Very nervous, should we be?!

[klfhngr]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

[voyager70]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

Don't worry. You'll have a blast. Never had issues with crowds or lines. Chair hogs exist on all ships, just try not to let them annoy you. Allure is awesome. Enjoy :)

[wrp96]

Definitely don't be concerned about crowds - that was one of my worries when I sailed on Oasis last month and it was completely unnecessary. These ships have so many spaces that the crowds are definitely dispersed much better than on other, smaller ships.

 

The only time I encountered lines was to enter the dining room at breakfast one day and lunch another and they both went really fast.

[knittinggirl]

I'd be more worried with the ships that have added additional cabins, because they're taking more passengers than the ship was designed for.

 

Haven't been on Allure, but just got off Independence. There are enough venues that should spread the passengers out. Also, remember room service. No lines there! We did have some interesting moments by the elevator, waiting for the elevator around meal times had us looking at a packed elevator a couple of times.

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes the ship is huge but you'll be OK and find your way around. It really only took us a day and a half to get to know the ship. Yes, a lot of passengers and you will notice them at times; my biggest panic attacks with that many people were at the Muster Drill, and getting out of shows - that type of thing.

 

Anything new will cause concern; the same can be said for anything in life. Enjoy your vacation and try not to overthink this before you board. :);) Have fun.

[Clarea]

We actually found it easier to get pool deck chairs on Allure than other ships.

[voyager70]

We actually found it easier to get pool deck chairs on Allure than other ships.

 

My experience as well. Always plenty of chairs/loungers available.

[Lionesss]

We seem to be moving up the order of RCI.

First Mariner of the Seas, then

Freedom of the Seas and last Summer

Allure of the Seas.

We had a blast, in fact so much we are already booked for July again on the Allure.

Crowds. Yea we noticed them if you sleep in and go to breakfast when everyone else does. We walked right in the WJ daily and never had a problem (early bird gets the table).

Pool chairs, yea on sea days gets crowded, but always got two loungers near the pool in the sun when we went to swim. They might not have been prime location, but good enough for us.

Crowds on Promenade after shows and during parades, but that is to be expected.

Really you will fit in with the rest of us.

DO IT !

Sea Ya

[Hobiecat01]

Yes, the Allure is huge! But crowds are not a problem at all. There are a lot of folks aboard but the ship handles it better than any other line. Go! You will be pleased!

[adelrey]

We never experienced any overly crowded areas on the Allure, I was very surprised. The only time we did experience any large groups of people were after shows let out, especially around the elevators. I would warn you about breakfast in the Windjammer, always packed, but it was never impossible to find a table. As for chairs by the pool, there are SO MANY, you will not have a problem with that.

[Ocean Boy]

Stop being nervous and enjoy the anticipation. Allure will be different from any ship that you have sailed before. There will be more people but also more space. The Oasis class is very well designed and easily handles the number of people it carries. Just wait until you see the Aqua shows. They are amazing.

 

One thing... when you leave your cabin don't forget anything. It is a long walk back!:eek::D

[OCruisers]

The only time we noticed the ship being crowded was embarkation day.

Once it was announced we could go to our cabins, no more crowds.

A good place to have lunch that day is Giovanni's ($15 pp for lunch) and avoid the crowd.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[grandgeezer]

We were on the Allure last month, and yes there was some waiting for elevators, getting into Windjammers, and the Main Dining room (for breakfast. As stated elevaors are really busy after shows and parades, and especially after the life boat drill. If you go to the Main Dining room for breakfast, say after 9am. you might have to wait in line for ten minutes or so. Windjammers at lunch can be a bottle neck, say after 12:30. In fact several days we had to wait in line to be seated by staff. Nothing to ruin your cruise though.

[fluffysue]

I hate crowds and had the same fears about the Oasis, which I understand is nearly identical to the Allure. The only time it really seemed crowded was going to/from the muster drill, which is understandable, as everyone is required to go at the same time. We were always able to find pool chairs in the approximate location we wanted, space in a hot tub, table in the Windjammer (you do have to be early and move FAST for a window spot, though. ;)), open slot machines at the casino, etc. The only time I remember standing in line waiting was if we arrived early for a show or some other event, which is sometimes necessary to get a good seat or ensure a group gets to sit together. This was my first cruise, though, so I have nothing to compare it to. ;)

Edited December 16, 2013 by fluffysue

[CleveRocks]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

Sure, the ship is huge, but so are the amenities and the choices.

