This is more of a memoir and less of a review.

We sailed 7/22/12 with our 13 y/o son. Cabin numbers 7719 and 7205. We were forced to book two cabins because all 3 ppl balcony cabins were sold out. Early booking was not an option for us due to various extraneous events outside of our control (like vacation request issues). This cruise was actually not even the original first pick. The first pick for me was an eight day cruise on Carnival Valor (because I knew the Allure is the identical twin of the Oasis with the same itinerary).

Everything good was gone and what remained was double occupancy only. So after being waitlisted on both Valor and Allure for 3 ppl balconies. We finally threw in the towel and booked the Allure on July 17th, which was 5 days before sailing. Our son was ecstatic, he had been lobbying hard for the Allure. Again because of late booking, both early and late dining options were filled (so said RCI). The only thing left was My Time Dining (how convenient). And it required you to prepay your gratuities. This I felt was a scam perpetrated on late bookers by RCI. I think you should always have the option to prepay or not. This prepaying amounts to a surcharge. I prefer to give my gratuities in person, as I've always done. RCI mandates how much you must pay their employees, while they register their ships in foreign countries to avoid US labor and tax laws, among other things. Read more