Allure of Seas Mediterranean Journey 11-22 Oct 15 with Lots of Pictures

[transam84]

Your review is wonderful and your photos are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us.

 

Thank you for reading it and your kind words.

[transam84]

After that we got back with our guide we headed for La Acadamia to see the David.

 

Some sights enroute.

 

Such incredible food in Italy

 

 

Beauty is everywhere

 

 

Such a kaleidoscope of sights

 

 

And did I tell you driving is crazy in Florence! This street allows tour drivers to drive right through a pedestrian thoroughfare!

 

 

 

And Narrow streets is an understatement

 

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Our guide had pre-purchased tickets for us and that was a big plus since we by passed the huge line. So we entered this very plain building to be awestruck by the most impressive sculpture of all time. Nothing could have prepared me for my first glimpse of David. Huge and the detail is beyond imagination. It was not too crowded and we were able to get up close and spend enough time gazing at him. There are also some other works of art, but the David over shadows everything.

 

A very unassuming building that holds one of the most amazing treasures.

 

 

The great hall that houses the David. The first sight took my breathe away.

 

 

I love the way they have some of Michelangelo's unfinished works lining the route to the David. It emphasizes how impressive the David really is, just seeing what it takes to bring the art to life from a piece of stone. They look like monsters breaking free from their prison. And the unfinished Pieta shows what a rebel he really was.

 

 

 

 

[transam84]

I was glad that we were visiting in the fall. I can't imagine how crowded it gets. I was happy to be able to take my time and get tons of pictures. I try to remove people from my pictures if I am focusing on art, but I purposely left the people in the first one to give you an idea of the sheer size of this sculpture.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the veins in his hand. Wow!

 

 

My attempt at artistic

 

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One more to give you some idea of the size.

 

 

 

As noted there are other works of art but I don't think they could put the David in a major museum because as I said he overshadows anything that comes next to him.

 

Here are some other sculptures and artwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last look before we leave

 

 

Now on to Pisa. I'm burning through my bucket list, LOL.

[telecruiser]

Loving your review. Brings back many memories. Looking forward to the rest.

[transam84]

Loving your review. Brings back many memories. Looking forward to the rest.

 

Thanks. Stay tuned for Pisa later. :)

[ken_nyc]

This is a really nice review. I want to do Europe but feel overwhelmed by the amount of research I'd have to do. And I'm trying to figure out the cost of everything . I'm kind of an expert on the Caribbean but I need to branch out. We were looking at Harmony.

 

 

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We are going on the Harmony June 26th, and yes there is a lot of research but there is enough time to do it in since we booked so far in advance. Just do a little at a time so it is not so overwhelming. We are going to Barcelona 2 days prior to some sightseeing.

[PCWalton1]

Thank you for the terrific review and all the pictures. In Florence I guess things have changed. When we were there in 2010 the staff in Accademia would not allow pictures of the David statue. They were stopping everyone saying "no pictures, no pictures".

I had to sneak mine. :p

[potteran]

Yes, it can be overwhelming, I agree, but don't let it deter you. It is just incredible. My husband never wanted to leave the US other than the Caribbean, but I finally convinced him and wanted it to be easy and perfect. I arranged private tours for the most part, including a two day completely guided private tour in Rome. It sounds expensive, but when I priced it out against a bunch of semi-private tours it came out not much more expensive. It was so easy and worth it. We saw so much more and it was stress free. My husband loved it so much now he wants to go all over. The man who never wanted to leave the US has now told me he wants to go to Japan and Australia. So just do it! If you decide to go and would like to chat about the tours and what we did feel free to e-mail me. ltrogrady@optonline.net

 

Email sent.

 

Annette

[cymru cruiser]

Following along with great interest as booked on harmony next year. Thank you for sharing your experiences and photos.

[aweller88]

Thank you so much for this amazing review, you should become a professional cruiseship reviewer - if there's such a thing! We're European (Irish) and have been to most of these places before, but you've shown me things I didn't know existed, thank you. I'm so looking forward to our honeymoon cruise on Harmony next June 12th. Pompeii has always been a must-see for me too, so I'm really looking forward to that. Your life looks so luxurious, I hope we'll do a cruise 34 years afterwards and we get to stay in such a wonderful room too. I can't wait to read the rest of your cruise - and anytime you want to come to Ireland, I'll be your personal guide! lol

[transam84]

Your review is wonderful and your photos are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us.

