Allure of the Seas Suite Review Jan 2016

[jonj]

Can you let me know if there are two hairdryers in the room since there are two bathrooms?

 

Thanks

[Gig103]

Thanks for the review! I see you only went to the suite lounge twice, but maybe you noticed -- is there complimentary espresso/cappuccino? Are there free alcoholic drinks in the lounge at any part of the day?

 

And you said the math worked out for you for the drink package so I have to ask -- what were the price of the "umbrella" drinks? Did you have any cappuccinos? Menu prices change so frequently I can't trust older reviews! For example, RCCL's "compare our beverage package" PDF, linked from My Cruises on their website, is off by $11/day for Premium.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Gig103

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review! I see you only went to the suite lounge twice, but maybe you noticed -- is there complimentary espresso/cappuccino? Are there free alcoholic drinks in the lounge at any part of the day?

 

And you said the math worked out for you for the drink package so I have to ask -- what were the price of the "umbrella" drinks? Did you have any cappuccinos? Menu prices change so frequently I can't trust older reviews! For example, RCCL's "compare our beverage package" PDF, linked from My Cruises on their website, is off by $11/day for Premium.

The Suite Lounge has 24 hour compliementary specialty coffee. From 11am to 11pm, they offer complimentary soda, selected wines and beers. During the evening cocktail hour, they add complimentary basic cocktails.

[frawnsay]

Thank you for taking the time write a review. I appreciate the detail, advice, and reflections. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip!

 

We're in a RFS (myself, my DH, my MIL, and our two young sons)--our first time cruising as a family!

[lovethesun1960]

The Suite Lounge has 24 hour compliementary specialty coffee. From 11am to 11pm, they offer complimentary soda, selected wines and beers. During the evening cocktail hour, they add complimentary basic cocktails.

 

They have 24 hour complimentary specialty coffee, if you know how to use a coffee machine. I don't.

[Clarea]

They have 24 hour complimentary specialty coffee, if you know how to use a coffee machine. I don't.

Not sure I know what you mean. :confused:

 

We just put a cup under the spout and press one button.

[Gig103]

Not sure I know what you mean. :confused:

We just put a cup under the spout and press one button.

 

Sounds like any one-touch I've used (like at airport lounges). Is the coffee significantly better at Cafe Promenade where they charge? Are they using an automatic machine there like Starbucks or grind + tamp + brew to order like on Celebrity?

[Clarea]

Sounds like any one-touch I've used (like at airport lounges). Is the coffee significantly better at Cafe Promenade where they charge? Are they using an automatic machine there like Starbucks or grind + tamp + brew to order like on Celebrity?

I can only go by what my wife says, since I'm not the specialty coffee connoisseur. She says that the specialty coffee in the lounges is very good, but that at Cafe Promenade or Cafe Latte-Tudes is a bit better.

[Cruise a holic]

I can only go by what my wife says, since I'm not the specialty coffee connoisseur. She says that the specialty coffee in the lounges is very good, but that at Cafe Promenade or Cafe Latte-Tudes is a bit better.

 

IMO the coffee in the lounge isn't nearly as good as Starbucks. But better then the buffet area. In addition, when I am up early, sometimes the machine is out of beans and it isn't easy to find help early in the morning.

[lovethesun1960]

Not sure I know what you mean. :confused:

 

We just put a cup under the spout and press one button.

 

Sorry to :confuse: you, but to me and others free specialty coffee implies that someone will make it for you. It may be one touch to pour out plain coffee or hot water, but I have no clue how to steam milk or all the rest that makes it specialty coffee. I guess I am just an idiot compared to you.

[constable145]

I'm confused: I was on Allure in December 2015 and all full-suite guests were to dine, in Coastal Kitchen, for the whole voyage. Why would you need a main dining room?

That is incorrect. Suite guests can dine wherever they please. Some people like the varied menu of the dining room.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Clarea]

Sorry to :confuse: you, but to me and others free specialty coffee implies that someone will make it for you. It may be one touch to pour out plain coffee or hot water, but I have no clue how to steam milk or all the rest that makes it specialty coffee. I guess I am just an idiot compared to you.

