New to RC with a few questions - Allure of the Seas

[tigers04champs]

Hey Everyone!

 

So the wife and I just booked our first RC Cruise for Dec. 8th on Allure of the Seas. Kids are staying at home with the grandparents! (Sad but happy at the same time) We are by no means cruise newbies, but all of our past 7 cruises have been on Carnival. So, we are defiantly filled with excitement and anxiety! I'm still trying to do research of RC ways of life and the Allure's features as well.

 

Can anyone give any tips or insights to the biggest changes we will notice? There is just so much going on, on the ship and so much to take in. We love to explore and see everything, so it looks like were going to be quite busy.

 

We are booked in room 12592 (Ocean View with Large Balcony). I'm worried about being that high up that we will feel a good bit of rocking. Wife gets sea sick if we rock bad. We normally stay on deck 6 or 7 on Carnival Ships. Our other options were decks 6 or 7, but they are all adjoining rooms, and we were worried about the noise from the other rooms. Any insight?

 

Favorite Bars?

Favorite spots to relax?

Favorite restaurants (Paid and free)

Anything else that you suggest to do/plan ahead for (Seems like you have to book shows in advance?)?

 

As always, thanks in advance for all of the help from the CC Family!

 

Josh

[jean-lynd]

3 minutes ago, tigers04champs said:

Hey Everyone!

 

So the wife and I just booked our first RC Cruise for Dec. 8th on Allure of the Seas. Kids are staying at home with the grandparents! (Sad but happy at the same time) We are by no means cruise newbies, but all of our past 7 cruises have been on Carnival. So, we are defiantly filled with excitement and anxiety! I'm still trying to do research of RC ways of life and the Allure's features as well.

 

Can anyone give any tips or insights to the biggest changes we will notice? There is just so much going on, on the ship and so much to take in. We love to explore and see everything, so it looks like were going to be quite busy.

 

We are booked in room 12592 (Ocean View with Large Balcony). I'm worried about being that high up that we will feel a good bit of rocking. Wife gets sea sick if we rock bad. We normally stay on deck 6 or 7 on Carnival Ships. Our other options were decks 6 or 7, but they are all adjoining rooms, and we were worried about the noise from the other rooms. Any insight?

 

Favorite Bars?

Favorite spots to relax?

Favorite restaurants (Paid and free)

Anything else that you suggest to do/plan ahead for (Seems like you have to book shows in advance?)?

 

As always, thanks in advance for all of the help from the CC Family!

 

Josh

Since you are traveling without kids I would suggest the Solarium as a place to relax. Also, Central Park is very relaxing. We were on deck 11 and did feel some slight movement from time to time. I am prone to motion sickness so I always take generic bonine just to be safe. I had no problems with the motion. We enjoyed breakfast at Johnny Rockets and the Solarium Bistro. Never ate in the windjammer. There are touchscreen directories by the elevators. If you click on dining it will show you what venues are open and how busy they are. We loved that feature so we could figure out where to go for breakfast and lunch without any waiting. Yes, you can make reservations for the shows you want to see. I hope this helps! Enjoy!

[Biker19]

13 minutes ago, tigers04champs said:

Anything else that you suggest to do/plan ahead for?

Welcome to CC.

 

Read Allure reviews.

[Clarea]

Another recent "What is your favorite" thread:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2659885-favorite-specialty-restaurant-on-allure/?do=findComment&comment=57393898

 

[HBE4]

 

The Solarium Bistro (free for breakfast and lunch) turns into a Brazilian steakhouse  for dinner ($$) in the evening. Allure is the only ship that offer this so make sure to go there at least once.

 

Central Park is probably the most unique feature so go there for Park Cafe for breakfast and lunch (free). Also, the Trellis Bar is a nice, qiet place to have a drink in the evening.

 

Skip the Rising Tide bar if it's crowded. Schooner Bar is a nice place to hang out if there is a good piano player. Same with the English pub (guitar player)

 

If you can only do one show, make sure it's the Aqua show.

[karena1]

1 hour ago, tigers04champs said:

Hey Everyone!

 

 

 

Favorite Bars?

Favorite spots to relax?

Favorite restaurants (Paid and free)

Anything else that you suggest to do/plan ahead for (Seems like you have to book shows in advance?)?

 

As always, thanks in advance for all of the help from the CC Family!

 

Josh

By far our favorite bar on Oasis Class ships is Schooner's.  Overlooks the Promenade and just a great place to watch people.  

 

We don't do specialty restaurants, but really like Park Cafe for a quick snack and my husband LOVES the dog house.  For dinner we do MTD and go to the diningroom or sometimes just go to WJ

 

Make reservations for the shows!  Mama Mia is amazing.  Ice show, aqua show and Blue Planet are all wonderful!

 

[lowbass]

You guys sound like my wife and I. We took our first cruise on RCL  Allure after 5 cruises on Carnival this past March. Here's some things we immediately noticed that were different from Carnival.

