Just off Allure (4-11 Dec) - Star Class! WOW!

[myraid]

My first review so bear with me...

Just completed a week on the Allure with my two kids (7 and 11) and my wife. We stayed in the 2 bedroom ATS on Deck 9.

 

Our Genie (Susan) was amazing. Such an asset to RC. She met us at the suite guest entrance at the port and whisked us through. We had out swipe cards and were sitting in the suite lounge area in about 10 minutes. We arrived at the port at 10:30am and were in our room just after 11am. It is rather funny getting on that early since many of the workers are yelling saying that we are not to be on the ship until 1PM and so Susan had to keep saying it is fine, they are Star Class. Embarking as a Star Class is truly an amazing experience.

 

Room

 

Let me start with the room. Having sailed on Disney in their suites, there really is no comparison. The 2bdr ATS is absolutely amazing. There is so much space to spread out. 3 televisions, great common area, more storage than we knew what to do with but I guess if you had 8 people in there I kind of understand. I also like the various lighting options throughout the cabin. pot lights, fluorescent, etc. made your ambient choices infinite.

 

My mini bar fridge was stocked with our exact requests...apple juice and orange juice for the kids, Evian water, Pellegrino, Heineken, Sierra Nevada and Bud Light (note the Bud Light was for my wife ). We actually had a case of extra water, juices and beer stored in the cabinet to the left of the mini fridge so we could stock the fridge as we pleased throughout the week. For those on here that have said the mini fridges do not get cold, that was not the case for us. The beverages were always ice cold. Also a bottle of Moet was chilling on ice.

 

The kid’s bedroom was great. Even though the room can sleep 4 with two pullout bunks and two standard beds, my kids wanted to sleep on the bunks each night. They had their own TV and there bathroom was a pretty decent size.

 

The master bedroom is stunning and the bed is so comfortable. We had a choice of three different pillow types. I fell in love with one and will now be looking for the same type of pillow for our bed at home. Again, lots of storage. My only room criticism is with the master bathroom. Given the square footage of the overall room, I was surprised how small the master bathroom was. The bathtub was a very high soaker tub that I would think anyone with even minor mobility issues would have a very hard time getting in and out of. As well, the ceiling above the bathtub/shower area is very low. Anyone over 6 foot would have a bit of a struggle. With all that said the bath products were amazing. Even as a guy, I have to admit the quality was fantastic.

 

Finally the balcony. What can I say? It was one area we spent quite a bit of time on in the early morning and evenings. We watched the two of the aqua shows from there, the kids watched The Secret Life of Pets and overall it was great. My one recommendation would be at the bar seating area of the balcony, either make the chairs shorter so you can slide your legs under the counter or increase the height of the counter. Was hard to sit comfortably in from the bar counter and so we would slide the chairs away from that area to watch the shows. Overall, the balcony is amazing and the table for 6 was great to eat at (sushi especially as we requested it in our room for a late afternoon snack...YUMMY)

 

I could go on, so please ask me if there is something specific you want to know about these ATS rooms.

 

Dining

 

Since we were Star Class, not once did we eat in the Windjammer. Each night was another specialty restaurant. I won't go into a detailed review on each but will say with the exception of Giovanni's, each dinner restaurant was great. For lunch we ate a Sabor's twice, Johnny Rockets, Sorrento’s, Park Avenue and Coastal Kitchen. Breakfast was at Coastal Kitchen with the exception of one morning. Coastal Kitchen was great and the head host/waiter "Memis" was fantastic, fun and a great asset to RC.

 

Activities

 

There is lots to do on the ship. My son was constantly on the Flowrider and Zipline while my daughter wanted to rock climb and swim in the round current pool. Star class is pretty great to have when using these amenities since we were in a separate line and after every two people went, we could go. Flowrider gets pretty busy especially on sea days and so this was a great perk. My son did have a few “run ins” with some of the other older kids but all was cleared up after the operator explained the suite class system. At first I was a bit uncomfortable with this privilege, but after a day I was fine .

