Photography Live Review of the Allure of the Seas? - Sailing 8th September 2013.

[novicetraveller]

Would anyone be interested in me producing a Live Photographic Review of the Allure of the Seas?

 

I know Trainman is doing a Live review, so I don't want to duplicate efforts.

[Wildcatfish]

Would love to see another review! It's always good to see another perspective.

[A&L_Ont]

Photos are always wonderful. I will follow it if you do it.

[cruisinfanatic]

Would anyone be interested in me producing a Live Photographic Review of the Allure of the Seas?

 

I know Trainman is doing a Live review, so I don't want to duplicate efforts.

Personally, I'd rather you spent more time on a good review of the ship rather than the pictures. We've all seen them

[Keith1010]

More than one review is always good.

 

Keith

[novicetraveller]

Personally, I'd rather you spent more time on a good review of the ship rather than the pictures. We've all seen them

 

That was my thought as well. However, there appears to be a trend of doing live reviews and I know my memory isn't great and I am not great at making notes as I go along either. I'll spend the next few hours thinking about it. I know Trainman will do a great job of his live review.

[Trainman-2]

It was great meeting you last night!

 

Please feel free to add any photos and comments you wish to my thread on our cruise. I always invite other cruisers to post and you are welcome to join up with me.

 

That would put them all in the same place but with different perspectives...

[novicetraveller]

It was great meeting you last night!

 

Please feel free to add any photos and comments you wish to my thread on our cruise. I always invite other cruisers to post and you are welcome to join up with me.

 

That would put them all in the same place but with different perspectives...

 

Thanks Trainman. It was great to finally meet a CC legend. :)

 

I tend to be quite verbose, either in writing or in picture taking, so I will, if it is ok with you, post the odd picture here and there on yours, but I will still think about doing my own one.

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks Trainman. It was great to finally meet a CC legend. :)

 

I tend to be quite verbose, either in writing or in picture taking, so I will, if it is ok with you, post the odd picture here and there on yours, but I will still think about doing my own one.

 

Either way I will be following.:)

[novicetraveller]

Ok, to preempt my doing this review, I thought I will give a background to myself, what I have done so far and what I hope to do over the coming week. I will also outline the equipment I will be using as well.

 

Introduction

========

 

I am Novicetraveller and I am from London, UK. I am also a Solo Cruiser with Type 2 Diabetes, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. I am also a vegetarian.

 

My main passion is photography, and I have enjoyed doing photography for the past few years. I am by no means a professional, but I try and take pride in the photos I will take.

 

I won't be going to any of the specialty restaurants, as generally they are geared towards those who love meat and alcohol. There are some vegetarian dishes in Giovanni's, but sadly it isn't to my pallet. So I won't be able to cover this aspect of the ship.

 

Why am I called Novicetraveller?

=====================

 

Apart from the fact I can't spell :D? Well, I have only relatively started to travel recently, and my experience of cruising has been limited to the Caribbean. I would love to go to other ports, and will be doing a mini-med cruise next year on the Oasis as part of her Dry Dock. I have a lot to learn about going on holidays, so I am by no means an expert.

 

The equipment

==========

 

I will be using a Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 and have 2 lenses with me. a 24mm-105mm F/4 Canon EF lens and a 70-200mm L Series F/2.8 Canon EF Lens. I was tempted to bring my 180mm Canon Macro lens, but due to the weight of the existing kit, I left that lens at home.

 

I will be using a Manfrotto Travel Tripod (Aluminium, not Carbon Fibre).

 

I will be using my Mac Laptop, which is geared with Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 11.

 

Vacation plans

==========

 

I arrived into Fort Lauderdale on Thursday afternoon and stayed in the Embassy Suites for 2.5 days (Technically 3 days, but most of Thursday was lost, as I was traveling from London). I had dinner at Bravo Ristorante (Near the Renaissance hotel). I can recommend this place as a cost effective location. The service is great and the food is, in my opinion, reasonably priced. (Also, try the Strawberry Cheesecake!).

