Allure B2B **Double** Trip Review 5/4/14 - 5/18/14 (lots o' pics)!!!

[Oma 1]

We were on the first leg of this cruise. Enjoying your great pics and your sense of humor.

[The Boss 1138]

Wow this is a really great review!!!! Thanks

[hipster1]

Mrs!

Thanks for the info on the Diamond Lounge! I heard that since the lounge is quite small, the evening cocktails are in Blaze. Was it a problem??

 

Ali

[Deeliteful]

Thanks both, really enjoying the review. We board in a month's time, can't wait! Great pics

[lovesthebeach2]

Many thanks! Enjoy your cruise, and I love your avatar.

 

Thanks..... Feel free to "borrow" it ..... I love yours too :)

[laedw]

Loving your pictures and reviews. More please! I sailed on the Allure for the first time this past March. I am in awe of that ship. I have booked for a second time next year. Do you guys have plans to sail on the Quantum in the near future?

[AZAficionado]

WOW great review so far!! I'm boarding this Sunday and this is just in time! Subscribed

Thank you and enjoy the Allure next week!

Going on the Oasis at the end of June, and this thread is probably going to end up being printed out and used as a cheat sheet leading up to it.

 

Already forwarded the link to everyone who will be joining on the trip. Fantastic report!

There are only a couple of difference between Allure and Oasis, but only minor stuff. I'm glad this review can help you out.

Great review and pictures!!!! I am really enjoying both the male and female point of view.

Well, I thought I could do it all, but maybe not. ;) I think getting a different view makes for a more complete review. Take the hair drying. My take: Hair what? what dryer? huh? Glad you are enjoying the review.

We were on the first leg of this cruise. Enjoying your great pics and your sense of humor.

Thank you and you'll get to relive it. That was a great week.

Wow this is a really great review!!!! Thanks

Thank you for the kind words and you are most welcome.

Mrs!

Thanks for the info on the Diamond Lounge! I heard that since the lounge is quite small, the evening cocktails are in Blaze. Was it a problem??

I'll be honest, the Diamond Lounge cocktail hour is not my kind of thing. However, we went a few times. I found that the space worked rather well. It already has a full bar, a place for the buffet (dance floor) and plenty of seating.

Thanks both, really enjoying the review. We board in a month's time, can't wait! Great pics

Glad you are enjoying it.

Loving your pictures and reviews. More please! I sailed on the Allure for the first time this past March. I am in awe of that ship. I have booked for a second time next year. Do you guys have plans to sail on the Quantum in the near future?

Allure is quite a ship, that's for sure. No to Quantum. We just booked the Panama Canal for next year. And yes, I will be reviewing that cruise too. How could I let that pass, especially because it will be in a Grand Suite!

 

Thank you all for the support and great feedback!!

[FunCruiser56]

Really enjoying the review so far, even though we are sailing the Oasis I enjoy the Allure reviews also. These ships are so big I need all the pre orientation I can get...:rolleyes:

 

Bev

[dacsmom]

This review is fantastic, I love the two points of view. I cannot wait to read more. I will be on the Allure in October and cannot wait.

[brookmill18]

Thank you for doing this review--all of these pictures take a lot of your time! We are back on Oasis this summer and can't wait! Funny enough, we also stayed at the FL Ritz the last time we sailed and will do it again this summer. We had a great stay but a disastrous end to the hotel stay on embarkation day.

 

Do you mind sharing how you got your taxi? We also arrived the day before (for our first cruise) and arranged at the front desk for a taxi for 5 people going to the port the next day. That night, both before and after dinner, we reconfirmed with front desk and concierge that they would call us a taxi the next morning.

 

Long story short, they never called a taxi and instead tried to get us to use their hotel SUV for about triple the price. They argued with us that this was all that was available, etc. We finally got a cab on our own but it was sort of a nightmare.

 

Hoping to avoid that this summer, so wondering your thoughts!!! Thanks!

[SolsticeAZ]

Really enjoying the review so far, even though we are sailing the Oasis I enjoy the Allure reviews also. These ships are so big I need all the pre orientation I can get...

 

Bev

 

Thanks -- glad you are enjoying! I don't see too many Oasis reviews...but the differences between Allure and Oasis are pretty minimal anyway (though Captain Johnny kept pointing out that Allure is a whole 2 inches bigger!!)

 

This review is fantastic, I love the two points of view. I cannot wait to read more. I will be on the Allure in October and cannot wait.

 

Thank you! I had to chime in this time, since I let AZAficionado have all the fun in his last review!!

