Live Blogging from Allure of the Seas 12/4

[digitalshawn]

We did choose to use the ATS Balcony for our own sail away party; it's big enough and was nice to just be able to enjoy your own space as you sailed away.

 

When you started your embarkation process, they hand you an envelope that contains your Internet access codes, we have five people in our party and there were five codes for everyone.

 

The ATS is also perfect for watching the Aqua Theatre Ocenaria show, I've watched it twice now from our balcony, and will see it again tonight from down on the floor.

 

I am attempting to upload some photos that I've taken over the past two days, and will post them ASAP.

[digitalshawn]

I will try and figure out the photo thing here in a few.

 

For some reason when I upload, it's all distorted.

Edited December 6, 2016 by digitalshawn
Photos are too large

[Sun-Sand-Palm-Trees]

They do, we saw it yesterday. The big stuffing machine looks like cotton candy.

[cruzin76]

Your rolling now. Thanks for the review. Let us know who the headliner is.

[digitalshawn]

Your rolling now. Thanks for the review. Let us know who the headliner is.

 

Will do, tonight is Oceanaria and I believe tomorrow is when we scheduled the headliner.

[digitalshawn]

Daniel has been wonderful, he checks in on us multiple times a day and has arranged a private galley tour and a private bridge tour. There hasn't been many things we've thrown at him that he's not been able to accommodate.

 

The two things that are outstanding are our own issues in booking:

- The family wanted to do the Sea Trek excursion in St Maarten but it is sold out. Daniel is trying to work with Shore Excursions to open up another section or have us booked if people cancel. It's something we should have done months ago and the only time I've ever experienced an excursion selling out. Live and learn.

 

- I was interested in doing the Prohibition Party and it is at capacity. Again, something I should have booked ahead of time and something Daniel is working on trying to accommodate for me.

 

Neither are show stoppers, and something I should have handled earlier.

[digitalshawn]

They do, we saw it yesterday. The big stuffing machine looks like cotton candy.

 

Is it on the Boardwalk?

[suehal]

My son and his girlfriend are on this cruise also:) He won it playing poker last year, and is required to play in a few tournaments while he's on board (poor thing)

 

I'm very interested in this whole Genie thing. I've been in an owner's suite, and we didn't have a genie. Is it just for Oasis class?

Edited December 7, 2016 by suehal

[digitalshawn]

My son and his girlfriend are on this cruise also:) He won it playing poker last year, and is required to play in a few tournaments while he's on board (poor thing)

 

I'm very interested in this whole Genie thing. I've been in an owner's suite, and we didn't have a genie. Is it just for Oasis class?

 

There are a handful of suites that get the Genie, you have to be in a Star Class suite on an Oasis or Quantum class ships. The owners suite on either class would you you the perks. I'm in a two bedroom Aqua Theatre suite.

[digitalshawn]

Your rolling now. Thanks for the review. Let us know who the headliner is.

 

It's the Edge Effect.

[jandj1224]

Thank you for the updates. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[soccerdad72]

Is it on the Boardwalk?

 

Yes, next to the ice cream shop - it's called 'Pets at Sea'

[digitalshawn]

After watching Oceanaria from the room from the previous night, and not getting the best sleep from the stay at the Hampton Inn, we were all tired and after ordering room service; we all essentially turned in early. This was my family’s first time at Nassau, I have been before, and we decided to spend the morning in port wandering around. It gave my family the opportunity to get a few souvenirs for friends and family back home.

 

As we were wandering through the town, we came across a Starbucks. Now, it probably seems silly but I collect one of their cups at every destination that I visit that has a Starbucks. In my last Aegean Sea Cruise, I made out like a bandit and was surprised to see a Starbucks in the Bahamas. After a bit more wandering around the town, we headed back to the ship.

 

One of the things that our Genie Daniel made sure to tell us, is that when you return to the ship and there is a line to skip the line and cut in front of everyone. The line was horrendously long and while I normally don’t mind waiting, having the blessing from our Genie made cutting the line a little easier. Standard fare when you cut the line, you go through security, and a metal detector and make your way back onto the ship.