 

I spent 2 days sightseeing. Day 1 was the Glass Floor boat excursion to the Atlantic and the Jungle Queen. (Word of warning, the Jungle Queen do not do the morning excursion during the month of September).

 

Day 2, I did the Everglades Nature Day Safari. I found this out via the Concierge at the Embassy Hotel (My original plan was to do the Sawmill Recreation Reserve and the Flamingo Gardens, but for $130 - a September special rather than $189 - I jumped at the opportunity. The excursion started at 7:30am where the tour guide picked me up from the hotel and I returned at 5pm at the hotel. Lunch was included, as well as commentary / narrative.

 

I won't go into detail as to what was covered in these excursions, but will upload some photos to my Flickr Stream when I get back to London and will post the link here.

 

The cruise will cover Haiti, Jamaica and Cozumel. In Haiti, I will be chilling in a Cabana and doing a Coastal Tour. In Jamaica I have hired a private tour guide (Liberty Tours Jamaica) and will be visiting Ocho Rios. Cozumel I will be doing a Photowalk.

 

If I take the plunge and do a photo review, I will post the images here.

 

Will all that has been said, if I take the plunge, I hope you all enjoy the journey with me. :)

[Elizanessie]

Fabulous start:D, looking forward to following your thoughts and photos of your sailing on my favourite ship :D

 

I see you flew to FLL from London, did you have a direct flight ?

 

I hope you have a wonderful time on the Allure, smooth sailing and happy times :D

[novicetraveller]

Fabulous start:D, looking forward to following your thoughts and photos of your sailing on my favourite ship :D

 

I see you flew to FLL from London, did you have a direct flight ?

 

I hope you have a wonderful time on the Allure, smooth sailing and happy times :D

 

Thanks Elizanessie. :). I flew into Miami from Heathrow. The Cruise package included flights, Shuttle transfer from Airport to Fort Lauderdale and the Hotel for 3 nights.

 

From what I understand from these boards, Fort Lauderdale Airport is going to expand to cover international flights. I don't know how much truth there is to this, so I can't really comment.

[DonnaK]

I would love to read your review and view your photos! It doesn't matter if there is another Live review running concurrently. Your perspective is surely different. So, bring it on!!!

[sleepless]

I would love to read your review, and to see your pictures. I am going on the Allure in July. Everything I read helps to build the excitement, and feed the anticipation. I can't get enough of the reviews.

 

Everyone adds a different prospective to their review. Everyone sees things differently through the eye of their camera.

 

Just don't forget to enjoy yourself, and remember that you are on holiday. I actually hope that you are having too much fun, that you sometimes forget to post. If this happens, you can fill in the blanks when you get home.

 

Enjoy.

[Elizanessie]

Thanks Elizanessie. :). I flew into Miami from Heathrow. The Cruise package included flights, Shuttle transfer from Airport to Fort Lauderdale and the Hotel for 3 nights.

 

From what I understand from these boards, Fort Lauderdale Airport is going to expand to cover international flights. I don't know how much truth there is to this, so I can't really comment.

 

Duh me needs more coffee, I didn't read your post properly and thought you flew into FLL :o

 

Did you like the ES hotel ? I love staying there, love that there are places to eat and shop nearby and I can wander around on my own.

 

Can you see the port from your hotel room ?

 

I hope you had a good breakfast, I expect you are all excited about going to the port and getting on the ship. Are you taking a cab or shuttle to the port ?

[novicetraveller]

I knew I forgot something!! :o

 

I will be staying in a GS on Deck 9. Just to let you know what happened. I originally booked a Balcony (The same room I had on my B2B last year). I then decided I wanted double points as I would get OCD with being 1 point away from the next tier (I am currently Gold with C&A). A few people on the Roll Call started to upgrade to GS and above, and I started to get jealous, so I decided to upgrade to GS.

 

Last night we went to Duffy's Sports Bar, which is close to Embassy Suites, with around 50 or so other Cruisers. I was slightly disappointed with the food, but that's what one would get with fast food joints. It was also very noisy. I was under the mistaken impression that we had a dedicated room booked at Duffy's, which translated to an open aisle at the back of the restaurant. No big deal, I got meet RevSmith and Trainman-2, both Legends in my mind, and also a few people I can call my Cruise Critic Friends.

