Trip report for the ship I didn’t think I wanted to be on – photos included

[mslaabs]

By the time we made it to deck 12 it was time for the belly flop contest at the Aqua Theater and I had a lion sighting. After that we went for something to eat and I never did get my nap. We ended up on the promenade for a bit where we ran into watch sales and characters (the Dreamworks ones).

 

 

 

These watches came in their own carryon

 

The Shrek gang

 

How To Train Your Dragon character

[mslaabs]

Tonight we did the Ice Show before dinner. If you are looking for the Women’s Olympic short program, this is not that ice show. This show is more focused on a skit than the triple toe something or other. Very colorful costumes, a bit of comedy, and an enjoyable show. This ice show was one that we skipped on Oasis, thinking we could book it for another night, but could not. This time around I was a little more prepared. Although I didn’t know what other activities were going to conflict with the reservation shows ahead of time, I did do a little more planning around time of day and what port we would be in. I didn’t particularly want to do this show on formal night, but the other night time show conflicted with something else we had planned and I didn’t want to do an afternoon show on a sea day so formal night is what we ended up with. The theme was Monopoly, based on the different neighborhoods on the ship. We sat on the end, but I think the sides had just as good a view as we did. Video recording was restricted and no flash allowed for picture taking, both of which were strictly enforced. I saw ushers running around shining flashlights on people violating the rules. Just a note, the photos below were taken without a flash so no rule breaking here.

 

Unlike most cruises I have been on, formal night was actually on day 5 instead of day 6. Lobster tails were served in the dining room. I asked for two and had no issue receiving two; they both came on the same plate. My mother asked for the steak dinner and the lobster tail and her dinner was also served on the same plate. Granted I did see the waiter bring out two plates and make the changes before bringing the dinners to the table, but still a nice gesture.

 

After dinner we went to Quest. A good time as usual and I thought Jerome did a good job hosting this, he was very energetic. I thought his requests were more action based than object based. This show pretty much ended our night.

 

Lobster Tails

 

Ice Show

 

 

 

For the pre-Quest show the bar tenders demonstrate some of their bottle twirling skills

[mslaabs]

I'll get us docked in Cozumel and then I will have to finish up Friday (day 6) tomorrow.

 

My parents chose not to be up to see us dock; I on the other hand made sure I was up. This pretty much meant my husband was up too. Our cabin was port side and the Allure typically docks Starboard side, which on this trip was true in all our ports. That meant watching in PJs was out because we had to go to the other side of the ship. My parents were on Starboard side, but since they opted out of the early morning rising their balcony was not an option. We put on what I call “public clothes” and set out for deck 5 (the jogging track deck). Now this early in the morning we probably could get away with not following jogging track rules, but I have a thing about following the rules. There are signs posted indicating that the jogging track is one way, with a lane for walkers and a lane for joggers. So it’s important to know where you want to be and what door will let you out at a point prior to that position. If the door is after that position and you want to follow the rules, you would need to walk completely around the ship to get back to your destination. Sorry, that was a bit confusing and I strayed off the story. Anyway, we watched the docking from deck 5 starboard. We were followed in by NCL, the Navigator, and Carnival. The Navigator docked next to us on the land side, essentially blocking the lower deck’s views of the island.

 

Jogging Track

 

 

Pilot boat coming to greet us at sunrise

 

Tying us to the dock (I’m sure there is a more nautical phrase for that)

 

The Navigator coming to join us. It will be backing in

 

Tomorrow I'll cover the day in Cozumel and the Glow Party.

[Grandma Petania]

Thank you for following. If I were to book an inside cabin I think one overlooking Central Park would be nice. It should be somewhat quiet at night. I think the Boardwalk ones would tend to hear more noise, but I've never booked either so that's just speculation on my part.

The cabin that my daughter and I had last time was a true interior/inside cabin. No windows, no balcony. I didn't really mind because most of the time I spent in the cabin was at night or for an afternoon nap.

 

When I booked for next February, I had the choice of overlooking Central Park or The Boardwalk - and I chose Central Park for the serenity, and for the shade. Although both areas are open to the sky, the Boardwalk also gets sun from the back of the ship - especially the farther back your cabin is. Looking up from below, it seemed that the Central Park balconies were shaded for much of the day.

