Just off Allure Saturday (June 11) - some observations

[dgannett]

Hello - Just off Allure of the Seas yesterday after a 6 day Gulf of Mexico and Coco Cay trip 6/5 - 6/11. 

 

-Overall, great way to spend (nearly) a week with my wife. Weather was hot/humid with temps in the low to mid 80's with no rain for the duration of the trip. We stayed on the ship at the Costa May and Cozumel stops (been to these ports many times now) and enjoyed the relatively empty ship. We were fortunate to land the day before the cruise about two hours after the rain from tropical storm Alex had stopped. One person we talked with described slogging through shin-high water with luggage for about 50 meters to get to their hotel. The itinerary was not affected from this, but I read that Odyssey spent an extra day at sea because of the storm last week.

 

- The crew are doing a great job, but staffing shortages are evident in some areas. The main show 'Mamma Mia" was canceled with about 6 hours notice on the fifth day. An explanation was not given. Wait staff in 150 Central Park, Chops, and Giovanni's table were working as fast as possible and covering more tables than normal, although the restaurants were about 50% full. There is no "Tableside" preparation of Caesar salad or the Roast Tenderloin for two (now served in single portions). Although I have read some negative reviews regarding the quality of the food in the specialty restaurants, we thought the food quality and preparation were very good overall. The only time during the week I was asked if I would like fresh ground pepper was in Coastal Kitchen. We did not eat in the main dining room on this trip.. 

 

-Izumi Habachi is an entertaining cooking presentation similar to Benihana. There are three tables with ten guests at each of the three tables in the room. Service was excellent, however the Chef for our table did not arrive until ~ 20 minutes after the other two Chefs had started cooking at the other two tables. Even some of the board younger kids/teens enjoyed the elaborate preparation of their meal.

 

-Several sinks (approximately ten) have been installed in the entryway to the Windjammer and you are instructed to wash your hands before entering Park Cafe as well. I estimate less than 5% of guests wore masks. Masks are mandatory for the crew and for everyone in the Medical facility (more on that below).

 

-Several wine offerings were not available, even on day one of the trip. I was never able to successfully order a glass of Estancia Pinot Noir. The Oberon Cab (Napa) was nice, but $15 a glass. I saw 2019 Oberon Cab for $18.39 per bottle at Costco today. The Kendall Jackson Cab offered during happy hour in the Suite Lounge is barely quaffable. An Old Fashioned was more likely to be served in a glass full of small ice cubes instead of a larger single cube. The Diamond vouchers are worth up to $13 which is the cost of most of the 'standard' cocktails and mixed drinks (including Grey Goose or Belvedere) offered. For something more expensive (like a glass of Oberon Cab), the difference (and 18% gratuity) is charged to your account. Since a tip is not included with the Diamond vouchers, my wife and I typically tip the bartender $2 or so in cash when using these. 

 

-It would be nice if the bartender would acknowledge your presence with a quick "hello, I'll be with you soon" or similar. I understand that they are more busy than ever these days, but I think that this is preferable to not saying anything at all. This has been all too common even before the pandemic.

 

-I realize that these are 'first world problems'. I am detailing these not to complain, but to illustrate how staffing and supply shortages Covid19 have changed the cruise experience. I found (nearly) all of the crew were doing the best that they could under the circumstances and I am grateful to them for making it possible for us to enjoy the week in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 

-Royal Caribbean has invested heavily in Coco Cay and it shows. On June 10, we were the only ship there, but there are plenty of chairs/umbrellas, hammocks, loungers in the sun or shade available with ample options for food and drinks or to swim in the largest pool in the Caribbean. You can expect a very decent beach day here even if you don't spend extra for the water park, zip line, balloon ride, cabanas, or Coco Beach Club. Do not expect to be exposed to any Bahamian culture here.

 

-The ship changed course towards Key West on the fifth day of the trip for a medical evacuation. About two hours later, it was announced that, after consultation with doctors on shore, that evacuation was not necessary and we continued to Coco Cay without delay. We never heard about the nature of the medical emergency - I hope that passenger is doing well now. 

