We were a family of eight (two adults, four grandparents and twin three year olds) and are extremely experienced cruises (we are Diamond on RCCL). It was our first time on the Allure. Overall, we had a fabulous trip. We loved the ship- from the relaxing Central Park, to the childhood fun of the Boardwalk to the excitement of the pool/sports area. The ship truly had something for everyone.
With respect to the kids, we loved the merry-go-round, the face painter and the balloon man (who was outstanding and made very fun and creative balloon designs!!!). We appreciated that these activities were included in the cost of the cruise. Our kids attended the kids' program at night, which was excellent. The nightly themed parties included the Circus, Birthday Party, Superhero, etc. The kids program is closed between 5 pm to 7 pm (unless they go to dinner with the kids' program which has a very limited dinner menu). It would be great if you could drop the kids off earlier than 7 pm since little kids can really only stay up so late. We would even be willing to pay for this similar to the late night program. We loved the DreamWorks characters, parades and shows. It would be great if this could be on all RCCL ships. We loved the toddler mini-golf area.
As adults, we enjoyed the great selection of food in the buffet- Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, etc. We have noted in the past a need to have more diverse food (like Celebrity) and were happy to see that this has been addressed at least on the Allure. The food in the main dining room was good, although it would be nice to see some of the menus updated. The food in the specialty restaurants, as always, was excellent. The production of Mama Mia was first rate, the high diving shows were awesome and we enjoyed the ice show. Zip lining was a lot of fun.
Amazing location- close to the elevators and the start of Central Park.
We booked a private tour with Courtney Taylor to go tubing, have lunch and visit Rose Hall. The tubing was SO much fun and perfect for all ages (our group ranged from 3 to 84 years old). Lunch was at Sotchies (yummy) and Rose Hall was interesting. A great day.
We booked a private tour with Courtney Taylor to go tubing, have lunch and visit Rose Hall. The tubing was SO much fun and perfect for all ages (our group ranged from 3 to 84 years old). Lunch was at Sotchies (yummy) and Rose Hall was interesting. A great day.
As we always do when we visit Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. It's a ten minute taxi ride from the port and admission is $3 per adult plus a $10 minimum for food/drinks per person. They have a great pool and the food is very good (great pina colada). It's a great place to spend the day relaxing, playing in the ocean and hanging out on a lounge chair.