Allure of the Seas Review
Cruising the Allure in the Western Caribbean
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My wife and I went on the Sept 23, 2012 cruise on the Allure of the Seas in the Western Caribbean.
General Information: We made the reservation about 3 weeks before the cruise. Our reservation was for a guaranteed outside balcony. We ended up with cabin 11202. We hadn't been on Royal for over 10 years. We weren't interested in the itinerary or the paid dining, we just wanted to get away. My guess is that most of these comments also apply to the Oasis. We are from Florida, in our early 60s.
Arriving at Port Everglades and Embarkation: We drove to the port, arriving around 11 am. The Allure was the only ship in port. There is a small, uncovered parking lot next to the pier. We had no problems parking our car. It costs $15/day and they take credit cards when you complete your cruise. We gave our bags to the porter and went inside. There were plenty of smiling faces directing us. The agents are sorted out by deck number and Crown and Anchor status. It took about 5 minutes to get our cards. The agent also took our photos, which are used whenever you board the ship. They use face-recognition software for both official purposes and to help the photographers keep track. We were then sent upstairs to the waiting room, which is divided into various areas depending upon your Crown and Anchor status. When the ship began boarding a little after noon, the back-to-back cruisers went on first. We then boarded by status, highest to lowest. We entered on Deck 5. Since the cabins aren't ready until 1 pm, we headed straight for the Park Cafe on Deck 8 for their famous roast beef sandwich. Great!
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Large Balcony
Canin 11202: The cabin had a connecting door, which turned out to be our biggest negative comment. The door is not soundproofed and we could easily hear the other folks talking. They did keep it down when we informed them of the problem, and it could have been much worse. The cabin is equipped with a hair dryer, shampoo, bar soap, a safe and a stocked mini-fridge. We took out some bottled water to make room for our stuff. That resulted in a charge, which we had no problem reversing. The cabin is located on one of the two "bumps" along the side of the ship. These bumps result in the larger balcony. Our cabin had the bed by the balcony. Alternating cabins have the sofa by the balcony. The flat-screen TV also serves as a message center for ship events. Make sure you view it daily, and look at your account to verify charges. You can also get in-room movies costing 11.95-13.95 each. For folks who are "over-sized": The bathroom and shower doors are both about 20 inches wide. The shower stall is circular, about 24 inches wide.