Will Allure be for us?

[Mediana]

Hi,

 

I want to go on Allure. I didn’t think I would even consider this but here I am, lurking around and reading up on it. :)

When Oasis first came I was really excited, it would be a great experience but after understanding how things worked onboard my enthusiasm faded. All the planing you have to do in advance put me off. Also, there were only three stops on a 7 day cruise. I was all about the ports and decided that such a huge vessel was not for me.

 

A couple of cruises later and after my last one onboard Celebrity Silhouette, I’ve decided that I prefer larger ships. There are so much to do and I actually look forward to sea days.

 

I know there are lots of threads about Allure and I’ve done some searches but there are still questions I can’t find answers too. I hope you can help me out.

 

1.) Is it true that you get time slots to when you can get off the ship at ports?

 

2.) What are the things you need to sign up for in advance besides evening shows?

 

3.) My friend who I cruise with is scared of people dressed up in big costumes. Whenever there’s one at the pier I have to shield her as we pass by. The worst thing is when there’s a photografer urging us to take picture with said Mascot. I’ve told them to back off and keep their distance but they can be very pushy at times. I know Dreamworks is on Allure. How does that work? Are they only in one designated area so we can avoid them or do they move around?

 

4.) Is the food in MDR really so bad that you need to choose specialty restaurants? Everyone I’ve talked to says the food is meh and often lukewarm and you’d better off dining in specialty restaurants. I have yet not done one specialty restaurant on any of my cruises. Would this be the one where I start?

 

TIA ;)