This was my first cruise in many years on Royal Caribbean. I am a big Celebrity Cruises and Azamara fan and cruise with them frequently. I decided to try a Grand Suite so that I would have dining access to the suite only Coastal Kitchen. Overall, the Allure of the Seas is a nice ship. I had never cruised on a mega-ship and am glad I did it (at least once). The suite I had was excellent. The cabin and the ship was clean. The Entertainment was top notch. The physical ship is very nice...Lots of options for everyone. Great recreational venues.

The food was OK...this was probably my biggest disappointment. RC could take a lesson from Celebrity and Azamara in restaurant operations. The Coastal Kitchen, the main reason I booked a suite, was very, very inconsistent. And I could not believe they used the same menu every night...no changes. Not even lobster like they served in all the other restaurants on the 2nd Formal Night. The food was OK (some nighs excellent, other times just good...but always pretty good) but the service was all over the place. Overall, the extra benefits of being in a suite (no reservations needed for shows; Meals in Coastal Kitchen; priority on and off the ship) were worth it, but I was disappointed in the food. For those that my be gluten sensitive, the Coastal Kitchen and other restaurants did a good job. The buffet restaurant (Windjammer) had no gluten free options on themed nights. This was also a big disappointment as I decided to try the Windjammer one evening only to find no Gluten Free options. So, would I cruise again on the Allure of the Seas? Yes, but I would lower my expectations more so than I did on this cruise. I had a good time. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze. And the ports visited were very good. And I am glad to have been in a suite.