I have to start by saying that we had a great time. This is an amazing ship, everything you heard about it is true. It is strikingly beautiful and to say that it is innovative is an understatement about how edgy and modern Allure is. So the facts are in. It's time to make waves and rock the boat, and The Smart Traveler has the scoop about the biggest cruise ship ever built.

"She is a man made wonder of the sea" that's the impression I had when I was driving to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and I saw the Allure of the Seas waiting for me that sunny Sunday morning. Ten ships were at the port that day and the traffic to get through the control gate took longer than the time that took us to unload the car, park, check-in and get to our cabin - 15 minutes! Impressive when you think that 6,360 people had to checked in on that day. Yes, there was 6,360 passengers on board plus 2,100 crew members bringing the total to the staggering total of 8,460 people on board of the Allure.

When we first entered the ship, everywhere we looked we had the WOW factor. And we kept saying WOW until the day we left... sometimes for all the wrong reasons. Read more