We had a fabulous time on the Allure of the Seas. This was a family cruise that included the two of us, our two sons, daughter, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren ages 4, 7, and 13. Six of us had cruised before. I'd cruised on Disney, Carnival, Holland, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. I am the primary vacation researcher and started planning a year before we sailed. Thanks to all of you that submit reviews. It was a big help.

I selected the Allure because I wanted a ship that offered something for everyone in our group. It met all of my expectations. We took advantage of all the Allure has to offer and enjoyed an active, adventurous, fun-filled week. We did rock-climbing and zip-lining. We went to the gym and walked on the track. We decorated cupcakes and visited with the Dreamworks characters. My youngest son loved the flow rider and got pretty good at it. He surfs so it came to him pretty quickly. He got his dad and brother involved. They had a blast and met lots of great people, including the activities staff. The teenager disappeared most days to hang out with his new friends. He loved the sports court and teen facilities and was out dancing in the teen club every night. The younger kids did fine in the children's program, but loved being at the pool too. They enjoyed the Shrek character breakfast and the show in the Aqua Theater that features characters from Madagascar. Only four of us were really interested in the entertainment offerings in the evening. We loved all of the shows and saw every one, including the headliner and the adults-only comedy show. The audience participation events, like The Quest, were great too. If you can stay up, don't miss it! With everyone doing their own thing our biggest onboard challenge was communication. It was hard to keep track of everyone. Next time I'll bring the walkie-talkies that we left at home.

Our ports were Labadee, Falmouth, and Cozumel. In Labadee, all but the youngest two got out on the water on waverunners. Most did the water park and the dragon coaster. All got positive reviews, especially the coaster. In Falmouth we split between two RCL excursions. Husband and I had a great time climbing Dunn's River Falls. The kids combined the falls with jungle zip-lining. They had a blast. We agreed that local staff provided great narration on the bus trips to and from so that the time really flew. I usually don't like those bus rides, but the coaches were air-conditioned and comfortable, so it was better than I expected. The weather wasn't ideal in Cozumel. High winds and waves meant that all of the snorkeling trips were cancelled. This was our biggest disappointment, but certainly nobodies fault. We split up by gender. The guys did some sight seeing and Senor Frogs. The girls shopped. Read more