Let me start off by saying that our recent Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard Allure of the Seas was amazing. If there's one thing RCCL prides itself on and can deliver, it's the WOW. And this ship is wow! That said, there was one very unsettling part of the ship, and unfortunately for me, it's a big part of my cruise experience, the Fitness Center. It was the only disappointment on a fantastic cruise experience.

Let me start with the positives, because they were many. I've sailed 4 times on Voyager class ships and once on a Freedom Class, so there was some "seen one you've seen 'em all" thing in my head. Those layouts are great, but after a while you can't really get lost on the ship. Allure has a lot of DNA in common with Voyager and Freedom, but the distinctives made it so I was getting lost a lot the first two days into the voyage. I got a tickle out of that and tip my hat to the designers. They did a great job and the Finder boards all over the ship were fantastic (although some ran so slow you occasionally just gave up waiting for a response and went on your way). It is a similar but very different ship.

Central Park and Boardwalk absouletly deliver unique experiences at sea. I NEVER got tired of stepping into those environments and feeling like the ship was in port and I was in a great place to visit. The Rising Tide was a surprize because you didn't appreciate how different the environments were at the top and bottom until you rode it. It was fantastic. Read more