We wanted to experience one of Royal Caribbean's biggest ships (we had previously done the Enchantment of the Seas) and we had also sailed on the Disney Dream. The Allure did not disappoint!!! We spent the night before the cruise at the Embassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale and then drove to the port (parking at Terminal 18 parking lot). We got there at 10 and the parking lot was very busy with people getting off the ship and taxi's and shuttles picking them up, but the line of traffic moved quickly. It cost us $105 to park for the week, but since we wanted to get an early start to WDW after our cruise, it was worth paying the extra money. Embarkation was so easy. My husband dropped the luggage and me off while he parked. As soon as he was back, we took our luggage to the porter and we were ready to go. We walked through security and then got our sea passes and sat in the Gold Section for Crown and Diamond until it was time to board (probably about 15 minutes). Once we were onboard, we headed to the top deck to take a look at the ship. Our first stop was the Solarium Bar to get drinks (margarita and strawberry lava flow) and these bartenders served us the entire week and were great to us!! We stopped by the Windjammer (which wasn't crowded at all) and got lunch. The buffet seemed to be overflowing with food and it was almost overwhelming. (Everything we had was wonderful). Our room was ready by 1:00 so we were able to drop off our carry-on backpacks and head out to explore the ship. Our luggage was at our stateroom by 3:00 so we were able to unpack before we sailed. We had our muster drill at 4 and then we were ready to sail. We didn't sail till almost 5:00 because a plane from Canada had been delayed (with passengers for the ship on it). We started sailing and were amazed at how smooth it was! Throughout the cruise we ate lunches in Windjammer and Park Cafe. Dinners were mostly in American Icon (MyTime Dining) and we were able to have the same waiters each night (Sachin and Felix). We ate dinner one night at Sorrento's for pizza. We did not take advantage of the extra dining packages and we found the dinner in the main dining room to be wonderful and the service outstanding. Breakfasts were mostly in the main dining room (sometimes buffet and sometimes off the menu). We did the formal dining, but husband wore a polo shirt and slacks and I wore a short dress with sandals and we did not feel underdressed (although some people did wear tuxedos and gowns). The shows were great. Mama Mia was fantastic (although we about froze in the Amber Theater). Be sure to take long pants and a sweater!! The Ocean Aria was amazing! Blue Planet was just ok in our opinion. The headliner (Elvis impersonator) was so much fun. We didn't do any of the comedy shows. We went to the casino 2 different nights, mostly to watch others gamble, although we did play the slots and roulette for a little while. The Promenade was so busy at night! You have to get there really early to get a seat anywhere just to watch what is going on. We loved the walking track on deck 5. That was one of our favorite places to go after dinner and we loved sitting in the deck chairs on the stern and watch the wake of the ship. We met some workers who explained the entire lifeboat system to us as well! As far as ship activities go, we didn't do much except to just relax in the solarium area of the ship or on deck 16. We did notice that the kids water play area was closed for the entire week for renovation and there were many people who were upset because they had toddlers and nothing for them to do (and they weren't notified and RC wasn't giving them any reimbursement for the inconvenience). We had the deluxe dining plan with Voom and I would do it again! The internet works great and we were able to FaceTime and use Messenger phone with our grandkids and kids the entire week. The drink package was great...freshly squeezed oj every morning, wine with dinner, baileys with coffee, in addition to all the great drinks on board. Get to know your bartenders and they treat you like royalty! At Labadee we went to Columbus Cove (we rode the free water taxi there). The beach was nice...no problem getting a chair. Lunch was just so-so (probably the worst meal we ever had). I would probably just wait and go back to the ship for lunch the next time. The venders in Labadee were terribly aggressive and we did buy some trinkets for grandkids, but we were put off by how pushy they were. In Falmouth, Jamaica and in Cozumel, Mexico, we did not do excursions. We went shopping in both ports (the shopping facilities are very nice in both ports) and the merchants there were definitely not as pushy as in Labadee. In both ports we probably stayed onshore 2 or 3 hours and then headed back to the ship. We did the ALL ACCESS SHIP TOUR and found it so informative. We got to see the laundry area, crew area, storage area for all the food, food preparation areas, bridge, and also ask questions of all sorts of crew members who took us on this tour. Disembarkation on the last day was so easy. We chose express (we took our own bags off the ship). We got up at 5:30 and were at breakfast by 6:15 in Windjammer. We got our bags and were at deck 5 (where we got in line to disembark) by 6:45. We were in our car by 7:10. We used the mobile passport app and customs were so easy. Things to take: magnetic hooks (we used them everywhere in the cabin to hang all sorts of things), clips to hold towels to your chairs, sling bag to take into ports, small pack of clorox wipes (to wipe down cabin when you first get there), small lysol for bathroom, lanyard for sea pass (or buy one when you get there), water shoes, flip flops for walking on the hot decks on deck 16, binoculars, extra wire hangars, pop-up laundry bag, ikea collapsible bags to put souvenirs in.