We took our two daughters and future son-in-law on a delayed graduation celebration cruise (they both graduated last year, one from law school and one from undergrad) due to scheduling difficulties last summer. Both daughters are experienced cruisers and would rather cruise than sit at a resort. My wife and I tried Oasis two years ago so we knew what to expect but this was the kids first time on a "mega" ship. The ship, the service, the entertainment and the food did not disappoint. It is obvious anyone trying Oasis or Allure needs to be prepared for the enormous size of the ship and large number of people. Having cruised the Western Caribbean a number of times the ship was as much the destination as the ports. We had all the on-board entertainment set up before we left so it all flowed seamlessly and I would recommend to anyone who likes to take advantage of the shows to definitely get reservations before you sail as the Comedy club and some of the other shows definitely worked better with reservations. They scan your sea pass and you are in, no lines, no muss, no fuss. The Diamond Lounge worked great and was never crowded. (Unlike when we sailed trans- Atlantic last October on Liberty where they literally turned one of the large night clubs into the Diamond lounge every night to accommodate the MANY Diamond cruisers.) If you like large ship cruising, it is difficult to argue with Allure. All the activities both on deck and inside the ship were great. We did trivia numerous times at the schooner bar as a family and it was both fun and rewarding! (We got RCI hats for wining the Movie line trivia going 20 for 20!) The ice show, the diving show in the Aqua Theater as well as the headliner, Chicago and their version of Cirque du Soleil were all worth the effort.

The one issue we found (similar to Oasis) was the fact that seating in the Windjammer is definitely inadequate. We simple found other places to eat both breakfast and lunch, of which there are many. We are dedicated RCI fans and this cruise did nothing to change our point of view. One really GREAT change for Diamond and above cruisers was the fact that both my wife and I had 3 free drinks each programed into our sea passes each day that we could use in any bar on the ship from 5pm to 8:30pm so we could have a pre-dinner drink with our family, all for free, outside the Diamond lounge. It really makes it easier for Diamond cruisers traveling with folks who have not reached Diamond level yet. Good call RCI!! I think it will be a while before we voluntarily head back to the Western Caribbean on RCI, but that is certainly not Allure's or RCI's fault. (How many times can you go to Falmouth Jamaica???) If you are looking for great amenities on a very large ship with activities for every age, Allure certainly fits that bill and then some.