 

Your comments about the ice show were right on! I am a big figure skating fan, so I can't say that I was really impressed by the quality of the skating - though it wasn't bad for the size of the rink. The Hans Christian Andersen storyline on the Oasis wasn't terribly clear if you didn't know something about the stories. My favorite part of the whole show was the sand drawing, where two people made pictures with sand, on a lighted box which was then projected onto a screen. Did they have anything like that on the Allure?

[Ocean Boy]

The cabin that my daughter and I had last time was a true interior/inside cabin. No windows, no balcony. I didn't really mind because most of the time I spent in the cabin was at night or for an afternoon nap.

 

When I booked for next February, I had the choice of overlooking Central Park or The Boardwalk - and I chose Central Park for the serenity, and for the shade. Although both areas are open to the sky, the Boardwalk also gets sun from the back of the ship - especially the farther back your cabin is. Looking up from below, it seemed that the Central Park balconies were shaded for much of the day.

 

Your comments about the ice show were right on! I am a big figure skating fan, so I can't say that I was really impressed by the quality of the skating - though it wasn't bad for the size of the rink. The Hans Christian Andersen storyline on the Oasis wasn't terribly clear if you didn't know something about the stories. My favorite part of the whole show was the sand drawing, where two people made pictures with sand, on a lighted box which was then projected onto a screen. Did they have anything like that on the Allure?

 

I absolutely loved the sand artist that is part of the ice show on Oasis. I have never seen that on Allure.

[mslaabs]

I absolutely loved the sand artist that is part of the ice show on Oasis. I have never seen that on Allure.

 

 

I don't remember seeing anything like this either.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ocean Boy]

I don't remember seeing anything like this either.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you did you would not have forgotten it. It is that impressive... at least to me.

[clochette]

what a great review so far, thanks for writing it, we are going on the Oasis next January and it helps pass the time as we get there.

[cruisinrealtor]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. My husband is also allergic to mushrooms. He basically will have an extremely bad reaction with in 2 minutes of swallowing them. Seems royal was very helpful with the allergy. Any tips you can give in that regard would be wonderful.

[mslaabs]

Originally we had a snorkel excursion planned for the day, but back on day 1 we were informed that the excursion was cancelled. Our money was refunded and of course we had the option of booking another excursion, but we didn’t. So our day was spent wandering the shops at the pier and hanging out at Senor Frogs. Next to Senor Frogs was a little man made beach area that you can spend the day at. I’m not sure what that costs, but there was a sign that said free wiFi with $6/person minimum. I did not see many people there, maybe 3-4 couples at any one time. If you are a beer drinker, cans of beer can be found for a $1 in the shops. After we finished up at Senor Frogs we went back to the ship, sat on deck 12 starboard aft and I finally got a nap. Just a note, if your cabin is towards the front of the ship, this is going to be a hike for you.

 

Docked in Cozumel with the Navigator

 

View if you have a lower deck cabin on the starboard side (deck 7 starboard)

 

View if you have a port side cabin (deck 7 forward)

 

View from deck 12 starboard/aft (minus the feet, unless you take me on the cruise with you)

 

The man made beach area

[mslaabs]

Coke drinkers - Senor Frogs has your covered. I don’t drink alcohol and when I ordered a Coke the waiter said it only comes in one size…tall.

 

There is a limit to the $1 beer...

 

Forward cabin people: This photo was taken from the deck 12 balcony, which was still a little bit before the end of the ship. The hike starts back aways from here (see the view from deck 12 photo above). Your hike ends in the next picture.

 

This is where the forward gangway is located, almost the very front of the ship. I should have brought that Senor Frog’s Coke with me or at the very least there should be a fully stocked rest stop on the way.

 

The 2 NCL ships docked near downtown.

