Allure of the Seas mini-review & head-to-head Princess comparison

[msg74]

Introduction

We (my DW Shayla and I, Matt) are 2 adults in our mid 30’s & early 40’s that cruise without kids. We just completed our third cruise and the first with Royal Caribbean. We were on the Allure of the Seas for the Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel) trip on January 10 - 17, 2016.

 

Prior to this most recent trip, we sailed our first two cruises with Princess; on the Royal Princess and Emerald Princess, respectively.

 

We are by no means experts, but I’ve tried to research as best I can and I figure my opinion may be of value to someone who is trying to decide between Royal Caribbean and Princess or for potential first-time cruisers.

 

I’m really only comparing the Allure of the Seas and the Royal Princess since they are among the top ships for each line. I’m not sure how accurate it would be to extrapolate my observations about these two ships across the entirety of the two fleets. Some of my impressions of Princess were backed up by our experience on the Emerald Princess but I can only judge Royal Caribbean by our experiences on Allure.

 

Now let’s get going on this review and comparison:

 

Dining & Beverage

MDR

A couple of Allure-specific items: the “Hand Cut Aged Manhattan Strip” is exactly the same thing as the “Minute Steak” up in the buffet and isn’t that good. Skip it. The linguini pomodoro was very tasty and I liked it quite a bit. DW loved the lobster on formal night, and enjoyed the creme brulee multiple nights.

 

The fare in dining rooms for both lines ran the gamut from “meh” to “decent.” I think the food on the Princess ships was slightly better, but RCCL gets higher marks for options: While Princess rotated the entire main course menus every night in the MDR, RCCL had “classics” which were always available in addition to rotating items. I liked that better.

 

Buffet

One thing we had heard about the Allure was that there were people to help you find your seat in the Windjammer. We did not experience that; you were on your own and if you dawdled too much in the service areas around the buffets you definitely had the impression that you were in the way of the people bringing food out and bussing dishes.

 

We had also heard that the Windjammer was terribly crowded. While that was certainly true on the embarkation and disembarkation days, we did not find it to be that bad on all the other days. I’m sure a big part of it was when you choose to eat, but it wasn’t a problem for us.

 

Again, I think the food was slightly better on the Royal Princess, but both were fairly comparable and I certainly wouldn’t call either “bad.” One thing we liked about Princess was that they served you drinks at your table. On RCCL we had to fetch them ourselves although there were waiters who did come around and offer to get you a drink if you didn’t have one.

 

One criticism of RCCL: we walked out of a show and headed up to grab a late dinner at Windjammer a little after 9 PM. We were shocked to discover that the buffet had just closed. That seemed ridiculously early to us. On Princess, the buffet hours were much more expansive and I guess we sort of took that for granted.

 

Specialty Restaurants

We’ve only eaten at specialty restaurants on Princess; specifically, the Crown Grill on the Royal Princess and Emerald Princess. It was $25 per person and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

On the Allure, the Chops Grille was $39 and we weren’t that interested. I will say that on the Allure, there is a variety of specialty options at different price ranges. We appreciated that although we did not partake. I was interested in Johnny Rocket’s (I’m just not that into fancy food — a cheeseburger and fries seems like a fantastic meal to this guy) but we just didn’t get around to it.

 

Other Restaurants

We liked the Wipeout Cafe for the burgers and soft-serve ice cream, but found that it was often closed.

 

Sorrento’s was decent pizza, and they would make you what you want if you don’t want pepperoni or cheese pizza. If you’re looking for a quick bite in the later part of the evening, this is the place to go. You can head across the hall for a small dessert after your pizza.

 

The hot dog place on the Boardwalk was great. Funny story: I was right behind one of the "strongman" acrobats from the Ocean Aria show one afternoon and we got the exact same thing. I figure if I keep eating hot dogs, I'll eventually have a body like he does. ;-)

 

On Princess, the Trident Grill was a favorite and of generally better quality than Wipeout Cafe for the fact that you got your burger right off the grill instead of out of a buffet warming tray.

