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

[redcrown]

Did the same sailing. Great comparisons. Love Princess Cruise Lines, but Allure is our favorite ship. At the buffet, twice when it was busy, we were escorted to a table. Most times that we went there, we were asked what we wanted to drink within a minute of seating. The English Pub was our favorite bar. We enjoyed the staff there immensely.

[msg74]

Did the same sailing. Great comparisons. Love Princess Cruise Lines, but Allure is our favorite ship. At the buffet, twice when it was busy, we were escorted to a table. Most times that we went there, we were asked what we wanted to drink within a minute of seating. The English Pub was our favorite bar. We enjoyed the staff there immensely.

 

Ah, so it seems to be that they only do that when they're busy, I guess. We only went there in off-peak times I think.

 

As far as the drink service goes, the setup to me seemed to imply that you were supposed to get your own drinks. But it's nice to know that they will serve you quickly if you don't!

 

We liked the pub too, but it wasn't our favorite. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the seats outside the pub people-watching (one of our favorite on-ship activities). I hear they had some fun music going on inside the Bow & Stern but we never made it over there when that was going on. Another reason to go back to the Allure, then!

[tluvspluto]

Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. Really helpful. We're sailing the allure in April for the first time. I am searching out top tips and I certainly picked up some from your review. Thanks again.

[Llmtax2000]

We've had five runs on Princess and six on RCI, and imho your review is spot on. The only other favorable aspect of Princess I would mention are the laundry rooms. I loved, loved being able to do a load on Princess mid-week for $5. Yes, I know about the C&A laundry special, but it usually takes 2 days to get the laundry back, and they don't include jeans or other "heavy" items. Traveling with a child means more laundry -- it's funny that Princess, with older passengers, is more accommodating.

[jagsfan]

We are Platinum on both lines, because we tend to go by itinerary first. Last time Royal Princess (again) and in June we sail on Oasis (again)!

One of these days we'll make it to Allure.

I've noticed that none of the recent reviews I' be read have mentioned lunch in the English Pub. On Oasis we have had the steak and kidney pie and the fish and chips, both very good. I assume Allure has Pub Lunch Days too.

[molsonschooner]

Ah, so it seems to be that they only do that when they're busy, I guess. We only went there in off-peak times I think.

 

As far as the drink service goes, the setup to me seemed to imply that you were supposed to get your own drinks. But it's nice to know that they will serve you quickly if you don't!

 

We liked the pub too, but it wasn't our favorite. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the seats outside the pub people-watching (one of our favorite on-ship activities). I hear they had some fun music going on inside the Bow & Stern but we never made it over there when that was going on. Another reason to go back to the Allure, then!

 

the pub is our favourite hang out. We spend many hours over the course of a week sitting at the pub watching the people stroll by

[shukapaw]

We are Princess regulars but will be experiencing the Anthem and the Allure this summer. We'd be travelling with Princess but they have opted not to have ships in the Caribbean this summer. We were unsure of what to expect but your excellent review has helped put us at ease

 

 

Thanks so much

 

Brian

[A&L_Ont]

A good review done by the OP. It is nice to read that you enjoyed your time on both ships.

 

If you happen to return to sail on Oasis go to the ice show. It is 100 times better on Oasis than Allure, as it is a totally different show. As for pizza, I have said it before and I will say it again. Princess pizza is to die for, and RC pizza will kill you.

[patiently72]

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing on the Allure with DH and 2 sons 13 and 15 yr olds in July. We can't wait. :)

[paylady]

Thanks for the comparisons. We go on Allure later this year as well as our first Princess cruise. I've been wanting to go to Glacier Bay and since RCL doesn't go there, we will be on Star Princess this year to Alaska.

 

I can see there will be features on Princess that we will like better than RCL and visa versa.

[GBM]

On this itinerary, what was the suggested MDR dress for the other nights? (Smart Casual / Casual) Did they have any specific themes for any nights?

[Tatka]

Great review! We love Princess a bit better, but our last cruise on Allure was amazing. Ship is amazing and there are so much to do.

 

Surprisingly Allure had pretty good MDR food.. Morning buffet was a bit on a weaker side, but lunch was good. Smoked salmon was only noticed once during a breakfast which is strange...

[Clarea]

On this itinerary, what was the suggested MDR dress for the other nights? (Smart Casual / Casual) Did they have any specific themes for any nights?

No discernable difference between casual and smart casual anymore.

[Aboat1]

A "Loyal Royal" here! Just off the Emerald. I have to agree with your review. I was going to attempt to do the same, but you did a better job then I ever could have done!

 

I would like to add a comment or two on the casinos! RCCL has a much larger casino with more machines. Princess has MUCH better bar service in their casino. The payouts for us on Princess were better....this time!

 

I THINK that Princess has a higher staff to guest ratio.

 

The Crown Grill vs. Chops (new menu)....We say Crown Grill hands down

 

 

We too will sail either line anytime. Love them both!