 

My pleasure. Thanks for your kind words. They are much appreciated.

[transam84]

Thank you so much for this amazing review, you should become a professional cruiseship reviewer - if there's such a thing! We're European (Irish) and have been to most of these places before, but you've shown me things I didn't know existed, thank you. I'm so looking forward to our honeymoon cruise on Harmony next June 12th. Pompeii has always been a must-see for me too, so I'm really looking forward to that. Your life looks so luxurious, I hope we'll do a cruise 34 years afterwards and we get to stay in such a wonderful room too. I can't wait to read the rest of your cruise - and anytime you want to come to Ireland, I'll be your personal guide! lol

 

Thank you so very much. I love sharing my experiences. Ireland is on my bucket list. We are the Italian O'Grady's, LOL! My husband's grandfather was Irish, hence the name, but I am all Italian and and my husband is mostly Italian. But we got that great Irish name! We laugh about it all the time. I so want to visit Ireland. It looks like such amazing beautiful country. I may take you up on the offer some day. I am sure you are going to love Harmony. I want to go on her some day. I think she is Oasis and Allure on steroids. And Pompeii is beyond amazing. Thank you again!

[transam84]

Following along with great interest as booked on harmony next year. Thank you for sharing your experiences and photos.

 

I'm sure you will love Harmony. Yes, the itinerary is the same and the ship is similar, except even better I think, if that is possible! Glad you like my review.

[transam84]

Thank you for the terrific review and all the pictures. In Florence I guess things have changed. When we were there in 2010 the staff in Accademia would not allow pictures of the David statue. They were stopping everyone saying "no pictures, no pictures".

I had to sneak mine. :p

 

Wow, that is different. There were no restrictions at all with pictures. Lots of pictures being taken of the David. Now, the Sistine Chapel was quite another story. They would not allow pictures or talking. It was actually quite oppressive. Every few minutes a blaring voice would come on yelling Silencio! Well now that was rather odd, someone yelling quiet, to be quiet every few minutes, so it was actually not very quiet in there at all with the all the quiet yelling. LOL. But is was still amazing and beautiful. It was fun trying to find Michelangelo's self portrait. Our guide just told us find the ugliest looking thing up there. I found him right away, my husband took a while. Also, we found some of the churches and the catacombs did not allow pictures.

[transam84]

Our last stop was Pisa. My friends were climbing the tower and the guide once again had pre-arranged tickets. I was afraid due to my claustrophobia, but my friends said it was not bad and better than the duomo stairway, so next time I will climb it. We spent time gazing at the tower. It it magnificent. And it really does lean quite a bit. Another mind blowing sight. We walked around the Field of Miracles, did some shopping and ate gelato. I had amazing coconut gelato.

 

Entering the city

 

 

Yes it really does lean...alot!

 

 

 

 

 

Try as I might I could not set it to rights, LOL

 

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Sorry, I could not resist this picture. My husband refused at first. Said it was "corny". But then he saw everyone else doing it, and said to me..."oh go ahead, I know you want to do it!" I think he did a really good job taking it too!

[transam84]

The architecture of it is so magnificent!

 

 

A view of the top. I regret not having climbed it. But next time...

 

I have found that my imagined fear of things always ends up being far worse that than the reality.

 

 

The base of the Leaning Tower. Just to give you an idea of the extent of the lean and how they reinforced it.

 

 

The Duomo in Pisa, also incredibly gorgeous.

 

 

 

I thought this was a picture of very stark contrast. The very modern and tacky Subway character against the backdrop of the very old, beautiful and tasteful architecture surrounding the Field of Miracles. The New and Old in stark contrast.

 

[transam84]

The Cathedral

 

 

 

 

The Field of Miracles and the old wall

 

 

 

And my final gelato of the trip. Coconut! It was most delicious with large pieces of fresh coconut.

 

[transam84]

So, my Mediterranean journey is coming to a close. I am sad to see it end, but I know we will be back. Here are some pictures of our return to the ship.

 

Our guide pointed out the white on the mountains, which is actually marble! I would not have known that without a guide. I am so glad we did so many private tours. I don't think I can go back to the big bus thing, except for excursions where I am just looking for transportation.

