Just off the Mall of America, I mean Allure

[Mustang2015]

We just gotback from a day at the Mall of American we live only 15 minutes from it, DH said seemshe like one of those mega cruise ships. No chick fil-a yet at the MOA

[Paulette3028]

You are only the minority in this thread.;)

 

In my response I pointed out things I did not like as well as what I did like.....the entertainment and activities are wonderful....not that I did not enjoy my cruise on Allure.....and we are sailing on her again this coming November. But there were things that were not to my liking......they did not cause me to have a bad cruise....because I NEVER have a bad cruise.....and I am happy to do it again and again.

[vanesssss]

We've sailed on Oasis twice and have an Allure trip coming up soon. We're fans of the mega-ships and love sitting on our balcony to watch the waves go by.

 

As I recall you couldn't even get a window table in one of the specialty dining restaurants with an ocean view.

 

We sat near a window at Izumi on Oasis.

[sakigemcam]

We too just returned from our second Allure cruise and, other than the obvious decline in food quality throughout the ship, just loved it. We love the sea so we book an outside balcony. We eat breakfast there. We read there. We sometimes leave the doors open so the sea can lull us to sleep. Everywhere we go on the ship, we have the sea, whether we're using the track, enjoying the Solarium, or hitting up the Sundeck or higher decks. We don't ever have a problem getting our ocean time in.

 

The ship is managed beautifully, and even though our kids are grown now and we have done our share of kid duty, it's easy for us to avoid/ignore the other kids onboard.

 

Reservations are no issue for us to pre-book, as I'd rather not have to worry about it when on board.

 

AND, I hope RCL keeps the two seatings forever. There needs to be come throwback to the elegance of cruising from yesteryear, when I cruised with my parents. Now, if those who prefer to wear shorts and baseball caps on formal night would just get the message....:mad:....there are other places to eat!

 

As for the decline in food quality, even that doesn't matter that much to us, though it is a shame. We manage to eat healthy and the biggest bonus is that I DONT HAVE TO COOK FOR A WEEK!! Cruising is not about fine dining for us. We can do that at home. Just cook for me, serve me, and clean up afterwards. Yay.

Beautiful ship, beautifully maintained, and we'd do this class again and again - great exercise getting from end to end!

[Lionesss]

Sorry you did not enjoy the Allure, but at least you tried.

 

Me being part of the minority will stay with the Allure after many satisfying sailings.

 

To each his own.

 

Enjoy sailing.

 

Safe travels.

[Lordnlkon]

Oasis class are our favorite ships. Good thing they have different types of ships for different types of people.

[iriemon]

In my response I pointed out things I did not like as well as what I did like.....the entertainment and activities are wonderful....not that I did not enjoy my cruise on Allure.....and we are sailing on her again this coming November. But there were things that were not to my liking......they did not cause me to have a bad cruise....because I NEVER have a bad cruise.....and I am happy to do it again and again.

 

No offense meant. I think on every ship I have been on there are things I like and things I don't like as much. But it is a vacation no cooking no cleaning and great people

[LuCruise]

I don't know if the cabin layout is much different from cabin to cabin....but we had a balcony overlooking CP on Allure and the bed was located right next to the closet and it was difficult to easily get things in and out of the closet. The end tables had NO drawers in our layout either. Bathroom shelving was nice, I will admit.

 

We had a promenade room and also had the bed by the closest (think that's luck of the draw as the rooms switch every room or so...there is some post on here of how to figure out which one you will get). And yeah, true...it was a bit tight getting to the closet but we managed (but only one person could squeeze in there at a time ). Our end tables had 3 shelves...not drawers...but I still used it for clothes.

[NJporkroll]

None of your jokes are funny. Please the funny to professional comedians.

It's an art. Not to be taken lightly.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[emory2001]

I appreciate the honesty of this review. I have been on the fence about trying an Oasis class ship, for all these reasons which I have seen mentioned in one way or another before, but never quite like this. ;) I thought I would enjoy trying it once, just to see, but now I'm not so sure. I definitely want to see the ocean on a ship, and the older I get the less I'm into malls. I rarely shop on a cruise. As for size in general, Independence seemed almost too big to me.

[Annie43]

We were on the March 5th sailing on the Allure. Our group consisted of 12 family members ages 2-63 and the ship offered something for everyone. We selected the Allure for this very reason. However, pre-planning / reservations were a necessity! We saw the long lines waiting for dinner, to get into shows, etc. For our diverse group, the Allure was perfect. RCI provided an incredible level of service and did all those little "extras." This was a family cruise vacation that we will remember forever!:cool:

[packerman8]

My girlfriend is doing some last minute planning and trying to figure out all the food places. As it sounds, Johnny Rockets is free only for breakfast. Does anyone know if the solarium bistro is free all day along with wipeout café?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[shellster1]

I appreciate the OP's review, as well everyone's honest opinions on this thread, particularly those who are considerate and leave out the snarky tones! (which is the majority here.) :)

 

I will be on a summer sailing with my son. While I'm worried I will feel the same, the little guy thought this ship would be "so cool", and insisted we book a CP or BW balcony to "people watch". I booked a guarantee balcony, so I'm crossing my fingers (for him.) I'll miss the OV for sure.

