Just returned from cruise on Allure: April 20-27. Helpful hints

[ktkcruisers]

We really loved being on the Allure. It is simply beautiful and we felt pampered from beginning to end. I read as much as I could about the Allure prior to going. Here are a few hints. Sorry if they've been shared a lot already, but I wanted to give back as I benefited from others who shared. These are hints I couldn't remember seeing before.

 

Lounge chairs on the top deck are tied down with ropes. Some cruisers untied the ropes and moved the chairs. RC staff walked by and never said anything about it. So don’t be afraid to adjust as needed. :)

 

Rita’s Cantina – not what we expected. (We eat Mexican food a lot so this was disappointing.)

 

We brought Tervis cups. Worked great for keeping drinks cold while sunbathing. Also, when they were knocked over, the liquid stayed in.

 

Our room had a clock on the counter that also had capability to charge iPods.

 

If you have an iPad Air and are counting on reading books that are downloaded from Kindle app, while sunbathing, consider purchasing a Kindle. The iPad quickly overheats in the sun and you have to turn it off.

 

My Paper White Kindle holds a charge for weeks at a time at home so I didn’t bring my charger: Big mistake. I don’t know if it was because I was reading for longer hours or because of the heat, but the battery ran down in 3 days. Fortunately, there was a very nice couple from Ireland that let me borrow their charger.

 

We NEVER eat at the high end restaurants you pay extra for. We have always loved eating at the main dining room. But we were disappointed as the food was not nearly as good as it used to be. Our guess is RC wants you to pay the extra charges in the specialty restaurants so they lessened the quality of food in MDR. Just our opinion of course, but we were so looking forward to dinner each night and was disappointed several nights.

 

Seat saving at Blue Planet show almost resulted in a fight. Don’t try to save six seats with one person. My husband refers to that moment as “the show before the show”. Lol

 

We were on 10th floor in room 650. AC worked great! Middle of the boat and close to dining room, sports deck, windjammer, etc. Loved it!

 

You can go out on the balcony and shut the door from the outside so the AC keeps working. I like this because I couldn’t do that on other ships.

 

We were starboard side which allowed us to enjoy the early morning welcome when arriving in Labadee, Haiti. You don’t want to miss it. Lots of fun.

 

Unfortunately, we were parked next to another RC ship in Mexico on the starboard side which resulted in closed curtains. You really could see into the rooms since we were so close.

 

All in all, the week was awesome! Since I've read so many reviews on the merits of the Allure, I won't repeat all the amazing qualities of the ship, but it was wonderful! We only wish we had the time to do a B2B.....someday :o

 

To all you future cruisers - have a great time! Wish we there! :-)

[MisterMom]

Thanks much for your quick review. I picked up some pointers.

[mamamoes]

Thanks so much~

 

Do you feel you needed a powerstrip for charging kindle/camera, etc???

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you very much!

[mj]

Thanks for the review.

[womack214]

Thanks so much~

 

 

 

Do you feel you needed a powerstrip for charging kindle/camera, etc???

 

 

We needed one on Oasis in 2012. That and command hooks and duct tape are prob what I found most important to take. Oh and peroxide! Could not find peroxide anywhere until we got to Cozumel.

 

 

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[Cindy]

Thanks so much~

 

Do you feel you needed a powerstrip for charging kindle/camera, etc???

 

In addition to a Monster "Outlets to Go" I've started taking my European adapter with me on cruises, and I've found it really comes in handy to double the outlet capacity in the cabin. All your recent camera batteries, computer battery, iPad, phones, etc. are dual voltage and can be charged using the "foreign" power source.

[mamamoes]

We needed one on Oasis in 2012. That and command hooks and duct tape are prob what I found most important to take. Oh and peroxide! Could not find peroxide anywhere until we got to Cozumel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

What did you use your command hooks and duct tape for?

[Ocean View]

Thanks for your wonderful review we sail in 5 wks can't wait!

 

 

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[atfreud17]

We really loved being on the Allure. It is simply beautiful and we felt pampered from beginning to end. I read as much as I could about the Allure prior to going. Here are a few hints. Sorry if they've been shared a lot already, but I wanted to give back as I benefited from others who shared. These are hints I couldn't remember seeing before.

 

 

 

Lounge chairs on the top deck are tied down with ropes. Some cruisers untied the ropes and moved the chairs. RC staff walked by and never said anything about it. So don’t be afraid to adjust as needed. :)

 

 

 

Rita’s Cantina – not what we expected. (We eat Mexican food a lot so this was disappointing.)

 

 

 

We brought Tervis cups. Worked great for keeping drinks cold while sunbathing. Also, when they were knocked over, the liquid stayed in.

 

 

 

Our room had a clock on the counter that also had capability to charge iPods.

 

 

 

If you have an iPad Air and are counting on reading books that are downloaded from Kindle app, while sunbathing, consider purchasing a Kindle. The iPad quickly overheats in the sun and you have to turn it off.

