Adventures on the Allure, Teen family! 2/8/15, Western Caribbean, LOTS of Pictures!

[ShellDil]

When is that supposed to happen. We wanted to possibly take a family cruise including grandkids on the Allure

 

I don't think the Allure is moving anytime soon for real. The Quantum is moving to China. The Allure will be in Europe this summer, and then back to the Caribbean in the fall for 2015-2016. As far as I've seen, no plans for the Allure in Japan.

[Jiminy1955]

I don't think the Allure is moving anytime soon for real. The Quantum is moving to China. The Allure will be in Europe this summer, and then back to the Caribbean in the fall for 2015-2016. As far as I've seen, no plans for the Allure in Japan.

 

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks! Enjoying your review by the way!

[sg1phileshipper]

I am so jealous of Alex laying on that mat. I need summer now :D. Still following you great review

 

Cindy

[ShellDil]

I am so jealous of Alex laying on that mat. I need summer now :D. Still following you great review

 

Cindy

 

Thanks! I wish we were back there right now! This winter is going on forever!!!!

[ShellDil]

So, Labadee....I just loved it! We were the only ship in port, and I have to say, I can't imagine another ship there with us! It certainly wasn't overcrowded, but the 6000 people on the Allure definitely took up the space! When you're on the ship, you're confined and you don't really notice how many people there are. But put that many people on a spread out area and WOW - that is a lot of people!

 

But, back to Labadee - it was beautiful!

 

 

These couple of pictures are from when we were still on the ship - looking out towards the beach area...and yes, it bugs me that they're out of order! But, what can I do now!

 

 

 

 

So after hanging out in the water for a bit, we decided to check out the other activities. I knew the kids wanted to do the water inflatable things as some point, and they probably wanted to do the Dragon Coaster. I'm sure Alex had his eye on the zip line, but at $99 for one zip - not really happening unless he wanted to pay for it himself! Plus fitting it all in with the 1:00 wave runner would be tough! It was a little unclear as to how it all worked. I had read that you could get a combo ticket for the water inflatable things with the Dragon Coaster, but what they don't tell you is that you have to ride the Dragon Coaster first, then come show your wristband to purchase the inflatable tickets at the discount. They don't really make this combo thing public. So....after waiting in line for this ticket, no go - off to the coaster which is on the other side of the beaches.

 

Get the wristbands there, which when you ride, they take off. So, how do you prove you went on it for the combo ticket??

 

Anyway....kids on the Dragon Coaster...

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of Adrenaline Beach, the beach over by the Dragon Coaster and the one that the zip line goes right by

 

 

Afterwards, we went back to "our beach" and the cabana...this was our view from there

 

 

It was about time for Keith and Alex to head over to the wave runners and Megan and I decided it was time for lunch.

[ShellDil]

Lunch at Labadee....if I had to pick one thing that I thought was the tiniest of issues there, it would have to be lunch. And this isn't even a huge deal, but it's sort of a combined mini-complaint.

 

First, we had the cabana. And there's been some back and forth as to if all cabanas get the upgraded lunch at Barefoot Beach, or just the Suite Cabin Cabanas. Currently, or at least recently the "regular" cabanas do say that they include the Barefoot Beach upgraded lunch. Which really isn't a huge deal except to say there can't possibly be the line that there was at the buffet that we encountered! We didn't ask if we got the upgraded lunch, mainly because our butler told us where our lunch was, and it was in no way the Barefoot Beach lunch.