 

Other than embarkation/disembarkation, the only times I can remember noticing anything resembling a crowd was when a HUGE show let out, such as from the main theater or from the ice show. But those are the ONLY exceptions.

 

What SHOULD you worry about?

** Make reservations for shows. Don't just expect there will be a seat for you ... there may not be, and even if there is you'll have to wait in the stand-by line for a while, wasting time while worrying whether or not you'll get in.

 

** if you do My Time Dining, do make a reservation for each night's dinner. Too many people have the unrealistic expectation that "My Time" means "any time at all." My Time Dining means you don't need to eat only at the traditional first or second seating. It also means ou could eat at a different time every night. But it doesn't mean you can expect to walk in and get a table on a whim. I saw long lines and lots of people waiting in the lounge, all people without reservations. I had a reservation for each night I ate in the main dining room, and once we got to the podium we were immediately shown to our table.

[reedl]

On the first day, it is crowded simply because you cannot go to your cabin. After around 2pm or so, it clears out, and for the rest of the cruise you do not even know there are 6,000 other people on the ship, except when the parades are on on the Promenade.

 

Other than that, it is quite relaxing.

[Familygoboston]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

Oh my, no, no no, a thousand times no

 

I was like you, a few years ago...having a perfectly lovely time on Navigator every December, only slightly annoyed at the occasional clog ups and CHOGS. I couldnt imagine how annoyed id be with twice the people creating clogs and chogging. But then DH really really wanted to try, so I agreed and we booked Oasis...and oh...my...word! Completely unexpected ...chairs, here there and everywhere. No lines, sometimes there were just no people, and we'd look at eachother and say "where is everyone"?

 

Well, where everyone is, is spread out on this great big ship that spreads people around and was literally designed to accommodate crowds in a better way, rather than just being made "bigger". It's like they sat down and came up with a new plan for how to design the ship to manage crowds more efficiently. How?

 

Example 1 : all of the places where the photographers set up, are little alcoves designed to accommodate the photographers, their set ups and the lines of people waiting for them. So they aren't clogging up the hallways and public areas. Ingenious, right? Oh wait it gets better! Those same spaces are used for overflow pizza seating during busy sea days at Sorrentos, or to set up the check out station on disembarkation day. Brilliant!

 

Example 2: sometimes I get lost on ships (there, I said it!) I figured, if I get lost on Jewel (and I did even in my second cruise:rolleyes:) I will be lost forever (like Charlie on the MTA- for you Boston folks- everyone else google it!) But, here again, ingenious design! The unique open middle of these large ships allow you to look through the middle of the ship from almost any public deck. Therefore, you can look up from the Royal Promenade and see..."if I need to go to Central Park, I should go up, and forward" Easy! (Even for me!:o)

 

Example 3: on Jewel, one pool, one tiny kiddie pool and one small solarium...sea day, jammed morning till afternoon. On Oasis (Allure) huge solarium, 4 pools...and hmm, somehow I never had trouble finding a chair, just walked in at 11 AM on a sea day and said " those two look good". And because there are almost always chairs, there are very rarely CHOGS; you don't need to stake out your chair at dawn if there are always a couple waiting for you whenever you get there. Interesting how the psychology of that works!

 

Speaking of psychology- here's another phenomena that keeps happening ...experienced cruisers like me (and you!) have major misgivings about cruising on a behemoth with 6000 people:eek: Then they do it, and usually become the biggest boosters, because they know the failings and foibles of other large ships ( as fun as they are!:D) from experience, and they see how OA and AOS, really addresses those things with unique design.

 

My caveats: some people with mobility issues are overwhelmed by the size and how far you need to walk, and some people with financial issues are overwhelmed by the price, and how much more you need to pay ;)

 

If you try...let us know what YOU thought! (I think you already have the right attitude! :D)

Edited December 16, 2013 by Familygoboston

[Watery Dan]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

Don't worry. They really know how to handle all of these folks. The only concern would be if you have trouble walking - these ship are hugh!

