B2B Allure Of The Seas Pictorial Review - 31st March 2013 & 7th April 2013

[wheatengirl]

I have only finished the first week of the b2b and can't wait to finish the rest of your great review but I would like to know since you have been on both oasis and allure, which ship do you like best? Looking to book one of these great ships and would love to hear your opinion.

 

Congratulations on your marriage!

[MJonTravel]

Very nicely done!!! Thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of your review. Makes me a little nostalgic for another B2B on Allure.

[milpston]

I am loving your review! My friends and I are going in October :) after reading this i may not come back! thanks!

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I think we all get that feeling after a cruise!

 

Great picture. Now I know what we look like when we get back from a great cruise! Not sure I've ever seen a nighttime picture like this on other reviews, so thanks for that.

 

Haha. It's the curse of the jet lag after the flight from London :p

[milpston]

I must say I'm laughing more during this review than I have in any other! Just found this review today and am certainly enjoying it. And if you mentioned your name, I missed it. I know Chloe and Sally but haven't seen your name yet - maybe I just haven't read far enough yet.

 

I'm glad you're enjoying it. I definitely give my name eventually. You'll just have to keep reading ;)

[milpston]

Very nicely done!!! Thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of your review. Makes me a little nostalgic for another B2B on Allure.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Me too!! Mine will be a failry long wait but I'll be back at some point.

 

I have only finished the first week of the b2b and can't wait to finish the rest of your great review but I would like to know since you have been on both oasis and allure, which ship do you like best? Looking to book one of these great ships and would love to hear your opinion.

 

Congratulations on your marriage!

 

To be honest, there are so few differences between the two ships i don't think it makes a difference which one you go on. If I was going on one of these two again I would probably pick the Allure but only because I didn;t see Chicago (if it was still to be running) whereas I saw Hairspray. Also, I prefer the hot do stand to the sea food shack. There really is nothing else to separate them!

And, thank you very much.

[raticus]

I just wanted to thank you for your great review. If it I hadn't read it, I would have missed out on the Samba Grill on my cruise, and that would have been a real shame. So thanks again, I really enjoyed your review!

[Sisley]

Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed the review.

 

We stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian in a Butler suite on Cable beach. It was a great choice. Most of the food was, I would say, on a par with RCI or maybe just a notch under at times. We really enjoyed it but I do think they are over priced of what they are. I have also been to Beaches Turks & Caicos and loved the location but I do think Sandals and Beaches are overpriced. Sally and I could have done another 2 weeks on the Allure for the same price as we paid for the 7 nights at Sandals. Admittedly drinks are included in Sandals but I think RCI is hugely better value. The service is better on RCI. If you don't have Buter service I actually think the service is pretty poor at Sandals ie. Hardly any drinks service to your lounger at the pool or beach and little things like that. Their bars also don't seem as well staffed as RCI and the wait staff, although friendly, are not as professional either.

 

The sharks in the picture I took underwater are Caribbean reef sharks. There were about 30 all around us and they were between 5-8 feet in length. It was incredible. They were close enough to reach out and touch although we were obviously warned not to :rolleyes: Yes, Sally was with me after I had spent the previous year talking her into this dive :D The one being wrangled on the beach is a lemon shark and there were nurse sharks there too. It's actually a shame the Allure doesn't dock in Nassau for a whole day to be able to enjoy some of these fantastic day trips.

 

 

 

I sooooo want to book it. There is one thing that's stopping me. RCI want $3,511 to book the flights through them. They always inflate them ridiculously. If I wait for the flights to be released by British Airways or Virgin Atlantic (11 months before the flight) they will cost about $2,584. I just can't justify handing RCI $1000 so I will probably have to wait a year before I can make any bookings. I know I could book the cruise and wait for the flights but that just feels a bit risky as we dont get the luxury of getting a refund on our deposit over here if anything goes wrong.

 

I think I just need to move to the states so I am closer to the Caribbean :p

 

Paul, Thank you so much for the feedback and comparison with the Sandals Bahamian. I agree, it tends to be pricey (specially in Turks & Caicos).

 

I asked my husband what was the type of sharks we saw in T&C and he said and I quote: Reef Sharks. I then showed him the picture of the sharks you posted and I asked, what are those sharks and his response was: Reef sharks!! lol!! So I guess we saw reef sharks. But only one at a time. And not so close.

 

I also agree on Nassau not docking long enough. I still hope it will be warm enough in the morning so we can dive. Diving in Nassau or the Bahamas is also on my bucket list!

