Can you handle "too many" Allure pictures?

[APDMOM]

On the same deck, look behind the large TV screens, and you will find... shuffleboard. The equipment is also readily available:

 

 

Go down the set of stairs from this area, and you find the jogging track:

 

 

 

 

But the ultimate goal of going down this particular set of stairs is not to jog... not to walk... not even to exercise at all.

 

The ultimate goal is to walk a few feet to these chairs for the best aft view on the ship (I had to borrow this photo from my Oasis review): This is where I drink my cappuccino in the early morning...

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM
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[Tru_blu68]

I did not see a separate area, though the area in front of the mirrors is a bit off to the side, and should be fine. I would have loved to get my exercise done at 5 am, but the center did not open until 6... who gets up at 5 am on a cruise, right? :)

 

 

APDMOM

 

Not This Guy :) especially traveling from the West coast, we get adapted about day 5

[APDMOM]

On the way back from the Sailaway Party, I ran into someone from Izumi, selling Hibachi dinners for 20% off. If we could get there in 5 minutes, we could have the 5:30 seating. Now, we had planned on trying the Hibachi for a long time, so we decided 20% off was a deal! He also informed me we would not need to dress up, since it is the first day. So, we showed up for our hibachi dinner in shorts, no problem. :)

 

The "show" was very entertaining, and we enjoyed it tremendously since the last hibachi we attended was back in November 2004 (That cruise budget is really a serious matter in our family). :D

 

 

 

Our son had a great time - he was 7 weeks old the last time we went...

 

 

 

 

 

APDMOM

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Not This Guy :) especially traveling from the West coast, we get adapted about day 5

 

 

Ouch! That is one of the main reasons we moved back to Florida - it is so much easier to cruise!

[APDMOM]

That concludes day 1. We determined not to book any shows for the first day, because we know we don't sleep well the night before the cruise... all that excitement, you know...

 

Day 2 will include a promenade tour, the Meet & Mingle, cabin crawl, a couple of shows, and of course "too many" pictures of all of the above.

 

Thanks to all for reading and browsing along!

[APDMOM]

Day 2: At Sea

I love to get up early in the morning, and walk the ship while it is relatively quiet. Walk with me to explore the Royal Promenade (Deck 5):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

A bit more up close...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Shops on the Promenade:

 

 

 

 

 

 

C&A Society:

 

[APDMOM]

FOCUS - Where your pictures are kept.

 

 

In case you are not familiar with the new electronic photo system, you just swipe your seapass card in one of these machines to see all your pictures on the computer screen.

 

 

You also have a binder with your pictures. So, don't oder photos on the machine before checking to see if they are already in your binder. To find out where your binder is, look at your seapass card. It has the number of the shelf, followed by the binder number. So, our photos were on shelf number 22 in binder number 88:

 

 

 

Next Cruise Desk:

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM
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[A&L_Ont]

APDMOM, I'm up for your photo challenge. I love it.

[APDMOM]

Boleros is a great place to wait for the shows in the main lounge (Amber Theater). Unless you want to sit in the very front row, there is no reason to stand in the very long lines. When I showed up for Mama Mia, deck 4 was packed from people waiting in line. On deck 5, the line went way past Boleros. So, I grabbed a comfy seat in Boleros and waited for 10 minutes before the doors opened. Once the line started moving, it went fast. When the end of the line was in sight, I got up from my comfy seat and still found an ideal spot to watch Mama Mia.

 

Another note: I tried to buy a frozen mango margarita at Boleros. They told me they could not make frozen drinks there. So, I walked across the Promenade to On Air, where there was no line, and got a great Mango Margarita. I am not sure if the bar tender at Boleros just told me a story, or if they really could not make a frozen drink there, but the service in On Air was great, and it was much less busy than Boleros.

 

Here are some pictures of Boleros:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Bow & Stern Pub:

This is probably one of my favorite features of Royal Promenade ships. I like the look of them, with all the dark wood, and the way the seating leans itself to be able to enjoy the Promenade action without getting lost in a crowd. One good thing about my GREAT deal on the drinks package is that I tried a drink at the Bow & Stern for the first time (Cherry Orchard). It was delicious, but definitely not worth the price without the package. So, I got to enjoy it once...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Besides the few "balcony" seats in Schooner Bar, this is one of the best places to watch the parade from while seated.

