Shelley R.
Sept 4, 2011 Sailing of Allure of the Seas - Excellent!!
We were on the Sept 4, 2011 sailing of Allure of the Seas and we loved everything about the Allure! Not even sure where to start with this review as this ship is just so amazing. We booked this sailing with Cruise Miles in June 2010, so we had over a year to wait for this cruise. My husband could not believe it was going to be possible to sail on this ship for a Titanium Voucher. Right up until the day we boarded the ship he kept saying he was not going to believe it until we had our cabin keys in our hand. He kept saying we were going to check in and be presented with a bill for the remaining balance as there was just no way we were going to get on this ship that cheap! We were amazed!!! Cannot thank the Cruise Miles Team enough for making our dreams come true for being able to sail on this beautiful ship. We sailed the Eastern Caribbean Sept. 4-11, 2011. A sold out cruise with about 6,300 guests and 2,100 crew-members. WOW!! That is a lot of people for one ship! The embarkation was a very smooth process and we were not disappointed, as this was the fastest one we ever done! For sure the fastest embarkation we ever did in 28 cruises. They have this down to a science! We headed over to the port around 10:00am to drop off our luggage. This process went very fast and smooth. We then went to the airport to drop off our rental car. We took the shuttle back to the port and were at the check in counter by 11:00am. The process was amazingly smooth and we could not believe we were standing on the ship shortly after 11:00am. We were totally amazed by the size of the ship! The Allure is truly spectacular, and so much larger then we ever imagined. You have it pictured in your head, but every inch of the ship is so much more then you could ever imagine. Cabins were not ready when we boarded so we headed to the buffet for something to eat, and it was packed but we were able to find a seat. Our first meal on board was very good. Shortly after 1:00pm our cabin was ready. We were in a cabin with a view of Central Park. It was a wonderful location for us, and the size of the cabin was perfect with lots of storage space, and the most hangers we have ever seen in a closet on a ship. The stateroom was much nicer than I was expecting, and layout was perfect. We felt like we had plenty of room to move about, with no problems, what so ever. We were able to get everything hung in the closet or put away on the many shelves. The room and bathroom were very clean with great lighting, and the colors of blues and greens went well together, and overall comfort was excellent. We dined in the Main Dining Room every night. We had made reservations at Chops but cancelled them as the food in Main Dining Room was very good and we had great table mates, who also booked the cruise through Cruise Miles. Our waiter and bus boy was one of the best we have ever had. We were well taken care of each night. John our waiter was Excellent!! He met all our expectations. I can not comment on the specialty restaurants as we did not eat there, but they offer a great variety, Central Park 150 , Izumi , Giovanni's., and Chops to name a few. We did not eat much at Windjammer but what we did have there was better then most cruise ship buffets. We really enjoyed Rita's Cantina for lunch on our last sea day. It was similar to our local Mexican place we love (Lone Star) and we found the food to be excellent. We ordered chicken fajitas were they were excellent and service was friendly. We also had dessert, which we enjoyed. The cover charge for here is very reasonable for what they serve. I would highly recommend trying this if you are ever on the Allure! We ate breakfast mostly every day at Johnny Rockets. We found breakfast to be excellent here and enjoyed it much more then the Main Dining Room or Windjammer. It’s an excellent idea that they have opened this for breakfast and gives you more variety for breakfast items. They had excellent egg / English muffin sandwiches, and a potato done with green onions, peppers and cheese… very yummy! There is the Solarium Bistro with some healthy alternatives but we did not make it during our 7 days to try it, so can not comment on the food served here. The Boardwalk Dog House was okay if you enjoy sausages or hot dogs. We did try it one day for lunch, but with all the other choices, we only did it to say we tried it the one day and did not return … There is a Donut Shop, in the Boardwalk area but we did not try this… There is also a café in Central Park, which we did try a few times, but service was very disorganized. Always crowded and under staffed. The sandwiches, fruit salad, and desserts were very good. Also served bags of potato chips, which I have never seen on a cruise ship before. Now on to the shows….. We loved Blue Planet and Chicago – Amazing performances! These were our two favorite shows. Chicago was as good or maybe even better then anything you would see on Broadway in NYC. They did an excellent job as I enjoyed it much more then I ever thought I would. We were even considering going back for the second time, but never made it. Having to reserve shows ahead of time is a great idea, but plans change and sometimes the show times you picked before hand no longer suit, but its next to impossible to change shows and times once booked. That is the only downfall we saw on this ship. Oceanaria was also very good with diving and acrobatics. Our show time was cancelled and put on at 5:00pm the following day while we were still in dock in St Thomas. I loved the show, but think it would of even been better if we would of saw it during a night performance in the dark and with the lights. Ice Games was good but we didn't care for the Monopoly theme around the whole show. The skating was good, but the ice was soft and melting so a lot of the performers were falling during the whole show. We have seen better ices shows on other ships. How To Train Your Dragon Ice Show was so cute with all the characters, but I found it hard to follow and we even went to the 3D Theatre a few days before and watched the movie. Without seeing the movie first I doubt people in the audience would be able to follow it. The Royal Promenade was always crowded. There were parades and the 70s night which was jammed packed and you could hardly move. The pool areas were also very crowded although you could always find a chair. They have a great pool deck on this ship! Just amazing with lots of pools and hot tubs and a fun children’s area. The Zipline and Flow Riders seemed to be a big hit with most passengers, along with a huge Mini Putt. We loved Central Park and the Boardwalk area. We loved our cabin in the Central Park area, but when booking again I think I would prefer a cabin in Boardwalk as the back of the ship is open and the views are spectacular! We went on a cabin crawl with other Cruise Critic members and the views of the balconies in the Boardwalk area are out of this world!! As far as the ports-Nassau, St Thomas and St Maarten. We have been to these ports many times and did not pick this cruise for the ports. We did not book any excursions in any ports. We did a bit of shopping in each port and back to the ship. The ship was truly the destination for us, and the only reason we booked this sailing was to see the ship. Overall, we truly loved the ship. I think all cruisers should experience it at least once either on Allure of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas. We cannot wait to book the Oasis of the Seas! We are planning on taking our two daughters next time as they would be just as amazed if not more then we were. Loved our cabin, activities and all the shows. Everything was just amazing from the time you stepped on the ship until we disembarked. Thanks Cruise Miles for making this possible for us. We surely had a wonderful time, and cannot wait to be able to do it again!! Truly amazing... :D Thanks so much, Chris (seaview31) and Shelley (csaeroach) PE, Canada