 

Thanks again for a wonderful review and your response. :)

 

Have you ever thought of booking through Royal Caribbean in the USA (through the website for example) or through an American or even a Canadian agent :rolleyes: in order to be able to cancel the cruise and get your refund? It must have something to do with the exchange rate... That way you could also buy your flight separately.

[mrlddst]

Thanks for a truly great review. I have been following your thread during my maternity leave and you have convinced me to book a cruise for next year!

[Miamia65]

Paul

Thanks for the awesome review, it was a great read, great pictures and very informative.

 

We are looking forward to our B2B on Oasis in December.

 

Cheers

[milpston]

I just wanted to thank you for your great review. If it I hadn't read it, I would have missed out on the Samba Grill on my cruise, and that would have been a real shame. So thanks again, I really enjoyed your review!

 

 

I'm glad the review is of use. I definitely think the Samba Grill is worth a visit as it's a different experience to the other restaurants on the ship. Thanks for folloiwing along.

Thanks for a truly great review. I have been following your thread during my maternity leave and you have convinced me to book a cruise for next year!

 

Fantastic news. I'm glad I have offered some entertainment whilst relaxing your maternity leave ;)

[milpston]

Paul

Thanks for the awesome review, it was a great read, great pictures and very informative.

 

We are looking forward to our B2B on Oasis in December.

 

Cheers

 

Your are very welcome. I'm sure you will have a fantastic time on the Oasis.

 

Paul, Thank you so much for the feedback and comparison with the Sandals Bahamian. I agree, it tends to be pricey (specially in Turks & Caicos).

 

I asked my husband what was the type of sharks we saw in T&C and he said and I quote: Reef Sharks. I then showed him the picture of the sharks you posted and I asked, what are those sharks and his response was: Reef sharks!! lol!! So I guess we saw reef sharks. But only one at a time. And not so close.

 

I also agree on Nassau not docking long enough. I still hope it will be warm enough in the morning so we can dive. Diving in Nassau or the Bahamas is also on my bucket list!

 

Thanks again for a wonderful review and your response. :)

 

Have you ever thought of booking through Royal Caribbean in the USA (through the website for example) or through an American or even a Canadian agent :rolleyes: in order to be able to cancel the cruise and get your refund? It must have something to do with the exchange rate... That way you could also buy your flight separately.

 

Turks & Caicos was actually the first place I ever saw sharks when diving and I had about 6 fairly close on my 50th ever dive. They were Caribbean reef sharks too. Our captain saw a huge tiger shark by the boat whilst we were down one day but none of us divers saw it :(

If you like the idea of a shark dive in Nassau, from what I have read, I would recommend contacting Stuart's Cove directly and see if they can offer anything for the times that you are docked.

I have thought about booking elsewhere. Unfortunately there is no way I can get on the RCI USA website as it automatically reverts to the UK one whatever I do. (Maybe someone better with computers could do it0. In regards to using a US travel company I have always been told that I cannot do this without a USA Postal address. If anyone else has had experience of this then I would be glad to hear any tips.

Thanks again for following along :)

[cruisephreak100]

Congratulations to you and Sally on your marriage! Thank you for a top-notch review! I have you to blame for getting sleep deprived these last few days since I first discovered your post/reviews. I am going on the Allure this coming Sunday; I booked it 18 months ago, and I can't believe the time is almost here! I took notes while reading your reviews, and I am getting so excited for my own trip. Maybe in the future I'll do a B2B, but for this coming week, I'm only doing the eastern route. I'll be in a Grande Suite, so perhaps I'll do some reviews of my own on the "suite life!" Thank you again, and best wishes to you and Sally for a wonderful life together. Your sense of humor is hilarious! Oh, behave, you Brits!

[milpston]

Congratulations to you and Sally on your marriage! Thank you for a top-notch review! I have you to blame for getting sleep deprived these last few days since I first discovered your post/reviews. I am going on the Allure this coming Sunday; I booked it 18 months ago, and I can't believe the time is almost here! I took notes while reading your reviews, and I am getting so excited for my own trip. Maybe in the future I'll do a B2B, but for this coming week, I'm only doing the eastern route. I'll be in a Grande Suite, so perhaps I'll do some reviews of my own on the "suite life!" Thank you again, and best wishes to you and Sally for a wonderful life together. Your sense of humor is hilarious! Oh, behave, you Brits!

 

 

Thanks very much. I'm glad I have helped pass some time until your cruise. I'm jealous but would be interesting how youe suite experience goes.

