Back from 11/24 Allure Eastern Carib sailing with kids

[vega]

We just got back from the 11/24 Allure of the Seas sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. We were traveling with our 6 year old and 20 month old. I will write up a full review in a few days but wanted to post highlights:

+The ship is just amazing. It never felt crowded and there was always something to do.

+Entertainment was top notch; best we've seen on a cruise ship

+Kids loved Adventure Ocean, carousel, Dreamworks parades and Character Dining

+Despite being locked out of reservations for many of the shows and Character dining, we were able to make reservations and get in everywhere we wanted to once on the ship

+Service is outsanding, as always

+Different food venues were great; food quality was terrific! Much improved over past years

+Never felt crowded

-Communication throughout the ship could use improvement. Captain didn't announce that we were missing Nassau (due to the storm) until well past the time we were supposed to dock; he also didn't tell us about when we'd be getting into St. Thomas until an hour before we docked. Guest services was clueless.

-Cabins were really small. We had a deluxe balcony and it was horribly small for a family of four.

 

Feel free to post with questions. Will try to answer as many as I can.

 

-Lana

[The Big Booper]

Were both parades the same (Dreamworks characters)? Oasis has two different parades.

[vega]

Hmm, good question. A number of the characters were the same - Shrek, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, but I think the second parade had all four of the penguins and a few other characters. The first parade was very crowded; the second parade had much fewer people.

[BillOh]

Did you feel rushed with the shortened port stays?

[vega]

Did you feel rushed with the shortened port stays?

We didn't dock in Nassau because of the storm system that hit the East coast last week; several ships had tried to dock there before us and couldn't, so we didn't even try. As a result, we got to St. Thomas around 10 am and had until 5:30 pm there. We also had from 7:30-4:30 pm in St. Martin, so we didn't feel rushed at all.

[The Big Booper]

Hmm, good question. A number of the characters were the same - Shrek, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, but I think the second parade had all four of the penguins and a few other characters. The first parade was very crowded; the second parade had much fewer people.

 

Thanks for the answer.

 

It appears that both parades feature the entertainment staff dressed as Dreamworks characters, same as 2011 when we first took the ship.

 

On Oasis the first parade has no Dreamworks characters and looks like the parade on non Dreamworks RCI ships. Just the second parade features Dreamworks characters.

 

So next week we'll just do the second parade.

[Keith1010]

Welcome home and I look forward to reading your review.

 

Keith

[Pharmguy83]

Did you use the nursery at all during your trip? We are sailing on allure with a 21 month old next month and were looking for opinions and any info about the process once onboard.

 

Sent from Tapatalk on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2!

[vega]

I saw the nursery very briefly - padded room with a nice assortment of toys. There were two staff members sitting and watching the kids who were playing independently. Royal recommends you register for the kid's programs on your very first day.

 

We never gave our munchkin to the nursery but spent a lot of time in the room that's in the middle (Royal Tots program, maybe?). It was a huge room full of great toys, books, balls, slides, play kitchens, and more. A parent is required to be with the child at all times, as there are no Royal Carib staff there, but both my 20 month old and 6 year old loved it! Also, look for programs/activities/shows all throughout the cruise, as there are many. There are several "Boardwalk festivals", a cool blacklight puppet show on Saturday, the "How to Train your Dragon" ice show, as well as an aqua show for kids.

[createcolorfun]

Hello! Glad you made it home okay! we had a great day on the beach on Monday after coming back. We have ice this weekend, glad we booked when we did. It was nice meeting you - we were the ones on Megan's Bay. I think we are going to do a cruise next summer out of galveston. Take care and hope you have a merry xmas!!!

[debbs0723]

I'm in. Booked my family of 4 as well as my parents and hoping for my brother and his family on next years Thanksgiving cruise. You were on for Thanksgiving, Correct? Did they do anything special for that?

 

Debbie