A Week on The World's Largest Cruise Ship: A Photo/Video Allure (Western) Review

[Nicole721]

Day two in Florida got a bit of an early start. A really early start. See, Stephanie is a very, very heavy sleeper. And Stephanie had an 8:00 am flight, which meant she had to be up at 4:00 am at the latest and out of the house by 5:00 am. Mom took it upon herself to make sure Stephanie was up by calling her at 3:00 am...Florida time. Which meant Stephanie got a wake up call at 2:00 am for her 8:00 am flight. It was an early morning for all of us. I wished Stephanie a safe flight and went back to bed. Stephanie, meanwhile, boarded a flight to Miami...first class. I told her she had to sing Glamorous as she boarded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as Stephanie noshed on her vegetarian quiche and marveled at how the seats in first class recline all the way, Mom and I got a little more sleep and then started getting ready for our day. The plan was this: we were going to pick Stephanie up in Miami on our way to Key Largo. We'd drive a bit further down to Islamorada for lunch and then head back to Fort Lauderdale for dinner. Why the trip to the Keys? It's all part of the Kokomo bucket list! And it's actually a quick drive from Fort Lauderdale -- just over an hour and a bit. And Islamorada...well...okay. So Kokomo doesn't exist anymore. It may or may not currently be an island used by Sandals. There's some speculation that Kokomo was based on a bar in Islamorada (that doesn't exist anymore). And unless I want to spend some quality time in Kokomo Indiana, Islamorada is the closest I'm getting to Kokomo.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Nicole721

[Nicole721]

We were live tracking Stephanie's flight and the idea was that we'd Skype with her through her flight until she was approaching Miami and then we'd leave, but she was flying through storms and never came online (it just turned out that her plane had no wi-fi), so when Stephanie's flight was approaching SoFlo, we headed out (after, of course, the daily obligatory we're-in-Florida palm tree picture).

 

 

 

And we grabbed a quick breakfast of egg white McMuffins at McDonald's (and picked up a diet Coke for Stephanie...we're good like that) while I mused at my failure to follow my own rule of not eating at nationwide fast food chains in favor of local restaurants while we travel.

 

 

We got to MIA right as Stephanie was grabbing her luggage (traveling first class on American allows you to check up to three bags for free, so she had her stowed luggage, a checked bag of her own and a checked bag that all three of us used). Unlike O'Hare, the traffic monitors will allow you to stand and wait at the curb. Plus one, Miami International.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Our family now reunited and complete, we headed off to the Keys.

 

 

 

 

The drive from Miami to Key Largo was around an hour and it passed incredibly quick. And it was almost all highway. We drove over the water for maybe a mile (to my disappointment -- I thought the idea of driving over the water was awesome). First stop in Key Largo? Any place that had a sign that said Key Largo that I could take a picture with to prove I was there as I crossed it off my list. Hello, Key Largo Visitors Bureau.

 

[Nicole721]

We stopped in to grab some pamphlets and look at the small museum-like exhibit they have set up (and we signed the guest book at the request of the woman who worked there and whose favorite part of her job was seeing where everyone comes from when they visit) and then we headed off for...parts unknown. Here's a little known fact about Key Largo: it's not at all tropical. Most of the beaches are private and the drive through Key Largo as you journey to the more southern keys is residential highway where you pass by motel after motel after diner after motel. Next time we'll plan better or look for *something* to do. As it was...we passed through and made our way the half hour south to Islamorada.

 

 

 

 

We had a plan for Islamorada -- lunch at Lorelei Cabana Bar. Lorelei is a local favorite and gets ridiculously good reviews on TripAdvisor...just our kind of place.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Lorelei has a covered patio and an outdoor deck. We were prompted to choose whatever table we wanted when we arrived (we chose an umbrella-covered table on the deck) and we quickly began perusing the menus that were waiting in a bucket on the table. Our server quickly made her way over and rattled off some specials and took our drink orders...a beer for Stephanie, a Key Lime Colada for me (when in the Keys...) and... a diet Coke for Mom.

 

 

 

That Key Lime Colada...SO good. The rim was dipped in graham cracker crumbs and it was like drinking a spiked lime milkshake.