[IrishLassie]

Really enjoyed your review, Paul and congratulations on your marriage. When I started reading your posts I was hoping you had posted a "wedding picture" as I'm a hopeless romantic & LOVE wedding pictures! Anyway, so glad you had such a wonderful honeymoon and memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks again for a great review. :D

 

Forgot to mention that we have been to Sandals in Montego Bay & celebrated my parents 50th. wedding anniversary back in 1991. I agree with you that you actually get more for your money on a cruise!

[flhokie]

That's really cool. We really liked the cabin and it's location. If your stateroom is Monique then please say that Paul, Sally, Chloe, Roy and the old dragon say hello :)

 

We just returned home. Monique was our cabin attendant too. She was fantastic, especially with our little girl! I told her about your post & that you all said to say hi. She was so excited...didn't believe that she had been mentioned on a website. She was smiling so big. She definitely remembered you and said to tell you all hello.:)

 

We had an amazing time on Allure! Thank you for your review as it helped us make the best of our 1 week!

[milpston]

Really enjoyed your review, Paul and congratulations on your marriage. When I started reading your posts I was hoping you had posted a "wedding picture" as I'm a hopeless romantic & LOVE wedding pictures! Anyway, so glad you had such a wonderful honeymoon and memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks again for a great review. :D

 

Forgot to mention that we have been to Sandals in Montego Bay & celebrated my parents 50th. wedding anniversary back in 1991. I agree with you that you actually get more for your money on a cruise!

 

I'm glad you yoy enjoyed it. Thank you very much. I still haven't got around to putting a wedding picture on. I might do...... haha

 

We just returned home. Monique was our cabin attendant too. She was fantastic, especially with our little girl! I told her about your post & that you all said to say hi. She was so excited...didn't believe that she had been mentioned on a website. She was smiling so big. She definitely remembered you and said to tell you all hello.:)

 

We had an amazing time on Allure! Thank you for your review as it helped us make the best of our 1 week!

 

This post really made me smile. She really was great with us too and can just imagine her standing there smiling. Thanks so much for updating me :D

I'm glad you had a great time in "our" cabin ;) and that my review was of some help.

[janeyzee]

There is a little glass top on it and if you look down into it there are little buddhas inside. I'm not sure if there are others of these around the park or ship.

 

We were lucky enough to get the Live the Allure book during the first year the Allure sailed and we had to look for several of these "Small Wonders" as we followed clues in the book. We started to look all over for them even if they weren't used as clues, and there are a lot of them. Near elevators, outside the casino, lots of places all over the ship. It was fun looking for them. And yes, there were several like this, the ones you looked down into. One had a snake skeleton in it, not sure if that was Allure or Oasis, but it was really interesting to see.

[milpston]

We were lucky enough to get the Live the Allure book during the first year the Allure sailed and we had to look for several of these "Small Wonders" as we followed clues in the book. We started to look all over for them even if they weren't used as clues, and there are a lot of them. Near elevators, outside the casino, lots of places all over the ship. It was fun looking for them. And yes, there were several like this, the ones you looked down into. One had a snake skeleton in it, not sure if that was Allure or Oasis, but it was really interesting to see.

 

Thank you for that. It will give me an excuse to try one of these ships again one day :p

[polkadots]

Thank you for this review! I appreciate that you scanned in the daily compasses - I will be borrowing these in preparation for our time on the Allure this November!

 

We were on Oasis last fall and were a little frustrated by the same thing you mentioned with the staff repeatedly requesting "excellent" reviews. What in the world do their managers do to them if their reviews aren't perfect scores??

 

I enjoyed how you called out things other reviewers have mentioned and gave your feedback - i.e. seeing the aqua theater show the first night, or eating in a specialty restaurant the first night versus the MDR. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

[milpston]

Thank you for this review! I appreciate that you scanned in the daily compasses - I will be borrowing these in preparation for our time on the Allure this November!

 

We were on Oasis last fall and were a little frustrated by the same thing you mentioned with the staff repeatedly requesting "excellent" reviews. What in the world do their managers do to them if their reviews aren't perfect scores??

 

I enjoyed how you called out things other reviewers have mentioned and gave your feedback - i.e. seeing the aqua theater show the first night, or eating in a specialty restaurant the first night versus the MDR. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

 

You're more than welcome.

I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

Have a fantastic time on the Allure!

[milpston]

I've read back through and now really wish I had another cruise booked :-(