Allure of the Seas Review
Overall pleased, but not quite the level of service we are used to!
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Additional details
We cruised RC for the first time in August on the Allure of the Seas. Previously, we have cruised with Princess, Carnival, and Disney. While I'd not cruise with Carnival again and Princess is not very kid-friendly, we have routinely cruised with Disney for the past several years. We decided to try RC as a last-minute option because it was significantly less expensive than Disney for the week we were going. We started in Fort Lauderdale, staying at a local hotel and exploring the city. We used Uber to get the cruise terminal and it was quite efficient (and cheaper than a taxi or other means of transfer). Embarkation was amazing--I have never experienced a more efficient process! Luggage is tagged ahead of time, so the porters take it at the curb and you don't worry about it again until it arrives later at your cabin door. The terminal is huge and they do a nice job of cohorting guests by their deck number to keep the lines moving quickly. We were on the ship in about 30 minutes. The lifeboat drill was interesting--our muster station was at the Aqua Theater, so we were able to sit and relax while watching the safety movie. There are no life jackets in your stateroom, so no need to bring anything along. I did wonder why, if an emergency occurs, would I want to be sitting at the Aqua Theater, which is not even on the same deck as the life boats? Once that was over, our bags were starting to arrive and the workers allowed us to take them right from the staging area so we wouldn't need to wait for them to be delivered to our room.
The ship is enormous. It took the full week just to see everything! After a day or so, you get the hang of where everything is, but there are touch screens around the elevator lobbies that can be used to easily find dining, activities, or locations. Despite its size, I did find it difficult to find things to do. The Cruise Compass lists activities for the day, but there just didn't seem to be a lot of interesting activities. There are extra charges for so many things as well. Even the main dining room has items on the menu that list an up-charge. Bingo was quite expensive, but we did play twice and honestly it wasn't as energetic and exciting as on other ships. We decided to do a galley tour (for $20 apiece) and really enjoyed it--the chef leading the tour was very informative and we were offered mimosas and sweets at the conclusion. My daughter and I also took the cupcake decorating class, which was fun! We later found out that the price we booked online ahead of time was about $10 cheaper than for those who booked on the ship. Central Park is lovely--lots of plants and artificial bird chirping. Promenade looks like our local mall and there were always flash sales that were heavily attended (people pushing each other out of the way at the bag sale was entertaining!). Boardwalk comes complete with a candy shop and carousel! One thing that does surprise me is that despite the ship's size, there are only forward and aft elevators. It seems they should be spread out more and a mid-ship option added. I do like that there is a "gangway" button when you are in port though--makes it easier to know where to get off. However, the button takes you to deck three, when the gangway is actually on two, so then you have to take an escalator down.
The typical cruise activities are abundant--pool volleyball, bingo, karaoke, etc. There are a number of pools and open areas, so despite our cruise being almost full it did not seem overly crowded anywhere. We liked the beach pool because it was a non-smoking area. Despite the signs that holding chairs is not acceptable, there were, of course, a number of unoccupied "held" chairs around. We will were able to find a seat though, just not always where we wanted to be. The splash area was fun and my kids really enjoyed what they called the "whirlpool" pool (not sure what it is actually called). There are lots of hot tubs around, so no crowds there either. It was hot/humid the whole time and we could always find a spot at the pool to cool off. We spent most of the sea days at the pools because there were limited activities that interested us enough to do anything else.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
The size of the stateroom was average and it boasts a decent balcony. We were on the starboard side. As a family of 4, having the sofa bed out at night made it challenging to navigate the room (very tight between the bed and dresser, tough to get to the balcony). Would be nice if the room had bunk beds for the kids instead. The shower was a decent size and overall the bathroom was nice. There was plenty of closet space, but could have used more drawer space. The luggage stored nicely beneath the bed, which was convenient! I didn't like that the door opens into the hallway--always felt like I would hit someone and actually did get hit by the neighbor's door one day. Our stateroom steward was kind and courteous, leaving towel animals in the room at night.
Our stateroom location was great--starboard side and aft. My only complaint is that, despite its enormous size, the Allure has only two sets of elevators (forward and aft), so there is a hike to the stateroom when you are staying so far back like we were. Not a huge deal for us because we have no limitations, but if you have mobility issues you might prefer to stay closer to the elevators.