 

Marble on the mountains!

 

 

 

 

So here we are again, back on the ship. It was a magnificent voyage. More amazing than my wildest dreams.

 

Here's to you, Allure of Seas! Bravo Royal Caribbean, for making my dreams come true.

 

 

And here is my towel animal zoo!

 

 

Tomorrow I will try to summarize the trip and post some random ship pictures that didn't seem to fit anywhere else. I also have all the Compasses, I will try to get around to scanning them. Although not the same ship, those going on Harmony can get an idea how things went.

 

Thanks so much to all those that are following.

[transam84]

Here is my review I just submitted.

 

Not really anything new, just the text all in one place.

 

BACKGROUND

We recently completed an amazing Mediterranean journey that included a voyage on Allure Seas. This trip was a long time coming and a long time planning. It was very special in many ways; it was a voyage I had longed to make with my mom. My dad did not fly and she always wanted to go to Italy, but did not want to leave him. Her adoptive family was from Italy and she so wanted to see the country they loved. But alas after he passed away she herself got very sick with COPD and we never made it. I love to travel but my husband never wanted to leave the US, but he finally agreed to a Mediterranean cruise after my mom passed away. I think he knew how important this was to me. I was so excited, but nervous. I wanted it to be perfect.

PLANNING

So the planning began. I tend to over research everything, and so this was no different. I am loyal to Royal. We have taken many Caribbean cruises and have gone to Alaska. But this was different. I thought about smaller, luxury lines. They looked fabulous. But when I saw Allure would be Europe I was intrigued. Oasis was the last cruise my mom took with us and on which my only child got engaged. We loved it. So I thought long and hard. I loved the itinerary. It was a perfect sampling. I loved the idea of embarking in Rome because I wanted to spend time there. Since it was port intense, I worried the huge ship was not the thing. But I love Royal cabins and the Oasis class entertainment and design. I liked having options for my one sea day. And it was a tried and true product. So as much as I was tempted to jump ship, I decided on Allure. I wanted it to be amazing for my non-travel-loving husband. So I picked the owners suite. I booked over a year out.

I went on cruise critic and travel sites and began my intense research. I reluctantly decided private tours were best for this trip although I was scared about missing the ship. But all my fears were unfounded and I could not have been happier with my choice of private operators. In order to see a lot in the short time we had in port and on our Rome pre-stay this choice was vital. I also decided I wanted to fly first class, but the fares were high. I did a lot of research and it turned out choice air had the best first class fares. They offered a lot of options. I was able to fly the amazing Virgin Atlantic Dreamliner First class. We connected to Rome through Heathrow. I liked being able to get out and stretch. This turned out to be another great choice. I was very happy with Choice Air. I also collected as many cruise compasses as I could get my hands on and looked at all the menus I could find.

PRE-CRUISE

We stayed three nights in Rome at the Marriott Grand Flora on points and I could not have been happier. We took a two day, private guided tour and it was amazing beyond my wildest dreams. I won't belabor this here since it is slightly off topic, but the source of other reviews.

EMBARKATION

Now I will go on to the heart of this review. We embarked in Civitavecchia. It is about an hour from Rome but our drive was pleasant. We hired the same tour company for our transfers as the private tour and that worked well. This was my first experience with inter-porting. I was apprehensive. Not sure how it was going to work. But pretty much all my fears were unfounded. Embarkation in the minor port had one great advantage, absolutely no crowds and no lines. About 15 minutes from drop off to ding of sea pass card. It was nice getting on with ship in full swing and not everyone crowded into promenade. Most people were on tours so much less crowded. The only very minor down side was that it was a bit of a mess on the ship in the morning in Barcelona, the major embarkation point. Just kind of disruptive, but I'm just nit picking here. I would do inter-porting again, but would not want more than two embarkation points. One other slight negative of embarking in the minor port is that these passengers do get “lost” a bit in the Royal system and registering for things can get confusing and sometimes non-existent. But I would still embark in Rome again in a heartbeat.