 

 

We placed our orders as we enjoyed our drinks -- a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich for Stephanie (our server said it came with Cheese Whiz but she couldn't in good conscience let Stephanie have a sandwich with Cheese Whiz on it and insisted she substitute in provolone -- a good choice, Stephanie decided), a Marinated Steak Sandwich for me (basted in house made barbeque sauce...SO good) and Coconut Shrimp for Mom (she said it was some of the freshest, best shrimp she's ever had).

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We lingered at Lorelei's for a bit enjoying the ambiance before heading back to the car. It was busy, but somehow quietly serene. A perfect spot for a relaxing vacation lunch.

 

 

 

 

We made our way back up into Key Largo, wagering over/unders on the number of motels we'd pass on the way, before making one more stop.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Here's the thing: I'm pretty sure it's, like, illegal or something to visit the Florida Keys and not have Key Lime Pie. Something like that. In our research of places to dine in the Keys, we came across Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, which is famous for their Key Lime Pie. I told Mom to get a couple slices and we'd eat in the restaurant. Stephanie deciphered that three slices of pie was the same price as a whole pie, and with the unprovoked reinforcement of the restaurant hostess, we walked out of Mrs. Mac's with a pie and three forks to bring back to the hotel with us.

 

 

 

The ride back to Plantation was less than an hour and a half and passed rather quickly, even with the brief rain shower.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

When we got back to the hotel, we upped the fancy and ate Key Lime Pie out of paper cups. The pie was excellent, but after a slice and a half, I never wanted to see a Key Lime Pie again for the rest of my life.

 

 

 

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but whenever we try a new cruise line (I did the same thing when we traveled Princess for the first time a number of years ago), I put together a binder with activity guides, menus, ship information, etc. We use the binders to plan and familiarize ourselves with the ships and the lines. Before I passed out into a sugar coma from the pie, Stephanie and I looked through my binder for a bit, noting things that looked interesting and that we'd want to do. And then I passed out for a good few hours (and woke up still never wanting to see a slice of pie ever again).

 

[Nicole721]

I woke up to a sunburn and a slew of emails from work that capped off with an email from my boss saying how much they missed me at work already. Despite the sunburn and the exhaustion, we headed out again. Stephanie needed some things from Target and Mom wanted to pick up muffins for breakfast at Publix. We hit up Old Navy (again) and then we headed for a late dinner at Smokey Bones...again (where, two thumbs up for Smokey Bones, our server offered to substitute in some extra avocado on my salad because I didn't want any chicken or pork on top of it and my salad came out with, like, a full avocado. Stephanie opted for a pulled pork sandwich and Mom opted for a plain baked potato).

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. At some point, I showered and then I just passed out. I needed all the extra rest I could get as we geared up for the Allure.

[Nicole721]

We were up bright and early for our last pre-cruise day in Fort Lauderdale. Well, Mom and Stephanie were up early. They were up and dressed before I got out of bed. The plan was to go to the beach and have brunch on Las Olas, but right as I was getting dressed, it started raining. Best laid plans, right? We changed and headed to Boca instead.

 

Obligatory we're-in-Florida-omg-a-palm-tree picture

 

/sidebar but I randomly learned how to french braid my own hair. And I was really proud of it. So you get a picture of it

 

We bummed around Boca for a few hours, shopping around and visiting some spots we used to visit when Stephanie and I were little...and then it started raining again, so we headed back to Sawgrass Mills for...more shopping.

 

 

 

This is where it gets super fun. So I was at Michael Kors buying a new handbag (don't judge me) and my debit card was declined. Now, I keep religious tabs on my bank account. I had plenty of money in there. Figuring that they just saw charges in multiple states and flagged my account for suspicious activity (I used my card at O'Hare the day I left, my data plan for my iPad renewed to an address in Georgia and I was charging all over Florida), I called the automated number on the back of my card and the service said it reactivated my card. I went back into Michael Kors to try to complete my purchase and...my card was declined again. So back outside I went to call a live rep. The first one says he took care of it and put a note on the account saying I was traveling and he transferred me to a fraud specialist. Fraud specialist says that they have reason to believe someone might have my information (not that they used it or tried to, just that they HAD it), so they cancelled my card. Without notification. While I was about to leave the country. And they were already sending me a new card. To Mom's house. This was a mess. I wasn't upset -- it wasn't worth the energy and I'm a seasoned enough traveler to know to bring enough cash with me to cover any emergencies I could have while I'm out of the country -- but I was incredibly frustrated. Mom and I called back and a third rep told us they thought my card was cancelled early and in error but at this point there was nothing they could do.

