Last year, we took the Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and fell in love with it. The food, the staff, the amenities, the service. It was all great. Every cruise that we went on after that was compared to the Oasis and it became our new benchmark of cruising. So we decided to go on the its sister ship, the Allure of the Seas to make the ultimate comparison.

While the two ships are practically twins physically, that's where the likeness ends. With the exception of the specialty restaurants, the food is superior on the Oasis as is the buffet service and the visibility, friendliness and professionalism of the staff.

Example #1: During the breakfast buffet at the Windjammer Marketplace, we found the staff verbally rude, uncaring and grumpy. In addition, there was no coffee service to speak of. That didn't happen on the Oasis. Read more