[novicetraveller]

Duh me needs more coffee, I didn't read your post properly and thought you flew into FLL :o

 

Did you like the ES hotel ? I love staying there, love that there are places to eat and shop nearby and I can wander around on my own.

 

Can you see the port from your hotel room ?

 

I hope you had a good breakfast, I expect you are all excited about going to the port and getting on the ship. Are you taking a cab or shuttle to the port ?

 

That's no problem. I don't normally drink Coffee myself, but I can see myself needing it for the whole week. :D

 

I loved the Embassy Suites. Would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Fort Lauderdale. I stayed in the Hilton Marina last year, and was disappointed. The staff weren't that helpful or friendly in Hilton. Embassy Suites is very customer oriented.... even the people in the Gift Shop will talk to you as a person, and not a customer with dollars to spend.

 

I saw the ship approaching the port. I am not going to tell you exactly where, as I want to keep the location a secret. :D

 

I am going to look into taking the hotel's shuttle to the port rather than Royal Caribbean, as they go other hotels before going to the port, and I want to get on as early as possible. Worst case scenario, I will get a cab.

[Elizanessie]

That's no problem. I don't normally drink Coffee myself, but I can see myself needing it for the whole week. :D

 

I loved the Embassy Suites. Would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Fort Lauderdale. I stayed in the Hilton Marina last year, and was disappointed. The staff weren't that helpful or friendly in Hilton. Embassy Suites is very customer oriented.... even the people in the Gift Shop will talk to you as a person, and not a customer with dollars to spend.

 

I saw the ship approaching the port. I am not going to tell you exactly where, as I want to keep the location a secret. :D

 

I am going to look into taking the hotel's shuttle to the port rather than Royal Caribbean, as they go other hotels before going to the port, and I want to get on as early as possible. Worst case scenario, I will get a cab.

 

If you want to get there early take a cab, only a few dollars.

 

I totally agree with you on the ES hotel. :D

 

Ohh getting goosebumps reading your posts, I so wish I was there :D

[Lionesss]

Novicetraveler, nice to meet you.

In the future may I call you by your first name?

Ok what is it? (hee-hee)

If you would decide to take a taxi to port it is about $14 then you would have to add tip.

I believe the shuttle from Embassy was $8.00

There was three of us so we did the taxi.

Looking forward to your posts.

Enjoy

Safe journey

Sea Ya

[novicetraveller]

Novicetraveler, nice to meet you.

In the future may I call you by your first name?

Ok what is it? (hee-hee)

If you would decide to take a taxi to port it is about $14 then you would have to add tip.

I believe the shuttle from Embassy was $8.00

There was three of us so we did the taxi.

Looking forward to your posts.

Enjoy

Safe journey

Sea Ya

 

Hi Lionesss.

 

I rarely broadcast my real name on forums.... so apology for not disclosing it here. :)

 

I have booked the hotel shuttle to the port and it is indeed $8. I am planning on getting to the port for 10am and will hang around there for a while.

[Pebbles468]

Would anyone be interested in me producing a Live Photographic Review of the Allure of the Seas?

 

I know Trainman is doing a Live review, so I don't want to duplicate efforts.

 

 

Always nice to see a variety of opinions! Looking forward to your review.

[anandaindonesia]

... I am also a vegetarian... ...

 

Good! Let's hear your review from a vegetarian perspective.

 

I am a vegetarian, too.

[mpoole3]

I am excited to see your pictures with that Canon 5D!

[fairweather]

Would anyone be interested in me producing a Live Photographic Review of the Allure of the Seas?

 

I know Trainman is doing a Live review, so I don't want to duplicate efforts.

 

Please do. I would applaud your efforts. Loved Swimmer13's photo postings and that wonderful video of his zipline ride in Labadee. Show us your work. I'll subscribe.

[MrFunInTheSun]

Thanks for bringing us along with you on Lady Allure. Live trip reports are the best.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.