your comments and photos are wonderful and I am also enjoying all of your intereaction with your bf and your mom!

 

Great job!! Thanks so much!!

 

You're welcome, glad that you're enjoying reading it. Thanks for posting.

 

I loved the review!! Do you have a link of just the cruise compasses? Or do you know what pages on the post they are?? It would be a great help, and I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks!!

 

CAS

 

 

Glad you liked my review. You can find the compasses in this link http://photobucket.com/allurecompass

[milpston]

 

A B2B review, oh my, that would take me over a month to complete. My hat goes out to you :)

 

I believe we docked around 4-6am not sure what the exact time was, but I know it around there. Not sure if I would go to the rocks at that time, it might be dangerous if you fall and there is no one there to help you. Be careful.

 

Have a fun trip =)

 

 

I will be happy to put some time into to to beat the blues after our trip is over! Thanks for the advice, i may just stay on the beach instead of walking the rocks!

[SliceOfLife]

What a fantastic review! I now understand what all the fuss is about!

 

I look forward to your Celebrity and Breakaway review. I'm curious to see how the three cruises will compare. :)

[Sharon Sails]

My husband will rarely sit for a couple hours in one place - at 68 years old, he still works at his same job and is a little energizer bunny. However, he DID sit with me for almost two hours one recent night reading your review and loving the photos! Also, after reading your amazing review he decided HE wanted to experience one of the big ships, so for our 43rd wedding anniversary next month (March) we are sailing on the Oasis, doing the same Western itinerary you did. THANK YOU for putting the idea in his head! We just got off the Freedom two weeks ago, so this will be two cruises in two months! And all because of your amazing, addicting review. EXCELLENT!

Sharon :D

[2brattyboys]

I thought that I had read some great reviews before, but yours topped them all! As the mother of two boys, I loved reading about your interactions with your mom. I also appreciated how you talked about trade-offs made. We would all like to have unlimited finances, but that isn't real life.

I am looking so forward to your Celebrity review! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

[gambee]

I will be happy to put some time into to to beat the blues after our trip is over! Thanks for the advice, i may just stay on the beach instead of walking the rocks!

 

No problem, stay safe :)

 

What a fantastic review! I now understand what all the fuss is about!

 

I look forward to your Celebrity and Breakaway review. I'm curious to see how the three cruises will compare. :)

 

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciated it. I am curious myself how they all will compare as well, can't wait to see.

 

My husband will rarely sit for a couple hours in one place - at 68 years old, he still works at his same job and is a little energizer bunny. However, he DID sit with me for almost two hours one recent night reading your review and loving the photos! Also, after reading your amazing review he decided HE wanted to experience one of the big ships, so for our 43rd wedding anniversary next month (March) we are sailing on the Oasis, doing the same Western itinerary you did. THANK YOU for putting the idea in his head! We just got off the Freedom two weeks ago, so this will be two cruises in two months! And all because of your amazing, addicting review. EXCELLENT!

Sharon

 

First of all congratulations on your wedding anniversary, that is definitely a lot of time :). That is pretty cool that I got your husband to sit and read my review, I must of done something right :). I am also very happy that I convinced him to go on the cruise, enjoyed it for me :). I hope you have a wonderful time aboard her and I hope he enjoys as well. Thank you for the kind words, it was my pleasure.

 

I thought that I had read some great reviews before, but yours topped them all! As the mother of two boys, I loved reading about your interactions with your mom. I also appreciated how you talked about trade-offs made. We would all like to have unlimited finances, but that isn't real life.

I am looking so forward to your Celebrity review! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You know I read a lot of reviews and I am at times by that, I wanted to show how you travel the Allure and still keep yourself at budget. I will do the same for the celebrity review and this one I am in a even more strict budget, so I really have to keep an eye on it. But I have a few surprises for that review, it should be a fun trip.

 

Happy sailings :)

[KITKAT0229]

Thank you for taking the time during your vacation and after you got home to write such a comprehensive review. I don't think I've seen one with as much detail as yours. Our last few cruises we compromise and haven't been on the Allure/Oasis. Not next time though. I have been obsessing about these ships since they started talking about them before they were built. It will be like a dream come true and I'm sure I'll be a big mushy silly girl when I board.

 

Safe travels and thanks again :D

[jimphil]

Enjoyed this fab review , can anyone give a link to other "5 star" reviews if there are any! thanks

[flapbreaker]

Loved the review, especially the photo's. I'm looking at replacing my camera soon. After seeing your photo's I'd say the Sony NEX line is in the running. I was wondering if you used a flash very much, especially on the interior and night shots. I though you mentioned that you had but they sure don't look like it. When ever I've used a flash the picture looks bad.