 

Thank you for doing this review--all of these pictures take a lot of your time! We are back on Oasis this summer and can't wait! Funny enough, we also stayed at the FL Ritz the last time we sailed and will do it again this summer. We had a great stay but a disastrous end to the hotel stay on embarkation day.

 

Do you mind sharing how you got your taxi?

 

Thanks. It is a lot of work, but thankfully I have a computer genius to help out with the photos (don't tell AZAficionado I called him that, though). As to getting a cab, we just told the front desk to call us one when we asked for a bellhop the morning of the cruise. But there were only two of us. Five may be tougher to arrange. Good luck!

[fish6]

What a wonderful start! Your last review for Freedom was one of the best I have ever read here on CC. I look forward to the rest and appreciate all the time and effort you and your wife are putting forth for this review on the Allure :D

[AZAficionado]

Really enjoying the review so far, even though we are sailing the Oasis I enjoy the Allure reviews also. These ships are so big I need all the pre orientation I can get...

I'm glad you're enjoying it. Those ships are huge. If you pay real close attention, you'll find that some areas didn't get photographed. We had two weeks, two people, and two cameras, and still there were a few things that we didn't get to.

This review is fantastic, I love the two points of view. I cannot wait to read more. I will be on the Allure in October and cannot wait.

Glad you're liking it. Thanks for the great feedback.

Thank you for doing this review--all of these pictures take a lot of your time! We are back on Oasis this summer and can't wait! Funny enough, we also stayed at the FL Ritz the last time we sailed and will do it again this summer. We had a great stay but a disastrous end to the hotel stay on embarkation day.

 

Do you mind sharing how you got your taxi?

As Solstice already said, we told them to call a cab when we were ready to go to the ship which was also when we told them to send a bell hop up to our room to get our bags. But, there was only two of us with 4 bags and a backpack (which pretty much filled the taxi's trunk). On embarkation day, depending on what other ships are in port, it probably isn't easy to find a "taxi" that can carry 5 with bags. Many taxi companies operate on an "as needed" basis. If you try to arrange transport in advance, they say "call us when you are ready to get picked up". Sorry you had such a bad experience.

What a wonderful start! Your last review for Freedom was one of the best I have ever read here on CC. I look forward to the rest and appreciate all the time and effort you and your wife are putting forth for this review on the Allure

Another repeat customer, yes!!! Thank you. We both really appreciate the support and feedback.

[AZAficionado]

Cabin 9626

 

It seems people have vastly different opinions on the Junior Suite, regardless of ship. Some consider it is a waste, others think it is a bargain. Personally, I think it is entirely worth it for three reasons: balcony, closet, and double C&A points. SolsticeAZ is going to cover the cabin amenities in detail. But until then, let’s have a quick look around.

 

 

This is it! It looks dark, but it really isn’t.

 

 

See? Nice, isn’t it?

 

 

The bathroom; complete with tub. Notice that RCI saved $0.50 by shortening the shower curtains. Some people complain about that. I end up with the shower curtains stuck to me no matter what length they are.

 

 

The closet – at one point both of us were in here getting stuff and didn’t come close to touching each other. 20+ years of marriage will make you think that’s a good thing (just kidding).

 

 

The balcony. Real estate is all about location. The balcony is all about furniture. A lounger and a “lounging chair” with footrest is all we’ll need.

 

 

The table and chairs will come in handy for when we do breakfast in the cabin.

[AZAficionado]

Day 1- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

 

First, some light reading. The Cruise Compass which lists every activity on the ship for that day.

 

 

[AZAficionado]

 

Once on board, we wandered around, snapping photos as we went (at the end of this review I’ll talk more about that). As with everything else, cabins were delayed until 1:30 pm rather than the usual 1:00 pm.

 

 

So we hit the Trellis Bar for a California Cooler and Mai Tai. Welcome aboard!

 

 

Lunch was at the Park Café for their famous roast beef sandwich. Awesome, incredible, just go have one.

[AZAficionado]

 

Half the menu, for those who are interested. The other half (the salad menu) was entirely out of focus. What idiot photographer allowed that to happen? Oh, wait...That'd be me.

 

 

For sail away, we went up to the public aft balcony on Deck 14 with mojitos. These balconies are a hidden treasure. They are on both sides, decks 11-14. A little secret about getting a drink after the muster drill - hit the Wipeout Bar. All the pool bars and bars inside will be packed with people because they are close and easy to get to. Haul yourself all the way aft and up to the Wipeout Bar and you'll find almost nobody there.