 

Star Class

 

Prior to our cruise I read and asked many questions around Star Class and what is and is not included. Let me tell you very simply that there were only two items NOT included with Star Class…Starbucks pastries and the arcade. The kids wanted to use the arcade at times and so we purchased a $50 swipe card and all went well. Literally everything else was included. I will also say that some of the restaurants (won’t name names) included bottles of wine/champagne and no extra cost. Star class really is an amazing perk. Disembarking was so fast, we were literally whisked through and at the security officer in about 10 minutes from the time we left our room. I was amazed at how long the general line was and we would have missed our noon flight had we been in it. I guess customs was short staffed and people were very irate.

 

Overall, this was an amazing experience and we truly loved our time on Allure. We have already booked our next cruise in the same ATS room type next December.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

 

Cheers,

Shawn

[remajm]

We sailed on the Oasis in Star class in October and are leaving in January on the Allure. I was just curious if when you were able to board early if you could get into your room at that time? I feel it is worth the money for all the extra perks you receive.

[myraid]

We were taken directly to our room and it was all clean and ready to go. Was about 11:20am when we were in our room.

 

 

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[kellyco]

We will be in 9730 in March. Were you able to get have your Genie arrange any private flow rider time? Sounds like you had a great trip.

[myraid]

We will be in 9730 in March. Were you able to get have your Genie arrange any private flow rider time? Sounds like you had a great trip.

 

 

Honestly did not need to. My son and I were the only ones with the Star Class bands most of the time so we never bothered. Wait was 5 minutes or less each ride. Was told you could 30 minutes prior to it opening. Never requested however.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

Good that you could get it for 4 people, I always thought it had a higher minimum occupancy

 

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[myraid]

Good that you could get it for 4 people, I always thought it had a higher minimum occupancy

 

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Many have said that but so far this has not been an issue.

 

 

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[bertrande]

This is wonderful - we are in Star Class on Oasis next and this is great sharing thanks. Did Giovannis disappoint? Did you only make your specialty dining reservations onboard or prior to the cruise? We had a group of 6 but one has since dropped out and RCL gave my TA a tough time trying to adjust my booking for 5. Did you book your 4-pax occupancy way in advance?

 

 

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[myraid]

This is wonderful - we are in Star Class on Oasis next and this is great sharing thanks. Did Giovannis disappoint? Did you only make your specialty dining reservations onboard or prior to the cruise? We had a group of 6 but one has since dropped out and RCL gave my TA a tough time trying to adjust my booking for 5. Did you book your 4-pax occupancy way in advance?

 

 

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Giovanni's food was quite bland for my wife and I. The kids seemed to enjoy their meal but for us, not quite the same as the other restaurants. Chandon was not available so they served my wife Moet, so not all bad :). We told our Genie prior to boarding that we wanted to try all the specialty restaurants. Once we were on board and in our room, she gave us a reservation schedule for the week which we tweaked as the week went on. There was never any issues.

As for booking, it was about a year prior that we booked the ATS for our family of 4. We also booked the exact same room type for December 2017 while we were onboard and there was no issue whatsoever.

 

You will love Star Class!

 

Shawn

[easyboy]

Glad to know that you had everything that you were expecting. Thank you for your feedback.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

[ThirstyCruiser]

Honestly did not need to. My son and I were the only ones with the Star Class bands most of the time so we never bothered. Wait was 5 minutes or less each ride. Was told you could 30 minutes prior to it opening. Never requested however.

We are considering Star class for a future cruise.

I am a FlowRider padawan, looking to become a Jedi, but its hard without the reps. However this Star Suite priority access could solve that.

 

It wasn't "weird" cutting in front of other people?

How did it work, they made you stand off to the side until it was your turn than waved you over?

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[bigbeergut]

.... Star class is pretty great to have when using these amenities since we were in a separate line and after every two people went, we could go. Flowrider gets pretty busy especially on sea days and so this was a great perk....

 

Seems like this could be a problem if there was a family of 4 or a couple of families traveling together. Going back to the Star class line after every 2 other riders would make already long lines on sea days 33% longer. Seems like it would cause a lot of unhappy people on the Flowrider.

Edited December 13, 2016 by bigbeergut

[A&L_Ont]

We are considering Star class for a future cruise.

I am a FlowRider padawan, looking to become a Jedi, but its hard without the reps. However this Star Suite priority access could solve that.

 

It wasn't "weird" cutting in front of other people?

How did it work, they made you stand off to the side until it was your turn than waved you over?

 

Seems like this could be a problem if there was a family of 4 or a couple of families traveling together. Going back to the Star class line after every 2 other riders would make already long lines on sea days 33% longer. Seems like it would cause a lot of unhappy people on the Flowrider.