 

One of the cool perks was the suite sail away party on the helipad. It was attended by at least twenty different officers and they did a quick introduction down the line on what everyone did as they continuously served you champagne, mimosas, or a fruit punch. After the introductions, we began to set sail and were able to get the bridge to sound the horn a few times for us. It was incredibly beautiful, and makes me want to sail on the itinerary Labadee route to experience that sail away.

 

Once we got out of the mainland they ushered us inside as the wind began to pick up and were concerned for our safety. After the sail away I stopped at the Starbucks onboard (I’m an addict I know) and got a Iced Ristretto Americano, it was complimentary with the Star Class perks, from there the Rising Tide was on the Promenade level and hoped on board for a ride up to Central Park. As I was sitting there on Deck 8, my brother and his girlfriend walked in and we rode the Tide down to the Promenade.

 

When I got back to the room, I was in the midst of writing when the doorbell rang and room service had a special delivery from Daniel. He had ordered us another bottle of Champagne and two fruit and cheese plates. I opened the botte and made mom a mimosa while I drank the champagne, and we all began to get ready for dinner.

 

Daniel had made reservations for the family at Chops Grille at six, so we all moved down to Chops where we proceeded to have a very delicious dinner. Mom, my brother, and my dad all got the dry aged filet where I and my brothers girlfriend got the porterhouse. In all honesty, the porterhouse is the better cut of meat, it was more tender and had a better flavor. Don’t let the 20 ounces scare you, it’s easy to eat. The sides were all delicious, and by the time we were finished I was a mixture of wine and champagne happy.

 

Daniel made reservations for us for the comedy show, and I am not big on comedians, so we skipped and I made my way down to the casino where I managed to lose some cash in a relatively short period of time. It wasn’t much, but, I got my fill of the casino in and most likely won’t be back down for the remainder of the voyage. When I got back to the room, I realized that I had dropped my camera batteries and started to retrace my steps, stopping first at Chops where they fell out of my pocket and down on the floor.

 

After finding the batteries, I wandered around Central Park a bit more, where I happened upon a string duo performing Christmas music outside of the Park Café. I stopped and listened for a bit, amazed at how many people were in seats listening to the musicians play. I then again made my way to the room where I watched the tail end of the Oceanaria show. Still amazed at some of the athletic prowess of the performers, and made my way to bed.

[spideyswims]

I've been an incredibly bad live blogger. I need to sit down and write out my thoughts over the last couple of days.

 

While I do that, what questions might you have that I can answer?

 

Are you able to visit Vintages, is Gemma still working there?

[digitalshawn]

Are you able to visit Vintages, is Gemma still working there?

 

I haven't been yet, I'll check it out and report back.

[digitalshawn]

A little backstory on me, earlier this year I was a little over 230 pounds, I’m 5’9” (on a really good day and if I wear shoes with an appropriate heel), and I got the fitness bug in me through my love of indoor cycling and was able to drop anywhere between 55 and 60 pounds (depends on the day really). I was interested in doing the indoor cycling as much as possible on my voyage to keep my activity level as high as it in on land. However; the thing I hate the most are morning fitness classes, especially if you drink heavily the night before. So I have no idea what enticed me to sign up for a cycle class at 8:45 in the morning, but, I did.

 

It’s disingenuous to try and compare cycling on land versus cycling on the ship, but I do enjoy the experience at my local cycle studio more than on the ship. I did manage to burn about 800 calories in an hour and then went charging from the Vitality Spa & Fitness Center back to the room for our private Galley tour. Daniel was waiting for us down on deck five with the executive sous chef and then we began the tour. We went through the galley on decks three, four and five. Talking about food prep, consumption, and recycling efforts.

 

One of the interesting facts is that all of the recycling that is done on the ship goes to the crew fund used for parties and events and is offloaded every week when the ship goes back into port. Food waste is virtually non-existent as they use the leftovers for other items throughout the week, and any food that is thrown away is essentially decomposed and let out in the ocean to feed the wildlife at an appropriate and safe distance away from shore.

 

After the tour, we happened upon the Dreamworks parade, it was cute, and I can see how it is appealing to the little ones, but I left about half way through to grab some lunch. I decided I wanted to check out Sabor, I love tacos and chips and salsa, and you can never say no to a good margarita so I went and was seated and proceeded to have the calamari, and red snapper and both were delicious as was my drink.