 

[AZAficionado]

 

Some of the sights as we departed.

 

 

Independence of the Seas was in port with us. That is a fine looking ship.

 

 

The US Navy had its own luxury liner in port. Note the lack of balconies.

[AZAficionado]

 

We did sunset drinks in the Viking Crown. Ultimate Cosmopolitan and Bellini. The drinks were great, but the venue was quiet. Sadly, the view on Allure is mostly forward, so we couldn’t see the sunset.

 

 

Dinner was at Izumi. I really like Japanese-style cuisine, so this place was right up my alley. They are in the process of changing from a single upcharge, to simply charging a-la-carte. The ended up deducting the upcharge I prepaid from my account later.

 

[AZAficionado]

 

 

[AZAficionado]

 

 

Here is the entire menu.

 

 

We started with some Miso soup, which was very good. Miso soup is Miso soup. It is kinda hard to mess it up. We then ordered some Nigiri sushi. Sadly, they didn’t have any yellowtail (my favorite), but the tuna and salmon were excellent. Very fresh. For those of you keeping score at home, I did sneak a piece before the photo. Sushi comes in two piece orders.

[AZAficionado]

 

Then it was hot rocks. Yea, you have to cook your own food and pay them on top of it. I did the mixed seafood , SolsticeAZ went straight for the tenderloin. All of it was very excellent. The mixed seafood was salmon, scallops, lobster. Both came with dipping sauces and fried rice. For desert, we split the dorayaki pancake. If you like caramel, this dessert is for you. Very yummy.

 

 

Later it was up to the private sun deck on Deck 17 for Cigars and a Maker’s Mark. It wasn’t very windy, so it was alright. I’d prefer a proper indoor lounge, but you take what you can get.

 

 

We wandered about for a bit before hitting Sorrento’s. I watched a lady walk behind the serving counter to put topping on her pizza! The staff went nuts. What is wrong with some people?!? Seriously, who doesn’t know that you aren’t supposed to go behind the counter?

 

Overall, a great day. No towel animal, but the crew had a very rough day. I’ll tell you how our first sea day went, tomorrow…

[SolsticeAZ]

What a wonderful start! Your last review for Freedom was one of the best I have ever read here on CC. I look forward to the rest and appreciate all the time and effort you and your wife are putting forth for this review on the Allure :D

I have to admit, the Freedom review turned out so awesome that I had to tag along on this one!! Thanks for the kind words. :D

[SolsticeAZ]

Cabin Amenities

 

Technology (TV, iPod, outlets)

 

There is a flat screen TV, an iPod dock/charger (works for iPods and older iPhones – but my iPhone 5 didn’t fit), and a pair of outlets by the vanity (as well as one for shavers in the bathroom). There is a small safe – big enough for wallets, phones and small valuables, but not big enough for an iPad. There is a coffee-maker and a tea pot as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautification (hairdryer, bathroom, vanity, products)

 

The bathroom is small but generally well-laid-out, though it suffers from a serious lack of storage space. Not a problem, as I tend to keep all my products in the cabin vanity (which is chock-full of storage space) so I don’t have to swelter in the humid bathroom after a shower. There are complimentary shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion in the bathroom. The shower, with tub in the junior suites, is a decent size, although the shower curtain is short and has an annoying habit of blowing in and sticking to you when someone opens the door (see my note on binder clips in my Packing section for an imperfect fix).

 

 

[SolsticeAZ]

 

 

Ahh, Royal Caribbean hairdryers…let me count the ways you annoy me. On-off switch that must be held down the entire time. A ludicrously short cord that requires me to spend the entire hair-drying process hunched over like Quasimodo. Noticeable lack of power. I have fairly long, very thick hair that takes a long time to dry, and longer if I want to style it. Thanks to the deficiencies of the Royal hairdryers, I spend the majority of my cruises with slightly damp, unstyled hair because I get halfway through the process and give up. That doesn’t bother me much, since it’s vacation, but if you really care, I recommend bringing your own dryer.

 

Comfort (bed, etc.)

 

I love Royal Caribbean’s beds. Just the right balance: firm enough that my back doesn’t hurt after a night’s sleep, soft enough to be luxurious. However, I do know that some folks find the beds too soft. If you are one of them, you can ask your cabin attendant, and they can bring something in to put on the bed that makes it firmer.

 

 

At least in our Junior Suite, there was a curtain by the bed that you could pull across the entire room to divide the “living area” from the bed. We used this to ensure perfect darkness in the cabin while we slept, and it was amazing – no matter what time it was when we woke up, the room was pitch black.