 

Very happy that we decided to broaden our cruise line experiences.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.:)

[msg74]

On this itinerary, what was the suggested MDR dress for the other nights? (Smart Casual / Casual) Did they have any specific themes for any nights?

 

The suggested MDR dress was "smart casual," from what I remember. I cannot recall any theme nights.

[zenworks911]

Nice review. Some different opinions we had were:

 

We did miss having laundry like Princess has.

 

Lots to do on Oasis/Allure, but lots of missed opportunities in the evening too. Between 7-10PM there was very little music and dancing available. Both Carnival and Princess do a much better job in that regard. I wish they would put on some decent music or something in Boleros during that evening period before the latin band shows up.

 

We found bar service on Oasis to be fastest of any ship we have been on so not sure what happened on Allure.

[msg74]

Nice review. Some different opinions we had were:

 

We did miss having laundry like Princess has.

 

Lots to do on Oasis/Allure, but lots of missed opportunities in the evening too. Between 7-10PM there was very little music and dancing available. Both Carnival and Princess do a much better job in that regard. I wish they would put on some decent music or something in Boleros during that evening period before the latin band shows up.

 

We found bar service on Oasis to be fastest of any ship we have been on so not sure what happened on Allure.

 

Totally 100% agree on the laundry thing! I should have included that in my original review; I forgot to add it. That was probably $27 more that we had to spend on RC because we usually (try to) pack light and then wash what we need to mid-week to finish out the trip.

[msg74]

I'm the OP and I'd like to add a few more thoughts now that a few months have passed and answer one question that I could not answer until now.

 

I'm primarily writing some of this down for those who are contemplating their first cruise or are looking to take their second. I'm really not qualified to advise anyone else! :)

 

More Thoughts On The Allure

The Allure is a big, expansive ship with tons to do. I stated earlier that I could get right back on and have new adventures on the same ship. I still think that's absolutely the case. There was enough left undone (in terms of on-board entertainment) that I would sail on Allure again in a heartbeat.

 

That stated, the Royal class on Princess has more of an elegant vibe to it. But RC really nails it with the "WOW ship" factor. We will be back on Allure (or one of her sister ships) for sure for more enjoyment. I'll have more thoughts on this when I directly compare the lines.

 

Drinkin'

Probably wouldn't get the all-inclusive drinking package again. I would just stick with the soda package. We would put that extra money towards doing more excursions. See the next thought...

 

Excursions

What DW and I have realized is that some of our best and most disappointing cruise vacation memories are due to the excursions. They seem kind of pricey to us, but they are worth it in the end.

 

For example, in Falmouth, Jamaica, we decided not to do an excursion but to walk around the port... which, with the exception of the Jimmy Buffet restaurant, was pretty much exactly the same as every other port. We were very disappointed in our experience.

 

Jamaica didn't fail us; we failed Jamaica.

 

In Cozumel, we did the Cozumel barhop and had a wonderful time. We definitely recommend it!

 

Inside vs. Balcony Cabin

Our first two cruises, we had balcony cabins, but we tried out an inside cabin on the Allure to save some money. We really enjoy having the balcony, but it turns out that we didn't miss it that much when we didn't have it.

 

The only problem I had with the inside cabin had to do with natural light... there wasn't any. You're sleeping in a cave, basically. So whether you wake up at 4 AM or 10 AM, your room looks exactly the same. The lack of sunlight kind of messes with your mind and sleep cycles. So set an alarm and get up and going!

 

More on RC vs. Princess

Although I said that I view RC and Princess as pretty much interchangeable, there are differences. The differences sometimes make a difference, and sometimes they don't.

 

I think of Princess as an older, more subdued crowd. RC has younger folks, more kids, and more of an international demographic.

 

The Allure was not as quite "opulent" feeling as the Royal Princess, but what it didn't have in rich-looking glitz it made up for in features. I think the Allure is the best ship we've every been on, but Princess runs their ships better.

 

As far as stage entertainment (our preferred evening activity), RC wins hands-down. They playing a much higher game than Princess.

 

I think the food options and availability on Princess is better. You're not going to starve on either.

 

What's Next?

I think it was lioness who asked what line we are cruising with next. Couldn't answer it until now.

 

Yesterday, DW and I put down a deposit to sail to Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, and St. Kitt's & Nevis on the the Regal Princess. We based our decision on the available itineraries and pricing for the week we wanted to go (we always try to get away for our anniversary). Princess had a great price on a new itinerary (for us) and we jumped at it.

 

Again, we would be thrilled to cruise on RC or Princess. It's not a situation for us where one is a good choice and the other is bad. And if we were to bring the 15-year old along, we would definitely choose RC.

 

But for the next cruise, we can't wait to be on Princess again. And the year after? Who knows! Maybe we'll be on another RC Oasis class ship! We would love that as well. We are also interested in trying out the Quantum class.

 

We figure if we do a cruise every anniversary, we've got enough time to enjoy the best of both lines for years to come. :)