 

 

 

My Paper White Kindle holds a charge for weeks at a time at home so I didn’t bring my charger: Big mistake. I don’t know if it was because I was reading for longer hours or because of the heat, but the battery ran down in 3 days. Fortunately, there was a very nice couple from Ireland that let me borrow their charger.

 

 

 

We NEVER eat at the high end restaurants you pay extra for. We have always loved eating at the main dining room. But we were disappointed as the food was not nearly as good as it used to be. Our guess is RC wants you to pay the extra charges in the specialty restaurants so they lessened the quality of food in MDR. Just our opinion of course, but we were so looking forward to dinner each night and was disappointed several nights.

 

 

 

Seat saving at Blue Planet show almost resulted in a fight. Don’t try to save six seats with one person. My husband refers to that moment as “the show before the show”. Lol

 

 

 

We were on 10th floor in room 650. AC worked great! Middle of the boat and close to dining room, sports deck, windjammer, etc. Loved it!

 

 

 

You can go out on the balcony and shut the door from the outside so the AC keeps working. I like this because I couldn’t do that on other ships.

 

 

 

We were starboard side which allowed us to enjoy the early morning welcome when arriving in Labadee, Haiti. You don’t want to miss it. Lots of fun.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, we were parked next to another RC ship in Mexico on the starboard side which resulted in closed curtains. You really could see into the rooms since we were so close.

 

 

 

All in all, the week was awesome! Since I've read so many reviews on the merits of the Allure, I won't repeat all the amazing qualities of the ship, but it was wonderful! We only wish we had the time to do a B2B.....someday :o

 

 

 

To all you future cruisers - have a great time! Wish we there! :-)

 

Do you recommend port side or starboard on this itinerary

Edited April 29, 2014 by atfreud17

[kpee]

Do you recommend port side or starboard on this itinerary

 

Just got off on Sunday ~ for the western route, starboard side has the better views of all ports by far. Port side got the short straw in every port.

[atfreud17]

Guess it depends on what people are looking for. When you say short straw does that mean just a wise open ocean view or another ship?

[kpee]

Guess it depends on what people are looking for. When you say short straw does that mean just a wise open ocean view or another ship?

 

Agreed. It does depend on what you are looking for. The port side either looked at another ship or looked away from the docking side. I personally like seeing the action. As long as you are on the ship, all views are good, but the one in Falmouth wasn't that great and when in Labadee, I enjoy looking over at the island and I was looking in the opposite direction.

[Tyler80]

We really loved being on the Allure. It is simply beautiful and we felt pampered from beginning to end. I read as much as I could about the Allure prior to going. Here are a few hints. Sorry if they've been shared a lot already, but I wanted to give back as I benefited from others who shared. These are hints I couldn't remember seeing before.

 

Lounge chairs on the top deck are tied down with ropes. Some cruisers untied the ropes and moved the chairs. RC staff walked by and never said anything about it. So don’t be afraid to adjust as needed. :)

 

Rita’s Cantina – not what we expected. (We eat Mexican food a lot so this was disappointing.)

 

We brought Tervis cups. Worked great for keeping drinks cold while sunbathing. Also, when they were knocked over, the liquid stayed in.

 

Our room had a clock on the counter that also had capability to charge iPods.

 

If you have an iPad Air and are counting on reading books that are downloaded from Kindle app, while sunbathing, consider purchasing a Kindle. The iPad quickly overheats in the sun and you have to turn it off.

 

My Paper White Kindle holds a charge for weeks at a time at home so I didn’t bring my charger: Big mistake. I don’t know if it was because I was reading for longer hours or because of the heat, but the battery ran down in 3 days. Fortunately, there was a very nice couple from Ireland that let me borrow their charger.

 

We NEVER eat at the high end restaurants you pay extra for. We have always loved eating at the main dining room. But we were disappointed as the food was not nearly as good as it used to be. Our guess is RC wants you to pay the extra charges in the specialty restaurants so they lessened the quality of food in MDR. Just our opinion of course, but we were so looking forward to dinner each night and was disappointed several nights.

 

Seat saving at Blue Planet show almost resulted in a fight. Don’t try to save six seats with one person. My husband refers to that moment as “the show before the show”. Lol

 

We were on 10th floor in room 650. AC worked great! Middle of the boat and close to dining room, sports deck, windjammer, etc. Loved it!

 

You can go out on the balcony and shut the door from the outside so the AC keeps working. I like this because I couldn’t do that on other ships.

 

We were starboard side which allowed us to enjoy the early morning welcome when arriving in Labadee, Haiti. You don’t want to miss it. Lots of fun.

 

Unfortunately, we were parked next to another RC ship in Mexico on the starboard side which resulted in closed curtains. You really could see into the rooms since we were so close.

