Concerns About December Allure Sailing

[lidolovers]

We are sailing on the Allure in December. We have a nice balcony ocean cabin picked out. I have been reading a lot of negative reviews lately that the Allure is starting to get a bit run down as well as experience engine issues.  We already got a letter saying our itinerary was changed because of this. We have also heard many negative things about the crowds and organization on the board. Has anyone sailed on the Allure recently and can maybe clarify some of these points ?   We have chosen the main dining room early seating so I hope it’s the best choice. I heard anytime dining can be a mess. 

 

Thanks so much!  

 

We have cruised Carnival, Princess and once on the Independence and always had a good time. 

[Clarea]

Allure does have a mechanical issue in one of it's three propulsion units and they are ruuning slower until it can be fixed.  That has changed itineraries for Allure and other ships.

[Ourusualbeach]

Niksmom is doing a live review from the Allure and I haven’t heard her mention any of the negatives you are talking about.

[Illbcruzn4life]

been on Allure twice. No crowds to speak of I have ever encountered.

 

Didn't notice it rundown and never had problems with anytime dining which we get every cruise.

[PrincessBelle39]

We cruised in July on the Allure.  The ship was in beautiful condition.  We couldn't fault anything about it.  There had been talk about the engine problems for months leading up to our cruise.  Again, apart from a change of times at one of the ports, there was no negative impact at all.  We did MyTime Dining.  We loved it.  There was not a night that we didn't walk straight in.  Crowd's seemed large on our first night and the next morning, but once everyone found their place, we barely noticed it.  We wouldn't hesitate to cruise on on the Allure again.

[papaflamingo]

We did Allure in March and it was a wonderful cruise.  We were in a Grand Suite so we ate most our dinners in Coastal Kitchen, but we went to the MDR twice.  They "fell all over themselves" trying to make everything great.  We are not demanding in any way, but everyone from the Maitre d' to the assistant waiter were excellent. 

I never feel crowded on an Oasis class ship and didn't on this cruise.  You just have to understand that there's 6,000 passengers on board and there will be some crowds, but really not bad at all. They tend to handle the crowds extremely well.

As for the condition of the ship, no issues at all.  

One other comment, we sailed in March and it was Spring Break for some.  But we didn't have any issues.  In Dec., depending on dates,  you may have  a lot of kids.  We did a New Year's Cruise and there were a lot of kids.  Not a big deal, but occasional annoyances. 

[lidolovers]

Thanks guys. This sets my mind at ease for sure!  I see they just cranked the price for their internet up on the website. Will it go down before the cruise or does it keep going up?    Someone said it gets cheaper on the second day. I would want the faster zoom internet. 

 

Also,  I see you have to line up for Mama Mia.  Was there a crazy lineup for hours before or was it pretty civilized?  We have already booked the time on the RCI website. Thanks !

 

 

[sellwingri]

We were on Allure 3 weeks ago and it was fabulous.  We had early seating and it was very quick as the dining room was often no where near at capacity. No evidence that we were going slower than we’ve gone on any other cruises.

[Robin Gail]

To answer your question about the internet pricing.  We are sailing on the Allure November 3rd.  The online

pricing for 3 devices was originally around $200.  I put it in my cart but didn't purchase it.  It then went

down to $167.00.  I saw it go up and down twice and finally bought it at $167.00.  I thought this was a good

price for unlimited for 3 devices.  

[SilkySal]

For the shows (with reservations), we try to arrive around 15 minutes before the doors open and have always gotten a good seat! A few minutes before show time, it'll open up for those without reservations. I will be boarding the Allure this Sunday and we have reservations for Mama Mia! Looking forward to it!

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by SilkySal
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[Lionesss]

Let your worries go away.

 

We love the Allure,  having sailed her  5 times, and every time was shear pleasure.

 

The crew is the friendliest we have ever encountered (compared to Oasis, Freedom, Mariner and Explorer).

 

Also, we did notice some wear and tear on some of the chairs in lounges, but saw new chairs in other venues, so must be replacing over time.

 

In fact after our May cruise this year the staff was treated to a crew party for passing Coast Guard inspection and guest surveys scores being high.

 

Enjoy, we do.

 

Safe travels.  

Edited September 3, 2019 by Lionesss

[taglovestocruise]

25 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

For the shows (with reservations), we try to arrive around 15 minutes before the doors open and have always gotten a good seat! A few minutes before show time, it'll open up for those without reservations. I will be boarding the Allure this Sunday and we have reservations for Mama Mia! Looking forward to it!

 

Please give a short review when you return addressing the issues of lines and the ship being a little run down.  We have sailed Allure, Oasis, and Symphony. Allure is still our favorite. happy cruising

[katiel53]

We were on Allure at the end of June for our 5th time on her.  I guess, if one is looking for things to be run down, there might be some to be found.  I haven't noticed anything, but I am not one looking to see if the handrails are polished daily etc.

The problem with the azipod did make a change in our cruise which left us not too happy as our cruise swapped St Thomas for San Juan and our last 2 cruises on Allure went to San Juan.  We had a great time in St Kitts which was a first for some of us.

 

I think Allure has the best service and crew.  We don't do dinner in the MDR.  We get the UDP and have most of our dinners at Chops.  I have never been to a restaurant where we have had service better than our dinners in Chops.  Every cruise we have had a waiter who went out of his way to serve us, even bringing things we never asked for or thought we would enjoy.

 

We have also been on Harmony and the service/crew were not as good other than a waitress we had in Jamie's and that was after we were there a couple of times.  We have two more cruises booked for Harmony and one for Symphony.

 

I know I will miss Allure, but I am not crazy about sailing from Miami and there are non-stops from where I live to Orlando, but not even Ft Lauderdale.  I do wish Allure were sent to Pt Canaveral and I'd be an even happier camper.