 

After lunch I made my way back to the suite got mom and we went and did a bit of exploring, up to the flowrider and to see the zipline in action. After that we came back to the suite, I wrote about the experience to post onto cruise critic. After that, I got cleaned up, went out and got a predinner drink and met the family at Samba for our next meal.

 

Samba is an incredible amount of food. Between the salad bar when you start and then the nine courses they deliver to you, you do walk away feeling slightly gluttonous. Of all the restaurants, we have tried to date, it is the one I wouldn’t go back to a second time on the voyage. The food is good, but the service was a little slow. It seemed as if they didn’t have enough guachos for the tables they had seated.

 

After dinner, I walked around Central Park a bit more and the Royal Promenade and then made my way down to Oceanaria one last time. This time from the Star Class seats that were reserved for us. This was the only time I have heard people audibly complain to the Genie about the reserved section. I should also clarify, the seats are reserved for Star Class up to ten minutes before the show starts and then they are released to the general public to sit in; and during Oceanaria’s seating it was the only time I heard someone complain about them being taken and reserved.

 

Oceanaria was even better on the floor than it was from the balcony, and I recommend the show, even a third time. The athleticism and the skill that each of the performers possess is astonishing and there are things that you see on the floor that you miss from the balcony of the stateroom.

 

After the show, I stopped for one last drink before heading up to the room and retiring. The next day is at St Thomas.

[digitalshawn]

Other ships in port with us: Celebrity Silhouette.

 

At this point in time, my family, whom I love dearly, began grating on my nerves a little bit and was relieved that both my brother and his girlfriend, as well as my mom and dad were doing their own thing today. It gave me a break, and everyone got some time for themselves.

 

One of the things I should mention, last night during dinner at Samba; Daniel got us into the SeaTrek excursion in St Maarten, and we had to go sign paperwork and have the SeaPass cards swiped to charge the account. We could either do it from 10-11 or from 5-6. With the family out doing their own thing we waited until 5:45 to go through the steps to book the excursion; but, a major win from Daniel.

 

While the family was out doing their own thing, I walked around the port a bit, this was probably at least my fifth time to St Thomas, and didn’t find an excursion that I was interested in. I went and asked the Shore Excursions desk about what options were good for one person, they of course gave a line that they all would be. However; after sailing and doing a few ships tours in my time, I knew that not every option is good for a solo cruiser. Ziplining, Catamarans, and Kayaking are all built for groups or at least two, and I didn’t want to be the one person looking for an activity partner.

 

My inability and lack of desire to find something to do allowed me to walk around a virtually empty ship, and I was able to get a lot of photographs of the various venues without lots of people in the photos. I stopped and had a hotdog and a beer from the place on the Boardwalk and then came back to the suite to write up the adventures to have posted.

 

I’m going to stop this blog midway and will pick It up again. Today is St Maarten and need to get ready for SeaTrek.

[scottygirl]

A little backstory on me, earlier this year I was a little over 230 pounds, I’m 5’9” (on a really good day and if I wear shoes with an appropriate heel), and I got the fitness bug in me through my love of indoor cycling and was able to drop anywhere between 55 and 60 pounds (depends on the day really). I was interested in doing the indoor cycling as much as possible on my voyage to keep my activity level as high as it in on land. However; the thing I hate the most are morning fitness classes, especially if you drink heavily the night before. So I have no idea what enticed me to sign up for a cycle class at 8:45 in the morning, but, I did.

 

 

Congratulations! Losing 60 pounds is quite an accomplishment.:)

[digitalshawn]

Congratulations! Losing 60 pounds is quite an accomplishment.:)

 

Thank you.

[mrpayroll]

Enjoying reading about your cruise. I agree that when traveling with a group , you do need some " alone " time...:)

[countess5]

Would you ask Daniel to ask the Captain to move the Allure over a bit. I can't see the Silhouette on the webcam! :eek:

 

We sailed her this year in the Baltics and going to the British Isle next year.

We love that ship!

