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Royal “allures” carnival girl: A comparison story.

amsred2

By amsred2,
in Royal Caribbean International

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laurasue

laurasue

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Thanks for sharing your story so far! What a beautiful thing, to see how your mom convinced you to really start living life, even after she was gone. From what you’ve described of her, I bet she would be thrilled!

 

I can’t wait to hear of your Adventures on this trip and how it compares to your others. Following along!

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amsred2

amsred2

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How Royal “Allured”me… The end of the “story”but not the end of the tale.

 

I promise this part of the story is almost over and I will get to the rest of the tales very soon.

 

Some of you may be scratching your head about a few things. How did I overcome seasickness? Did I ever have a date with Montezuma again? Have I become an alcoholic who can hold down her booze now? Where was hubby during all of this and did how does he feel about spending his career at sea then retiring just to going on cruises? And how, after 20 cruises on CCL did you end up on the Allure?

 

I was fortunate for a few years to be traveling first with dad and then with hubby when he full-on retired (I think he secretly misses the sea after 23 years in the Navy but he pretends to grumble every time I book another cruise).

 

We live in California just ninety minutes from Long beach and were easily able to take weekend cruises for a quick getaway. If you have sailed the Pacific Ocean, you know that it can be a bit rockier than the Caribbean. So how did I overcome my seasickness? When I first started cruising with dad, I would take meds morning, noon and night. I would faithfully start taking them a full day before sailing. Somewhere around my 15th cruise or so, I forgot them! Gasp! “Let the tummy alien sounds and sights begin”’ I thought! Much to my surprise, and delight, they never came. I guess I had finally earned my sea legs. I still keep some in my medicine bag but only need them when the ship is rockin’ and rollin”. Oh and by the way,I have never again had a visit with that old man Monty. I am painstakingly careful to drink only from containers that I open myself while in a foreign port.

 

A bonus to being off the seasickness meds is that I can now drink alcohol! On my upcoming review, you might think I am an alcoholic but, in reality I rarely drink more than the occasional glass of wine but on vacation all rules are crumpled up, burned and buried at sea!

 

By about cruise 17 I really started noticing a change in our cruiseitude (cruise attitude). We were no longer clumsy tourists so busy taking in all the awesomeness of the ship that we bumped into chairs, walls and buff handsome cruise directors…I mean hardworking staff. We no longer needed to spend the first day exploring our new playground. We spent many of our cruise hours in our cabin watching movies. Cruising had really lost that “je ne sais quoi”,that special feeling of euphoria one gets when taking that first step into a beautiful atrium on embarkation day and lasts throughout the voyage.

 

 

I have determined that this was due to a couple factors. First,we had been on a lot of cruises in a short five years; it’s possible we were just getting cruised out. Secondly, there had been a noticeable decline in service. That first cruise, yes even the cruise from Hell, had wowed us with white linen table cloths, six course meals,champagne toasts and chocolate pillow turn-down service. I understand that in order to keep cost down, these things had to change. Honestly, I paid almost exactly as much for that first inside cabin as I did for my last cove balcony. However,I think the biggest change has been in the service in general. The poor crew is understaffed and overworked. I feel bad for them! I really do, but it totally started making the difference in our cruisitude.

Our final cruise was last July. We had really splurged on our 25th anniversary cruise. My dad and step-mom were along and we did have a wonderful vacation. We always have a great time and are always determined to make the most of every day no matter what stumbles we might encounter. However, we noticed our cruisitude was only elevated when we were in port. Our best memories of that cruise were in Little French Key, Cozumel, Belize an New Orleans (LOVE,LOVE, LOVE NOLA). Hubby and I decided to take a break from cruising.We had loved the land part of our trips so much that it was time to try a land vacation.

 

This year hubby and I planned a glorious six days in Cabo at a beautiful all-inclusive resort. We arrived and felt that sense of euphoria as we took in the scenery, the ambiance, the pools and our beautiful room. The first day was spend drinking at the swim-up bar, eating great food while watching the sunset and a romantic walk along the beach. The next day we did more of the same and then again the third day. Needless to say we were bored to tears by day six!

 

NEXT UP: GETTING ON BOARD THE ALLURE

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bangzoom6877

bangzoom6877

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I love your story! So sad about your mom, but such a touching tribute to her at the same time. I am looking forward to reading about your upcoming cruise.

 

I love Carnival too, but it’s time I experience Royal Caribbean as an adult. I went on 2 Royal Caribbean Cruises, one at 13 years old (my first cruise ever), and the second at 15 years old. Even as a teen I loved the fancy dining and service. We went on Carnival starting when I was 17, and then on several Carnival cruises for years after that. This was starting in 1994, and again I enjoyed the fancy dining and service. It definitely has changed over the years.

 

We’ve also gone on Norwegian but I like Carnival better. I’ve been in Norwegian and Carnival with my husband and our sons. This coming April, my husband and I are going on our first cruise just the two of us, ever, on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas! Even before we had kids, we’ve always sailed with my parents, and on most of our cruises together also with my sister and her family, and sometimes extended family and friends as well.

 

Can’t wait to read your review and comparison!

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amsred2

amsred2

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Thank you everyone for your kind words! I am really enjoying the process. It's very therapeutic.

 

My apologies for all my spelling and grammer issues. I re-read my recent post and was kind of embarrassed as I'm usually more of a stickler. However, I guess I was in a hurry to get my thoughts down before work tonight as I probably won't have another chance until tomorrow.

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emeraldcity

emeraldcity

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Enjoying your write-up. I'll be doing my first cruise on the Allure Oct. 21.

 

If you're posting live I'll get to check out your review before I leave for my pre-cruise cruise, because I'm taking the Adventure from Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale to board the Allure. I just printed off luggage tags and final cruise paperwork and am on the boards this morning because this is more fun than cleaning house.

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LuCruise

LuCruise

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Am so sorry for your loss. I'll mirror what others have said in what a beautiful story and how you got your love of cruising. It's a strong connection between you that you'll always have as you share the same love and "get it" ; what she loved about cruising. Looking forward to hearing more and how you find Allure compares with Carnival cruising. Allure is amazing ship.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

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DW always thought I wouldn't want to cruise because of my career in the Navy and was surprised to find out that I wanted to give it a shot. That was in 2008 and we haven't looked back. Got a great price on Anthem for next year so we get to give Royal a shot. Great tribute for your mom!

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bangzoom6877

bangzoom6877

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DW always thought I wouldn't want to cruise because of my career in the Navy and was surprised to find out that I wanted to give it a shot. That was in 2008 and we haven't looked back. Got a great price on Anthem for next year so we get to give Royal a shot. Great tribute for your mom!

 

Are you on the same sailing as me on April 20th? We also got a good deal. It was an impromptu booking, first time going on a vacation longer than two nights without the kids. (We went to Foxwoods for our 10th and 15th anniversaries, just for the weekend)

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