 

-Our shower head was detachable (attached to a hose so that the shower head can be removed for washing hair, etc.) and became dislodged and fell on my wife's foot (the hose is long enough for the shower head to easily reach the floor). This was an unfortunate accident and we did not think that this was due to any deficiency on the part of Royal Caribbean. Her pinky toe was quite swollen and painful and we elected to go to the medical facility after suboptimal results from a day of rest, elevation, anti-inflammatories, and ice. She was thoroughly examined and x-rays performed in the facility revealed a likely hairline fracture of the toe. The (excellent and competent) staff buddy-taped her toe and provided us with some (non-narcotic) pain medication. The ship's safety officer appeared and came to our cabin to inspect the shower head. I was asked about her daily for the next three days and Royal Caribbean offered us a voucher for our trouble (worth ~ $900 toward a cruise within the next year). There were no charges from the visit to the medical facility. We feel that this was an excellent example of true customer service and concern on the part of Royal Caribbean given that we did not feel that this incident was 'anyone's fault'. 

 

-Overall, this was a great week and I am excited to see that cruising is making a comeback. While there is some risk involved, this can be minimized with attention to hand washing, distancing when possible, and using a mask for short periods of time when distancing is not possible. Despite the staffing shortages, the crew were doing their best in almost all instances in my experience. Thanks for reading this; I hope it is helpful.

 

--Dave

[doppelganger2621]

Thanks for the review! We’re on Allure next Sunday so I like seeing recent positive reviews

[coach softball]

I am sailing on the Allure at the end of July. Thanks for the information. 

 

Do you happen to have a copy of the show schedule for the week? I would like to start planning our evenings. 

[jcc1025]

53 minutes ago, dgannett said:

Hello - Just off Allure of the Seas yesterday after a 6 day Gulf of Mexico and Coco Cay trip 6/5 - 6/11. 

 

-Overall, great way to spend (nearly) a week with my wife. Weather was hot/humid with temps in the low to mid 80's with no rain for the duration of the trip. We stayed on the ship at the Costa May and Cozumel stops (been to these ports many times now) and enjoyed the relatively empty ship. We were fortunate to land the day before the cruise about two hours after the rain from tropical storm Alex had stopped. One person we talked with described slogging through shin-high water with luggage for about 50 meters to get to their hotel. The itinerary was not affected from this, but I read that Odyssey spent an extra day at sea because of the storm last week.

 

- The crew are doing a great job, but staffing shortages are evident in some areas. The main show 'Mamma Mia" was canceled with about 6 hours notice on the fifth day. An explanation was not given. Wait staff in 150 Central Park, Chops, and Giovanni's table were working as fast as possible and covering more tables than normal, although the restaurants were about 50% full. There is no "Tableside" preparation of Caesar salad or the Roast Tenderloin for two (now served in single portions). Although I have read some negative reviews regarding the quality of the food in the specialty restaurants, we thought the food quality and preparation were very good overall. The only time during the week I was asked if I would like fresh ground pepper was in Coastal Kitchen. We did not eat in the main dining room on this trip.. 

 

-Izumi Habachi is an entertaining cooking presentation similar to Benihana. There are three tables with ten guests at each of the three tables in the room. Service was excellent, however the Chef for our table did not arrive until ~ 20 minutes after the other two Chefs had started cooking at the other two tables. Even some of the board younger kids/teens enjoyed the elaborate preparation of their meal.

 

-Several sinks (approximately ten) have been installed in the entryway to the Windjammer and you are instructed to wash your hands before entering Park Cafe as well. I estimate less than 5% of guests wore masks. Masks are mandatory for the crew and for everyone in the Medical facility (more on that below).

 

-Several wine offerings were not available, even on day one of the trip. I was never able to successfully order a glass of Estancia Pinot Noir. The Oberon Cab (Napa) was nice, but $15 a glass. I saw 2019 Oberon Cab for $18.39 per bottle at Costco today. The Kendall Jackson Cab offered during happy hour in the Suite Lounge is barely quaffable. An Old Fashioned was more likely to be served in a glass full of small ice cubes instead of a larger single cube. The Diamond vouchers are worth up to $13 which is the cost of most of the 'standard' cocktails and mixed drinks (including Grey Goose or Belvedere) offered. For something more expensive (like a glass of Oberon Cab), the difference (and 18% gratuity) is charged to your account. Since a tip is not included with the Diamond vouchers, my wife and I typically tip the bartender $2 or so in cash when using these. 