[gambee]

Thank you for taking the time during your vacation and after you got home to write such a comprehensive review. I don't think I've seen one with as much detail as yours. Our last few cruises we compromise and haven't been on the Allure/Oasis. Not next time though. I have been obsessing about these ships since they started talking about them before they were built. It will be like a dream come true and I'm sure I'll be a big mushy silly girl when I board.

 

Safe travels and thanks again :D

 

 

Thanks for your kind words and for reading my review. I hope your dream comes true soon and you get to sail one of these Amazing ships :)

 

Enjoyed this fab review , can anyone give a link to other "5 star" reviews if there are any! thanks

 

You're welcome, glad you liked.

 

I believe I saw one in carnival once, but I cant find it any more. Sorry.

 

 

Loved the review, especially the photo's. I'm looking at replacing my camera soon. After seeing your photo's I'd say the Sony NEX line is in the running. I was wondering if you used a flash very much, especially on the interior and night shots. I though you mentioned that you had but they sure don't look like it. When ever I've used a flash the picture looks bad.

 

 

Flash defiantly has a tendency of ruining pictures, specially in Point and shoot cameras. That said all the pictures of food and drinks had flash in them, the trick you ask? The nex f3 (not all nex, but some) has an articulated built in flash, the idea with a good flash situation is to bounced it off another surface or diffuse it. I simply point to flash to the roof and bounce the light from the roof. If you read photography books, you will find this is always suggested. By doing this you are not over exposing highlights or creating a pancake pictures with no definition. For difusion you need a bigger flash, but for the most part the movable built in flash does fine in this camera, I never had a bad picture with it. You just have to play with it and learn how to use it :)

 

Most of my night scenery pictures had no flash, I was using a tripod.

 

Hope that helps, let me know if you have more questions. I could try to explain it further if you liked.

[cnslewis]

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. We sailed on Allure during her inaugural season, but it was our first ever cruise, so to say we were overwhelmed is an understatement! We are going again in June, and I'm trying to get better prepared, so that I don't miss a thing!

[Jazzzy]

Great review. Thanks for sharing

[ripjerry95]

This is by far one of the best reviews I have seen here on CC! Thank you so much for you in depth analysis. I have cruised twice with NCL and twice with Carnival. I have been wanting to give RC a try but I am a little intimidated by the Allure/Oasis. They are both gorgeous. I think for my first RC experience I will try either Freedom of the Seas or Independence of the Seas. They are sort of the next class down from Allure/Oasis. Happy cruising! It is one hell of an addiction! ;)

[gambee]

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. We sailed on Allure during her inaugural season, but it was our first ever cruise, so to say we were overwhelmed is an understatement! We are going again in June, and I'm trying to get better prepared, so that I don't miss a thing!

 

 

I can only imagine an Oasis class ship being your first cruise, that would be incredibly overwhelming. As you know as first one was on the Sky and I was beyond overwhelmed. We missed a lot of things in the Allure trip, I guess I could of prepared myself better. I hope you have a great trip :)

 

Great review. Thanks for sharing

 

Thanks, you're welcome.

 

This is by far one of the best reviews I have seen here on CC! Thank you so much for you in depth analysis. I have cruised twice with NCL and twice with Carnival. I have been wanting to give RC a try but I am a little intimidated by the Allure/Oasis. They are both gorgeous. I think for my first RC experience I will try either Freedom of the Seas or Independence of the Seas. They are sort of the next class down from Allure/Oasis. Happy cruising! It is one hell of an addiction! ;)

 

Thank you for you're kind words, glad you enjoyed the review. We are looking into sailing Carnival maybe next year, I would like it for the price on the breeze to be just right. I am a bit different than you, I like to find things that are over the top and go for them (Allure ect). You should give one of these ships a chance, you're going to be surprised how fast you get used to them. Very easy to navigate.

[birdylady]

... We missed a lot of things in the Allure trip, I guess I could of prepared myself better. ....

:eek: Really?? After savoring all your photos, I can't imagine you missed anything. (granted, you didn't have a wonderful reviewer like yourself to prep you.) I have been looking forward to our upcoming trip on the Allure since we booked last summer. You have given me so much more to look forward to than any RCI ads, photos, etc... I 'almost' feel like I've already been there, done that.

 

I know many people have complimented you on your review and I have to join them. Without a doubt, this was the best review I have ever read. I wish my reviews could be at least 1/4 as good as yours. I also agree with everyone that says RCI (and any other cruise line) should hire you to do sail, photograph and review their products.

 

I look forward to any other reviews you ever write. Again, thank you for helping me plan our first trip on the Allure.

 

Erika

Edited February 19, 2013 by birdylady

[crusinpsychRN]

Just started reading and have a few questions. What is your primary language? You've got English down! What kind of work do you do?

 

I have never seen such detail before.