The Concierge is happy to walk you though how to use the coffee machine. You may be surprised at what the one-button does.

[lovethesun1960]

The Concierge is happy to walk you though how to use the coffee machine. You may be surprised at what the one-button does.

 

No one offered to help me even though I was steps from them at the concierge desk. I just gave up and had tea and didn't flipping bother the rest of the time.

[Clarea]

No one offered to help me even though I was steps from them at the concierge desk. I just gave up and had tea and didn't flipping bother the rest of the time.

Did you introduce yourself to the Concierge and ask for assistance?

[Gig103]

The Suite Lounge has 24 hour compliementary specialty coffee. From 11am to 11pm, they offer complimentary soda, selected wines and beers. During the evening cocktail hour, they add complimentary basic cocktails.

 

Thank you. Were the complimentary sodas fountain, or can? DW is horrified that even the Ultimate package is fountain only, maybe the SL will be her salvation.

[Clarea]

Thank you. Were the complimentary sodas fountain, or can? DW is horrified that even the Ultimate package is fountain only, maybe the SL will be her salvation.

Sodas were by can for us in the Suite Lounge.

[marci22]

No one offered to help me even though I was steps from them at the concierge desk. I just gave up and had tea and didn't flipping bother the rest of the time.

 

You should try it, I love that machine. As Bob said you really only have to press a button. The buttons should be labeled and you decide what you want, put your cup under the dispenser and...push. If you don't like it, put that one to the side and push another button that looks good.

 

I think the choices include latte, coffee, espresso, cappucino, hot chocolate, and the decaf version of the coffees. There might even be a steamed milk button but you don't have to steam it yourself, you just push the button.

 

The machine can look overwhelming, I do agree.

[mark22mac]

Enjoying your review. We will be in a GS on the Allure April 3.

[TriCoachCruising]

Having sailed on the Quantum of the seas I can assure you the twin Anthem is not nearly as enjoyable as the Oasis class on RC. In fact as a result of our Quantum sailing we cancelled our Anthem sailing that was scheduled for March. This was way before the horrible cruise on the Anthem this week.

Also we dined in the Coastal kitchen which was the best part of the cruise any time we desired.

 

Read the reviews above by the members of cruise critic.

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

I agree, we sailed the Anthem Dec 12-19, 2015; we prefer the Oasis class ships personally. The Coastal Kitchen is a nice addition to the Quantum and Oasis class ships. We are doing a B2B on the Allure OCT23-Nov 6, 2016 in a Grand suite so we appreciate the comments.

[TriCoachCruising]

So I left off talking about our first trip to the Trellis Bar at central Park. I will veer off the subject here for a moment to talk about the drink packages. I think finally on this trip I had an epiphany about the often-discussed packages. DH and I decided on the Premium package (I won’t go over what’s included in the packages to save time and space – and it’s so easy to research). We purchased the Royal Replenish package for my mom and two teen boys. There are several things I would change if I had to do all over again.

 

My husband does not mind paying for things as long as he gets what he wants… with that said, all he wanted was beer on this trip. The sum of his drinking on this trip was: beer, iced water (some bottled, mostly iced), and regular OJ and coffee in the am. We had a discussion before we left about whether or not to purchase the Select package for him. He decided that he wanted the option of getting a mixed drink if he wanted. Well, he never wanted… nor did he ever want to sit at the pool with an umbrella-laden fruity frozen concoction on any other cruises we had previously had. I, on the other hand, do enjoy the, ahem, occasional drink from time to time. I dutifully did the calculations at home, and in theory the package made sense for me. I could easily down 3 cocktails while in the sun, a glass or two of wine at dinner and one drink at the evening’s entertainment. Already we are at 50 dollars! In addition to having that nifty Coke Freestyle cup for the tons of soda that I will drink… it was a no brainer. And yes, while I did take into account the time off the boat, I thought I would more than make up for it on the boat. Right? No. In no way did I even come close to breaking even. And for a moderate vacation drinker like me, by the middle of the week, the only beverage that looked interesting to me was a nice glass of iced still water. So next time, DH will get the Select package, I will go without a package.