 

 

 

Sorrentos in the background:

 

...and speaking of Sorrentos:

 

Additional seating for Sorrentos:

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM
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[APDMOM]

Oops! I got a bit out of order here, so we have to hop back to the forward part of the promenade to visit On Air, your Royal Karaoke Hub. We only got to attend family karaoke one time, as we had such a packed show schedule. There was one little girl who could really sing! It was fun, and sometimes a little crazy, as karaoke should be:

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Also forward on the Promenade, you can find Starbucks. On Oasis class ships, this is not included in the drink package, so I just got my cappuccino fix at the Promenade Cafe, where they use Seattle's Best.

 

 

 

Speaking of the Promenade Cafe, (we are aft again, in case I lost you) ... if you happen to meet Katerina, she is a gem! She always served with a smile and with a commitment to customer service that is above and beyond.

 

Here is your Allure Promenade Café (which I could never find empty - from 5 a.m. to midnight, on different tries!):

 

 

 

 

Mmmmmm! Those Austrian Strietzel are really good!

 

[APDMOM]

Café Promenade drink prices:

 

 

 

 

And the last spot on the Promenade for now... Guest Services:

 

 

Let me just say that before 10 a.m, is your best chance to get a short line at Guest services. On port days they are also less busy. However, the last sea day and debarkation day are the worst. Try to plan accordingly.

 

There is, of course, still the Champagne Bar on the Promenade, but I still have to upload those pictures to my iPad.

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

APDMOM, I'm up for your photo challenge. I love it.

 

 

Thanks! I enjoyed following along with you a couple of months ago! :)

[packercruising]

How many is too many? :)

[seafoy]

Café Promenade drink prices:

 

 

 

 

And the last spot on the Promenade for now... Guest Services:

 

 

Let me just say that before 10 a.m, is your best chance to get a short line at Guest services. On port days they are also less busy. However, the last sea day and debarkation day are the worst. Try to plan accordingly.

 

There is, of course, still the Champagne Bar on the Promenade, but I still have to upload those pictures to my iPad.

 

Do you know if you can get the spirited coffees with the drink package? (Premium pkg)

Edited May 29, 2016 by seafoy
Additional info

[Corklou]

Thanks great pictures

[APDMOM]

Do you know if you can get the spirited coffees with the drink package? (Premium pkg)

 

I would say no, since you need the ultimate for specialty coffee. That probably include spirited coffee. :)

[APDMOM]

How many is too many? :)

 

:D That's my kind of question. :D As you can tell, I LOVE pictures!

[APDMOM]

Thanks for all the compliments and for hanging in there while I upload photos and deal with daily life tasks. Coming up next... Champagne bar

[APDMOM]

The Champagne Bar now sports a new name...

 

 

 

 

With the drink package, it was a fun place to try out new martinis that I would otherwise not risk $13 for.

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Well, I just spent a whole day strolling the promenade in pictures, and we have not even reached breakfast at Johnny Rockets yet. I will follow up on JR later in the review.

 

For now, let's continue with the main events on day 2. Thanks to an active roll call, we had a great turnout for the Meet and Mingle. As I was hovering behind my camera, I totally missed it when Katie called my number in the raffle. Only when she repeated the number did it register that it could be me... And it was. I won some sparkling wine, which I donated to our roll call cabin crawl coordinators.

 

Here is Katie, reading my number while I am lost behind the camera:

 

 

This was one of the two best roll call get-togethers ever, and the best by Royal I have attended. Katie is extremely witty and her ad lib comments made this Meet & Mingle more entertaining than stand up comedy (at least to me). If she is your activity manager, be sure to attend the M&M!

 

After the M&M was the Crown and Anchor top tier event. It took place in the Aqua theater and included a welcome by the captain and some staff members, a bit of a diving/acrobatics show, and a fountain show along with a video of the building of Allure.

 

Our cruise director, Matt:

 

 

Captain Ron Holmes (A great captain!):

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by APDMOM
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