 

So, takeaway from this: travel with enough cash to get you through your trip comfortably.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Nicole721

[Nicole721]

I was lucky in that I had pre-paid my excursions and my tips, so the only cash I needed for the ship was for drinks, onboard purchases and specialty restaurants. And I have other credit cards (I just don't like to use them when I don't have to) and I was traveling with Mom and Stephanie, who both had cash and cards to cover me if I needed it. So I went back to Michael Kors to pay cash for my bag (seriously, stop judging me!!! They were having an amazing sale!) and then we headed to Grand Lux for some lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The skies opened up after lunch, so we headed back to the hotel and we...watched Titanic. Well, Stephanie and I watched Titanic. Mom protested. She thought it was in poor taste and tempting the karma Gods. Come on, Mom. It's Kate and Leo! And I know how to swim so we're a-okay.

[Nicole721]

After the Titanic sank and Rose let go of Jack, we headed out to run some last minute errands at Target and Dollar Tree (which we discovered in the strip mall behind the Target) and we set out for Panera for a quick dinner and ended up at Pei Wei instead. McDonalds...Grand Lux...Pei Wei...this trip was a failure of my own self-imposed rules about eating at chains we have at home while on vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we gassed up the car and headed back to the hotel to take showers and relax. We went through my cruise binder, we watched YouTube videos of the Allure and we amped ourselves up to finally get to experience the ship we'd spent so long anticipating traveling on the next morning.

[Nicole721]

We're done with pre-cruise stuff! WOO HOO! Onto embarkation!

 

Mom and Stephanie were up super early. I think we're sensing a pattern here. Why they were up early? Probably anticipation. I choose sleep over anticipation and refused to get out of bed before 8. We had some muffins for breakfast in the room and did a last glance over the old cruise planner I had printed off in my cruise binder. Today we'd finally get the new one.

 

 

 

We packed up the car, took the obligatory daily we're-in-Florida-here's-a-palm-tree-YAY picture and headed towards the airport to return the rental car.

 

 

 

 

And on our way, we caught our first glimpse of our new home for the next week!

 

[Nicole721]

So here's the thing: Hertz rental car service in Fort Lauderdale has a shuttle service ... if you rent from their Crown Plaza hotel location. We did not (we always use Hotwire for rental cars because they guarantee unlimited miles and a major rental agency, but with that, they also only have airport locations). So the three of us, with four large pieces of luggage, three small pieces of luggage AND handbags, were going to cross to the arrivals terminal to grab a taxi. And then we met our knights in shining armor -- Micah and Fred from the Hertz rental car agency. Micah, when he checked our car in, took a look at us, took a look at our luggage and grabbed Fred, told him to get the largest SUV he could find, and drive us to the airport. This was top-notch service that really went above and beyond (and as such, we wrote letters to corporate HQ with our appreciation). So Fred drove us to the port and we finally met our new friend, the Allure of the Seas.

 

 

We left the hotel at 9:00 am. We were sitting upstairs waiting to board by 10:20 am. And in between...we went through a different kind of check-in process. As we were waiting to board, we realized that in, what, fourteen cruises? This was the first time we didn't have priority boarding. We had priority check-in (which we didn't use because we were at the port so early), but we've never done general boarding before. Our first cruises with both Carnival and Princess were in suites, so we had priority check-in and boarding. When we stopped cruising in suites was when grandma started using a wheelchair, so we had special assistance check-in and boarding (which happens usually right before or with priority boarding) and after grandma had died, we were already platinum on Carnival and had priority check-in and boarding with that. In fourteen cruises over the course of nine years, this was the first time we ever had to do general boarding and check-in.

 

