If I didn't like Indy, will I like Allure?

[Carpgirl]

Hi,

 

Just off the Indy today & had a pretty disappointing experience.

 

We have 2 inside cabins booked on the Allure August 2015 which I'm now thinking of cancelling & would really appreciate your advice.

 

This was our first cruise on RCCL, we have cruised on Carnival Legend (Aug 2013) & Norwegian Jade (April 2014) before & loved them both.

 

Our biggest issue was the ship feeling crowded. Whenever we went to Café Promenade we couldn't get a seat (there were 5 of us) & had to take our food back to our rooms.

 

When the weather was good we couldn't find sunbeds by the pool, didn't even try to find sunbeds together. I found 1 sunbed & the others in my group just went back to their cabin.

 

Lunch in the Windjammer we had to walk around for 5-10 minutes looking for a table many times. Getting the food was pretty chaotic & crowded.

 

The staff on our previous cruises seemed so happy & would greet us with a smile every day. They were not miserable on the Indy but not very happy either.

 

We were upgraded to a junior suite from a large ocean view on the Indy so I was over the moon to be going on this cruise. I never thought I'd come back having preferred a cruise in an inside cabin on the NCL Jade.

 

What I don't really understand, being new to cruising was that the Jade was full too, as the cruise sold out, but never felt crowded.

 

Does the Allure feel as crowded as the Indy was. Are there the same issues as I've described?

 

Opinions please:)

[marci22]

We travelled on Allure as a party of 5 and we did not feel crowded.

 

We went to Cafe Promenade off peak or if it was crowded, took the food to our rooms (we chose a cabin on deck 8 for convenience). We tried to avoid WJ and only went once for a snack after Izumi :rolleyes:

 

We try to get our deck chairs by 10am and never choose the pool deck (too crowded/too many kids).

 

We went in July which is peak season. The times we felt the crowd most was before/after shows.

[Lionesss]

We also did the Allure in July peak vacation season, and mind you we had the time of our lives.

 

Sure, the WJ was crowded at times, but the most wait we had was at lunch and that was 15 min.

The attendants found us a table.

But, leave one person at the table when you get your food, if left alone they (attendants) sweep up all the glasses and plates and seat someone else.

 

The promenade although had a lot of walkers, the only time we could not find a seat was during the captains speach, a parade, and the dance night.

 

Go for it!!

 

The shows, so much to do.....

 

 

Sea Ya

[Carpgirl]

We travelled on Allure as a party of 5 and we did not feel crowded.

 

We went to Cafe Promenade off peak or if it was crowded, took the food to our rooms (we chose a cabin on deck 8 for convenience). We tried to avoid WJ and only went once for a snack after Izumi :rolleyes:

 

We try to get our deck chairs by 10am and never choose the pool deck (too crowded/too many kids).

 

We went in July which is peak season. The times we felt the crowd most was before/after shows.

 

Where is there besides the pool deck on the Indy that has sunbeds please? I tried deck 12 as well. Is there somewhere else?

 

Thanks.

[Ocean Boy]

Where is there besides the pool deck on the Indy that has sunbeds please? I tried deck 12 as well. Is there somewhere else?

 

Thanks.

 

Forward up to deck 13. Great place with choice of shade or sun and not many people usually up there.

[lee101224]

Hi ,

 

I'm also off Indy today , but I had a great time ( I always do ! )

 

Iv also been on jade and enjoyed it .

 

The biggest problem IMHO was the weather , because it was so dull and cold at time , everyone was inside , with better weather more people would have been on the top decks and it wouldn't have felt so crowded .

 

I am looking at allure and from what I see / read they are very similar in design .

 

Have you thought about ncl epic ? I have sailed epic and that didn't seem crowded ( but again it was from Miami and nice and hot ! )

 

Lee

[Ocean Boy]

Hi ,

 

I'm also off Indy today , but I had a great time ( I always do ! )

 

Iv also been on jade and enjoyed it .

 

The biggest problem IMHO was the weather , because it was so dull and cold at time , everyone was inside , with better weather more people would have been on the top decks and it wouldn't have felt so crowded .

 

I am looking at allure and from what I see / read they are very similar in design .

 

Have you thought about ncl epic ? I have sailed epic and that didn't seem crowded ( but again it was from Miami and nice and hot ! )

 

Lee

 

I am not sure what gives you the impression that Independence and Allure are similar in design. Let me assure you that the Freedom and Oasis class ships have little in common. Well, they do both float. :)

Edited May 31, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[Carpgirl]

Hi Lee,

 

I think you may be right about the weather playing a big part. Maybe that's why we struggled to find sunbeds too, as it was the first time the sun had come out & everyone was doing the same.

