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Just Off The Allure - Tips For A More Enjoyable Cruise

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Cruisin'Kim

Cruisin'Kim

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Thanks for tips! Going on Allure end of March and looking forward to it!

 

 

 

Has anyone seen the 10-drink punch cards on the Allure ships? Heard they are being promo'd just wasn't sure where they are showing up.

 

 

Was on the Allure last week and didn't see the 10-drink punch cards yet.

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Paulette3028

Paulette3028

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There are plenty of reviews available for the Allure, so I won’t get into in-depth comments about the physical plant of the ship and/or the ports of call. Suffice it to say that we booked B2B cruises for the western and eastern Caribbean with the premise that we would enjoy the ship and not worry about the ports of call. During the two weeks we were on the ship, we only got off at one port, Falmouth, Jamaica, simply because we hadn’t been there before. I will say that the ship exceptionally clean and well maintained, even the public restrooms were clean and sparkling at all times.

 

By way of perspective on our comments, we are senior and seasoned travelers, with more than 35 cruises under our belts, all of them on smaller ships than the Allure. Prior to our cruise, I scoured the boards here for tips and here are some tips that we thought were worth mentioning to make your own cruise on the Allure more enjoyable:

 

*The Windjammer gives a new meaning to jammer upon boarding and for breakfast on port days. On boarding day, head for the Wipeout Café or the Park Café in Central Park to avoid the lines and the crowds in the ‘jammer.

 

*The Allure was the loudest ship we have ever sailed on, but there are still quiet spots to be found and enjoyed. Central Park was fine most of the time, unless the Caribbean band on the pool deck was playing and then it was noisy in Central Park as well. The Library was small, but a quiet spot to read for a bit. If you go for one of the “inside” balconies, opt for Central Park since the Boardwalk is noisier and the shows in the Aqua Theater can be distracting if you are trying to turn in early for an upcoming port day. Our advice is to book an ocean view balcony.

 

*Bring earplugs if you plan to see any musical shows in the Amber Theater or enjoy the pool deck while the Caribbean band is playing. All music on the Allure is over-amplified. When you can’t converse with someone sitting next to you on the pool deck – it’s too loud.

 

*Bring earplugs if you want to experience the ‘70s disco party in the Royal Promenade. Once again, the music and the cruise director’s voice were over-amplified and the sound levels were deafening. In fact, anytime the cruise director had a microphone he tended to shout into it so that his voice was distorted and his words unintelligible.

 

*If you choose My-Time dining, ask for a quiet corner if you want to converse with your table mates. The background music is turned up to where it is foreground music and the patrons get very loud trying to talk above it. Even our waiters agreed it was way too loud to enjoy dinner conversation.

 

*For a quiet breakfast without the ‘jammer crowds, try the Solarium Bistro or the Wipeout Café. The Wipeout Café offers made-to-order omelets. You can also find a quiet breakfast spot at the Park Café. Johnny Rocket’s was also a nice spot for breakfast as well - at no charge.

 

*If you book back-to-back cruises, you will be treated to a free lunch at Giovani’s Table on turnaround day after you are cleared through customs and return to the ship. Also for continuing cruisers, don’t worry about trying to cram in the shows during the first week. During the continuing cruisers briefing, you will be given a sheet to request show reservations for the next cruise and will be given priority for those reservations.

 

*As far as specialty dining is concerned, Chops is Chops. We thought it was a bit over-rated and over-priced for the experience with better service in the MDR. We much preferred the Samba Grill Brazilian-style steakhouse which was setup in the Solarium Bistro in the evenings. The service was much better than Chops and you get a nice selection of different meats. Our tip for the Samba would be to go light on the appetizers and salad bar so that you are still hungry for the meats – and then request small portions. There were nine meats on the menu and you’ll get all nine, not just one as an entrée selection. At Giovani’s Table, we both made the mistake of requesting a pasta dish in addition to the entrée and it was too much. Share a pasta dish and you’ll be able to enjoy your entrée. The food and service there were excellent. We tried Sabor one evening for the ala cart pricing for Mexican food. The food was excellent, but halfway through our meal a Latin music band setup adjacent to Johnny Rocket’s and blasted latin music toward the Sabor to the point that we couldn’t talk and/or hear our waiter. We cut our meal short, which was easy to do as it was ala cart priced.