 

So grateful for CC: Because of everyone's advice, I've made all necessary resi's. I know it will be fun if I make sure to stay positive!!

[delluser]

Solarium open for bfast and lunch, becomes Samba $ for dinner. Wipeout had limited hours and only served hotdogs, fries and soggy pizza the 2 times we tried it.

[Clarea]

My girlfriend is doing some last minute planning and trying to figure out all the food places. As it sounds, Johnny Rockets is free only for breakfast. Does anyone know if the solarium bistro is free all day along with wipeout café?

Solarium Bistro is free for breakfast and lunch. Changes to a pay restaurant in the evening.

 

Wipeout Cafe is free whenever it's open.

[delluser]

I appreciate the OP's review, as well everyone's honest opinions on this thread, particularly those who are considerate and leave out the snarky tones! (which is the majority here.) :)

 

I will be on a summer sailing with my son. While I'm worried I will feel the same, the little guy thought this ship would be "so cool", and insisted we book a CP or BW balcony to "people watch". I booked a guarantee balcony, so I'm crossing my fingers (for him.) I'll miss the OV for sure.

 

So grateful for CC: Because of everyone's advice, I've made all necessary resi's. I know it will be fun if I make sure to stay positive!!

I thought all week the Allure would be perfect for 11-14 yr old boys! Have a great cruise!

[packerman8]

Did the room service charge change for this ship yet?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[shellster1]

I thought all week the Allure would be perfect for 11-14 yr old boys! Have a great cruise!

 

Thank you!!:)

[delluser]

Did the room service charge change for this ship yet?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It was free until midnight or 1 am then it had a service charge from 1-5 am. I think it was 4.95 during those off peak hours.

[molsonschooner]

Guess I am in the minority but I love the Allure. Been on it twice will be on it in 2 weeks, again in June with my granddaughters and again in February. Having been on 64 cruises (mostly RCL, Princess and HAL) the entertainment is far superior to any other class of ship (just got off the freedom 2 weeks ago) and the variety of places to eat is great. (I very rarely eat in the DR) I can always find a place to have some alone time and never felt crowded. It is not for everyone which is why there are so many ships that are all different. Find the style you like and enjoy it.

I don't know about that. All Oasis class ship sail full every week.

[toxicfairy]

We did Oasis a few years ago and we also decided that it was just not for us. While we made the most of our cruise it was too crowded at times. Also we thought that the staff was over whelmed and could not give the personal touches we usually find. They always seemed rushed . We had a nice cruise but would not do it again. Freedom class is my favorite and I don't think I want to go bigger again. I would like to try some of the smaller ships. But for now we're doing Liberty again in August. As far as food as long as I don't have to prep it cook it serve it and clean up after it I'm going to enjoy it!

 

Sent from my SM-J700T1 using Forums mobile app

[FSUNole]

I appreciate the honesty of this review. I have been on the fence about trying an Oasis class ship, for all these reasons which I have seen mentioned in one way or another before, but never quite like this. ;) I thought I would enjoy trying it once, just to see, but now I'm not so sure. I definitely want to see the ocean on a ship, and the older I get the less I'm into malls. I rarely shop on a cruise. As for size in general, Independence seemed almost too big to me.

I'm not a huge fan of Oasis class ships but very glad I tried it myself. Go on one and forge your own opinion. You won't hate it.

[Rewind]

We did Allure on a Transatlantic - it was a new class for us and we hadn't done a cross ocean trip before so it ticked off two boxes. The way I had figured it, if we were doing a transatlantic we should do it on the largest cruise ship (at the time) so we would always have something to do. We were able to find a couple cozy spots to read a book while watching the waves pass by, but you do notice that the ship layout is designed to turn everyone inward to the shops / restaurants / entertainment.

 

I'd say try the Oasis class ships once to make your own opinions, but if you normally don't book balcony cabins, I would recommend another class where there are more windows to the water in common areas.

[Big_G]

We did Allure on a Transatlantic - it was a new class for us and we hadn't done a cross ocean trip before so it ticked off two boxes. The way I had figured it, if we were doing a transatlantic we should do it on the largest cruise ship (at the time) so we would always have something to do. We were able to find a couple cozy spots to read a book while watching the waves pass by, but you do notice that the ship layout is designed to turn everyone inward to the shops / restaurants / entertainment.

 

I'd say try the Oasis class ships once to make your own opinions, but if you normally don't book balcony cabins, I would recommend another class where there are more windows to the water in common areas.

 

That's a pretty good assessment. We enjoy sailing multiple classes with Royal including the Oasis Class as well as the S Class with Celebrity and enjoy them all. The whole 'Mall of America' meme has become so cliche it's tiresome.

[perditax]

Thanks for the report. I was wavering on maybe trying Harmony or Allure for a last-minute Caribbean next month, but the Oasis ships and the "mall" look (I mean from pictures ... where they've re-created faux-upscale suburban shopping) hasn't done it for me. And I often cruise solo on insides, so rely on public spaces to get my ocean fix.