So after Fred dropped us at the pier, we quickly grabbed a porter to unload our luggage, we tipped him handsomely and we headed inside. We were in line behind around 20 people (plus a family with a baby that literally screamed from check-in until we boarded an hour or two later) and we waited 15 minutes or so for them to open the security lines. We passed through the metal detectors and x-ray machines and made our way to check-in, which was segregated by either past guest status OR what floor your cabin was on.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We thought Royal Caribbean's check-in arrangement was smart in theory but poorly executed. For one, there's no point in having so many open desks if only one is open per deck and you have one person working numerous decks early in the process. I assume things pick up later and they have more people working check-in, but it kind of starts at the top, you know? Get the people there in early through quickly and you can delay the inevitable late morning bottleneck. The woman checking us in was nice and helpful enough, but gasped when we told her it was our 14th cruise and first with Royal, and that most of our other cruises were with Carnival. "Oh, this will be better than that. You'll see why." Can we not, agent lady? This Carnival versus Royal Caribbean pissing contest is stupid (and led to an interesting conversation we had with the head waiter later in the week...more on that later). They're both on the same rung of a very tall ladder. Carnival does some things infinitely better than Royal. Royal does some things infinitely better than Carnival. At the end of the day, neither are Cunard or Regent. Anyways. Check-in lady told us this would be our best cruise ever and told us we'd never want to go back to Carnival after a cruise on Royal, handed us our cards and a brand new not-one-year-old-like-the-one-in-my-binder cruise planner and we headed up to wait for boarding.

 

 

Did you know this is the largest cruise terminal in the world? If you didn't and you're going on the Allure, they will tell you this. Over a loud speaker. Multiple times.

 

 

 

While we waited, we took the time to go over the new cruise planner and the ship-at-a-glance sheet we got with the list of dining venues and decks. While the cruise planner was super helpful because it tells you the big events for the week at a glance, as well as the ports and which menus are on which nights, the ship-at-a-glance sheet wasn't so helpful. I mean, it was nice to see what was open for lunch and such, but on Carnival, when you board a ship, they hand you a pocket-sized cardboard fold-out ship map, which is easy to carry and reference. A thin piece of regular-sized printer paper with a map on the bottom of the page isn't all that convenient when you're learning a new ship on a new line that you have zero familiarity with.

 

Before we knew it, they were boarding suites, all the gem levels that I have no familiarity with (yet) and then...we boarded with general boarding and were onboard around 11:45 am. They led us to boarding by row. I prefer the zoned boarding Carnival uses, but the end result is the same: we end up on a ship. We handed over our Sea Passes, they took our pictures and we heard that beautiful PING that the embarkation/debarkation machines make when you pass your card through, they squirted hand sanitizer on our hands (a theme throughout the week -- anytime you came back on board, got in line at the Windjammer and basically went anywhere, someone was there to squirt hand sanitizer on your hands) and we made our way through the winding tunnels that led to our new home for the week.

 

 

 

And

, you can watch us board the cruise ship, as I've finally entered the world of YouTube! And if anyone knows how to embed the video here so I don't have to link out...let me know!!

[Nicole721]

When you board, you enter the ship through the Royal Promenade. Before we boarded, Stephanie used to jokingly call Royal Caribbean ships the Shopping Mall of the Seas because, well, photos of the Royal Promenade kind of give off a bit of that vibe. And walking through it...the joke was actually borderline appropriate. It DID feel a bit like walking through a crowded shopping mall. But over the course of the week, it became one of our favorite places on the ship. There was food, there were bars, there was shopping and there were plenty of places to sit and people watch. It was different than anything we've experienced on Carnival and Princess and different was already proving to be a very good thing. We were overstimulated by all the new sights and sounds, not knowing where to look or what to do because we wanted to see and do everything.

 

 

 

 

We tore ourselves away from the Royal Promenade because Stephanie had done her research and had been insisting for weeks that we begin our week onboard the Allure with lunch at Park Cafe. So we followed the signs to the elevators that led to Central Park. The floor of the elevator reminded us that today was Sunday and the map above the doors told us that we needed to go to deck 8.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Central Park was literally unlike anything we've ever experienced. Not much like the real Central Park, in all honesty, but a charming and serene area on the ship that was most enchanting at night. Much like the Royal Promenade, we were on sensory overload. "Look! There's a Britto gallery!" "Look! There's the Trellis Bar!" "Hey! There's Vintages!" All these things we've spent months researching were right there, finally in front of us.

 

 

 

 

We made our way quickly over to Park Cafe. We knew that the ship wasn't going to get any less crowded and we needed to grab a table quickly.

 

 

We quickly found an empty table outside and took turns getting lunch. Outside Park Cafe, they had a hand washing station. They take sanitation very seriously on this ship. No lie.

 

[Nicole721]

Once inside, there were two lines: one for made to order salads and one for sandwiches. In the middle was a case of grab-and-go fruits and some condiment bottles.

 

 

 

The salad line had a tempting menu (see below), but we chose the sandwich line because we'd spent too many weeks reading about those Kummelwreck sandwiches not to try one.

