First time on Allure..any tips??

[motheroftwocats814]

Hi-Husband and I are on the Allure in October. This will be our first time on Oasis class ships. We are on deck ten in a boardwalk balcony with great view of the AQ. Any tips, recommendations etc? We will have my time dining so wondering if there is an assigned dining room for MTD people? 

Does the solarium get very crowded?  What is your favorite drinking venue?

Thanks!

[Tee & Chilli]

Recommendation - book shows prior to sailing although some seats may be available as a stand by. Arrive 20-30 minutes early.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Tee & Chilli

[motheroftwocats814]

Just now, Tee & Chilli said:

Recommendation - book shows prior to sailing although some seats may be available as a stand by.

Thanks Tee & Chill.  We are 140 days out..so I can't book just yet. But will once we get the opportunity.

[jean-lynd]

There are touchscreen directories by the elevators. If you touch on dining it will give you a list of what venues are open and how busy they are. We used this every day to figure out where to go for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast at Johnny Rockets is free and it was nice to eat outside. We also enjoyed breakfast and lunch in the Solarium Bistro. We never at in the windjammer. MTD was always in the American Icon dining room. I hope this helps!

[motheroftwocats814]

15 minutes ago, jean-lynd said:

There are touchscreen directories by the elevators. If you touch on dining it will give you a list of what venues are open and how busy they are. We used this every day to figure out where to go for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast at Johnny Rockets is free and it was nice to eat outside. We also enjoyed breakfast and lunch in the Solarium Bistro. We never at in the windjammer. MTD was always in the American Icon dining room. I hope this helps!

Thank you!

[lazydayz]

Solarium gets very busy. Get there early if you want to beat the chair hogs.

 

There are some fun activities outside the ticketed shows. On Saturday, they have a party on the boardwalk and give out popcorn, cotton candy etc. Our favorite part is the jazz band. 

 

Also look for the performers to put on special shows in a bar. Get there early for a seat. 

 

If you see a ping pong table or shuffleboard court open, grab it and play.

 

if you don’t mind crowds, the disco party in the promenade is fun. 

 

This is is a great ship with lots to do. Enjoy.

[legaljen1969]

53 minutes ago, jean-lynd said:

 MTD was always in the American Icon dining room. I hope this helps!

If American Icon gets overcrowded (not terribly likely on an October cruise), they may shift you to another dining room. If this happens, I might select another option if available. 

It happened to us once and with the other dining rooms being traditional schedule, it seemed to really throw the wait staff off their routine and they got quite annoyed with MTD folks.  We didn’t ask to be moved up there.  They may have worked on that problem though.  And it certainly wasn’t enough to put a damper on our fun. I felt bad for the traditional dining staff having to fit us in. 

Other than that it was a flawless cruise. 

It’s a beautiful ship. 

[ZAPZAP]

We are trying to book the July 28th cruise (we have 2 boys of 10) and are split between having a room for all like we used to do in other cruises and having 2 separate rooms (each parent can take one kid). We are finding that having 2 rooms works out actually being cheaper than one room. Does it make sense or are we missing something ?

[Surfvabeach]

Following...we are booked on the Oct 6th sailing. This will be our first time on the Allure of the seas. Previous sailing have been on the Freedom class ships. We are booked on the boardwalk balcony deck 9. Looking forward to the cruise. Thanks for the tips.

[Clarea]

11 hours ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

 ...

Does the solarium get very crowded?  ...

 

Get there before 7am, you should be able to find a couple of loungers together.

[FloridaPalms]

8 hours ago, ZAPZAP said:

We are trying to book the July 28th cruise (we have 2 boys of 10) and are split between having a room for all like we used to do in other cruises and having 2 separate rooms (each parent can take one kid). We are finding that having 2 rooms works out actually being cheaper than one room. Does it make sense or are we missing something ?

 

No, sometimes 2 cabins work out cheaper than booking a quad and you get the added advantage of an extra bathroom. Quads are usually priced as a higher category before you even add the 3rd or 4th person.  Booking just a quad can offer a savings when Royal runs their “kids sail free” (KSF) promo but doubt you can snag it for a summer sailing. 

 

You can try to book connecting/adjoining rooms. You won’t have to split the parents up but one advantage to doing so (at least on paper as far as Royal is concerned) is if only one of you wanted to buy the alcohol package the other one is not required to buy the package. 