[ShellDil]

Another fan here Gambee! I stumbled onto your review last week - I have no plans to sail on Allure any time in the future, but I was hooked after the first post! You have such a genuine way of writing and as others have mentioned your photography is amazing. Photography is a passion for me as well, especially while travelling so I really enjoyed your work.

 

Thank you for so much detail and sharing your vacation with us! I'm looking forward to your next reviews! And like so many others, I can't help thinking that a trip on the Allure might just be somewhere in my future!! ;)

[srvdmy4usn]

well remember I told you I almost had an anxiety attack?

 

I love snorkeling and I am fascinated by marine life, but there are two big problems. I have a fear of both sharks (Selachophobia) and open water, it is actually more of a phobia for both of them. It is really a shame because if I wasn't I could probably be padi certified by now and able to dive with my cousin every weekend here at home.

 

These two fears are really holding me back, last year I went snorkeling in Key Largo and for a few minutes I thought I was going to drown. My cousin and uncle have both made several attempts to educate me on shark attacks, but all attempts have been futile. I really don't know where these fears come from.

 

Anyway so I was snorkeling out there and I pretty much the only person in the water within 50 feet, the water was a little cold and most people stayed in the beach area. When I saw the statue I went closer to take pictures, once I got there I noticed how deep it was, so I dove several times to get different samples. Once the novelty of the underwater statute had wore off, I notice that I was pretty far away and there was a lot of open space around me. To make matters worse I was surrounded by little fish, I think people feed them because they were very friendly, you even touch them if you like.

 

So I had a decision to make, do I go back from there or go to the barge (it was closer) and wait for people to go there so I could go back with them. I tend to feel better if there are people around me, I guess it decreases my chances of being eating alive. I made a quick dash and climbed up the barge, I waited there for a few minutes and no one was even getting in the water, let alone coming towards my area. I was set on waiting even for an hour, for someone to go there, but two factors made me change my mind. First and foremost mom would be worried and second I was starting to get seasick. So I gathered up some courage, dove in the water, closed my eyes and started swimming as fast as I could. I never get far from the coast line, but this the time the curiosity of the statue and the desire to photograph it took over me.

 

Once near the coastline I opened my eyes, gathered myself and relaxed for a little while. They say all fears can be conquered, I have tried many times with this one and no good has ever come out of it. If anything I think each attempt makes matters worse. It is actually very funny how can you can be so passionate about something and at the same time so terrified about it.

 

When I got out of the water I went straight to our spot to relax for a little while. The sad part is that when you look at the barge in the pictures, it is really not that far away… I think what affected me that day was how deep the water was, maybe 15 feet at some point?

 

 

 

But overall chankanaab offers good snorkeling for those not expecting much variety, there are plenty of small friendly fish, but not a lot more to see. I am sure most will be very happy there, bring some cereal from the ship to feed the fish. I read that in another review once, too bad I forgot to bring some that day.

 

Well for starters, just in case you have not had your fill already, AMAZING review. I am sailing on the Allure in just over 200 days and I am so excited. I am hitting the Eastern ports, but it was still very helpful.

 

Now on to the post I quoted. After reading your entire review I really liked that you added your own little stories and experiences, but this one stood out the most! I have a story, I will try and make it quick so I don't hijack your review. But, I think you will find it fitting....and pretty funny!

 

10 years ago (I was 22 at the time) my family went on a cruise that hit Grand Cayman. A popular excursion there is Stingray Island (also called stingray city). We had the whole crew, aunts uncles, cousins, grandparents...it was almost like a reunion vacation. We took a sailboat out to Stingray Island and did some snorkeling. That right there would have been interesting for you as land is barely visible on the horizon, but the water is only 5 feet deep or so.

 

But where the real fun comes in was on the trip back. I will say that I am a very strong swimmer (varsity swim team all through high school). The captain of the sail boat takes everyone out for a nice little trip, it would be safe to say that we are now in deep water ocean and clipping along at 15 knots or so. All the girls had bought matching sun hats while we were in Jamaica the day before. My cousin realized rather quickly that sail boats equal wind! In the blink of an eye the hat flew off her head and landed in the open water. I quickly asked the capitain if I could go get it, after he nodded his head I ran to the back of the boat and dove in! This is where I could picture your anxiety building up :D

 

At the time my family had no idea that I asked permission dive overboard. Now I had no idea what was going on since I was swimming about 100 yards to the floating red hat, but apparently my mom went into panic mode! The captain spun the boat around to come pick me up, meanwhile my mom was screaming that I would be lost at sea forever or the sharks were going to eat me!

 

After the fact she explained the story as if I was an extra in the movie Jaws with a 5000 pound shark flying up out of the water to eat me!

 

My cousin still has the hat to this day and your little side story brought all the memories back!!!!

 

Thank You!

