We were onboard the Allure of the Seas early May, touring Western Caribbean. This ship is obviously impressive and since most features have been covered by other reviews, I'll just list a few specific items that were no covered in the brochures.

Embarkation: We stayed overnight in Ft. Lauderdale before the cruise, not wanting to chance on any delays. From our hotel, we were shuttled to the cruiseport at 10:30 am. We were advised not to arrive before 2 pm so we were expecting a long wait at the terminal. Not so. The agents at registration were very friendly and efficient. The waiting area has a play gym so kids are kept busy. Everyone boarded in orderly fashion and we were on the ship at noon. We were told that our rooms would not be available until 1:30. No problem. We were heading to the Windjammer buffet before we checked the ship's interactive directory and found out it was packed. So we had a quick lunch at the Promenade Cafe instead. You can imagine everyone was looking for lunch so it took a while to get a table. Some folks were simply parking themselves there to wait for their rooms.

Rooms: Our 2 rooms were available exactly at 1:30. We were quite delighted to find that we were upgraded to a Central Park view room, even though we had booked 12 days prior to sailing for the lowest price cabin. The room is close to 200 square feet and very roomy compared to what I'm used to on other ships for the inside category. The beds are pushed together but the room stewards would come and check to see if you want them separated. I love the window seat looking out onto Central Park. It was hard to imagine you're on a ship. The bathroom is compact but has lots of storage. There are lost of hooks to hang wet bathing suits. I especially like the hand-held shower head for helping with the kids. We were given 2 heavy glass tumblers in the bathroom but luckily I had brought a small plastic one for the kids. Read more