 

Also, as to the cabana - the people in the cabana across the beach from us, to the left. Also a beach cabana I think, maybe an over the water? We saw their butler carrying their trays of food into the cabana and helping them out. Nice touch! I'm not a lazy person and I don't need to be waited on hand and foot by any means. But we paid a lot for this cabana and up until this point, our butler had moved one beach chair out into the sun for Keith. That's it. So when it was time for Megan and I go to get our lunch, our butler says to us - go, get extra plates of food for your husband and son. Pile the food high and make sure you get enough for them. (remember they were off on the wave runners) By the time they get back, the buffet will be closed. I get that he can't leave the cabana area, but he walked us over to the sidewalk and pointed to where we should go. Well, we got them each a regular size plate of food, plus our food - no trays to be found and wind blowing like crazy - walked back to our cabana. Our butler was nowhere to be seen and even when we got to the steps of the cabana - he never offered to help us with the extra plates or even acknowledged that we were each carrying double the food. One of our hamburger buns blew right off the plate into the sand and he watched it go. Never said a word. I just sort of felt cheated, especially after watching the neighboring butler carry the other's trays into the cabana.

 

Oh well..... as for the buffet itself. It was very crowded. We stood in line for probably 30-40 minutes. There are a couple of different food buffets. There are picnic tables set up to eat at. The food is hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs - typical picnic food. It was fine. As we were walking back with our plates, several people asked us where the food was - they had no idea. So I think it could be better marked or even somehow announced when lunch is served.

 

But enough of that.....we ate and that was that! So, Keith and Alex came back and wouldn't you know it - they got to the wave runners, did their "training video" of course had to get their picture taken on the wave runner

 

 

Only to be told after all that time - that they were cancelling all of the runs due to the high winds! Wow.....they were disappointed! And what a lot of time wasted since it was pretty clear that it was windy from the time they got there and there was probably no intention of them going out from the start! The zip line was also shut down for the rest of the day. So - if you plan on doing either activity - do it early, just in case!

 

Megan enjoying some relaxing time after lunch

 

 

Backing up just a bit, when we went over to the Dragon Coaster, we walked past all of the vendors in the Artisan's Market

 

 

 

 

 

They all stay back behind that stone wall and definitely call out to everyone passing to come in and check out their merchandise. For the first couple of yards its not too bad, but by the time you get to the end of the walk, it is a bit frustrating. If you are just passing through to get from one side of the area to another and have no intention of looking or buying anything, it's quite annoying. I'm not one to be rude and I do try to always say "no thank you". But how often can you say this on a walk? I can't imagine if I did want to shop, I would feel that it's much too aggressive of an environment for me to feel comfortable browsing.

 

[cruiselife4me]

I was SO CRABBY by the time i came out of that marketplace. I don't like to be hassled and I know for sure I wouldn't go there again. My hubby didn't seem to mind but I thought it was horrible.

 

Labadee, when we were there, was SO HOT that after a couple hours I just wanted to go back to the ship. I was a bit of a party pooper that day!

 

mary

[sg1phileshipper]

So dreaming of Labadee right now. I feel all warm inside :D

 

Cindy

[ShellDil]

Back to our day at Labadee!

 

After Alex and Keith came back from the wave runner excursion that never was...they ate the lunch that we brought back for them, that by now was cold, but still better than nothing! And then we walked back over to Columbus Cove to get the wristbands for the Aqua Park. Back when we were at the Dragon Coaster, I mentioned that when they rode the coaster, they removed the wristbands, but when I tried to get the timed bands at Columbus Cove for the combo price, they told me I needed to have already ridden the Coaster for the discount. It seemed none of this made any sense. So after the kids rode the coaster we stopped back at the desk to ask what to do, and most of the guys there had no idea what I was talking about. One guy did though, and just gave us 4 wristbands to prove we paid and wanted the combo pass. I told him only 2 of us rode the coaster, he said no worries. Ok.....moving on. Back to Columbus cove. Again, waiting in line, filling out the waiver forms, which I think would be nice to have one central waiver the way they do on the ship for things like the rock wall, ice rink, flow rider - you do it once and maybe could do it before you board and it's computerized? But anyway - you have to fill out another waiver for the aqua park. We got to the front of the line, showed them the bands and paid whatever the discounted price was and got the new wristbands for the aqua park. Just the kids and Keith were doing that. No way was I going to try climbing up on those floating masses!

 

They had fun, but other than Alex, said it was HARD work! Even Keith looked a bit tired out there! And Megan had a tough time with a lot of them.