 

P.S. Go get certified!!! Diving is AMAZING, and it will open a whole new world for your photography.

[gambee]

:eek: Really?? After savoring all your photos, I can't imagine you missed anything. (granted, you didn't have a wonderful reviewer like yourself to prep you.) I have been looking forward to our upcoming trip on the Allure since we booked last summer. You have given me so much more to look forward to than any RCI ads, photos, etc... I 'almost' feel like I've already been there, done that.

 

I know many people have complimented you on your review and I have to join them. Without a doubt, this was the best review I have ever read. I wish my reviews could be at least 1/4 as good as yours. I also agree with everyone that says RCI (and any other cruise line) should hire you to do sail, photograph and review their products.

 

I look forward to any other reviews you ever write. Again, thank you for helping me plan our first trip on the Allure.

 

Erika

 

You're very welcome Erika, I am glad you had fun reading my review and that you gathered a lot of useful information from it. I read many reviews before our trip and I gathered a lot from each of them, very useful. But when I started my review I wanted all that info gathered into one centralized location, so that it would be easier for other planners. I am very grateful for everyone that helped me plan my trip, I believe that there is always something new to be learned out of every review out there.

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip on the Allure, happy sailings.

 

Just started reading and have a few questions. What is your primary language? You've got English down! What kind of work do you do?

 

I have never seen such detail before.

 

Primary language is spanish. I work in the service industry, but on my way out for another career course.

 

 

Another fan here Gambee! I stumbled onto your review last week - I have no plans to sail on Allure any time in the future, but I was hooked after the first post! You have such a genuine way of writing and as others have mentioned your photography is amazing. Photography is a passion for me as well, especially while travelling so I really enjoyed your work.

 

Thank you for so much detail and sharing your vacation with us! I'm looking forward to your next reviews! And like so many others, I can't help thinking that a trip on the Allure might just be somewhere in my future!! ;)

 

Always glad for more fans, I appreciate your kind words, thank you. You know I am usually attracted to reviews for the pictures, when I like what I see I start reading :D. I am bit lazy that way, lol.

 

There are two more reviews on the way, I am going to maintain that same format as it proved to be successful, but I plan on fixing some mistakes.

 

I will see you around, happy sailings.

 

Well for starters, just in case you have not had your fill already, AMAZING review. I am sailing on the Allure in just over 200 days and I am so excited. I am hitting the Eastern ports, but it was still very helpful.

 

Now on to the post I quoted. After reading your entire review I really liked that you added your own little stories and experiences, but this one stood out the most! I have a story, I will try and make it quick so I don't hijack your review. But, I think you will find it fitting....and pretty funny!

 

10 years ago (I was 22 at the time) my family went on a cruise that hit Grand Cayman. A popular excursion there is Stingray Island (also called stingray city). We had the whole crew, aunts uncles, cousins, grandparents...it was almost like a reunion vacation. We took a sailboat out to Stingray Island and did some snorkeling. That right there would have been interesting for you as land is barely visible on the horizon, but the water is only 5 feet deep or so.

 

But where the real fun comes in was on the trip back. I will say that I am a very strong swimmer (varsity swim team all through high school). The captain of the sail boat takes everyone out for a nice little trip, it would be safe to say that we are now in deep water ocean and clipping along at 15 knots or so. All the girls had bought matching sun hats while we were in Jamaica the day before. My cousin realized rather quickly that sail boats equal wind! In the blink of an eye the hat flew off her head and landed in the open water. I quickly asked the capitain if I could go get it, after he nodded his head I ran to the back of the boat and dove in! This is where I could picture your anxiety building up :D

 

At the time my family had no idea that I asked permission dive overboard. Now I had no idea what was going on since I was swimming about 100 yards to the floating red hat, but apparently my mom went into panic mode! The captain spun the boat around to come pick me up, meanwhile my mom was screaming that I would be lost at sea forever or the sharks were going to eat me!

 

After the fact she explained the story as if I was an extra in the movie Jaws with a 5000 pound shark flying up out of the water to eat me!

 

My cousin still has the hat to this day and your little side story brought all the memories back!!!!

 

Thank You!

 

P.S. Go get certified!!! Diving is AMAZING, and it will open a whole new world for your photography.

 

OMG that story just set me into panic mode for a few seconds. The funny thing is that my cuz goes diving every weekend, he always invites me, but well I am just flat out scared.

 

I did however buy a new underwater point and shoot to maybe try to encourage me into getting better underwater pictures. I am not sure I have the courage to get certified, but I will however try very hard to go further out on our upcoming trip to Grand Cayman.

 

We are planning on going to Cemetery beach because it is well known for snorkeling, the good spot is however far out GULP..., I will need all the courage I can get.

 

Thanks for sharing that story with me, I enjoyed it.