[mslaabs]

After sail away we found something to eat on the promenade to hold me over until dinner (an hour away). There was a hat sale going on and from the looks of the mob I thought they might be giving them away. Men, it was not just the women getting into it (see photo below). After dinner we went to the Glow Party, something I missed on the Oasis. A tip I got off these boards is to bring your own glow accessories. I went to party city and picked up a couple packages of those glow bracelets and brought those along. You can also buy flashy/glowing accessories for the party on the ship, but I accessorized my group for the same amount of money it would cost on the ship to accessorize one of us. I was not the only one who had read the tip and brought their own. This might not work out so well if you have kids. Definitely the ship’s glow stuff is much more exciting and it flashes, so the simple single color necklace/bracelet from Party City might not satisfy everyone. Basically the Glow Party is 45 minutes of dancing under black lights. We all had a good time and now a majority of the ship knows that I can’t line dance.

 

Since I had a nap in the afternoon, at 10:45pm I was not ready for bed so we stopped at the casino for our end of the night event. The free pull casino coupon is actually the one coupon I figured out. I simply asked the casino cashier if I could collect my free pull and she handed me 3 tokens that I could put in the special slot machine at any time during the cruise (note I did not wait until Friday to learn this). I believe the number of tokens you receive is based on your status. At Emerald we received 3 each while my parents are Gold and only received 1 each. I won nothing with my 3 pulls, but my Mom won a t-shirt with her 1 pull. I’m not much of a gambler; I stick to the penny machines. I’ve been around casinos and I know that there are penny slot machines out there that allow you to bet 3 or 5 lines at one penny each. This ship has very few of those, mostly you need to bet something like 25 or 30 lines minimum. It might as well be a quarter machine if you have to spend that much. None of us won really big, I won $8 and to me that is big. I played on it all week, but I’m guessing most people spend that in less than 5min in the casino. We did hear someone win over a thousand dollars while we were there one night so there is money to be had. Many people are addicted to the machine you have to drop a quarter in and knock other quarters over a ledge and out to the coin return (forgot the name of that). My favorite way to play this game is to stand next to it on a rough sea day and wait for the ship to tip just right :D . If you want to try this method, the Oasis class ships are no good for this, they don’t tip. There’s a newer machine that appeared to be a big addiction. There are racks of bills hanging up with a key hole to unlock each bundle. You have to maneuver the key into just the right position to release the bills. The man we watched would get so close every time but never quite got it, at least not while we watched. The night ended with a trip to the promenade café for tea and then back to the cabin. I found deck 7 to be convenient to both Central Park (up one deck) and the promenade (down 2 decks).

 

Hat sale, one is not enough

 

Glow Party

 

 

Casino

 

The machine with the keyhole to bundles of money

Edited March 24, 2015 by mslaabs

[mslaabs]

what a great review so far, thanks for writing it, we are going on the Oasis next January and it helps pass the time as we get there.

 

Thanks. I did the same thing before this cruise, read all the live reports and post trip reviews.

[mslaabs]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. My husband is also allergic to mushrooms. He basically will have an extremely bad reaction with in 2 minutes of swallowing them. Seems royal was very helpful with the allergy. Any tips you can give in that regard would be wonderful.

 

Definitely let your waiter know. We never rely on the reservations desk to pass along the info. If there is any question about a dish, just ask the waiter about it. We have always found that they will check with the kitchen and not just assume one way or the other.

[mslaabs]

The Windjammer was one place left on the breakfast venue tour so we ate there today. This would be nothing exciting and we purposely saved it for the end of the week to make sure we got the more exciting places in. Many people have said that even though there are 5000+ people on the ship, you never really notice it. This may be true most of the time, but when a majority of those 5000 people try to cram into the Windjammer it is definitely noticeable. Not only is the space too small for a ship that size, the tables are jammed in like a piece of a puzzle in the wrong location. The only game plan going in was grab food, find a table, eat and get out. Mission accomplished.

 

The Captain’s Corner was today, held in the Aqua Theater with Captain Johnny, Jerome, the Hotel Director, and the Chief Engineer. The Captain wore colorful socks and Jerome wore a uniform for the occasion. They spent about an hour answering questions and my Dad had the opportunity to grill the Hotel Director about balcony chairs. When we were docked next to the Navigator he had seen reclining chairs with tall backs, so he wanted to know when the Allure was going to get more comfortable ones. Though there was no mention of the Allure, the Hotel Director said the Harmony will have those reclining balcony chairs.