 

Yes, thanks I have thought about the Epic. We are already booked for October 2015 & March 2016. I really wanted to try the Allure in Europe & when the 2nd person 50% off deal appeared it made it affordable & I was really looking forward to it.

 

I really tried to have a good time, but even my 12 year old son said 'I don't think I like Royal Caribbean mum', after a few days & kids don't normally notice these things.

[robin13]

Hi,

 

Just off the Indy today & had a pretty disappointing experience.

 

We have 2 inside cabins booked on the Allure August 2015 which I'm now thinking of cancelling & would really appreciate your advice.

 

This was our first cruise on RCCL, we have cruised on Carnival Legend (Aug 2013) & Norwegian Jade (April 2014) before & loved them both.

 

Our biggest issue was the ship feeling crowded. Whenever we went to Café Promenade we couldn't get a seat (there were 5 of us) & had to take our food back to our rooms.

 

When the weather was good we couldn't find sunbeds by the pool, didn't even try to find sunbeds together. I found 1 sunbed & the others in my group just went back to their cabin.

 

Lunch in the Windjammer we had to walk around for 5-10 minutes looking for a table many times. Getting the food was pretty chaotic & crowded.

 

The staff on our previous cruises seemed so happy & would greet us with a smile every day. They were not miserable on the Indy but not very happy either.

 

We were upgraded to a junior suite from a large ocean view on the Indy so I was over the moon to be going on this cruise. I never thought I'd come back having preferred a cruise in an inside cabin on the NCL Jade.

 

What I don't really understand, being new to cruising was that the Jade was full too, as the cruise sold out, but never felt crowded.

 

Does the Allure feel as crowded as the Indy was. Are there the same issues as I've described?

 

Opinions please:)

 

Wow, I was on IOS a month ago and loved it because it never felt crowded to me. Had no problem finding a place to sit in the WJ but then there were just three of us. The shows were never crowded and we always sat up front even when we got there 10 minutes ahead of time. I was on Carnivals The Breeze in November of 2012 and it was so packed everywhere we went that I said no more big ships. Sorry to hear that you didn't like the IOS but I really loved it and would go on it again in a heartbeat.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

The difference with Allure compared to Independence with regards to lunch choices is that you have several different options for lunch and other meals besides the Windjammer, even on boarding day. There are interactive screens on walls near elevators that tell you how crowded each restaurant is at any particular time. That way you can choose a less crowded option if you wish or you can eat in the Windjammer before or after rush hours.

 

I have sailed on Allure many times and Independece three times. The experience between the two is quite different. The main difference is that Allure offers so many more entertainment, dining, and sports options throughout the cruise.

 

Crowds do congregate for the two parades, before and after major shows and can get crowded at the area outside the ice rink, Comedy Club, Jazz Club and Blaze club especially if shows are letting out at the same time.

 

I honestly don't know of any ship that doesn't have spells when certain areas of the ship may experience temporary crowding. Crowding may seem worse on popular cruises such as holiday cruises and spring break when the ships sail fully loaded. Crowding at the pools is worse on sea days, especially if the weather is good.

 

We sailed on Independence last year in early December when the ship was not full. The only crowding seemed to be when folks gathered for dinner waiting for the doors to open.

[Mal]

We sailed on Indy in March, and I have to agree with OP - not my favorite. I agree that every week is a new experience depending on the number of passengers, etc. We have sailed on Allure and Oasis several times, and never felt as crowded as on Indy. I still had a great time, but when Indy is full it really feels crowded - didn't feel that way on Allure or Oasis. We're on Navigator right now, and it still doesn't have the same crowded feel as Indy. Also felt that Indy's staff wasn't as upbeat as the staff we've encountered on other RCCL ships. If you have a good price on Allure - try it. I think you'll enjoy the ship and staff a great deal.

[Carpgirl]

Thanks, your replies make me feel much better.

 

I think the ship was full because it was school holidays for British schools that exact week & because it was sailing from the UK a very easy option for Brits.

[LBumb]

WJ can be crowded on any ship depending on time

same with deckchairs, they can be difficult on any ship as well

[KPLIONMA]

We went on the Allure last May. I found the ship very over crowded. Getting on the ship was a nightmare. It seemed all 6,000 people were packed into this one huge hanger waiting for embarkation. The lines were terrible ending in the Promenade. You couldn't move. That was the first and last time we will go on a Oasis class ship.

[marci22]

We went on the Allure last May. I found the ship very over crowded. Getting on the ship was a nightmare. It seemed all 6,000 people were packed into this one huge hanger waiting for embarkation. The lines were terrible ending in the Promenade. You couldn't move. That was the first and last time we will go on a Oasis class ship.

 

That's so funny. On our July cruise, we kept saying, 'where did all those people go?'