 

Drinkin’

Better variety and prices on Princess, no doubt about it. The beverage packages are comparably priced, but it's easier to make the RCCL package "pay off" if you're concerned about coming out ahead in the deal.

 

We liked the comfortable seating of the Schooner Bar, and loved the tranquility and comfort of the champaign bar on the Allure. The Bow & Stern was very nice, but not a comfortable place to spend a lot of time.

 

Service

One thing DW and I really loved about the Allure was that everyone you came in contact with made an effort to get your name and call you by it each time. I really appreciated that “personal” touch and it’s great because it makes a guest feel a little more special and doesn’t cost RCCL a thing. Based on some of the past reviews, I didn’t really expect to get that kind of treatment.

 

If you look up the reviews on both the Allure and the Royal Princess, you are likely to find people opining that the boats are too big and, as a result, service has suffered horribly. We found the service to be quite good on both ships, with some absolute standout team members on both lines.

 

I will say that the bar service on Allure was particularly slow. On Princess, we always found two bartenders working at each bar. On the Allure, you would sometimes see only one bartender behind the bar, and they generally weren’t incredibly fast at pouring and mixing drinks.

 

Entertainment

As expected, “Mama Mia” was every bit as good as what you would see in a Broadway presentation. Nothing we saw on Princess could really compare to that.

 

We also saw OceanAria, Blue Planet, and Ice Games. The only one we really didn’t care for was Ice Games. Blue Planet was a bit of an odd theme, but it was a great production visually. Ocean Aria was quite good as well and better than Blue Planet.

 

Here’s a fun tip: after you have seen Ocean Aria from the Aqua Theater, catch a later performance from the bump-outs behind the Flow Riders to see the SCUBA divers at work. You’ll appreciate the show even more.

 

Our Cruise Director Luke hosted a couple of events we saw: the RCCl version of “The Newlywed Game” as well as the Bellyflop contest. He was really brilliant in each and a lot of fun.

 

Another bright spot on the staff was a member of Luke’s team named Janet. She was sweet, bubbly, and just a bit goofy. She ran logo trivia and the line dancing instruction. We really liked her and she is definitely an asset to the team.

 

I do want to mention a couple of special events on both lines that we really enjoyed: Quest on Royal and Pub Night on Princess. Both are definitely worth your time and are great fun. I’m just going to leave it at that. :-)

 

Overall, the entertainment on the Allure was of a very high quality and generally better than Princess.

 

Activities

On both lines, the daytime activities are pretty interchangeable: art auctions, shopping seminars, spa seminars, bingo, trivia, etc….

 

But here’s the difference: there’s just so darn much to do on the Allure. On previous cruises, I left the ship thinking I had pretty much exhausted all the entertainment options. Not so on the Allure. We didn’t get to everything we wanted to do. We could have if we had tried, but we go for more “relaxing” vacations instead of schedules packed with activities. As it is, we’ll have a good excuse to go back!

 

Nightlife

There’s a clear winner here, and it’s Royal Caribbean. Between the jazz club, comedy club, and at least a couple of dancing venues on the Allure, there’s just no comparison. This is obviously a function of the ship venues, but it's also a result of the different customer demographics of the two lines. We'll discuss that next...

 

Passengers

Royal Caribbean had a more international audience, as well as a younger demographic and more children. Each of our cruises has been taken about the same time of the year, and RCCL definitely had more kids but at no time did the ship seem overrun with them. And for the most part, the kids were better-behaved than the adults; probably because they weren’t getting any alcohol.

 

Of course, you can find rude people anywhere and cruise ships are certainly no exception. But no one on Princess ever tapped me on the shoulder to start up a conversation about me putting my fist in him (yeah, that was a very odd moment for me).

 

The Princess crowd was older, more subdued, and more (dare I say it?) polite. That said, the Royal Caribbean crowd seemed to have better elevator etiquette and I didn’t feel like I was going to get run over by a motorized scooter or wheelchair on the Allure.

