My husband and I loved all the options that are available on the Allure, but we learned one thing: do your planning before you go! Reserve the shows and shore excursions you want so you don't have to wait in line to get help with reservations. Some of the choices we wanted were full by the time we made up our mind, and we should have watched the videos on each one before we left. We were able to make some changes to shows that had been previously full as the days went along, so it wasn't a problem anyway. The one thing we didn't realize is that you need to be at the show 15 minutes before it begins, or they let the people on stand by take your seat. The best shows were the Aria Agua show and the Blue Planet.

The Allure is so beautiful, and we especially loved Central Park. We went there for many of our meals and several times to enjoy a glass of wine among the trees. We had the best filet mignon ever at Chops Grille. Even though there are a lot of people on the ship, it never felt too crowded.

We chose the 5 Star Tour in St. Thomas and loved going to Magen's Bay. We weren't interested in doing any shopping though, and part of that tour is 2 hours walking around the town. On St. Maarten, we took a fun snorkel & beach trip and really enjoyed that as well. A highlight for us was going to Maho Beach to watch the planes land. Read more