PUBLIC AREAS

Allure was exactly what I expected. She is as beautiful as her sister. Very interestingly our favorite public area on this cruise was the Boardwalk. On Oasis we hardly used it. Too much pool time and fun in the sun on Caribbean voyages to utilize it fully I guess. But on this fall cruise we were there a lot. I rode the carousel, we also ate at the restaurants, saw shows in Aquatheater, took a cup cake decorating class and just strolled. It really is an amazing and underutilized space. We of course loved Central Park. Yes, the bird noises are a bit loud in my opinion, lol. But still a fabulous place to sit and stroll in all the greenery. Another favorite spot was the solarium. I went every morning to sit in the quiet and we loved the cantilevered hot tubs. Allure was in good shape since she was just out of dry dock, but I was a bit surprised to see some major rust around hot tubs and some old and worn furniture. Not much of a complaint, and again I'm being very picky. Overall she is extremely well maintained and very clean. The pools are great, but it was cool so not that well used. But there were brave souls in them every day.

CABIN

As I said I chose the Owner's suite. It seemed over the top for two people but again wanted this trip to be amazing for my husband...and me. I could not have been happier with my choice. The cabin is large and beautifully furnished. There are tons of drawers and lots of closet space. I loved the dressing table with makeup mirror. The bathroom is magnificent. Having a real shower was so worth it. It looked small in pictures, but they are deceiving. It is not small. And the best thing for us was the deck with the comfy lounge chairs. I thought it might be a waste on a fall cruise to have such a big deck, but we spent so much time out here relaxing on the lounge chairs. And we got treats every single day. We received so many we could not eat them all. I would book this cabin again in heartbeat.

STAFF

The staff was great. I did not encounter one surely or unpleasant staff member. Our cabin attendant Karen was one of the best ever. She quickly introduced herself the first day and asked what would make our voyage special. I told her towel animals. She laughed and said do you want me to leave them till the end. I said yes please. And she got special permission to do so. And I had an amazing zoo on the couch at the end. She kept our room meticulous and always had a cheerful pleasant word for us. The concierge Ana was very nice. She contacted me beforehand. We had a little problem with spa reservations, but not a big deal. It was just a miscommunication that worked out fine.

CONCIERGE AND DIAMOND LOUNGE

We absolutely loved the concierge lounge. It is where the crown loft used to be and the view is breathtaking. I realize that many people are not happy with the removal of the crown loft, but it was in my opinion completely underutilized. I went up there many times on Oasis and it was a ghost town. I rarely saw a soul. At least as the concierge lounge it is well used. I always saw people in there. We loved having breakfast and snacks. I must say on this cruise we really felt special. The food in the concierge lounge seemed a better quality and variety than in the past. The only thing I did not like was the coffee. I felt the coffee from the machine was horrible. I could barely drink it and I love coffee. Not a big deal. I had the royal replenish so I got cafe mocha in the Cafe Promenade. We loved the Concierge lounge do much we did not go to the Diamond lounge except to take pictures. The diamond lounge is where the concierge lounge was. It is a lovely space overlooking the boardwalk.

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD

This cruise was not really about the food for us. We were here to see Europe and had such amazing food on land that I think it jaded us. I felt the food in the main dining room was just ok. To be fair we only ate there twice since we were too busy running around. The menus seem the same fleet wide and to us that is a bit boring having seen the selections over and over. Not bad at all especially for for newbies, but just an observation. We ate in Chops and Giovanni's and both were excellent. Chops was my favorite meal on this cruise. We ate lunch in Sabor and loved it. The Coastal Kitchen was very good and the view outstanding. We ate in the Dog House a few times. The buns were consistently very dry and fell apart. I found the bread not that great on this cruise and the cookies inedible. The cookies were actually a big disappointment since I normally love Royal cookies and were a standout on Quantum. On Allure they were hard and stale every time and I tried a lot. Again, just a little thing. No lobster on Mediterranean sailings. I did not miss it. I don't sail for the lobster, lol.

ENTERTAINMENT

In my opinion Royal has the best entertainment hands down of anywhere, land or sea. It is one thing that keeps me loyal. We saw Blue Planet, Monopoly Ice Show, Oceanaria, and Mamma Mia. All outstanding. Blue Planet was a first time and I was blown away with the special affects and acrobatics. We saw Mamma Mia for the second time. First was on Quantum last year. I thought I would be less impressed since we had seen it. Not so. It was even better the second time. I also went to sail away with Dreamwork's characters in the aquatheater. It was well done and a lot of fun. I think Royal does a great job with the Dreamwork's characters. They are there but not intrusive, or in your face all the time. Bravo!