 

Conclusion

My overall impression was that Royal Caribbean has better ships, but Princess runs their ships slightly better than RCCL. Both are good choices and we would be thrilled to return on either line.

 

I think that both lines have their strong and weak points, and wind up being fairly interchangeable for us. We would make the decision on the appeal of the ship, ports, and price. If we were to bring my 15 year-old stepdaughter along, we would definitely choose Royal Caribbean.

 

I hope a lot of people were able to get something of value from my report! I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can.

Edited January 20, 2016 by msg74

[paigebeverly]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Allure in June with our 14 year old daughter. We have only sailed on the Navigator so we have nothing to compare with.

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Looks like you had a great trip.

[Thom71]

Curious about early walk off when you get back to Fr. Lauderdale..........on the Allure

What's the earliest you can get off of ship.

 

Thanks

Edited January 20, 2016 by Thom71

[msg74]

I think the Express Walk-off program lets you depart as early as 6:30 AM.

[Thom71]

I think the Express Walk-off program lets you depart as early as 6:30 AM.

Thanks

[Lionesss]

Very nicely done.

 

Enjoyed reading your review with your comparisons.

 

 

So, who are you cruising with next?

 

Safe travels.

[jonj]

Very well balanced review, thank you for posting, it is very useful (to me anyway)

[reedprincess]

Thanks for your review. There's lots of threads comparing Royal and Princess, although few are comparing specific ships. We've sailed both lines extensively and agree overall with most of your review.

One small correction for you, at least an item you appear not to have noticed. Princess does have "always available" entrees on their Main Dining Room menus. They are the same every night just like RCI. On Princess, they currently include shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, a pork dish, a chicken dish, a Maho Mahi dish and a steak dish. Not sure when you sailed Royal Princess, but before November, the always available dishes also included a salmon dish, a burger (that changed toppings each night such as "Oscars" topped with crab and hollandaise, or "black and blue" topped with bacon and blue cheese, etc), and beef medallions. Basically, similar entrees to the always available on RCI also.... They are on the left hand side of the menu each night, below the Starters section.

[msg74]

Thanks for your review. There's lots of threads comparing Royal and Princess, although few are comparing specific ships. We've sailed both lines extensively and agree overall with most of your review.

One small correction for you, at least an item you appear not to have noticed. Princess does have "always available" entrees on their Main Dining Room menus. They are the same every night just like RCI. On Princess, they currently include shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, a pork dish, a chicken dish, a Maho Mahi dish and a steak dish. Not sure when you sailed Royal Princess, but before November, the always available dishes also included a salmon dish, a burger (that changed toppings each night such as "Oscars" topped with crab and hollandaise, or "black and blue" topped with bacon and blue cheese, etc), and beef medallions. Basically, similar entrees to the always available on RCI also.... They are on the left hand side of the menu each night, below the Starters section.

 

Whoops. Now that I think about it, you're right. They did have some standards in the MDR (although the burger changed nightly). I guess I just keyed in on the burger... a byproduct of not being a "foodie" I guess! BTW, we sailed on the RP in January of 2014.

[LuCruise]

Great feedback. We have Allure booked for APril and I haven't been on Princess, but always love to hear comparisons.

 

Neat tip about seeing the Aqua show a second time. I always love the behind the scenes stuff.

 

Good to hear that Windjammer wasn't typically crazy crowded (outside of first and last day). Strange that it closes early. Guess Royal feels that there are enough other choices?

 

One question...is the lobster included in the formal night? Or is it an upcharge?

 

PS - Your hotdog comment made me laugh :D

[msg74]

Great feedback. We have Allure booked for APril and I haven't been on Princess, but always love to hear comparisons.

 

Neat tip about seeing the Aqua show a second time. I always love the behind the scenes stuff.

 

Good to hear that Windjammer wasn't typically crazy crowded (outside of first and last day). Strange that it closes early. Guess Royal feels that there are enough other choices?

 

One question...is the lobster included in the formal night? Or is it an upcharge?