[h20skibum]

For a wide variety of beers, try the Bow and Stern Pub.  You will find many there that you cannot get anywhere else on the ship.

[DISFANS3]

Arrive early to check in first day, you pay for it.

[cruiser123!]

14 hours ago, lazydayz said:

Solarium gets very busy. Get there early if you want to beat the chair hogs.

 

There are some fun activities outside the ticketed shows. On Saturday, they have a party on the boardwalk and give out popcorn, cotton candy etc. Our favorite part is the jazz band. 

 

Also look for the performers to put on special shows in a bar. Get there early for a seat. 

 

If you see a ping pong table or shuffleboard court open, grab it and play.

 

if you don’t mind crowds, the disco party in the promenade is fun. 

 

This is is a great ship with lots to do. Enjoy.

Are these activities shown on the Dailies?  How do you find out about them?

 

[jean-lynd]

8 minutes ago, cruiser123! said:

Are these activities shown on the Dailies?  How do you find out about them?

 

Yes - have you downloaded the app yet? They will also show up in the app along with menus. The info in the app won't be 100% accurate but it still has a lot of good info.

[cruiser123!]

Just now, jean-lynd said:

Yes - have you downloaded the app yet? They will also show up in the app along with menus. The info in the app won't be 100% accurate but it still has a lot of good info.

I have downloaded it.  Thanks for the info!!

[Sherri914]

Take time to enjoy the aft view from the chairs behind the Aqua Theater off of the walking/jogging track  It's a beautiful view of the churning turquoise Caribbean waters. 

 

Early morning in the solarium - in the big chairs - is great.  The view of the horizon is beautiful there. 

 

Lots to do on this class of ship.  Don't get overwhelmed.   After I get my next day's cruise compass, I highlight or circle things I might want to catch the next day, and I stick the compass to my cabin wall with a magnet (the walls are metal).

[motheroftwocats814]

On 5/27/2019 at 10:10 PM, ZAPZAP said:

We are trying to book the July 28th cruise (we have 2 boys of 10) and are split between having a room for all like we used to do in other cruises and having 2 separate rooms (each parent can take one kid). We are finding that having 2 rooms works out actually being cheaper than one room. Does it make sense or are we missing something ?

Makes complete sense!

[motheroftwocats814]

21 hours ago, Surfvabeach said:

Following...we are booked on the Oct 6th sailing. This will be our first time on the Allure of the seas. Previous sailing have been on the Freedom class ships. We are booked on the boardwalk balcony deck 9. Looking forward to the cruise. Thanks for the tips.

My previous cruise with Royal was on Freedom as well. We are in a Boardwalk balcony on deck 10. Enjoy your cruise!

[motheroftwocats814]

16 hours ago, h20skibum said:

For a wide variety of beers, try the Bow and Stern Pub.  You will find many there that you cannot get anywhere else on the ship.

Yes! My husband is a beer snob!

[motheroftwocats814]

11 hours ago, jean-lynd said:

Yes - have you downloaded the app yet? They will also show up in the app along with menus. The info in the app won't be 100% accurate but it still has a lot of good info.

I downloaded the app..but I keep getting a message that because it is like 140 days out there really is nothing on the app yet

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

I downloaded the app..but I keep getting a message that because it is like 140 days out there really is nothing on the app yet

Cruise info doesn't become active until about final payment and gets a bit more accurate as you get closer to the sailing.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Biker19

[cruisegal40]

I'm on Allure in September and have been able to access and book shows and dining. 

[Mawelch]

On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 7:06 PM, motheroftwocats814 said:

Hi-Husband and I are on the Allure in October. This will be our first time on Oasis class ships. We are on deck ten in a boardwalk balcony with great view of the AQ. Any tips, recommendations etc? We will have my time dining so wondering if there is an assigned dining room for MTD people? 

Does the solarium get very crowded?  What is your favorite drinking venue?

Thanks!

MTD is in the Icon dining room. Yes the Solarium gets busy. Go early on sea days. My favorite drink venues are the Champange  Bar and Boleros. Schooner bar is also good.

[goneclear]

Try the Trellis Bar in central park for an evening cocktail. There is usually some live solo musician playing near by and sounds lovely through out the Central Park.