We loved the Allure the first time we went on it two years ago and decided to go again on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. (The first time we did the Western Caribbean itinerary.) We felt a little rushed on this itinerary initially. We docked in Nassau at 7 a.m. the second day of the cruise. Since there was only essentially 6 hours in Nassau, we booked an excursion that left at 8:00 am. This was rough because we had to wade through the crowds in the Windjammer at 7:00 am, when tons of other folks had the same idea. When we returned from our excursion around 1:00 pm, all the restaurants were packed. Otherwise, this second trip on the Allure was relaxing.
This can be quite a rude introduction to the cruise compared to the Western Caribbean itinerary, which starts off with a sea day on day 2. Even though this was our second time on this ship, we found enough to do. For instance, we discovered the Small Wonders scattered throughout the ship. One of our kids did not like the Adventure Ocean program so much this time. She is 6, so was in the Explorers program for 6 to 8 year olds. The program is more geared for active kids who like to play sports and games, so it was perfect for my two boys. My daughter prefers to do arts, crafts, and activities where she is less likely to get hit. She only went to Adventure Ocean twice during the whole week. During our previous cruise, she went to the Aquanauts program (ages 3 to 5) almost every night. I think Royal Caribbean needs to do more to engage older kids who don't like to play sports.
We found the character breakfast to be a bit of a rip off. They charged $10 USD for each person to dine. Kids 5 and under are free, but my kids were between 6 to 8 years old, so we had to pay for them, us, and the grandparents. This was definitely a cash grab as breakfast in the main dining room is usually free. Either charge for kids or adults. They shouldn't do both. We will definitely not do this ever again because character meet and greets are available free throughout the week and it is not like they get to spend much additional time with each character.
Cabin feels slightly more spacious compared to other family balcony rooms on the ship due to the way the sofa and bed are arranged. However, there is not much privacy when the door is open because the door is adjacent to the climbing wall. This particular cabin has an extra long balcony. Unfortunately, the balcony has a drainage issue. So when they washed the balcony on one of the shore days, it did not dry off even though it was a hot day as there was no drain for the water to go. This was made worse by water dripping down from the balcony from the deck above. Otherwise, this cabin was great. Noise was not an issue once the balcony door was shut.
We took the Water Taxi to the beach. It was a very busy day as there were 3 ships in port. There were still beach chairs available for rent, but not the best ones. Best to arrive earlier in order to secure a better beach chair.
We arrived a couple of days ahead and were able to take in the sights and sounds of Fort Lauderdale beach. We didn't rent a car, so were limited to the main beach area. Ended up having great weather and a great time at the beach. We also spent a day hopping on and off of the water taxi. It is great to see it once and a nice option if you don't have a car. Hollywood Beach seemed to be a great place to visit.