 

PS - Your hotdog comment made me laugh :D

 

I believe the lobster tails were included on one of the formal nights. I think you got two. But they would probably let you order 2 entrees if that wasn't enough. Our waiter was Hyde and she was excellent. She seemed very well-versed on what was coming up in the MDR so your waiter may be able to give you a heads-up.

[Moonarino]

Great write-up, thanks a bunch. I've considered sailing Princess for years, but now I'm convinced to stop dawdling and go for it. I've sailed Allure so I'm familiar, and Royal Princess has been high in my sights since it launched, so your review was right on target for me.

[Eileen G]

Thanks for your review. We just got off the Regal Princess on Sunday and will be boarding the Allure on 2/7 so your review was of great interest to me. It has been a few years since we were on the Oasis. Back then there was someone to find you a table in the Windjammer and I was wondering if they did that on the Allure too. I guess not, oh well not a big deal. We really do like that Princess has the buffet and pool side grill open until 11 PM. I don't know why RC doesn't do that.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I hope a lot of people were able to get something of value from my report! I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can.

I'd have to say that yours was one of the more objective, balanced, and well-explained comparison reviews I've read in quite some time.

 

Well done.

[paigebeverly]

I have a couple questions. What nights were formal? And how were the beds?... Thanks

[reedprincess]

I have a couple questions. What nights were formal? And how were the beds?... Thanks

 

On Allure, formal nights are 2 & 5 for Western and 2 & 6 for eastern. For Royal Princess, depends on itinerary.

[riclop]

Introduction

We (my DW Shayla and I, Matt) are 2 adults in our mid 30’s & early 40’s that cruise without kids. We just completed our third cruise and the first with Royal Caribbean. We were on the Allure of the Seas for the Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel) trip on January 10 - 17, 2016.

 

Prior to this most recent trip, we sailed our first two cruises with Princess; on the Royal Princess and Emerald Princess, respectively.

 

We are by no means experts, but I’ve tried to research as best I can and I figure my opinion may be of value to someone who is trying to decide between Royal Caribbean and Princess or for potential first-time cruisers.

 

I’m really only comparing the Allure of the Seas and the Royal Princess since they are among the top ships for each line. I’m not sure how accurate it would be to extrapolate my observations about these two ships across the entirety of the two fleets. Some of my impressions of Princess were backed up by our experience on the Emerald Princess but I can only judge Royal Caribbean by our experiences on Allure.

 

Now let’s get going on this review and comparison:

 

Dining & Beverage

MDR

A couple of Allure-specific items: the “Hand Cut Aged Manhattan Strip” is exactly the same thing as the “Minute Steak” up in the buffet and isn’t that good. Skip it. The linguini pomodoro was very tasty and I liked it quite a bit. DW loved the lobster on formal night, and enjoyed the creme brulee multiple nights.

 

The fare in dining rooms for both lines ran the gamut from “meh” to “decent.” I think the food on the Princess ships was slightly better, but RCCL gets higher marks for options: While Princess rotated the entire main course menus every night in the MDR, RCCL had “classics” which were always available in addition to rotating items. I liked that better.

 

Buffet

One thing we had heard about the Allure was that there were people to help you find your seat in the Windjammer. We did not experience that; you were on your own and if you dawdled too much in the service areas around the buffets you definitely had the impression that you were in the way of the people bringing food out and bussing dishes.

 

We had also heard that the Windjammer was terribly crowded. While that was certainly true on the embarkation and disembarkation days, we did not find it to be that bad on all the other days. I’m sure a big part of it was when you choose to eat, but it wasn’t a problem for us.

 

Again, I think the food was slightly better on the Royal Princess, but both were fairly comparable and I certainly wouldn’t call either “bad.” One thing we liked about Princess was that they served you drinks at your table. On RCCL we had to fetch them ourselves although there were waiters who did come around and offer to get you a drink if you didn’t have one.

 

One criticism of RCCL: we walked out of a show and headed up to grab a late dinner at Windjammer a little after 9 PM. We were shocked to discover that the buffet had just closed. That seemed ridiculously early to us. On Princess, the buffet hours were much more expansive and I guess we sort of took that for granted.