 

*Once last, sort of tongue-in-cheek tip: Don’t worry about checking out pool towels on your sea pass – just look for a chair hog nest (identifiable by pool towels held down by a flip flop and a paperback) and help yourself to a towel. Enforcement of reserving loungers is non-existent. I saw groups setting up their chair hog nests before going ashore and their loungers were still “reserved” that afternoon.

 

The Allure has plenty of everything- things to do, places to dine, places to shop, and most of all plenty of noise. Just be prepared and know what to expect and you’ll be able to enjoy your cruise in comfort and with relative ease.

 

We cruised on Allure in 2014 and enjoyed our balcony cabin overlooking Central Park....but realized that if we went on an Oasis Class ship again we needed our cabin to give us at least a little view of the ocean even if we wanted a different overall view than a traditional oceanview balcony, like we have had on many previous cruises. So on our next venture on an Oasis class ship, Harmony in 2017, we have chosen the very last balcony that overlooks Boardwalk that will still give us a little view of the ocean while allowing us to see the Aqua Theater and its activities as well.

 

I would never eat at Wipeout Cafe, and I rarely say anything this negative about food. I think it is over hyped as far as being able to have your food 'prepared exactly as you like it. It is located in a terrible location with a poor way to handle the order taking and delivery of your food. What was served was decent, not outstanding. On embarkation day, we never miss the fun of the WJ, but if that is not someone's type of fun to 'kick off' your cruise go to Park Cafe or Cafe Promenade or one of the other places around the ship.

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urbancruiser

urbancruiser

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Vintages was a great spot. Comfy chairs and acoustical guitar music some evenings. Never got around to trying the tapas, but heard from other PAX that they were good.

 

We were on the Allure in October in the Med and spent a lot of time at Vintages. One evening after having a huge lunch in Rome, we opted out of a big dinner and had the tapas at Vintages and it was excellent!! I'd highly recommend it!!! Loved the Allure!!!

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moehegan2002@yahoo.com

moehegan2002@yahoo.com

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Hi.

 

Myself, my husband and my 16 yr old son are going on our first cruise with Allure of the seas Feb 14th, and its going to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Marten. We heard that its cheaper to get your own excursions on the Islands then to book with the ship. Can anyone suggest any good excursions to do on your own and safely make it back in time?

Thank you!

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Clarea

Clarea

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Hi.

 

Myself, my husband and my 16 yr old son are going on our first cruise with Allure of the seas Feb 14th, and its going to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Marten. We heard that its cheaper to get your own excursions on the Islands then to book with the ship. Can anyone suggest any good excursions to do on your own and safely make it back in time?

Thank you!

Many people go to Maho Beach in St. Maarten. You can take a bus for $2 per person, one-way. If you start back at least 2 hours before all aboard time, you should have ample safety margin.

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Clarea

Clarea

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Couple of questions......how soon were you able to board?

And how do they work the evening muster on such a large ship?

 

Thanks

Muster is all over the ship. I've been in the theater one time and standing in front of Guest Services the other.

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CanadaRob

CanadaRob

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We cruised on Allure in 2014 and enjoyed our balcony cabin overlooking Central Park....but realized that if we went on an Oasis Class ship again we needed our cabin to give us at least a little view of the ocean even if we wanted a different overall view than a traditional oceanview balcony, like we have had on many previous cruises. So on our next venture on an Oasis class ship, Harmony in 2017, we have chosen the very last balcony that overlooks Boardwalk that will still give us a little view of the ocean while allowing us to see the Aqua Theater and its activities as well.

.

I have thought this exact same thing! I like to people watch but love the Ocean or at least a glimpse of it. How high is good? Or too high on this aft boardwalk balconies?

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smjlt

smjlt

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Hi.

 

 

 

Myself, my husband and my 16 yr old son are going on our first cruise with Allure of the seas Feb 14th, and its going to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Marten. We heard that its cheaper to get your own excursions on the Islands then to book with the ship. Can anyone suggest any good excursions to do on your own and safely make it back in time?

 

Thank you!

 

 

Bernard's tours in St Marten...highly recommend! Great island tour with a little beach time. Wonderful day!

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cruisenlove

cruisenlove

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Thanks so much for these little tips... I will be on Oasis on March and I HATE HATE HATE Lounge chair hogs by the pool. It is probably my biggest pet peeve. I also hate that no one enforces it like they say they do. If they say they enforce it then they should! If I see any towel on the chair I WILL move it. It's really not fair for people who don't do that..like my husband and I! End Rant....Thanks :)

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newportqld

newportqld

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We were on the inaugural 12 night transatlantic from Florida to Spain last year. We loved the ship and thought this ship deserves the respect of spending time on it to explore. Can't understand how people can do that on an intensive port-focused 7 night cruise. With only 1 port day (Malaga) we were busy all the time - at our own pace - and it never felt crowded.

