Disappointed in the downtown 'shopping district'...the word tacky comes to mind. Also claustrophobic! There were 5 ships in port that day, two being jumbo-trons...this tiny hamlet is NOT designed to host that many folks at one time! 
As an excursion; however, we did the B.O.S.S. Underwater Scooter experience...BOSS is right! Very cool (albeit costly @ $115/pp), highly recommend, captain & crew top-notch (but sarcastic humor, so leave your thin skin on the ship!); Excursion rating: 5-stars! 


St. Thomas

Port 2: Sint Maarten Port 2 Rating: 3-1/2 
We had signed up for an excursion that left from the docks immediately upon our arrival. As part of the excursion; however, we did get to tour the island by utilizing both zodiac-type boat and jeep. In my opinion (as a boater), the weather (drizzly & windy) was not exactly 'optimal' for boating, we were all pretty much beat to hell by the chop and more than ready to get back on terra firma! Additionally, due to the 'extreme' ride, those of us driving the boats didn't get a whole lot of sight-seeing done! The jeep ride took us around both sides of the island, which was great but, again, if you were the driver you couldn't exactly sight-see as every road was just two lanes and heavy traffic! I've no doubt the trip would have been much more enjoyable with better weather and a native chauffeur! LOL 
A HUGE disappointment was the 'beach & lunch stop'...driving all over this beautiful island and through the tiny, quirky hamlet of Marigot we were eventually dumped out at Orient Bay where we found a shaggy beach with an under-construction 'bathhouse' (and I use the term loosely!) and the 'Boo Boo Jam' beach grille & bar...YIKES! Looking back, I believe if we had patronized the bar instead of the grille we would have been much better off...$27 bucks for two 'Fishburgers' (which were actually, no exaggeration, frozen filet-o-fishcakes!), one Red Stripe and a Coke...I would have been happier with a McDonald's drive-thru! Overall excursion rating: 3-1/2-stars (if your weather is bad, ask for your money back! We had a foursome in our group who did so, and were able to book another excursion.) 

St. Maarten

Beware, the aft Central Park Balcony cabins are located directly below the kid's Aqua Zone pool area...VERY NOISY!!!

Sailed: 12-19 December, 2010

Cabin: Central Park Balcony (CP2) #11631 (aft, but closer to mid-ship)

Overnight Hotel (pre-departure, 1 nt): Hilton Marina, ICW Ft Lauderdale

Ft Lauderdale Restaurants (pre-departure): Bimini Boatyard; China Grill (Hilton)



Pre-departure:

Arrived Ft Lauderdale, by air, Saturday afternoon 1430.)



Cabin: (CP2 (Central Park Balcony) #11631 (Deck 11) Aft (but really more toward mid-ship)):

While there is nothing like a new ship, we rank the stateroom at only 3-stars.

Allure of the Seas Review

Allure OTS Inaugural Season

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Central Park View Stateroom with Balcony

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