 

Specialty Restaurants

We’ve only eaten at specialty restaurants on Princess; specifically, the Crown Grill on the Royal Princess and Emerald Princess. It was $25 per person and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

On the Allure, the Chops Grille was $39 and we weren’t that interested. I will say that on the Allure, there is a variety of specialty options at different price ranges. We appreciated that although we did not partake. I was interested in Johnny Rocket’s (I’m just not that into fancy food — a cheeseburger and fries seems like a fantastic meal to this guy) but we just didn’t get around to it.

 

Other Restaurants

We liked the Wipeout Cafe for the burgers and soft-serve ice cream, but found that it was often closed.

 

Sorrento’s was decent pizza, and they would make you what you want if you don’t want pepperoni or cheese pizza. If you’re looking for a quick bite in the later part of the evening, this is the place to go. You can head across the hall for a small dessert after your pizza.

 

The hot dog place on the Boardwalk was great. Funny story: I was right behind one of the "strongman" acrobats from the Ocean Aria show one afternoon and we got the exact same thing. I figure if I keep eating hot dogs, I'll eventually have a body like he does. ;-)

 

On Princess, the Trident Grill was a favorite and of generally better quality than Wipeout Cafe for the fact that you got your burger right off the grill instead of out of a buffet warming tray.

 

Drinkin’

Better variety and prices on Princess, no doubt about it. The beverage packages are comparably priced, but it's easier to make the RCCL package "pay off" if you're concerned about coming out ahead in the deal.

 

We liked the comfortable seating of the Schooner Bar, and loved the tranquility and comfort of the champaign bar on the Allure. The Bow & Stern was very nice, but not a comfortable place to spend a lot of time.

 

Service

One thing DW and I really loved about the Allure was that everyone you came in contact with made an effort to get your name and call you by it each time. I really appreciated that “personal” touch and it’s great because it makes a guest feel a little more special and doesn’t cost RCCL a thing. Based on some of the past reviews, I didn’t really expect to get that kind of treatment.

 

If you look up the reviews on both the Allure and the Royal Princess, you are likely to find people opining that the boats are too big and, as a result, service has suffered horribly. We found the service to be quite good on both ships, with some absolute standout team members on both lines.

 

I will say that the bar service on Allure was particularly slow. On Princess, we always found two bartenders working at each bar. On the Allure, you would sometimes see only one bartender behind the bar, and they generally weren’t incredibly fast at pouring and mixing drinks.

 

Entertainment

As expected, “Mama Mia” was every bit as good as what you would see in a Broadway presentation. Nothing we saw on Princess could really compare to that.

 

We also saw OceanAria, Blue Planet, and Ice Games. The only one we really didn’t care for was Ice Games. Blue Planet was a bit of an odd theme, but it was a great production visually. Ocean Aria was quite good as well and better than Blue Planet.

 

Here’s a fun tip: after you have seen Ocean Aria from the Aqua Theater, catch a later performance from the bump-outs behind the Flow Riders to see the SCUBA divers at work. You’ll appreciate the show even more.

 

Our Cruise Director Luke hosted a couple of events we saw: the RCCl version of “The Newlywed Game” as well as the Bellyflop contest. He was really brilliant in each and a lot of fun.

 

Another bright spot on the staff was a member of Luke’s team named Janet. She was sweet, bubbly, and just a bit goofy. She ran logo trivia and the line dancing instruction. We really liked her and she is definitely an asset to the team.

 

I do want to mention a couple of special events on both lines that we really enjoyed: Quest on Royal and Pub Night on Princess. Both are definitely worth your time and are great fun. I’m just going to leave it at that. :-)

 

Overall, the entertainment on the Allure was of a very high quality and generally better than Princess.

 

Activities

On both lines, the daytime activities are pretty interchangeable: art auctions, shopping seminars, spa seminars, bingo, trivia, etc….