 

-It would be nice if the bartender would acknowledge your presence with a quick "hello, I'll be with you soon" or similar. I understand that they are more busy than ever these days, but I think that this is preferable to not saying anything at all. This has been all too common even before the pandemic.

 

-I realize that these are 'first world problems'. I am detailing these not to complain, but to illustrate how staffing and supply shortages Covid19 have changed the cruise experience. I found (nearly) all of the crew were doing the best that they could under the circumstances and I am grateful to them for making it possible for us to enjoy the week in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 

-Royal Caribbean has invested heavily in Coco Cay and it shows. On June 10, we were the only ship there, but there are plenty of chairs/umbrellas, hammocks, loungers in the sun or shade available with ample options for food and drinks or to swim in the largest pool in the Caribbean. You can expect a very decent beach day here even if you don't spend extra for the water park, zip line, balloon ride, cabanas, or Coco Beach Club. Do not expect to be exposed to any Bahamian culture here.

 

-The ship changed course towards Key West on the fifth day of the trip for a medical evacuation. About two hours later, it was announced that, after consultation with doctors on shore, that evacuation was not necessary and we continued to Coco Cay without delay. We never heard about the nature of the medical emergency - I hope that passenger is doing well now. 

 

-Our shower head was detachable (attached to a hose so that the shower head can be removed for washing hair, etc.) and became dislodged and fell on my wife's foot (the hose is long enough for the shower head to easily reach the floor). This was an unfortunate accident and we did not think that this was due to any deficiency on the part of Royal Caribbean. Her pinky toe was quite swollen and painful and we elected to go to the medical facility after suboptimal results from a day of rest, elevation, anti-inflammatories, and ice. She was thoroughly examined and x-rays performed in the facility revealed a likely hairline fracture of the toe. The (excellent and competent) staff buddy-taped her toe and provided us with some (non-narcotic) pain medication. The ship's safety officer appeared and came to our cabin to inspect the shower head. I was asked about her daily for the next three days and Royal Caribbean offered us a voucher for our trouble (worth ~ $900 toward a cruise within the next year). There were no charges from the visit to the medical facility. We feel that this was an excellent example of true customer service and concern on the part of Royal Caribbean given that we did not feel that this incident was 'anyone's fault'. 

 

-Overall, this was a great week and I am excited to see that cruising is making a comeback. While there is some risk involved, this can be minimized with attention to hand washing, distancing when possible, and using a mask for short periods of time when distancing is not possible. Despite the staffing shortages, the crew were doing their best in almost all instances in my experience. Thanks for reading this; I hope it is helpful.

 

--Dave

Thanks for the review. We have sailed Allure three times and are planning on going out again next year out of Galveston. We were on a couple to the test/shakedown, what ever the current desingation is on a couple of ships out of LA. Not many people on board so had time to get to know a couple of the bartenders very well. They were all great as usual and we also noticed the staff shortages, like most place on the mainland. One told me they had over 2000 crewmembers not return so filling all of those positions and getting back up to speed is understandable. Will not stop people from complaining on these boards but they are working to get back up to speed. Glad you had a great cruise on a great ship. 

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

[Diver2014]

We’re on Mariner at the moment and have not seen any staff shortages. The theater performances were altered due to a few of the performers  testing positive but were asymptomatic . A wonderful 9 day cruise.

[cfabar1]

Was on this same journey! Found it very enjoyable, and totally agree about the CoCo Cay investment.  It was a spectacular day!

 

I found the service to be outstanding, but agree that boy, were those people working hard, especially in the main dining room!

[dgannett]

We appreciate the comments so far.

 

-I don't have access to a copy of the schedule for the shows. I think this was scheduled three days during the week. Reservations are necessary, unless you are in a suite; otherwise show up early to be seated. Reserve on the Royal Caribbean app as soon as you board the ship. The performance that was canceled was the only matinee of the trip on day 5 (sea day) at 2:30. For what it's worth, we have seen this before and were not planning on seeing it on this trip. 

 

-Of course, I am referring to younger cruisers who are BORED, not 'board'. ..Sorry for not proofreading. 

 

-Agree with the sentiment regarding staffing shortages. I believe trying to empathize with the situation with respect to staffing and supply shortages meant much to the crew (with a tip in cash when appropriate) when this topic was discussed. There are plenty of people with a good work ethic working on these ships and it's nice to see the effort and let them know that their work is appreciated.