[TEXASMUNK]

When elevators are jammed and every time it stops at your floor, and is full....try this.....take one in the opposite direction....then ride it back up or down to the floor you want!

[MrFunInTheSun]

No need to worry. :-) The bigger ship actually didn't show any of what you're worried about. In fact the biggest ship IMHO was the easiest to in getting off and on the ship at ports too.

 

Sit back, relax and have a great cruise!!

 

You're about to be super wow'd turbo charged!!!!

 

 

Happy Cruising!!

 

 

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

Edited December 16, 2013 by MrFunInTheSun

[CRUIS4ME]

We were on the Allure and it was fabulous....the neighborhood concept is amazing and helps to dissipate crowds one may find on another ship. We did not experience any crowds at all and had a great time. One caution - I think mentioned above...

Going on the Oasis or Allure - for me - requires some homework on RCCL reservations to figure out what shows there are, get reservations, and then make dinner reservations so you can see the shows and have a nice dinner...allow no less than 1 1/2 hrs - 2 hrs is better - between shows and dinner. Having the reservations, we made a spreadsheet so we could lay out our week. If we didn't want to go once on board, that was ok ... it just saved us from jumping around on board figuring out where to go for dinner or shows and getting frustrated. I am glad we did the reservations ahead of time. Had a great week....

On the Allure we also booked the Prohibition Party and it was a blast....

Have a good time.

[klfhngr]

Wow, I'm quite shocked! I expected to hear the majority say that there would be an issue with the crowds, however the response was the exact opposite! Many thanks guys for your response, I will not worry about a darn thing! And, as long as the bars are open, who cares about the crowds! Many thanks again! Feel free to continue to post! Oh, we will rsvp shows and MTD! Great advice!

[MrFunInTheSun]

Wow, I'm quite shocked! I expected to hear the majority say that there would be an issue with the crowds, however the response was the exact opposite! Many thanks guys for your response, I will not worry about a darn thing! And, as long as the bars are open, who cares about the crowds! Many thanks again! Feel free to continue to post! Oh, we will rsvp shows and MTD! Great advice!

 

 

Check out my review and pictures. Link below.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1944372

 

 

 

 

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

[MermaidWatcher]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

We sailed Oasis several years back, with much of the same apprehension, non of which proved to be correct. Everything on these ships has been designed to handle the huge number on people on board. Yes, like every ship, there is a population of chair hogs to be found. We quickly figured out that on sea days, if we did something else in the morning, by early afternoon all the am hogs had reached their point of overdone, and there were chairs available without a problem.

I suggest that you book your desired entertainment before boarding. Maybe it has been "discovered" by now and gotten crowded, but Central Park was our favorite spot to just relax.

[Cornpone Girl]

Making RSVP for the Allure.. Biggest we've been on is Voyager class and down... Concerned about crowds, chair hogs by pool, waiting in lines for food. Should we be, or am I overly concerned? We tend to have fun wherever we go, but this ship is HUGE!

 

Please advise and let me know what we SHOULD worry about... thanks in advance!

 

We were on the Allure Valentines week of 2012 and, based on everyone else's comments, had a totally different experience on the Allure. The crowds were terrible, and we have never encountered so many rude passengers. There was more people smoking than on any cruise we have taken, and it seemed every where we went we waited in line or couldn't find room at a pool or to dance at any of the venues that had dancing. But then again, all of the dance floors on the Allure are a lot smaller than the other ships, and there doesn't seem to be as many dance venues or as many dancing opportunities. I don't recall a time when we were on a cruise where the public areas were so crowded, even late into the evenings.

 

We didn't think about it until someone told us when the cruise was almost over, but out the week we were on the Allure was during Mardi Gras and there were a very high number of folks on the ship celebrating Mardi Gras and the same thing was expected the next week. I don't know if that is the reason it was so crowded.

 

As for suggestions, if you enjoy the shows, get there early. If you have a balcony or suite and you don't want the crowds, spend more time there. that was part of what saved the trip for us. Also, we highly recommend 150 Central Park and Itzumi. The food was fabulous in both restaurants.

 

For us Allure was definitely our best cruise, and we have no desire to return to the Allure or go on the Oasis, and we are not sure about trying the Quantum.