PORTS OF CALL

The itinerary was great for those looking for nice Mediterranean sampling. It was perfect for us. I adored every single port of call and Rome embarkation worked perfectly for us. I used private tour companies in Naples, Florence (La Spezia) and Barcelona. It was critical in La Spezia since we wanted to see Florence and Pisa and Florence is 2 hours from the port. It was also important in Naples since I wanted to see Pompeii and climb Vesuvius. Private tours allowed us to see more and make the most of our time in each port. One other note, in Mallorca we visited Drach Caves. I absolutely loved the caves. Not your normal caves.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

This cruise was better than my wildest dreams. I adored every minute of the trip. Was it perfect, no, but there were no major dislikes or show stoppers. We are planning on going back in a couple of years. I love the Royal Caribbean product. Cabins, shows, public areas can't be beat in my opinion. While I loved Allure and want to go on Harmony we may choose a smaller ship next time. Only because I don't want to be tempted by too many activities since Europe is so port intense. But I have not a single regret we went on Allure. She is a gorgeous ship. It was such a great trip, my husband who never wanted to travel outside the US, now wants to take a cruise to Japan and Australia! I think I created a monster!

I got the Royal Replenish package and it was perfect for a person that loves specialty coffee and non-alcoholic “foo foo” drinks. Having a suite my husband did not need a drink package. There were plenty of options available to someone who drink moderately as part of our suite perks.

We felt that the suite perks seemed better on this cruise. I can’t say there was much difference, but I felt the food in concierge lounge was better and more plentiful. I also felt that there were many more clearly accessible areas in shows for gold card members. We did not have to make reservations, just flashed our card and were shown to a nice area. On our past cruises it did not seem clear where gold card members sat and honestly some of the reserved areas were not that good. On this cruise not needing show reservations was a big plus. With all the ports we never knew what we were going to feel like after a day of touring. Also, we did not need my time dining reservations we got priority in the main dining room by just flashing the card.

 

Thanks for reading my review. Hope it helped and you enjoyed it.

[tinkr2]

Any idea of what you spent on tours on the cruise? Trying to figure out whether to do this itinerary this year or next, for my 30th. I am clueless about euros and exchange rates. We always do private tours or tours with other couples that we recruit also. And is topping the same there for tour guides?

 

 

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[Witsend1]

Have really enjoyed reading your review. I'm from the UK so have been fortunate to have visited most of your ports of call. It has been great to read about some of the different things you have done.

 

I have been to Naples three times now, been to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri. All were fabulous but still want to visit Sorrento and see the beautiful coast on the way there and go up Vesuvius. Looks like I need at least two more cruises then.

 

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Witsend1

[transam84]

Any idea of what you spent on tours on the cruise? Trying to figure out whether to do this itinerary this year or next, for my 30th. I am clueless about euros and exchange rates. We always do private tours or tours with other couples that we recruit also. And is topping the same there for tour guides?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It varied. If you can get a share on a private tour it helps a lot. For example my private tour of Florence/Pisa was 850E but I have 4 other people from my Roll Call asked to join. So it was 6 of us. It worked out great and did not cost any more than big bus tour and was way better. Would have never got to what we did on a bus. My tour of Pompeii/Vesuvius was I think about 500E for 2 people. It included a historian guide and also a driver. It was amazing. My small group tour of Barcelona was FREE for both my husband and I because I signed up first and was assigned group leader. Can't beat than. You can get lots of private shares on your roll call. Great place to start. My 2 day completely guided tour of Rome was 1000E for 2 people. I thought that was a bargain. I priced out individual small group tours of all the things I wanted to see and it was about the same price. And we saw way more and was way less stressful. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want any more specifics. ltrogrady@optonline.net

[transam84]

Have really enjoyed reading your review. I'm from the UK so have been fortunate to have visited most of your ports of call. It has been great to read about some of the different things you have done.

 

I have been to Naples three times now, been to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri. All were fabulous but still want to visit Sorrento and see the beautiful coast on the way there and go up Vesuvius. Looks like I need at least two more cruises then.

 

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this.

 

Most welcome. And of course you need more cruises! LOL