 

As a Star Class Jedi flowrider and multiple BOB winner I find the line cutting to go against the spirit of flowriding. I love the idea of them opening it 30 minutes early for Star Class guests, or open after hours. If multiple Star Class guests rode all day in the short line, of a 7 day cruise, it would destroy the riding experience for everyone.

 

I can ride for 5 minutes or longer with no issues. I have done hour long private rentals for just me. If I rode in the short line and went every 5 or 6 people I could single handily made the line exponentially longer. The theory is great, but RC can do the Star Class flowrider experience much better than line jumping and creating an awkward position for those guests, crew and the guests that stand in the normal line.

 

IMO perk will/can be a gong show over the holidays and March break.

[RFerrington]

Good that you could get it for 4 people, I always thought it had a higher minimum occupancy

 

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We have 8330 booked on Harmony in Feb. We booked directly fom the website and there are just 2 of us. Not sure if we just got lucky but we also sailed on Allure last Feb in a 1BR (11330) which we also booked directly from the website for the 2 of us.

 

Consistent inconsistencies ?

[John&LaLa]

We have 8330 booked on Harmony in Feb. We booked directly fom the website and there are just 2 of us. Not sure if we just got lucky but we also sailed on Allure last Feb in a 1BR (11330) which we also booked directly from the website for the 2 of us.

 

Consistent inconsistencies ?

I see the one bedrooms all the time, just never seen a 2 bedroom on website

 

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[A&L_Ont]

I see the one bedrooms all the time, just never seen a 2 bedroom on website

 

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John, they do come up once in a while but only as it gets closer to the sail date. I have seen the 2 bedroom and RLS available for just 2 people before. You have to watch cabin inventory carefully. It will be some sort of price point VS time comparison. I have seen them appear around 3 months prior to the sailing date. It could also be a cancellation that they put on the market ASAP. Perhaps RC want it gone and since extra births are filled at that point they don't mind selling this was to a smaller party.

Edited December 13, 2016 by A&L_Ont

[John&LaLa]

John, they do come up once in a while but only as it gets closer to the sail date. I have seen the 2 bedroom and RLS available for just 2 people before. You have to watch cabin inventory carefully. It will be some sort of price point VS time comparison. I have seen them appear around 3 months prior to the sailing date. It could also be a cancellation that they put on the market ASAP. Perhaps RC want it gone and since extra births are filled at that point they don't mind selling this was to a smaller party.

I understand that, makes sense. Laura and I once got a FO on Mariner about 3 months prior. But didn't someone say they got a 2 bedroom with 4 people over a year away?

 

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[myraid]

I understand that, makes sense. Laura and I once got a FO on Mariner about 3 months prior. But didn't someone say they got a 2 bedroom with 4 people over a year away?

 

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We booked our first 2 bdrm with four of us a year prior and while on the ship booked our second 2 bdrm ATS with the same number of people. Never had an issue.

[A&L_Ont]

I understand that, makes sense. Laura and I once got a FO on Mariner about 3 months prior. But didn't someone say they got a 2 bedroom with 4 people over a year away?

 

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We once had an ATS for 5 booked a year in advance. We did it on the ship and the next Cruise agent had to call shore first to see if they could do it. This was about 4 years ago so maybe they have changed protocol since then.

[myraid]

We are considering Star class for a future cruise.

I am a FlowRider padawan, looking to become a Jedi, but its hard without the reps. However this Star Suite priority access could solve that.

 

It wasn't "weird" cutting in front of other people?

How did it work, they made you stand off to the side until it was your turn than waved you over?

 

This was our first RC cruise and so everything was new for us. We were given the specifics of what was included with Star Class. When we arrived at the activities desk to receive our bands, they also gave us a second colored band distinguishing us as Star Class. It was at that time, the guys instructed us on where to stand. The Star Class guests stand at the top of the boogie board flowrider (at least this is where they told us to stand) so there is really no cutting in per se. On this particular cruise, I only saw 1, sometimes 2 Star Class at the times we were there. Not sure what the odds would be that all Star Class guests show up on the flowrider at roughly the same time during the day. Spoke to one guys staying in a royal suite who said it is pretty awkward going 30 minutes prior since many folks continuously line up assuming it is open as well as stand around "gawking" at the Star Class folks. Not sure which I would prefer but given this is what RC has deemed a "perk", until something changes Star Class will continue to reep the benefit :). As an aside, one thing I did notice was that the boogie board flowrider was generally the most busy with new folks trying it for the first or second time. The stand up flowrider was almost always the same 6-12 guys (only saw one woman do it) waiting. Every time I went, the same guys were there. Not sure if that is the norm.

