This was our 3rd cruise on the Allure. When the opportunity came up to sail on her again with our community travel club, we siezed the opportunity. Even though we have been on her before, we still found things to do that we loved. We had seen the shows before, but they are still incredible. We dined at Giovanni's Table and Chops Grille. Giovanni's is noisy and rushed like an authentic Italian Trattoria. If you want a quiet evening dinner with great ambiance, I suggest Chops Grille. It has the BEST meats of all the ships we have sailed on hands down! I think that RCCL should have put their other signature restaurant Portofino's on either the Oasis or the Allure. But they didn't do that, so you can make your choices from what they have. We don't do the zip-line or the rock wall, but our kids did and we took many great photos.

We are Diamond Plus status, so we preferred our quiet breakfast in the Concierge Lounge. This amenity overlooks the Boardwalk for those people-watchers. It also has a great view of the Aqua Theater and the sea beyond. I highly recommend seeing Blue Planet because its special effects are stunning. The slightly abbreviated version of Chicago, the Musical was Bob Fosse at his best. The singers and dancers did a great job. I thought that their choice of "Headliner" for this cruise was sub-standard, but many folks did not agree with me.

We had 8th floor standard balconies which were right near the forward elevators. When we needed to cross to the other side, we went through Central Park. Our cabin was a standard balcony. The closet was okay, but the general storage around the cabin was not really good. The little table that are at your bedside are inadequate. We had to purchase a an item from a catalog company to hold our glasses, key card, etc. so that these items did not get lost on the floor. No bedspreads is the best idea ever. The bathroom was adequate. Our location was right off of the forward elevators and it was quiet and we loved to relax on the balcony. I like to have sheer curtains that can be closed when in port or to block out the sun. Only the inside balconies (Central Park and Boardwalk) have the second layer of sheers. When you are in port with another ship beside you, you lose your privacy and need to close the room-darkening curtains. Sometimes a cost-cutting idea is a REALL BAD IDEA! Read more