 

All in all, the week was awesome! Since I've read so many reviews on the merits of the Allure, I won't repeat all the amazing qualities of the ship, but it was wonderful! We only wish we had the time to do a B2B.....someday :o

 

To all you future cruisers - have a great time! Wish we there! :-)

 

Wonderful review, thanks for the tips. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip on Allure of the Seas! I will never understand peoples perspective of these ships being crowded or having the Royal Promenade feel like a shopping mall! :confused:

[atfreud17]

Agreed. It does depend on what you are looking for. The port side either looked at another ship or looked away from the docking side. I personally like seeing the action. As long as you are on the ship, all views are good, but the one in Falmouth wasn't that great and when in Labadee, I enjoy looking over at the island and I was looking in the opposite direction.

 

In Falmouth, did you look towards the other ship?

[Paulette3028]

We really loved being on the Allure. It is simply beautiful and we felt pampered from beginning to end. I read as much as I could about the Allure prior to going. Here are a few hints. Sorry if they've been shared a lot already, but I wanted to give back as I benefited from others who shared. These are hints I couldn't remember seeing before.......

 

We brought Tervis cups. Worked great for keeping drinks cold while sunbathing. Also, when they were knocked over, the liquid stayed in......

 

We NEVER eat at the high end restaurants you pay extra for. We have always loved eating at the main dining room. But we were disappointed as the food was not nearly as good as it used to be. Our guess is RC wants you to pay the extra charges in the specialty restaurants so they lessened the quality of food in MDR. Just our opinion of course, but we were so looking forward to dinner each night and was disappointed several nights. ....

 

We were on 10th floor in room 650. AC worked great! Middle of the boat and close to dining room, sports deck, windjammer, etc. Loved it!

 

You can go out on the balcony and shut the door from the outside so the AC keeps working. I like this because I couldn’t do that on other ships.

 

 

All in all, the week was awesome! Since I've read so many reviews on the merits of the Allure, I won't repeat all the amazing qualities of the ship, but it was wonderful! We only wish we had the time to do a B2B.....someday :o

 

To all you future cruisers - have a great time! Wish we there! :-)

 

I am sorry to hear, you were disappointed in the MDR on several nights. Just like you, we have not on our past 14 cruises eaten in the specialty restaurants. We are planning to go to Izumi, when we are on Allure on the June 29, 2014 sailing however. We eat Japanese food out at home often, so we plan to do it on the ship -- that week.

 

Food is very subjective, and others may not feel as you do about the MDR....so let me ask, which nights did you feel disappointed in?

[Tinker1978]

We were on the Allure the same time. We were on Deck 6 Starboard. At Falmouth we had a view of the shopping area and then Independence of the Seas was on the other side so we could see them.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Tinker1978

[atfreud17]

I have one on hold for each side.. Trying to figure out which to book... Definitely want better views on port day!

[ktkcruisers]

Thanks so much~

 

Do you feel you needed a powerstrip for charging kindle/camera, etc???

 

That depends on how many electronic items you need to charge. We did not purchase the internet package so we were only charging our electronic readers. There were three outlets on the strip at the desk. That was enough for us. I charged my camera batteries at home and did not need to recharge while on the ship.

 

Have a great cruise!

[ktkcruisers]

Do you recommend port side or starboard on this itinerary

 

We enjoyed the starboard side when in port in Labadee and Jamaica. However, in Cozumel, we were so close to the other ship, you could literally see into their rooms. I had to close my curtains when dressing for dinner, for privacy. It fun seeing the other ship for a few minutes but after that, it was annoying to not have a good view. I like to sit out on the balcony and read for a couple hours each day, so that was a bit disappointing.

[ktkcruisers]

I am sorry to hear, you were disappointed in the MDR on several nights. Just like you, we have not on our past 14 cruises eaten in the specialty restaurants. We are planning to go to Izumi, when we are on Allure on the June 29, 2014 sailing however. We eat Japanese food out at home often, so we plan to do it on the ship -- that week.

 

Food is very subjective, and others may not feel as you do about the MDR....so let me ask, which nights did you feel disappointed in?

 

First, you can access the main dining room menu on the TV in your room. I didn't realize that till Friday of the cruise. I can't remember the actual nights but I'll tell you what we were disappointed in. The signature classic dishes which are offered every night were disappointing. We ordered the strip steak (medium rare) and it was very tough. The marinated chicken had a rubbery texture. Both of these were from the signature classic menu. DH ordered the lamb shank and it was tough and dry. But the lamb chops were very good. I ordered a seafood trio dish one night with fried cod, shrimp and scallops. All three tasted like what you'd expect from a "frozen" dinner.

 

The starter dishes and the desserts were wonderful! The lobster was delicious too. Our servers were very good so that helped. But we still won't go to the specialty restaurants. After spending thousands of dollars for the cruise, we just don't want to pay extra for food. Those who ate in the specialty restaurants loved their food though. Hope this helps!

 

Have a great cruise!

[Cruisegirl6]

Oh boy, I better make my last two specialty dining arrangements and avoid the main dining room all together, how is the buffet for dinner?