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

[Cricket2010]

Loving your review and cannot wait to read more.

[milpston]

a question for you....i've posted this in other allure reports...

for an adults only cruise, what do you think is the best cabin location? both in terms of deck and forward vs aft...

 

i want to try to be near the stairs, but i can't figure out if forward or aft is better...and how high or low to be...

i'm pretty sure it will be an ocean balcony room (as opposed to boardwalk balcony), but WHERE?????? :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

thanks!!! :)

 

Hi there. There really is no correct answer to this as it is all about personal preference. As you may have already seen my preference is deck 8 Port side. My reasons are as follows...... It is not too close to the Promenade etc but just a drop down in the lift. Although sea sickness isn't normally a massive issue on this ship in the Caribbean you will feel more movement the higher you go. Also, I like to be a bit closer to the water than you would be up on deck 12 or so. I would suggest somewhere around stateroom 8160. This would be close to the forward lifts and near to the entrance of Central park. This is a nice stroll if you are going aft. Dazzles is on this deck which is a lovely bar for the evenings. The lift takes you straight down onto the forward end of the Promenade next to Boleros and On air. Studio B is one deck further down. Personally I wouldn't even consider a boardwalk or Central Park view. I come on a cruise to wake up and look at the sea...... not the noise and bustle of the Boardwalk or Aquatheatre and certainly not central park where you are spitting distance from the balconies the other side looking straight at you. A stateroom cabin near the aft elevators would probably make no real difference and be just as good. I choose Port side as this is the side that looks out to sea in most of the ports. I like this as when I want to see the destination I can get off and see it. Some people love the starboard side but for me I wouldn't like the ports where you are docked looking at the balonies of the neighbouring ship. As I say it's all about personal preference really.

[milpston]

Planning an Allure cruise and loving your detailed review........thank you!

 

Loving your review and cannot wait to read more.

 

 

Thank you very much. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

[milpston]

 

We stopped by the Trellis bar for a drink as I was enjoying the lovely breeze cooling me down. This bar never seems to be very busy from what I saw but it is very small with limited seating.

 

As we were sitting there a nice guy walked past and said that he had been looking for me as he thinks I had left my camera bag in the Rising Tide..... He was right. This made Sally and Chloe laugh as I had been badgering Chloe about not forgetting her bag every time she put it down! I ran back and got in the rising tide and picked my camera bag up just as it was due to depart back down to the Promenade.

 

Below is one of the plant walls in central park

 

 

Above this is a kind of gantry that goes across to the wall the other side. At night the lights on this change colour constantly and really gives that area of the park a nice ambience.

 

 

 

We also had a couple of professional pictures taken this evening. We found the queues for these were much shorter after dinner than they were before.

 

When I got back with my camera bag Chloe was chatting to 2 members of staff. These were the hotel Director and Hotel Manager. They were interested as to where we were from and the fact it was our honeymoon etc. Very friendly and it was nice of them to take the time to chat to us.

[tarajean1962]

We loved the Rising Tide Bar! We closed it down one night with some lovely people we met!:o And Central Park is very lovely in the evening, Especially on a nice night. Can't wait for more!!

 

Tara

[milpston]

As it was 21:45 we decided to go to the Honeymooners get together for which we had an invite earlier on. This was in Jazz on 4 down on deck 4 near to Blaze, the comedy club and Studio B.

 

 

 

 

On arrival there were chocolate dipped strawberries, a large Happy Honeymoon Cake and glasses if Champagne. As you know I never turn down a free glass of champagne!!

 

 

[milpston]

Jazz on 4 is a nice intimate little venue. We were spoken to by the entertainment Manager from South Africa. We were told that there were 33 Honeymooning couples this week and I think there were about 10 other couples that turned up other than ourselves.

 

 

They did a raffle where each couple was given a ticket on the way in. The prizes were a bottle of wine, a bottle of champagne, tickets to a prohibition party and a bag of Royal Caribbean goodies.

 

 

As you can see Sally was pretty pleased to have won something. The bag contained all sorts of bits and pieces from the shop. Keyrings, mugs, cups, camera puches, pens, highlighters and the bag itself was quite nice. I can't remember what else was in there .

 

The house Jazz band then performed a few songs. The lead singer was actually a really nice guy who I got chatting to on another night. It turned out that he lived in London for a few years.

 

 

[milpston]

After a couple of songs from the Jazz band (and the free champagne had ran out) we headed off for a drink in Dazzles.

 

Dazzles is located on deck 8 (and 9) at the aft end of Central park.

 

 

 

Dazzles is spread over two decks. There is dance floor on deck 8, some seating areas and the bar. Upstairs there are balconies which look down onto the dance floor. You can smoke upstairs in Dazzles. No prizes for guessing we we sat!

 

 

 

 

 

[tarajean1962]

The Honeymooners party looks fun and congrats on winning the raffle basket!!

 

 

Tara

[milpston]

Just after we arrived they started the Majority rules game show. The host was a member of staff from Croatia and his assistant was a girl from the UK. The way this game works is that the host asks a question and each of the 'teams' writes their answer down and takes it up to the hosts. Everybody who gives the most popular answer gets a point. The team with the most points at the end wins.

 

This was the host and you can see the view of the boardwalk behind.

 

 

The prize for this game was awesome..... a couple of RCI keyrings. For this reason we decided not to keep running up and down the stairs with our answers :p It was fairly entertaining to watch though. Although there is no bar upstairs dont panic.... the bar staff are very good at taking your orders and bringing them up to you!