 

I hope my thread does not become a flowrider debate and understand that I am just sharing my observations on what my experience was overall on the Allure as a Star Class guest.

 

Cheers.

[zstarbrite]

.

 

 

Since we were Star Class, not once did we eat in the Windjammer. Each night was another specialty restaurant. I won't go into a detailed review on each but will say with the exception of Giovanni's, each dinner restaurant was great. For lunch we ate a Sabor's twice, Johnny Rockets, Sorrento’s, Park Avenue and Coastal Kitchen. Breakfast was at Coastal Kitchen with the exception of one morning. Coastal Kitchen was great and the head host/waiter "Memis" was fantastic, fun and a great asset to RC.

 

Shawn did you order room service? I had read that star class has a special room service menu (i guess it's a full menu as opposed to an abbreviated one)? Am very curious to know what will be available for our January sailing as we are traveling with an 9MO and may be stuck in our room a bit lol

Edited December 13, 2016 by zstarbrite

[myraid]

.

 

 

Since we were Star Class, not once did we eat in the Windjammer. Each night was another specialty restaurant. I won't go into a detailed review on each but will say with the exception of Giovanni's, each dinner restaurant was great. For lunch we ate a Sabor's twice, Johnny Rockets, Sorrento’s, Park Avenue and Coastal Kitchen. Breakfast was at Coastal Kitchen with the exception of one morning. Coastal Kitchen was great and the head host/waiter "Memis" was fantastic, fun and a great asset to RC.

 

Shawn did you order room service? I had read that star class has a special room service menu (i guess it's a full menu as opposed to an abbreviated one)? Am very curious to know what will be available for our January sailing as we are traveling with an 9MO and may be stuck in our room a bit lol

 

I never actually saw the menu specifically, but we called and had cheese fruit, etc brought to our room almost every day. Our Genie also arranged to have sushi brought directly to our room from Izumi. I would speak to your Genie and he/she will arrange everything for you. I was told you can actually order from any of the specialty restaurants and have the food brought to your room.

[A&L_Ont]

This was our first RC cruise and so everything was new for us. We were given the specifics of what was included with Star Class. When we arrived at the activities desk to receive our bands, they also gave us a second colored band distinguishing us as Star Class. It was at that time, the guys instructed us on where to stand. The Star Class guests stand at the top of the boogie board flowrider (at least this is where they told us to stand) so there is really no cutting in per se. On this particular cruise, I only saw 1, sometimes 2 Star Class at the times we were there. Not sure what the odds would be that all Star Class guests show up on the flowrider at roughly the same time during the day. Spoke to one guys staying in a royal suite who said it is pretty awkward going 30 minutes prior since many folks continuously line up assuming it is open as well as stand around "gawking" at the Star Class folks. Not sure which I would prefer but given this is what RC has deemed a "perk", until something changes Star Class will continue to reep the benefit :). As an aside, one thing I did notice was that the boogie board flowrider was generally the most busy with new folks trying it for the first or second time. The stand up flowrider was almost always the same 6-12 guys (only saw one woman do it) waiting. Every time I went, the same guys were there. Not sure if that is the norm.

 

I hope my thread does not become a flowrider debate and understand that I am just sharing my observations on what my experience was overall on the Allure as a Star Class guest.

 

Cheers.

 

I agree with you, this isn't the place for debate. Good info sharing is the name of the game. :) I don't fault anyone using this perk as it's sold that way. I just think they could have done it better, to make it more exclusive. Have a flowrider private party hour one night for Star Class guests if enough sign up for it. I'd take 30 minutes at the start of everyday pre-advanced riding versus the current method. I have read that it is handled differently on all of the Oasis Class Ships.

 

Just some info, 6-12 stand up riders is a short line. In the normal is 15 and higher on sea days. The average wait is a solid 20-25 minutes. When you hit March break and Holidays it gets busier from there. A long line on those days is closer to an hour.