 

Embarkation for Royal was quick and no hassle at all. I signed us up to check in at 12pm because I wasn't exactly sure when we would get to the port. We got there at 10:30am and was on the ship at 11:15am.

 

Royal isn't constantly asking you if you want your pictures taken. We always thought this was a waste of time and money on Carnival because they had people everywhere trying to take your picture.

 

The ship(Allure) was just awesome compared to the Carnival ships we've sailed on. Just so much to see and do, it's a destination itself.

 

I'm not sure if you guys drink alcohol or will be getting a drink package but my wife had given up on frozen alcohol drinks on Carnival. She mainly gets frozen Margaritas. On Carnival the bars use a pre made frozen mix as a base for their frozen drinks. On Royal the bartenders have blenders and they make their frozen drinks from scratch. And the taste on Royal is 100% better. 

 

We thought the food in the buffet was not only better in the Wind Jammer but there was also a lot more variety. We also thought the food in the MDR was better on the Allure. Not a whole lot better, but it tasted better on average than Carnivals MDR.

 

We did think that Carnival gave you more and better options for food that was complimentary with your cruise like the taco bar and Guys burgers.

 

We also noticed that the whole "cruise ship vibe" was more, "laid back" on the Allure. While Carnival has the island music and the steel drum music and vibe playing constantly. For us it really did seem like Carnival has more of a "party" atmosphere compared to Royal.

 

Bottom line, we really enjoyed our cruise on Allure and we thought Royal was very impressive and worth the extra price. We enjoyed it so much that we have already booked another cruise with Royal on Symphony next year. And I'm not sure when we'll be going back to Carnival. 

[tigers04champs]

Thanks everyone, it looks like we have a lot of exploring and eating to do! 

[tigers04champs]

Lowbass, thank you for this detailed response! My wife will be very happy about the drinks, and I agree with you about them on Carnival. 

 

 

[brillohead]

The only time I've ever felt motion on an Oasis class ship (and I've been on Oasis twice, Harmony once, and Symphony once so far) was on one night when we had BIG wind hitting the side of the ship (one evening out of 28 days aboard).  Other than that, I have to look out a window to know if we're even moving!  These ships are so huge that they don't really teeter-totter through the waves like a smaller ship, but the size makes a huge object for the wind to hit, when the wind is hitting the side of the ship.

One thing about Royal is they offer lunch in the MDR on sea days, which many people don't realize.  They have a menu, a buffet, and (my fave) the Tutti Salad Bar.  If you're a fan of salad in any way, shape, or form, make sure you check it out.  You point out the items you want, and employees put it all in a big bowl, add the dressing of your choice, and then chop and toss it all together and present it in a serving bowl.  Ah-mazing!  

Park Cafe is also available for breakfast and lunch on sea and port days both.  They have a salad bar there, too, but it has a more basic offering of toppings, and they don't chop/toss the salad for you.  There are also pre-packaged snacks available to grab-and-go in the Park Cafe -- fruit cups, sandwiches, salads.  

If you want dessert but don't have room after dinner, just ask for it "to go" and the waitstaff will put a cover on it (like room service) and give you a napkin and silverware, too.  Makes a nice midnight snack back in your room!

Try to book your Aqua Theater show early in the week.  If it gets cancelled for weather/wind, you have more options to see it later in the week.  If you book for later in the week and it gets cancelled, you might not get another chance.

If you're a fan of ice skating at all, definitely check out the skating show(s).  I'm amazed by the jumps the skaters can do on such a tiny piece of ice on a moving vessel!  

And DEFINITELY make sure you go to The Quest.  It's offered one night only, later in the evening (10pm or later), and later in the week.  It's like a weird combination of an adult scavenger hunt, Let's Make A Deal, and Amazing Race.  And it's usually a barrel of laughs!

All bar purchases will have a service charge / gratuity of 18% added automatically (or, if you get a drink package, it will be added on to your purchase in the Cruise Planner).  Totally up to you, and I don't want this to devolve into a thread about tipping, but if you keep a few dollar bills in your pocket for a roving waiter (Schooner Bar, poolside, Solarium, wherever), you will DEFINITELY get regular attention from the waitstaff. 

Your cabin steward will service your room morning and evening.  If you have any particular requests, just ask or leave a note.  I am a night owl, and explain to my attendant the first day that my "do not disturb" magnet may be out all morning long (when you don't go to bed until 5am, it's not at all unusual to sleep until noon).  I don't need or expect morning service in that instance -- I just ask them to leave me extra towels every night in case I don't get the room vacated in time for them to do the morning room cleaning.  You can also request ice once or twice daily (the fridge in the room gets cool but not really cold), extra hangers, or whatever you might need.  

If you have the Refreshment or Deluxe drink package, you can get two bottled waters at a time, so you can have extras back in your room or to take on a shore excursion.  