 

It was windy, remember - so some were closed off and they weren't allowed to go on those - mainly the tallest pyramid ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

 

 

 

 

This is the water slide that is over on Columbus Cove, the Dragon's Splash Water Slide. I don't remember seeing many people, if any using it while we were there. I can't remember the cost, but it isn't very big looking!

 

 

 

This is how Columbus Cove Beach looks from the pier where I was waiting for them while they were at the Aqua Park

 

 

They spent just under an hour out there. I think it may have started drizzling a bit but nothing to stop them, and it didn't last. When they were done it was about time to head back to the ship anyway. So we went back to the cabana and started to pack up.

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

 

You can get a pretty good overall view of the cabana itself here

 

 

 

 

 

 

We said goodbye to our butler and it was time to head back to the ship.

 

Some pictures from the walk back...

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Labadee....overall we loved it. I thought there was plenty to do to keep everyone happy. It was very clean and there was enough space for everyone. But as I mentioned, we were the only ship in port. If another ship docked, that may be another story because things like the buffet for lunch were quite crowded! I think the zip line is way overpriced, and it's too bad that they charge you for every activity - such as the coaster, the aqua park, the water slide etc, and that it's per use not per visit. It does generate a bit of that nickel and dime feeling.

 

As for the cabana....for us we didn't make use of it for what we paid. With two active kids, and with it not being so very hot, we just had no need to be out of the sun for any long period of time or time to just sit and relax! The day went far too quickly for that! The main advantage that we saw was a guaranteed place for our belongings all day that we knew they "should" be safe. And we knew we would always have a chair or two if we wanted them, be it in the sun or shade. The floats in the water were great too since they came with the cabana. But I don't know that those benefits were worth the cost. Our butler really didn't make his presence known let alone do anything for us. He never once asked us if we wanted drinks or anything - I'm not even sure what he was there for. But I HOPE that he made sure that our belongings were safe while we were not in the cabana. Aside from when I was in the water, I always had my camera with me so we really didn't have much other than our sea pass cards and beach bags, maybe a small amount of cash, a kindle maybe. Nothing I would want someone to walk off with.

 

And the artisan's market....that was pushy....but it's totally avoidable.

 

I would definitely love to go back!

 

[LuCruise]

Wow, your day at Labadee looks amazing! So wish we stopped there instead of Nassau. Never heard of a Dragon Coaster, but looked like a blast for your kids. And the water floats looked fun too (even if work to get up). So they charge separately for each area? I'm surprised you didn't see many on the slide.

 

So loving your review and hearing all the details with lots of pictures. Thank you for sharing.

[ShellDil]

Wow, your day at Labadee looks amazing! So wish we stopped there instead of Nassau. Never heard of a Dragon Coaster, but looked like a blast for your kids. And the water floats looked fun too (even if work to get up). So they charge separately for each area? I'm surprised you didn't see many on the slide.

 

So loving your review and hearing all the details with lots of pictures. Thank you for sharing.

 

Yes, each activity is a separate charge at Labadee. Although you can get some combo packages, either before you arrive - on board the ship, or online in the pre cruise bookings for the shore excursions. That helps you to plan your day a bit. It could definitely be a bit pricey if you tried to do it all! Between the zip line, the wave runners, the aqua park, the coaster and the slide! WOW!

 

We really did have a great day there, and I would love to go back!

[ShellDil]

Let's try to finish up this day! We're still on day 3, the Labadee day! So we got back on board the ship and tonight we had reservations at Izumi at 7:00. I really couldn't tell you what we did between the time we got back on board and dinner, but I'm pretty sure it involved the Dog House!

 

 

Since Keith and Alex didn't really have much of a lunch, remember it was cold by the time they got back from the cancelled wave runners, they wanted something to eat when we got back on board. Alex's go to snack, lunch, in between meal was always a dog - he liked the Sicilian Dog the best.

 

Then eventually it was time for dinner. Hands down, we loved Izumi!

