LIVE Allure of the Seas 5/20-5/24

[LobsterStalker]

1 hour ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Yes, I shouldn’t drink and try to comprehend. I received our email statement and it made more sense. 

From my experience this was much more generous than expected. Miss the port altogether and you are lucky to get your port fee back , yet they refunded half a day's fare ? ... Sucked to miss your half a day , but great compensation I guess 

 

Cheers

[LobsterStalker]

53 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Thank you for this. This is really what frustrated me. They said “a few minutes” several times. Once we were cleared, they said to give them a “few minutes” to put out the gangways. My middle child was in line for Flow Rider. She rode it. We went to the cabin and gathered everything together and went to go down. Then stuck in the stairwell for an hour and a half. “A few minutes” turned into 2 hours. It was a mess. 
I’m sorry you got sick. I don’t buy the pork taco poisoning. We talked to people that didn’t have the tacos that got sick. We had the pork tacos and didn’t get sick. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Maybe this is a more reasonable explanation for the generousity .... The colossal screw up , having people left in limbo for hours !

[MeganGC1983]

1/2!! 

[MeganGC1983]

21 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Maybe this is a more reasonable explanation for the generousity .... The colossal screw up , having people left in limbo for hours !

I think so. It was definitely a cluster mess. 

[MeganGC1983]

Made it home! I’ll have final thoughts tomorrow. 
Thanks for sailing with me everyone! 

[gambler]

What ship are you on next? Definitely want to tune in.

[MeganGC1983]

11 minutes ago, gambler said:

What ship are you on next? Definitely want to tune in.

Next up is Scarlet Lady at the beginning of August. 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Thanks for sharing your vacation time with all of us! 🍻

[Webecruzen]

@MeganGC1983 remind me of the VV group cruise. Jim is ready to give them a try.  

[MeganGC1983]

3 minutes ago, Webecruzen said:

@MeganGC1983 remind me of the VV group cruise. Jim is ready to give them a try.  

Sept 17, 2025 from Miami. 

[MeganGC1983]

And oh yeah… BOOMER! ⭕️🙌🏻🥎

[Webecruzen]

Text me when you have recovered from your trip. We will get it booked.  

[LATTELOVE]

15 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Thank you for this. This is really what frustrated me. They said “a few minutes” several times. Once we were cleared, they said to give them a “few minutes” to put out the gangways. My middle child was in line for Flow Rider. She rode it. We went to the cabin and gathered everything together and went to go down. Then stuck in the stairwell for an hour and a half. “A few minutes” turned into 2 hours. It was a mess. 
I’m sorry you got sick. I don’t buy the pork taco poisoning. We talked to people that didn’t have the tacos that got sick. We had the pork tacos and didn’t get sick. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hmmm,

Worried about this one.

Our next cruise is next week, family of 7.

Fingers crossed,  the bug does not show up

on our cruise too.

Edited May 25 by LATTELOVE

[onlyano]

On 5/23/2024 at 9:50 PM, MeganGC1983 said:

Blades was great. Royal has some amazing shows. Back at Bow & Stern. This band on deck 5 is STELLAR. I can’t find a name or anything but this guy is singing John Legend and I thought it was John Legend. I had to go back out to look. They also played instrumental “how ya gonna act like that?!” And Tyrese?! On a cruise ship?! Where is @onlyano 

On the Carnival Magic dealing with an extreme lack of Internet. 

[MeganGC1983]

Final thoughts:

where to begin?