 

At 22:30 we were about to go to bed when a band from the Phillipines started called The Frontliners. Tonight was 80's night in Dazzles. As soon as they started we decided to have another drink as they were really good.... and then another. We stayed there until they finished at 00:15. The female singer was really good and i think the alcohol was starting to take effect as I was dancing in my seat. The dance floor was full and it was a really good night. Chloe just kept saying to Sally and I, "You're so embarrassing", or, "You two are drunk aren't you"...... erm maybe yeah :D

 

 

Afterwards we headed back to the stateroom. Chloe was asleep almost immediately. Sally and I sat out on the balcony until about 01:30 just listening to the sounds of the sea and relaxing... heaven.

[cruiserdudebobby8]

Great pictures of the ship

[milpston]

We loved the Rising Tide Bar! We closed it down one night with some lovely people we met!:o And Central Park is very lovely in the evening, Especially on a nice night. Can't wait for more!!

 

Tara

 

The Honeymooners party looks fun and congrats on winning the raffle basket!!

 

 

Tara

 

The rising tide bar is a really cool idea but for some reason we didn't actually get there that much.

I'm not sure how much of the raffle prize we actually took home with us but it was still nice to win something :)

[milpston]

Great pictures of the ship

 

Thank you. I have loads more as I go along.

[milpston]

I forgot to mention that we had another guest in our stateroom this evening. We didn't get guests every night but now and again they would appear.

 

[milpston]

Day 3 - Sea Day

 

 

 

[milpston]

[milpston]

You also get this letter on day 3 which I think is a little early to be thinking about departure :eek:

 

I think it's probably a great idea but unfortunately I was flying out with Bahamasair so didn't have the opportunity.

 

[drb_2000]

One Step Closer

Fast forward to May 2013 and finally all parts of our honeymoon were available to book. The final decision was made on the wedding venue and that we would get married 2 days before flying out on our honeymoon on 30th March.

Cabin selection - This was not something that I spent too much time pondering. When on the Oasis in 2011 we were in cabin 8176. This was a port side Superior Ocean Balcony (D4 grade I seem to recall) on deck 8. We loved it. I did not wish to cruise without a balcony because it is one of my favourite places to be..... and I am a smoker .....(Not too many disapproving looks please :p). The location on deck 8 was perfect to walk straight into central park and make our way from there. I also preferred the port side in general for the itinerary of the Eastern Caribbean. For these reasons we went for cabin 8200 which was slightly further along the corridor (D1 grade) with a slighty larger balcony as it is on the "hump". I toyed with the idea of a junior suite but decided that this would put too much pressure on the finances or would cast doubt upon us being able to do the third week.

 

We are considering deck 8 for convenience but I'm a little concerned about the lifeboats that appear to be so close at this level. I suspect they obscure the view of the ship cutting through the ocean. I know it sounds crazy but it's one of the things I like to do when on the balcony. Enjoying the review. Thanks

 

DrB

[milpston]

We are considering deck 8 for convenience but I'm a little concerned about the lifeboats that appear to be so close at this level. I suspect they obscure the view of the ship cutting through the ocean. I know it sounds crazy but it's one of the things I like to do when on the balcony. Enjoying the review. Thanks

 

DrB

 

They do a little. You will see my picture taken straight down from the balcony. They definitely obstruct the view less from the hump balcony. It would certainly be possible to find one without a life boat below with a bit of research. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

[milpston]

This morning I woke up at 06:30. I think the jet lag must still be having an effect because I usually REALLY like my sleep. Sally was already awake. She never seems to sleep.

Chloe was still asleep so Sally and I were chatting on the balcony. First up it was pretty cloudy. I even felt a few spots of rain but that was all. It started to feel pretty warm when the sun broke through the clouds.

 

 

 

We had reservations for the character breakfast in the MDR this morning. Chloe woke at 07:45 but said she wanted to sleep a bit longer. We gave it a miss today as we have reservations for it that we can make another time.

At 08:45 Sally and I went for breakfast as Chloe was more than happy having a lay in. As I walked down the corridor I couldn't help but take the following picture.

 

I have seen that this is a Cruise Critic favourite.

[Susiecruisey]

You also get this letter on day 3 which I think is a little early to be thinking about departure :eek:

 

I think it's probably a great idea but unfortunately I was flying out with Bahamasair so didn't have the opportunity.

 

 

 

WOW this is AWSOME.. We will be doing this for sure!!!!!

[milpston]

WOW this is AWSOME.. We will be doing this for sure!!!!!

 

I certainly would have done if i was with the right Airline.

[Susiecruisey]

I certainly would have done if i was with the right Airline.

 

 

We will be with Southwest more than likely

[milpston]

We headed down to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. A lot of people still don't seem to realise that there is no fee for breakfast here.

 

 

 

We sat down at a table outside.

 

 

I have to say I really liked the breakfast here. I had the grilled beef patty, fried eggs and potatoes. Sally had the breakfast muffin which she really liked too.

 

 

[Susiecruisey]

We headed down to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. A lot of people still don't seem to realise that there is no fee for breakfast here.

 

 

 

We sat down at a table outside.

 

 

I have to say I really liked the breakfast here. I had the grilled beef patty, fried eggs and potatoes. Sally had the breakfast muffin which she really liked too.

 

 

 

 

Mmmmmm sounds like where we will have breakfast each morning...YUMMMY....