[Yorkvillain]

We went on the Allure last May. I found the ship very over crowded. Getting on the ship was a nightmare. It seemed all 6,000 people were packed into this one huge hanger waiting for embarkation. The lines were terrible ending in the Promenade. You couldn't move. That was the first and last time we will go on a Oasis class ship.

 

Wow, that is so hard to believe. I've done 3 Oasis class cruises and boarding them were the smoothest and fastest of any cruises I have ever been on.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Wow, that is so hard to believe. I've done 3 Oasis class cruises and boarding them were the smoothest and fastest of any cruises I have ever been on.

Same here.

 

It literally took 10 minutes from the time we entered the gangway exit until we were going through the door to catch a cab. Best organized disembarking ever.

 

We were on Independence of the Seas at the end of March, and enjoyed both the ship and all its amenities. Waiting was scarce anywhere.

[LABCHICK]

Wow, that is so hard to believe. I've done 3 Oasis class cruises and boarding them were the smoothest and fastest of any cruises I have ever been on.

 

We have sailed on the Oasis once and the Allure twice. We never felt crowded. We have a B2B booked on the Oasis in Oct. 2015.

 

We have also sailed on the Indy (B2B) this past Dec. Again we never experienced crowding. I think it was the week you chose. You said the kids were out of school then.

[cruiseturbo]

We have been on the oasis once and the Allure five times and not once have we noticed crowding. The ship is set up in different neighborhoods and there are so many options for eating and activities that everybody can do their own thing and it keeps the people spread out.

 

Also the best embarkation and debarkation process of any ship!

 

Go and enjoy yourself, you will be missing a lot if you don't!

Edited June 1, 2014 by cruiseturbo

[kruzerci]

We went on the Allure last May. I found the ship very over crowded. Getting on the ship was a nightmare. It seemed all 6,000 people were packed into this one huge hanger waiting for embarkation. The lines were terrible ending in the Promenade. You couldn't move. That was the first and last time we will go on a Oasis class ship.

 

This post is one of the only instances that I have read of Oasis/Allure feeling crowded. Most posters indicate an experience similar to both of our Oasis/Allure cruises... there were so many instances of wondering "where is everybody?"

 

We spend most of our time on the pool deck during the day and most of our time at night between dinner, shows, and roaming the ship. Oasis and Allure are the only ships that I literally never had to wait for an elevator and always had plenty of selection for chairs on sea days. The one time we noticed crowds was after muster drill, but that is pretty standard.

[Big_G]

We went on the Allure last May. I found the ship very over crowded. Getting on the ship was a nightmare. It seemed all 6,000 people were packed into this one huge hanger waiting for embarkation. The lines were terrible ending in the Promenade. You couldn't move. That was the first and last time we will go on a Oasis class ship.

 

Interesting...Once on Oasis and twice on Allure and they were the least crowded and fastest embarkation and debarkation of any cruise we've taken.

[CVU]

We spent many B2Bs this Jan/Feb and just loved the Indy. Perhaps it was just bad timing.

We found the crew to be the most friendly and attentive too. Indy became our Favourite Ship!!!:)

 

Been on Oasis and Allure as well and no problems on them either. :) Very quick on and off!

[akcruz]

I have to add that something must have been off on your cruise. One of the things we have found on Royal, especially the larger ships, is we often wonder where all the people are. We have found Carnival to be much more crowded. Having said that the only time we ever had an issue getting seats anywhere outside on a sea day was our med cruise in August (Navigator). Not a seat to be found, all were taken with actual people. Maybe it was the itinerary along with the weather?

 

Give Allure a chance and make up your own mind.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

The explanation I have heard for the unfortunate check-in that weekend was that Royal Caribbean had just changed over the computer program used for checking in arriving passengers. As luck would have it, the computers crashed and the result was a very frustrating and lengthy boarding delay with passengers growing more impatient and exasperated by the minute.

 

I can fully understand why those who experienced that calamitous boarding process might not want to repeat the experience. I don't believe I've ever read about another boarding mess up like that on any other Oasis cruise. We were delayed once for about an hour because some passengers from the previous cruise had never left the ship and had to be rounded up before the new passengers could board.

[mcatmcat]

I have the option of Independence or Allure for 2015 and I booked Independence.

 

I was jn the Allure last week and I don't think I'm coming back I will definitely sail in the Oasis but not the Allure. I have need been in a ship in which you make a line for breakfast and lunch ( just to give you an idea of how crowed the ship was). I felt the whole week as embarkation day in the Windjammer. I always find a table by the window to look at the sea ( not this time in the whole week )

 

I love royal Caribbean but unfortunately can't recommend Allure , and by the way the ship is warmer compared to the Oasis.

 

 

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