 

One recommendation is visiting Vintages for the tapas (especially the Iberico Jamon was delicious) and the great selection of wine - especially Australian! You can sit inside or at tables outside, watching the passing parade!

 

We also had lunch on embarkation day at Giovanni's - was wonderful. Be careful not to over order! Being Australian, Spanish is not a language we come across very often, but thanks to our translation app on our phone we joined another couple from Spain and had a delightful time. They became friends on our cruise.

 

One restaurant we did not enjoy - and our booking was reimbursed - was the Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. All the meat tasted the same and was covered in an oily marinade. Was disgusting. Have had far better.

 

The mattresses were fine and we did not find any noise issues which concerned us.

 

All in all, we loved the ship. Now, we are looking forward to the Ovation OFS arriving in Sydney for a Christmas Cruise to New Zealand.

Hi, I agree with all your comments.

 

We were on the Transatlantic back to Fort Lauderdale in October last year (combined it with the 3 day mini from Rome first.)

 

We had a Central Park balcony cabin on deck 12. We loved the outlook, and yes, on occasion we could hear the band on the pool deck, but thought it added tothe atmosphere. Our bed was very comfortable.

 

This was our 3rd time on Allure, and chose the TA, because the sea days gave us time to explore the ship.

 

We requested a window seat in the main dining room, and found if you dined early you were successful in being seated in a nice quiet space. We were on My Time dining.

 

We also dined in 150 Central Park. Really delicious food, and attentive staff. We had been to the other speciality restaurants on previous cruises, and have enjoyed them all, though usually come out feeling like we should have skipped the appetizers or dessert! For a quick casual bite, try the Doghouse on The Boardwalk. Lots of different varieties.

 

Make your show reservations, especially for the Comedy Show, as it is very popular. If you have a reservation for Mamma Mia, get to the theatre about 30 minutes before show time.

 

We loved this ship, and feel it is a destination in itsself, and never felt it was crowded.

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platina416

platina416

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Posted (edited)
Hi.

 

Myself, my husband and my 16 yr old son are going on our first cruise with Allure of the seas Feb 14th, and its going to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Marten. We heard that its cheaper to get your own excursions on the Islands then to book with the ship. Can anyone suggest any good excursions to do on your own and safely make it back in time?

Thank you!

 

In St Martin, we did an all day excursion with Capt Bob from Soaliga Destinations. It was the BEST excursion of my trip, with the highlight being snorkelling with sea turtles. The boat was so much fun (at times he let her rip so you had to hold on.. very exhilirating). I am totally doing it again the next time I'm in St Martin! Check him out on Tripadvisor. The dock is walking distance from the port.

Edited by platina416
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whataboutport

whataboutport

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Posted
Check out Bernard's Tours In St. Martin. Excellent.

 

Bernard's tours in St Marten...highly recommend! Great island tour with a little beach time. Wonderful day!

 

They are the ones we had an issue with. Wasted half of our tour. I would not recommend. We went in Nov. We recently had a time change (daylight savings, ended or started I can never remember which is which). I emailed them asking what time zone they follow. Do they observe DST? Am I meeting them ship time or local time? When we met at the meeting point, the man said he was till waiting for others to show up. I realized later that he was waiting for any other possible "walk ins" to fill up his van. He took us to Orient Beach when the other part of the group (on a ship that arrived an hour earlier than ours) had already done other parts of the tour (iguana farm and sea urchin man, who I really wanted to see!). We should have gotten our whole tour with people from our ship that got to port an hour later than the other ship, instead we got put on with other people whose ship was leaving sooner than ours.

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islandgirl70

islandgirl70

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In St Martin, we did an all day excursion with Capt Bob from Soaliga Destinations. It was the BEST excursion of my trip, with the highlight being snorkelling with sea turtles. The boat was so much fun (at times he let her rip so you had to hold on.. very exhilirating). I am totally doing it again the next time I'm in St Martin! Check him out on Tripadvisor. The dock is walking distance from the port.

 

 

I agree! Captain Bon from Soaliga was the best excursion ever! Definitely check them out!

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