This was a transatlantic cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona. The Allure is very large and absorbs its passengers well. With 5100 on board the only crowding I saw was at the Windjammer around 9:30 for breakfast and 1:00 for lunch.

My inside cabin was perfectly adequate though showing modern cost cutting in the details and trim. Oddly the lights can only be controlled from one side at the headboard end which must be an issue when the cabin is set up for two singles. The cabin steward was very good and kept everything neat, clean and well supplied. The inside cabins on deck 3 can be bothered by the noise of the huge hydraulic system that moves the Rising Tide bar up and down roughly from 10 am to 10 pm. It won't disturb your nights sleep but will play havoc with an afternoon nap. It sounds like a huge industrial vacuum cleaner.

Food is always subjective. Unlike some of my fellow reviewers I thought the Windjammer food was fairly good. High beef prices worldwide have resulted in more lamb, chicken and especially pork. There was also a steady stream of (pretty good) curries which the Brits on board seemed to like and the Yanks not so much. Cooking was uneven though and a superb lamb curry one day was followed several days later with a terrible one. Ditto a delectable beef brisket was followed later by one a dog couldn't chew through. Staff only have a vague idea of what is being served. A steak and kidney pie was actually a steak and mushroom pie. "No, its correct" said the server. "Kidney is a kind of mushroom". Argh!Ditto the table waiter in the MDR who thought tomato wedges with thin sliced smoked duck was beefsteak tomato slices with feta and tried to insist upon it. Sigh. Read more