Allure of the Seas Review
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This was our fourth family cruise and first on RCL. Our previous 3 cruises were all on Carnival: Liberty and Carnival Dream (2). We had not cruised as a family in over 5 years, opting instead for some wonderful all inclusive resort vacations. We figured it was time to give cruising another try. Our twin boys are now 11 years old and the cruise experience would be MUCH different than it was when they were 5. Although all three of our Carnival cruises were superb, we wanted to see how RCL compared and also experience a MEGA ship.
Obviously, the ship itself is remarkable. I am not sure I would insist on the same class/size ship next time, but it certainly is something that every cruiser should experience at least once. The ship itself was easy to navigate, and although we covered every corner of the ship multiple times, it was still exciting to explore even on the last night. Lots of options for activities for 11-12 year olds but one thing we really missed was the waterslide (should have chosen the Harmony). Our kids were too light for the zip line and only tried flow rider twice. A water slide would have occupied them each day for an hour or two. My kids didn't go back to the Adventurer Camp once after the first night, but were happy with the pools, lazy river pool thingy, the shows, and the ports we visited. I think they also liked learning the ship and having the freedom to explore on their own which they did a lot. It was also nice to be able to send the kids back to the room to pick up the sunscreen, or get their own slice of pizza!
Overall we were happy with the RCL experience, but constantly compared it to our experience 5 years ago on Carnival. I know that the industry has changed in 5 years, so maybe it is not a fair comparison, but I can honestly say that besides the ship itself, we weren't impressed by the dining and service and staff compared to previous Carnival cruises. Like others, we grew tired of the nickel and diming, constant sales pitch for specialty restaurants and spa services - felt like walking down the beach in Roatan!
Cabin Review
Ocean View Balcony
This was one of the last remaining balcony cabins and I think it was one of the less desirable locations/decks. I am not sure if anyone would have chosen this cabin otherwise, but we had ZERO complaints. The long walk in the hallway was never a problem in those cool air conditioned hallways, and a quick flight of stairs and we were on the pool deck or at WJ, which were our most frequented locations on the ship. Never had any noise from above and would have no problem taking that cabin again.