 

But here’s the difference: there’s just so darn much to do on the Allure. On previous cruises, I left the ship thinking I had pretty much exhausted all the entertainment options. Not so on the Allure. We didn’t get to everything we wanted to do. We could have if we had tried, but we go for more “relaxing” vacations instead of schedules packed with activities. As it is, we’ll have a good excuse to go back!

 

Nightlife

There’s a clear winner here, and it’s Royal Caribbean. Between the jazz club, comedy club, and at least a couple of dancing venues on the Allure, there’s just no comparison. This is obviously a function of the ship venues, but it's also a result of the different customer demographics of the two lines. We'll discuss that next...

 

Passengers

Royal Caribbean had a more international audience, as well as a younger demographic and more children. Each of our cruises has been taken about the same time of the year, and RCCL definitely had more kids but at no time did the ship seem overrun with them. And for the most part, the kids were better-behaved than the adults; probably because they weren’t getting any alcohol.

 

Of course, you can find rude people anywhere and cruise ships are certainly no exception. But no one on Princess ever tapped me on the shoulder to start up a conversation about me putting my fist in him (yeah, that was a very odd moment for me).

 

The Princess crowd was older, more subdued, and more (dare I say it?) polite. That said, the Royal Caribbean crowd seemed to have better elevator etiquette and I didn’t feel like I was going to get run over by a motorized scooter or wheelchair on the Allure.

 

Conclusion

My overall impression was that Royal Caribbean has better ships, but Princess runs their ships slightly better than RCCL. Both are good choices and we would be thrilled to return on either line.

 

I think that both lines have their strong and weak points, and wind up being fairly interchangeable for us. We would make the decision on the appeal of the ship, ports, and price. If we were to bring my 15 year-old stepdaughter along, we would definitely choose Royal Caribbean.

 

I hope a lot of people were able to get something of value from my report! I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can.

Thanks for your review but i must disagree with your comment about the buffet that there was no one to get you a drink because as soon as we sat down there servers asking if they could get us anything to drink.

[chee7]

Great review. Will be sailing on Allure in April and I just can't wait!!

Your review hit on some of the same things I worried about. Loved Oasis and needed to see feedback from an outside source.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for the review.

[strachan01]

Thanks for your review!

 

Me and my girlfriend are doing a back to back on Allure followed by Regal Princess, we have been with both cruise lines before but never on these ships, cant wait until April now!

[msg74]

Thanks for your review but i must disagree with your comment about the buffet that there was no one to get you a drink because as soon as we sat down there servers asking if they could get us anything to drink.

 

Great! But I wasn't reviewing your experience, I was reporting mine. You had your trip, I had mine. :)

 

 

Thanks to all those who said kind words about the review & comparison! It makes this 41 year-old kid feel good that I was able to help someone or at least provide an entertaining diversion for a few moments.

 

Also, lioness asked who we are cruising with next. Good question! We have no idea and as I mentioned, we would be more than happy to return to either line. For us, it comes down to ship, ports, and price (not necessarily in that order). We have at least a couple of non-cruise trips coming up between now and next January, so once we get through those, then we will see what opportunities present themselves.

[MisterMet]

Great comparison review. Been on 4 Princess cruises(loved them all) and are booked on Allure for 6/5/16. Thanks for all the great info. DW has been on RCI before, but not me. Looking forward to all she has to offer.

Edited January 21, 2016 by MisterMet

[msg74]

Great comparison review. Been on 4 Princess cruises(loved them all) and are booked on Allure for 6/5/16. Thanks for all the great info. DW has been on RCI before, but not me. Looking forward to all she has to offer.

 

I think you two will have a great time!

[msg74]

I have a couple questions. What nights were formal? And how were the beds?... Thanks

 

Hey paigebeverly -- sorry I overlooked your question initially. Kind of a subjective thing, but I've slept on quite a bit harder beds than what we had on the Allure. There may have been some sort of zip-on egg crate thing already on the bed (we didn't request one) but I found it to be soft enough that I wasn't aching every morning.