 

Following the Captain’s Corner was the “Let You Entertain Me” show. This features the Madagascar characters with some diving and acrobatics thrown in. It was a fun show and you do not need to be a kid to enjoy it, nor do you need reservations. After that it was lunch time and our last day to squeeze in Johnny Rockets. They sat us at the outdoor tables, which we thought would be ok. We were disappointed when they only did their dancing inside and did not bring it out to the patio area. When we were on the Oasis they did a show both inside and outside. At least the onion rings were good :D (and the other food).

 

After lunch we all went our separate ways for a while and I headed to one of my favorite spots. By now you are thinking it is deck 12 starboard/aft but you are incorrect. My favorite spot is deck 5 all the way aft. They have some Adirondack chairs where you can sit and watch the wake and on this particular day, the Epic following us. After some time out there I returned to our cabin and sat on the balcony watching for flying fish. I did see a couple, but I saw more of these strange objects that we never did identify. At first they looked like a clear plastic cup floating by but then I started seeing more and they were obviously not cups. As they got closer they looked more like very large bubbles on the surface, but then we noticed they had more to them under the water, but we could not get a clear visual. Our only guess was they were jelly fish, but no confirmation on that. We watched those things float by for a long time before we sailed out of their territory.

 

The goodbye parade was tonight and our research said the best viewing place was the photo store at the top of the stairs. We arrived early and found a spot there. Cruise critic members do not lie; this was a very good viewing spot. Another good viewing spot might be the space around the excursion desk. It’s in the center of the promenade and it looked like they were allowing people stand there. Be aware that those 5000 people from the Windjammer are also at the parade so arrive early for a good spot. I personally enjoy the promenade parades and always have a good time. This one had a bit of a surprise as Captain Johnny joined in and not just from above. He did give a speech from the Rising Tide Bar at the end.

 

After the parade we went to dinner and then the saddest part of the whole cruise, putting the suitcase out in the all.

 

Windjammer

 

Captain’s Corner (left to right: Hotel Director, Chief Engineer, Captain, Cruise Director)

 

 

Let You Entertain Me

 

[mslaabs]

Overhead view of Johnny Rockets

 

 

Deck 5 Aft

 

Getting my nap in (the spec on the horizon is NCL’s Epic)

[mslaabs]

Parade. Our view from the photo store.

 

Captain Johnny rode is motorcycle in. Sorry it’s so blurry, but it was a quick unexpected photo moment. My husband was able to catch it on his phone.

 

Captain and bike on Rising Tide Bar as it goes up.

 

Too much excitement for the tree.

 

A sad time

[mslaabs]

We did valet luggage service and our flights were late afternoon so we were in no hurry to get off the ship. I was up to watch us pull into Ft. Lauderdale. Right after we docked I was in the cabin with the balcony door open and heard this loud TV (local Florida news). I was getting a little upset at our neighbor for having his TV up so loud. I went out on the balcony to figure out which neighbor it was (not that I was going to do anything about it) and that’s when I discovered it was Carnival’s Jumbo screen on their pool deck. So don’t leave your balcony door open when you sail into Ft. Lauderdale or Carnival will provide you with a wake up call. We ate or last breakfast in the dining room and then hung out in Central Park until they kicked us off. I don’t know where the glitch was, but from the time we stepped off the ship until we cleared customs it was an hour and a half. Remember, we had luggage valet so we didn’t even have to stop to hunt for suitcases. I counted 9 custom agents, but obviously that was not enough to keep the line moving at a semi-rapid pace. From there we caught a cab to the airport and ended our cruise on board the ship I didn’t think I wanted to be on.

 

LuCruise wondered if my cruise was more positive in the end than the report heading. I’ll say this; I came home and searched the webpage for Harmony’s itineraries. I can’t say the Oasis class is my favorite, but it is definitely one I would sail again. My recommendation for anyone else that didn’t think a second trip on the overgrown cruise ship was necessary would be to give it a second chance. The first time is just overwhelming, too much to take in. It takes the whole week to figure how to go from front to back without walking down a cabin hallway, the show reservations are a wild guessing game, and the whole neighborhood idea takes some getting use to. The second time around you know what to expect, you can better plan the shows, you understand the neighborhoods, and you’ve read the reviews on here so you know what you missed the first time and know what you have already seen. I found it to be a much more relaxed atmosphere my second time around. I had a general idea of the ship layout and I didn’t have the feeling that I had to do it all in 7 days, which is not possible. I have logged 14 days on an Oasis class ship and I still have some things on my to do list. Yes, it was a very positive experience :). Thanks to everyone who followed along and happy cruising to you all. I will end with photos of us returning to Ft. Lauderdale and a few other random photos.