 

 

We ordered way too much food, we loved everything we got, and we had a blast! The kids each got one of the hot rock meals

 

 

 

 

We all got some sort of sushi, whether a small bit for an appetizer, or as Keith and I did for a meal

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

 

 

And finally there was dessert

 

 

Alex loved this dessert, mochi ice cream, so much that he actually went back another night and asked for a to go serving and brought it back to our cabin and had it again!

 

 

Mind you, mochi ice cream is definitely not everyone's taste! I thought it was nasty!

 

If I had one negative comment about Izumi, I would have wished the pricing was like the other specialty restaurants. Or that it was more like the Asian restaurant on Norwegian - where it is priced at a lower cost than a typical "land" restaurant that would be similar. We found the food to be great, but the pricing seemed to be pretty close to what we would pay at home for similar food. That is usually not the case at other specialty dining restaurants. Usually since you've already technically paid for your food, you're only paying an upcharge for the specialty dining. Here I felt we were paying really a full meal's cost. However, we'd definitely return!

 

 

[ShellDil]

Tonight was the Love & Marriage Show. Now this show, Keith did go to! So, Alex had no interest - although I know he would have thought it was funny. Megan, well - she's all about that kind of thing. So, Keith, Megan and I all went to the Love and Marriage show. And it didn't disappoint. It's some silly, fun cruise ship humor. We had some good laughs, and while sometimes I wonder how my 13 year old feels sitting between her parents with some of the more grown up topics, the other part of me is actually really glad that she isn't too embarrassed to sit there with us! It definitely makes me glad that she has that level of comfort with not only me, but both of her parents!

 

After the show, we walked through the Promende and called it a night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of Megan's absolute favorite spots on the ship! She was thrilled that the barista's here were happy to try to make some of the "secret" recipies for her! Ugh....

 

 

 

And tonight we had this guy waiting for us....

 

 

Tomorrow we would be in Jamaica! Would it be as great as our day in Labadee? It would have a lot to live up to!

[Sinduf]

Loving your review. Heading on Allure in August trying to soak up everything Allure until then

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ShellDil]

Loving your review. Heading on Allure in August trying to soak up everything Allure until then

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you! Your trip will be here before you know it! :D

[ShellDil]

Thanks to those still following along....it's gone a bit slower than I had hoped! I just uploaded the pictures from our next day, Jamaica, so hopefully tomorrow I will get to post at least most of that day! We had a great day there as well.

 

I was going to try to start that day tonight, but it's late and tomorrow comes way too soon!

 

So, thanks again for hanging in there and for your patience!

[ShellDil]

Today is already Day 4! How could we already be on day 4 of our vacation! It's flying by far too quickly!!!

 

It's Jamaica day....I have to say, this port was one of my biggest struggles when coming up with a plan! I've been to Jamaica a few times, the kids have never been there. I'm not a fan of Dunn's River Falls and I knew another beach day wasn't something we wanted to do. Nothing was catching my eye! But finally we decided on the Blue Hole and we booked it with Liberty Tours.

 

I'm pretty sure we had breakfast in the Main Dining Room since we didn't dock until a bit later in the day, and the gangway didn't open until about 10:45 am. The MDR ended up being our favorite spot for breakfast. The combination of the buffet there, which was definitely the freshest and least crowded, as well as the made to order menu items, not to mention the service, just made this our ideal breakfast spot! Time permitting of course!

 

After breakfast we wandered off the ship, taking time of course for our photo ops, on the way to meet for our tour!

 

 

 

 

 

And then we have the pirate pictures!

 

 

 

 

And off we went to find our group....

[ShellDil]

It was pretty easy to find the private tours, and we arrived and found Liberty Tours with no problem. It turned out we had another 6 people I think it was, in our group. We had to wait for a few minutes for everyone to arrive. I want to mention also that before we left for the cruise, that Ricardo, from Liberty tours called me in the US twice to discuss our tour. First he called when I inquired about the tour to discuss what we wanted to do during the day and describe the tour and our options. Once we had settled the "plan", I received an email outlining everything. Then about 24 hours before we left for Florida, he called again just to confirm that we were still interested. We had only had to pay a small deposit prior to arrival. He asked about if we wanted to do a private tour or if we were ok with a small group. He confirmed what we wanted to do and just was very professional. I was very pleased with everything about his service!