We did choose to get packages for our other traveling companions. Mom made goods use of her Royal Replenish package with the non-alcoholic bevvies, but the kids drank mostly water with the occasional Powerade or soft drink at night. So, the soda package for them next time. Honestly, if we had thought to bring our own case of bottled water, the boys would have probably been just fine with no package at all. Oh well, next time. 

 

OK, back to our first cruise day! We headed to the back of the boat toward the Aqua Theatre on Deck 6 to watch the football game. We were panicked for a few minutes because the Welcome to Allure videos were on at that time, but about 10 minutes before game time the video was switched to the playoffs. With bellies full and sons and hubby parked in front of giant TV screens and the Florida sun warming our January acclimated bodies, life was good. Because there had been an all call for cabins being open, we decided to go check out our suite at halftime. So grabbing one more cocktail and DH a frosty beer, we were ready to go to Deck 9, Cabin 9644, Royal Family Suite.

 

Deck 9 is a really good deck for a cabin. You are in the middle of the middle of a really big ship. The movement is minimal. No noise because you are surrounded by cabins, not public areas. We had a Grand Suite on the two previous cruises on Deck 7. I would also recommend that deck for the same reason.

 

We arrived at our suite around 2:30 or so and, of course, our luggage was sitting waiting for us outside of our door as we knew it would be. We have never had to wait on our stuff to be delivered. I know some have had this issue, but I think driving to port, getting there early and being in a suite has a lot to do with the fact that we’ve not had problems. Maybe they deliver the luggage to the suite guests first? Maybe it’s just been good luck! Who knows?

 

Once in the cabin we took a moment to look around. There are about three really good videos on You Tube that you can search to show you what a Royal Family Suite looks like. As soon as you walk in you will see on your right a door into one of the rooms. It has two upper berths (think pull down bunk beds) and a queen bed that eventually, in our case, gets transformed into two twin beds and pulled apart. So basically a bunk bed on left and bunk bed on right. My 14 year old was fine with taking one of the uppers – complete with railing and ladder- and my mom and 16 year old in the twin beds below. The beds were long enough for my 5’6” son to sleep comfortably. I’m positive that my 5’8” 16 year old would have been fine in one of the beds too.

There was a vanity with a standard mirror and a lighted magnified mirror as well. There were drawers next to the vanity and drawers in the nightstand that my mom used for her clothing. There was a nicely sized closet in that room. My mom used the closet space and drawers in the bedroom. The boys put their items in the living room area. The bedroom had a TV, phone, a safe and several electrical outlets. Plenty of room to move around comfortably.

 

Across from their room was their bathroom. It had what I’m sure is a standard Royal Caribbean shower. Glass-enclosed, small but adequate. The bathroom had a hair dryer and complimentary toiletries. We had forgotten shampoo so these were a life-saver. Plenty of space for the three of them to put all of their personal items away.

 

Then you walk into the living room. There is counter space and many drawers and two big closets in this area. We put all bathing suites and beach stuff in one of the closets and the boys put their dress clothes and shoes into the other. They used the numerous drawer space for the rest of their things. There were two comfy chairs and a nice sofa bed that faced a flat screen television. A coffee table in the center of the room was covered with notes from the concierge and information about the ship and the coming events.

The huge balcony had a sliding door entrance off of the living room as well as an entrance off of the master bedroom. There were two padded loungers with pillows, a binocular-like telescope thing (that we never did figure out how to work), and a table with four chairs. Very VERY nice balcony. We used it every single day.

 

The master bedroom had its own door (not a curtain like in the Grand suites) and its own bathroom. The queen bed was very comfortable. A little firmer than I’m used to but my hubby loved it. I also know that we could have requested extra padding and received it no questions asked. The room had a big closet, lots of drawers, a vanity, TV, phone, a safe, plenty of electrical outlets. Up a tiny step was the bathroom. A nice, large room with all the regular bathroom stuff, but a tub/shower combo instead of a shower. One note here: The tub has very steep sides, so getting in and out was mildly daunting for my 5’2” self. Just wanted to stress that in case someone is dealing with back or mobility issues.