 

 

At the front of the sandwich line was a display case filled with grab-and-go sandwiches and salads. We found ourselves here many times during the week to grab a fruit cup.

 

 

Next in line, they have many options of name brand chips. This is also where you'd place your order for one of the hot sandwiches.

 

 

Just beyond that is the carving station where they make those Kummelwreck sandwiches (or, for those not familiar with Royal Caribbean, a sandwich of freshly carved roast beef, mustard, horseradish and au jus on a carraway seed bun with a sprinkle of kosher salt on top. These sandwiches are made to order. No jus? Extra horseradish? No problem.

 

[Nicole721]

After the Kummelwreck station, they have two soup offerings.

 

 

And then after the soup is a display case with all of the hot sandwiches they offer.

 

 

Desserts are at a separate counter and are plenty in offerings.

 

[Nicole721]

So lunch? Grab and go salads and Kummelwreck sandwiches all around. And dessert? Fruit cups, cream puffs and cheesecake. Mom *loved* the Kummelwreck sandwich (despite the fact that she found a bone fragment in hers) and Stephanie thought it far lived up to the hype. I thought it was tasty but I'm so picky with my beef and mine was incredibly fatty and took some time to deconstruct to remove some of the excess gristle. The desserts were lacking -- the cream puffs were flavorless and the cheesecake was gelatinous. The fruit cups were fresh and the grab and go aspect of the salads was interesting. Beyond all of that -- eating in a small "restaurant" with limited options was an interesting concept after being on ships that offered Lido-style buffet lunches. The meal felt more refined with the limited options.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Park Cafe quickly filled up and people were filling every available space of the small cafe. We were glad we checked ALL of our luggage and came onboard with only handbags since it allowed us a quick and easy getaway to any part of the ship we wanted. We decided to walk off our lunch by exploring more of Central Park.

 

 

 

 

We noticed the Rising Tide bar was up at Central Park level, so we hopped in to take a look around.

 

 

 

 

We sat for a bit while I took pictures of the drink menu (an extensive drink menu, for what it’s worth. Pictures are on my blog if you’re interested in the drink menu. It’s too many to try to post here).

[Nicole721]

After all of the picture taking, the bar still wasn't moving and we were getting twitchy to explore so we hopped out and explored Central Park a bit more.

 

 

 

We walked past 150 Central Park and noticed they had a new menu out than we had seen online. We contemplated making reservations for later in the week.

 

 

On our way inside, we noticed they had umbrellas available for rainy evenings. Nice touch, RC.

 

 

They also had these viewfinders around the ship. I don't think we hit all of them, but it was fun to try.

 

 

With Central Park exploration under our belts, we headed off to explore the next part of the ship.

 

To be continued... :)

[MsRed318]

great review so far! I can't wait to see the pics you took of the Allure...loved that ship :)

[Beth C]

Have to ask as a fellow Plantation (aka 1/2 way between my 2 favorite things... Port Everglades & Sawgrass Mills!) girl myself what's your usual PL rate for the hotel and for some reason I can't place it... Is it behind the Kohl's by the Courtyard Marriott and Hampton Inn?

 

We always go with 3.5* & get Sheraton Suites since we're always guaranteed places for 3 to sleep with their sofa beds... Always for under $80 :)

 

 

Sent from my Speak & Spell using Tapatalk

Edited June 24, 2013 by Beth C

[awhcruiser]

Love these pics..Especially the Park Cafe menu!

 

Once inside, there were two lines: one for made to order salads and one for sandwiches. In the middle was a case of grab-and-go fruits and some condiment bottles.

 

 

 

The salad line had a tempting menu (see below), but we chose the sandwich line because we'd spent too many weeks reading about those Kummelwreck sandwiches not to try one.

 

 

At the front of the sandwich line was a display case filled with grab-and-go sandwiches and salads. We found ourselves here many times during the week to grab a fruit cup.

 

 

Next in line, they have many options of name brand chips. This is also where you'd place your order for one of the hot sandwiches.

 

 

Just beyond that is the carving station where they make those Kummelwreck sandwiches (or, for those not familiar with Royal Caribbean, a sandwich of freshly carved roast beef, mustard, horseradish and au jus on a carraway seed bun with a sprinkle of kosher salt on top. These sandwiches are made to order. No jus? Extra horseradish? No problem.