Royal has you "sign out" pool towels by swiping your Seapass card.  Any towels not returned by the last night will be charged a $25 fee.  The easiest way to manage this is to sign out towels the first day, then just "exchange" them every time, turning in wet towels and getting fresh towels at the end of every day, versus signing in the wet towels one afternoon and then signing out fresh towels the next morning.  When you turn in the towels for the last time on the last day, verify your account is at zero while you're there at the towel desk to avoid erroneous charges.

Hope this helps.... you're going to have a blast!

[tigers04champs]

Thanks Brillohead!

 

Great suggestions! We have been on most of Carnival's largest ships and we still had a little bit of rocking. I was just concerned being on deck 12 at night and getting a lot of motion. 

 

That's neat that the MDR does lunch. We do enjoy a salad and will definable need to eat one or two to make up for everything else we will be eating!

 

Great tip on the Aqua show, I would have never thought about that.

 

I was reading about the towel charge, and how it's turning into a fiasco with long lines waiting to turn in their towels. That's a good idea to just keep exchanging them until the end.

 

There are so many food options and we're debating on what to do. I don't like the idea of paying extra for food, but some of the restaurants look really good (Chops, Giovanni, Samba, Izumi, & Sabor) We want to try all of those but don't want to miss out on MDR. Also don't want to spend an extra $500 just on food. Side note, do you know where to get a good BLT? I'm a sucker for one. We used to get them all the time through room service, and just sit on the balcony while eating. Talk about relaxation! 

 

We are also debating on getting the deluxe drink package. It's BOGO 1/2 off. So it's coming out to $800 or so. So we have to each drink at least 6 drinks every day to get our moneys worth. It's just so hard to tell if were going to hit that or not. Wife drinks martinis or specialty drinks. I'm more of a whiskey man. I did hear a rumor that they sometimes have Blanton's on the ship. I would be thrilled if that's the case! We do drink a lot of bottled water, so that might help out some. Does the casino offer free drinks after a certain amount of play?

 

We are super excited about going, but super anxious. So much to see and do!

 

 

[RC Dancers]

We enjoyed the Samba Grill a few weeks ago. You have to be a meat lover, though.

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, tigers04champs said:

There are so many food options and we're debating on what to do. I don't like the idea of paying extra for food, but some of the restaurants look really good (Chops, Giovanni, Samba, Izumi, & Sabor) We want to try all of those but don't want to miss out on MDR.

 

I highly recommend Giovanni's and Samba (if you love meat). I always wanted to try Sabor. It was never more than half-full every time I went by so that's not a good sign.....and I heard it will be replaced on all ships that have it as they get remodeled.

 

Chops gets mixed reviews from me. I've been there 3 times and it's been great the first time, average the second and disappointing the third time.  At $40+ PP, it's not worth the chance anymore. Note: you can get a Chops streak in the MDR for $16.95. Granted, it's only one entree, not the full Chops menu, and you don't get ambiance but it's still a heck of a savings, especially of the rest of your group orders off the regular MDR menu.

 

2 hours ago, tigers04champs said:

We are also debating on getting the deluxe drink package. It's BOGO 1/2 off. So it's coming out to $800 or so. So we have to each drink at least 6 drinks every day to get our moneys worth. It's just so hard to tell if were going to hit that or not. Wife drinks martinis or specialty drinks. I'm more of a whiskey man. I did hear a rumor that they sometimes have Blanton's on the ship. I would be thrilled if that's the case! We do drink a lot of bottled water, so that might help out some.

 

If you can get the drink package for under $50 pp/pn, that would be a deal! Even if it's in the low $50 range, its not bad. I always get the drink package. Not so much for the cost factor as I usually breakeven give or take $30 each way but for the convenience of getting what I want, when I want, wherever I want. Keep in mind that bottles of water ($2-$3 ea) are included as well a specialty coffee, soda, smoothie, juices, etc. so your breakeven point on adult beverages will be much lower, probably around 3  - 4. Specialty drinks alone can be $13 each. Beer is $7-$8 and regular cocktail/well drinks around $10. We'll stock up on water in the cabin and port days and yes, you can get a drink and a bottle of water at the same time. Also, if you stop at one of Royal private beaches (Labadee, CoCo Cay), the drink package can be used onshore.

 

 

[jean-lynd]

2 hours ago, tigers04champs said:

 

We are also debating on getting the deluxe drink package. It's BOGO 1/2 off. So it's coming out to $800 or so. So we have to each drink at least 6 drinks every day to get our moneys worth. It's just so hard to tell if were going to hit that or not. Wife drinks martinis or specialty drinks. I'm more of a whiskey man. I did hear a rumor that they sometimes have Blanton's on the ship. I would be thrilled if that's the case! We do drink a lot of bottled water, so that might help out some. 

 

 

Drinks run 10 to 13 before gratuity so you will only need about 4 a day to break even and bottled waters can add up in a hurry. It also includes specialty coffees and fresh squeezed orange juice if you enjoy those. You can always purchase the package at the current price and cancel and repurchase if the price goes down before you sail. I hope this helps!

[Mawelch]

Log on to the Royal app if you have smart phones lots of info and you will be able to chat to each other for free on the ship.