 

We were all very happy with our room and were beginning to put all our items away while yelling at Cam Newton on the TV, when our steward came to meet us. His name was Matthew and he was from Trinidad and three weeks later my family still talks about him. He was an incredibly generous and patient and complimentary young man and is really an asset to Royal Caribbean. Our small requests were met with enthusiasm and he was always ready with a joke for the kids and compliments for the adults. A real pleasure. We tipped him well at the end of the week in his WOW envelope for a job well done.

 

After our Panthers barely squeaked by with a 31-24 win against the Seahawks, we went out to explore. Although we had been on the Allure and her sister ship, Oasis, once before, we knew that there were changes in dry dock. The boys went to play ping pong and we went looking around. I loved the Kate Spade store (too expensive, but really beautiful things in there… still thinking about this one pink purse….). The cupcake place and ice cream place have melded into one venue called Cups and Scoops. Mom and I did a cupcake class there – more on that later. We saw that Rita’s Cantina was replaced by Sabor (hadn’t tried either of those so can’t comment on whether this was an improvement or not). One thing that had completely changed was the addition of Coastal Kitchen and the Concierge Lounge. That was a beautiful area. Such a nice view of the ship and a great place to hang out. We did not have a full meal at the lounge, but we did go hang out there for a short while and loved it.

 

Such a thorough review so far, thanks so much for doing this. My DW and I will celebrate our 15th anniversary (a bit late) on a B2B on the Allure in a grand suite. We also just became C&A Diamond so looking to have a wonderful time. We have our nephew and his wife celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary and joining us on the first week.:D

[brady.bunch]

So excited I got here before you finished. .. Where'd you go btw...?

 

Planning our 1st famiky cruise and considering Royal Family Suite over 2 ocean balcony rooms. At sailing DD will be 16, DS will be 15 (he's 6'2 now at 14) and last DD will be 12. Itinerary will be same so looking fwd to rest of your report to see what yall do and how the kids like it. I'm stuck on what to do at Nassau. Being 1st cruise would hate to stay on ship. I've cruised 3 previous and like to book direct and not through cruise line so that let's you have more control, but still... nassau...? Anyway, enjoying your review... also fellow heel! UNCC alum now living in Wilmington!

[jamesr3939]

My DW and I will celebrate our 15th anniversary. We have our nephew and his wife celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary and joining us on the first week.:D

 

We will be joining you on the second leg. We are taking son, DIL, and two granddaughters (2 & 4). It will be son's anniversary. DW and I will be in an OS so first cocktail in the SL is on me!! Kids have two balcony cabins on deck 12.

[jamesr3939]

We just did Nassau in January and we did the all day excursion to the Atlantis. It was very cool with plenty to do. We had never been there before and were amazed at how big the place is. We are doing the Allure in October and they changed the itinerary dropping Labadee (bummer) and added Nassau. I think we will probably do the Atlantis again as we will have the granddaughters this time and they should have a ball.

[TriCoachCruising]

We will be joining you on the second leg. We are taking son, DIL, and two granddaughters (2 & 4). It will be son's anniversary. DW and I will be in an OS so first cocktail in the SL is on me!! Kids have two balcony cabins on deck 12.

 

Sounds good, and the second round is on me.

[fungirl28]

I am glad I found this thread. I am cruising on Allure in October and I can live vicariously through you for now:p

 

 

I agree, we sailed the Anthem Dec 12-19, 2015; we prefer the Oasis class ships personally. The Coastal Kitchen is a nice addition to the Quantum and Oasis class ships. We are doing a B2B on the Allure OCT23-Nov 6, 2016 in a Grand suite so we appreciate the comments.

 

We will be joining you on the second leg. We are taking son, DIL, and two granddaughters (2 & 4). It will be son's anniversary. DW and I will be in an OS so first cocktail in the SL is on me!! Kids have two balcony cabins on deck 12.

 

I will also be on the Halloween cruise with my friend and her family. This will be my first Oasis class sailing.