 

Ok - back to the day! A nice view of the ship while we were waiting...

 

 

 

Our driver for the day was Rose Marie (I think???) It's been awhile now, so I may be wrong about her name, but I am almost positive that was her. She was a wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable woman who made the ride from Falmouth to the Blue Hole, which is in Ocho Rios, feel much shorter than it was. She told us about Jamaica, taught us some of the local language and just chatted with our group during the ride.

 

When we arrived, to be honest, none of us really knew just what to expect! Rose Marie handed us over to our Blue Hole guides - Ricardo and Dante, again - I think! These to guys knew this river and the falls like the back of their hands! I can't believe it, but I handed Dante my camera, yes, my Nikon, and took out my water camera, and I said to him "you won't get this we will you?" and he looked at me and smiled and said "no problem man". Oh good grief! He was all of what, 16 years old? Ok.....off we went! The 10 of us, 2 of the women in the group weren't going to get wet. They just came to watch their husbands have fun. And the rest of us, well, it was yet to be seen just what we were in for!

 

First we stopped at a nice overlook where we could see some of the falls...

 

 

 

I'm mainly including this picture so you can see behind us, on the falls, the people waiting to walk down the falls to jump off! We'd get the opportunity....if we wanted to, to do this a bit later!

 

 

From this point on, most of the pictures were taken either by one of our guides or Megan or I with the water camera....this was on our way down to the actual river bed....

 

 

This is something I really didn't expect! When I was reading about the Blue Hole day, I thought it was just going to this one big fall and jumping in. Maybe some swimming around. It turns out there was much more to it that that! We were there well over an hour and a half. Maybe two hours? But we walked up the river a bit and had the opportunity to jump off of several smaller little "cliffs" into various pools of water. There was much more than just that one bluish pool of water.

 

So for fun, first up, sit together under a small fall! It's a back massage! Ok, sure it is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

Alex in the waterfall

 

 

 

So then our group all had the chance to walk up to that little jump and into the water. You can see how one of the guides walks with you every step of the way. He would help each person as needed. It was actually amazing that for each person, a guide was exactly where he needed to be, and there were only two of them, and one of them had my camera!

 

 

Now, that jump might not look like much in a picture right? But let me tell you, when you have no reason to jump into water from any height, and you don't really know how deep that water is???? Something is telling you to NOT jump!

 

Unless of course you're this guy!

 

 

Then we moved along and got to a slightly higher jump! And off went Megan!

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

And then came the BIG fall, the Blue Hole Fall! Who would do it? Well, in our group a couple of the guys, and Alex and I did it! The guides hold your arms and walk you down the side of the fall! How cool is that? Now, I will tell you that going there I had NO intentions of jumping or walking down a waterfall or any of that nonsense! But being there, it was fun! When am I going to get a chance to do any of this ever again! And as you see, I am not a fit or in shape person...if I can do this, pretty much, anyone can! So....here I go! Alex is up on deck after me...

 

 

 

 

 

It sort of looks like I'm running down the fall, but I'm in the air in this picture!

 

 

 

And Alex's turn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

And then of course the guides jumped from right up at the top!

 

 

 

 

Megan had no part in that adventure! Or the next....there was this little opening, a "cave" they said! Climb in, feet first! Sure...ok!

 

 

This is behind the falls....well you're going in blind, the guide is in there to grab your foot, and you get in there and realize - hey, I'm just right behind the falls and I could have just swam right in! That's what Megan did! It was actually pretty funny. All of us squeezing into this tiny hole, into this unknown pit...and she just swam right in from the big light fall!

 

 

You can see here where it's open to the big pool of water....

 

 

But there was still much more to come!