The cruise overall was fun and new to us. The Allure is ready for her Amp up refurb, but not in a falling apart way just with the small details like the charging docks in the cabins, toilet issues (deck 12 couldn’t flush their toilet the majority of this cruise), and other small details to keep her fresh & competitive. 
We loved the zip line, rock wall, carousel, Flow Rider & shows. I thought there could be some more daily entertainment other than trivia & what was going on. I needed more dj or steel drum time on the Lido. A lot of times there was just elevator music going on, and other than the sail away dancing and belly flop contest… not much happened on Lido. I like the Deck 5 entertainment with the band and the parties/parades there, but it really made that area super congested with the pizza line & people trying to get to studio B or the theater or the shops. Comedy wasn’t my favorite. Punchliners has the cruise comedy locked in. 
The crew had highs and lows. Remarkable service from Carlington, Barrington, and Craston at bar. Robin & Elijah in the dining room were the BEST dining room servers we’ve had probably on any sailing. Putu (stewart) was decent. We received two towel animals and never had enough towels unless we tracked him down to ask for more. Also, had to ask for the bunk to be brought down… there was no way my three kids could sleep in one bed for 4 nights. I’m not really a fan of how RC does beach towel. You have to go to the towel hut to change them out to scan your card. I like when Stewart’s can switch them for you. 
Food was ok. And obviously, there was the elephant in the room (or cabin) of the pork bao tacos that caused a disaster. I’m super thankful we didn’t get sick. But I do feel bad for everyone that did. Being quarantined on any sailing would be awful but on a shorter one makes it pretty much worthless. Was it food poisoning, noro or something else, 🤷🏼‍♀️?. I just know I’ve never seen so many people puke that much uncontrollably. My food highlights were the lobster tail and the beef tenderloin. Carnival beats Royal in the soup and pizza department by miles. And Virgin still leads overall. The choices in Windjammer looked nice, but again, I avoid buffets so I have no idea. Wish I had tried a hot dog or the sushi, but I did enjoy Izumi on Celebrity. The donuts… I was surprised. I read that they weren’t good. I thought they were decent enough. No complaints from the kids. 
Ports: everyone hates on Nassau but I don’t mind it. The new port area is a great addition. I’ll gladly go to Nassau any day of the week over Progreso. Cococay… I wish we had our full time but it is what it is… Seems like a lot of great options when you have the time. The kids loved Thrill Waterpark. The mozzarella sticks and chicken sandwich were great options. When we journeyed over to the beaches and saw the buffet concept food halls, I was glad I didn’t have to eat there with the masses like the beach “BBQs” at Carnival’s private islands. 
camp: the littles loved it. Brinkley did NOT want to go to the teen club ever. She missed the structure and planned activities of “kid” camp and I guess there were some mean girls on this sailing. That makes me sad, but that’s life. They are everywhere. 
overview: I wish it had been a 5 nighter. Between the sickness and the lack of time, we missed some things we wanted to do. Food issues can happen anywhere… even at the beginning of this review, Sonic tried to kill me, but communication on a ship is pretty important. I appreciate the uptick in cleaning. We will sail Royal again. Not sure when. Gotta check the calendars. Colton says he’s a “Royal kid now” but if I dangled Jubilee in front of him, he would jump. 
Thank you all so much for sailing with us and following along. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask any time. I really do appreciate all the help and information that CC provides, and I enjoy giving back to the community when I sail. Hopefully I’ll see you all again on the next one… we will kick off that party, at the end of July over on the Virgin Voyages page! 

[MeganGC1983]

27 minutes ago, onlyano said:

On the Carnival Magic dealing with an extreme lack of Internet. 

Oh stay strong! 

[MeganGC1983]

2 hours ago, LATTELOVE said:

Hmmm,

Worried about this one.

Our next cruise is next week, family of 7.

Fingers crossed,  the bug does not show up

on our cruise too.

It can really happen anywhere. One thing I did decide, especially with the kids, I really need to take more meds with us. Gotta be a better Boy Scout and be prepared. I have zofran at home. I can’t bring IV antibiotics but I could do better at bringing things we may need. 

[Jamman54]

Another great review Megan! Can't wait for the next! Thanks!! 😁🤗

[gambler]

Thank-you for a great review. Can't wait for the next one.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

58 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I really need to take more meds with us.

I always have Immodium tablets on hand when I travel - and we have needed them, more than once. 😬 I also take lots of various cold meds, though thankfully haven't had need for those much.

[SenatorsFan]

Thanks Meghan. See you on the next one! 🥂

[MeganGC1983]

40 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

I always have Immodium tablets on hand when I travel - and we have needed them, more than once. 😬 I also take lots of various cold meds, though thankfully haven't had need for those much.

With the kids, I take more. In 2023, I kinda just said “forget it” and used that space for clothes and what not. LOL This was a good reminder. 

[MeganGC1983]

Ok. Who had the GRAND idea to come home on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend? With cruising stomachs still going… the kids think I’m going to the grocery store or the Walmarts today. Not happening. Yall better enjoy frozen pizzas and ramen until the holiday weekend frenzy is over. 😉

[BohJang]

I enjoyed your review as always Megan. I’m just wondering if you felt the hassle & expense of flying was worth it for such a short cruise. 

[MeganGC1983]

22 minutes ago, BohJang said:

I enjoyed your review as always Megan. I’m just wondering if you felt the hassle & expense of flying was worth it for such a short cruise. 

Thats a good question. When I was sitting at Schooner Bar having mimosas thinking we weren’t getting off at Coco Cay, it definitely crossed my mind. With the kids’ schedules being so crazy right now, this length of cruising is going to have to be the norm for the unforeseeable future. If we drove to Galveston, they’d be stuck with Cozumel & Costa Maya again. They’ve been there twice all ready, so really it was worth it even for just a perfect half day and Nassau. We can all say we’ve been there and there are some great stories to tell. Brinkley missed a cheer practice & Briley missed 4 softball games (rescheduled because of bad weather). They really enjoyed the water park and it was cheaper than Atlantis, so there’s that.