 

Tell Daniel Thanks :D

[countess5]

Sorry, save Daniel a trip, I can see the Silhouette, it is the Eclipse that is being Eclipsed by the Allure.

 

We Love Allure, have sailed her twice. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[countess5]

Blogger went silent. Always a challenge when you are fired up when you leave then................................?

[digitalshawn]

Are you able to visit Vintages, is Gemma still working there?

 

She is not she just left for vacation.

[digitalshawn]

Ships in port with us: Star Legend, Wind Surf, Silhouette, Eclipse, Nieuw Amsterdam

 

St Maarten was Sea Trek day, the tour that Daniel was able to open up for us through his Genie magic. I don’t know how he did it, but, am glad he was able to work with the tour operator to have one last session added to the docket. We were required to meet on the pier next to the ship at 10:15AM which gave us enough time to get up, and get prepared to go out on our Trek.

 

One of the more amazing things I have noticed throughout the voyage with Star Class is that once people see the card, they rarely if ever swipe for things. For example, on our way out to the Sea Trek excursion I went and got towels for the family and when I handed the attendant my card, he was prepared to scan the number of towels we took but then saw the color and handed it back to me waving me on. Also, for theatre productions as you make your way through the crowd and up to the attendants, they again just look at the color and wave you into the theatre.

 

Anyways, back to Sea Trek, we ended up having just about fifteen total people in the tour, six from the ship and nine from various hotels in St Maarten. The small number of participants made it nice, as there was a bit more time for each person, and you didn’t feel as rushed. When we got to the platform, which was a mere ten-minute boat ride away, they weren’t quite ready for us, so they had us wait at the Tiki Hut. Once the other group finished the water taxi took us over to the Sea Trek platform and the other party hopped on the taxi to go back to the ship, they all looked like Royal Caribbean cruisers based from the color of their beach towel.

 

The tour operators gave us some very basic hand communication protocols and then we began the descent down to the platform; there were a few people in the group that had trouble with the pressure or the helmet and opted out of the experience. It took my dad three times to go down, but was finally able to make it to the bottom when they gave him chewing gum. The experience was neat, and I would like to become diving certified on my next voyage. It was just such a unique experience, and I understand why divers enjoy diving.

 

After we made our way back to the port, the family got off to go back to the ship, and we did a little bit of knickknack shopping around the stores in the port, I bought some chocolate and made my way back. I was a little hungry and knew we were going to Izumi for dinner later that evening, so I didn’t want something large for a late lunch. I ended up going to Park Café for one of their roast beef sandwiches that people rave about. The sandwich was good, I also had a panini, and then walked around a bit enjoying the ship before going back up to the suite to prepare for dinner.

 

Dinner reservations and show reservations were tight; we had Izumi at 5:30 and then the Ice Games at 7:30. However; we must meet Daniel at the show between 7:10-7:20 to claim our seats, so it’s not a lot of time go get from one place to the other, especially when dinner is a show as well. I am just going to come out and say it, I’m not a Hibachi fan, and this was one area I think our wires were crossed in dinner reservations, in emails back and forth with Daniel I had originally asked for my brother and his girlfriend to have reservations there, while he made reservations for us at another restaurant.

 

Now, just because I don’t like the experience doesn’t mean the food was terrible or that it was bad, it’s quite the contrary. The food and service, as with every specialty restaurant were amazing. I just prefer a quieter dining experience. I caught the egg in my mouth in one try, which I think I was the only person at the table that could do it. My dinner was the strip and lobster, which in hindsight I would have rather had the filet than the lobster. The strip was a fatty, but it was cooked and seasoned well. But, how could anything be seasoned poorly when it’s coated in butter?

 

After dinner was the Ice Show, which is based from monopoly highlighting various venues around the ship. The skaters were fantastic and the moves they can do are astonishing. It made me wish my one friend who is an ice skating aficionado was with us, as I think he would have loved seeing the performance.

 

That night was the night of the prohibition party and quest, but, after all the excursions and food, I skipped them both to come up to the room and relax a bit before retiring to bed. One of the many activities they had in the Aqua Theatre was a fountain show before one of the movies they performed. The force at which they can get the water above the Crown & Anchor in conjunction with the music was a nice touch to end the evening.