 

The Carnival ship and its loud big screen

 

Early morning in port

 

Re-stocking the ship

 

The first of 3 towel animals

 

The Spa entrance

Edited March 25, 2015 by mslaabs

[mslaabs]

Art Work

 

Morning water aerobics

 

T-shirt sale on the promenade

 

The arcade

 

Captain on the bridge

[Khsh08]

Thank you! I am going on the Oasis 2/27/16 and this was a pleasure to read!

[LuCruise]

LuCruise wondered if my cruise was more positive in the end than the report heading. I’ll say this; I came home and searched the webpage for Harmony’s itineraries. I can’t say the Oasis class is my favorite, but it is definitely one I would sail again. My recommendation for anyone else that didn’t think a second trip on the overgrown cruise ship was necessary would be to give it a second chance. The first time is just overwhelming, too much to take in. It takes the whole week to figure how to go from front to back without walking down a cabin hallway, the show reservations are a wild guessing game, and the whole neighborhood idea takes some getting use to. The second time around you know what to expect, you can better plan the shows, you understand the neighborhoods, and you’ve read the reviews on here so you know what you missed the first time and know what you have already seen. I found it to be a much more relaxed atmosphere my second time around. I had a general idea of the ship layout and I didn’t have the feeling that I had to do it all in 7 days, which is not possible. I have logged 14 days on an Oasis class ship and I still have some things on my to do list. Yes, it was a very positive experience :). Thanks to everyone who followed along and happy cruising to you all. I will end with photos of us returning to Ft. Lauderdale and a few other random photos.

 

 

Ahh...thanks for remembering my question ;)

When DH and I went on our Honeymoon, we went on the Voyager....which at the time was the largest ship in the world (almost 14 years ago). Now, there are these monster ships and Voyager is considered 'small'. We love the ships that are cities though so really look forward to it. I can see what you're saying though how you almost needed to try it again to be able to figure out where everything is and to try all that you wanted to try. And now the Harmony! Very cool! Hopefully you'll end up booking on there too and see how it compares to the other Oasis ships.

 

Thank you for your cruise report with such great pictures. Glad that it was in fact a positive experience for you. Have loved following along.

Edited March 26, 2015 by LuCruise

[mslaabs]

Thank you for your cruise report with such great pictures. Glad that it was in fact a positive experience for you. Have loved following along.

 

Thanks, I enjoyed putting this together.

[mslaabs]

Thank you! I am going on the Oasis 2/27/16 and this was a pleasure to read!

 

I know it's still a year away, but have a great cruise!

[Grandma Petania]

The Windjammer was one place left on the breakfast venue tour so we ate there today. This would be nothing exciting and we purposely saved it for the end of the week to make sure we got the more exciting places in. Many people have said that even though there are 5000+ people on the ship, you never really notice it. This may be true most of the time, but when a majority of those 5000 people try to cram into the Windjammer it is definitely noticeable. Not only is the space too small for a ship that size, the tables are jammed in like a piece of a puzzle in the wrong location. The only game plan going in was grab food, find a table, eat and get out. Mission accomplished.

 

I wonder if they can expand the Windjammer during dry dock. They did that on the Oasis by moving another restaurant to a different location, and made the Windjammer considerably larger.

 

my Dad had the opportunity to grill the Hotel Director about balcony chairs. When we were docked next to the Navigator he had seen reclining chairs with tall backs, so he wanted to know when the Allure was going to get more comfortable ones. Though there was no mention of the Allure, the Hotel Director said the Harmony will have those reclining balcony chairs.

 

I haven't seen anything about new chairs on the Oasis, but they sound nice.

[Tunkhannock]

That was an incredible review! Thanks for writing it! :)