Allure of the Seas Review

The Allure is the Journey Itself

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Allure of the Seas
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glomarrone
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Dec 2013

When researching cruise vacations, it is mostly an itinerary driven decision for me; I want to visit new ports. This time, however, the ship itself was my destination. After last year’s exciting cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, I wanted to repeat the experience. Not wanting to see the same production shows, although Hairspray Musical Comedy was marvelous, I searched for a cruise on the three-year-old sister ship, the Allure of the Seas. A neighborhood community center offered a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, December 8, 2013 on the Allure departing Fort Lauderdale with Ports of Call in Nassau, Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten. I quickly booked the cruise for my husband and myself and invited my sister & her husband along to introduce them to the biggest ship in the world.

As recommended by RCCL, I pre-booked online all our reservations for our My Time Dining and shows. I have to admit it took some time for me to do all this but it was well worth the effort. You can wait to make reservations on the interactive TV in your stateroom or at the Box Office, Deck 4 but you probably will not get the times that you want. It also helps if you sign the waivers ahead of time for Zip Lining, Ice-Skating, Rock Climbing Walls or the Flow Riders.

Our journey began at the local community center where we left our vehicle for the week. We boarded the large comfortable coach chartered to take our group to the ship. Our arrival at the terminal was around 12 noon. It was amazing how quickly and smoothly the embarkation process proceeded. Within mere minutes, we were up in the extremely busy Windjammer Marketplace buffet, Deck 16 where we were turned away because of sheer volume. Finally, we ended up in the Wipe Out Café, Deck 15. My advice to you on Embarkation Day is to eat in Sorrento’s, Deck 5, as we did on the Oasis or Café Promenade, Deck 5 and avoid the overcrowded buffet scene. Following lunch, we took a quick tour of the public areas to get our bearings. Afterwards, we located our cabins and began unpacking. There was just enough time to finish unpacking when the ship announced the start of the Compulsory Guest Assembly (Safety) Drill. The Main Dining Room, (MDR) was our Muster Station and once there, staff members directed us to available seats. The well-organized drill was over in about twenty minutes. Then we went out on deck for the DreamWorks Sail Away Party Celebration in the Aqua Theater. After that, it was time to go to dinner.

Cabin Review

Our stateroom was airy feeling with light colored walls and furnishings, colorful carpet, mirrors, vanity/desk, comfortable king bed, and a big couch. The end tables, though, were really too tiny. If you put more than one or two items on each open oval tier, something was sure to fall off and did. In our particular layout, the closet with its sliding doors was too close to one end table and side of the bed, which made accessing clothes a problem for two people trying to use the closet simultaneously. There were plenty of hangers, though. They more than made up for the lack of enough drawer space. Fluffy white robes were a nice touch. I just wished that the bathroom were large enough for a retractable clothesline. We loved our balcony and often sat out at night enjoying a glass of wine before bedtime.

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