The allure of Allure.....a brief suite review.....

[Newtoncruise]

Allure of the Seas is a magnificent ship. Cruising her last week in the Caribbean was my first time on an Oasis class ship. I love cruising with Royal Caribbean having taken 10 cruises over the past few years. I have cruised on most classes of ship now and enjoyed them all.

 

Last week we cruised in a Grand Suite as Diamond in C&A. Thank goodness we did! I don't think the Allure can handle all 6500 guests in the style and comfort they deserve and pay for!

 

Positives first.

 

The ship is wonderful. The facilities on board are fantastic......better than every other class. The restaurants, the theatres and arenas, the pools, the bars, sporting facilities, in fact most physical elements of the ship are awesome.

 

The shows are exceptional. Very professional and entertaining. Mamamia, Ocean Aria and Blue Planet were brilliant.

 

Negatives....

 

There are too many passengers to be catered for by the basic restaurants. The MDR and Windjammer where chaotic every time we tried to use them.

 

The other free eateries were fine. The Park Cafe, Sorrentos, Promenade Cafe, Wipe Out Cafe etc. But when is comes to mass catering of breakfast dinner and lunch the ship was severely lacking!

 

Queues were commonplace and very long.....Ive never seen queues at the WJ before on any class of ship. Something was wrong!

 

Luckily they cater for suite guests in a separate suite lounge and give them their own speciality restaurant and space away from the madding crowd. I really enjoyed it! Suite perks generally are better on Oasis Class than other ships.......I guess Royal quickly realised they had issues and upped their offer for suites...

 

The food served in the exclusive Coastal Kitchen is on par with the speciality restaurants and of a way better standard than that served in the MDR. Windjammer food is still good but it is too small and too busy to be enjoyed.

 

Staff have less responsibility to ensure excellent service. The personal service you get on the smaller ships was often lacking.

 

Even the concierge service for suite guests didn't work so well. On smaller ships a single concierge looks after all suite guests. They get to know them and look after them with a personal touch that goes appreciated.

 

Allure has two concierges because of the numbers of guests! Logical but flawed! They each devolved responsibility to each other and neither excelled in the roles. The maitre d was the single point of contact for all the suite guests dining in Costal Kitchen. He excelled because he was responsible, eager to help and charming too!

 

Please RCI look at this concierge issue!

 

The diamond lounge was also very very busy but we did not use it too much this cruise because the suite lounge was a nicer space with a better view of the ship and ocean!

 

I am glad I sailed Allure.....but I would not sail her or her sisters again in anything less than a grand suite.

 

New cruisers might find everything ok. But for me It might be time to move to Celebrity or another line? I'm not sure! I love Royal but maybe the overall experience is better for me on the smaller ships........

 

Nothing booked yet but would welcome advice based on this recent experience.

 

Thanks for reading! Please ask any questions or make comments as you see fit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[tnt10]

Thank you for your insightful mini-review. We have always sailed in suites on both RCI and Celebrity for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The exclusivity of sailing in a suite, with the accompanying perks, makes sailing on the large-to-mega-ships less stressful more personal.

The next logical step would be to sail on one of the more inclusive lines, with smaller ships-like Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, etc., remembering of course, that one may indeed miss all the activities that only the mega-ships of RCI (and others) can offer:)

Happy Cruising

[easyboy]

Thanks for your feedback.

[yuvraj]

I was on the Allure and in a suite during Aug 27 to Sep 3rd so assuming on same cruise.

 

This was my 3rd cruise on an Oasis class and with 30 yrs experience sailing on RCL ships, I have some sympathy with your comments regarding crowds, queuing and quality of service compared to smaller ships.

 

The windjammer did get a little crowded and this has been my experience on my previous sailings. However, it is a matter of avoiding peak times.

 

I would disagree with you regarding the concierges. I think it comes down to personal experiences but I found Dexter and Nancy to be excellent and in contrast to previous cruises more accessible and visible.

 

I really enjoyed eating the Coastal Kitchen and will miss it when not booking a suite.

 

We only ate in the MDR once. I agree with you that it felt chaotic and cramped. As a suite guest we had priority with no queuing but noticed long lines for rest.

 

This class of ship offers so much that I perhaps overlook the negatives.

[Newtoncruise]

Hi Yuvraj....

 

I guess we differ in opinion and concierges offer different services to passengers based on their needs. We do not need their services often so became anonymous to them........we have not found this to be the case on cruises on ships with only one concierge.....

 

I maintain that having two is a mistake.......

 

Still it was a wonderful vacation!

[suesnake2002]

Maybe try a big mega ship on the off seasons,when school is in. Here in ny they return to school this week

[TheTruthCanHurt]

I was on the Allure and in a suite during Aug 27 to Sep 3rd so assuming on same cruise.

 

 

I would disagree with you regarding the concierges. I think it comes down to personal experiences but I found Dexter and Nancy to be excellent and in contrast to previous cruises more accessible and visible.

I really enjoyed eating the Coastal Kitchen and will miss it when not booking a suite.

 

 

I agree completely. I have found Dexter to be my favorite concierge ... He is very attentive and has always accommodated me.