Thread: Live from the Allure of the Seas

Nancy and I flew down yesterday and stayed at the Marriott Airport/Cruise Port. They have a complimentary shuttle from the Ft. Lauderdale airport and to the cruise port.

We boarded the Allure of the Seas this morning for a 2-day pre-inaugural sailing for travel agents and VIP's to give us an opportunity to see it prior to the first passenger sailing.

In a word, this ship is 'amazing'.

It's actually 5 centimeters longer than the Oasis of the Seas (roughly about 2 inches). Doesn't sound like a big deal, but they say that equates to a few more tons of weight.

There is plenty to do and lots to see. Food everywhere. But speaking of food, I have to say that we were disappointed in the lunch we had at Rita's Cantina and dinner in the main dining room. While is was 'okay', everyone we talked to basically said the same thing that they could improve the quality.

But hey, this ship is so amazing that food doesn't seem to matter as much - it truly is a destination in itself.

We got on board at 11:30am today, so we had a long day of walking around and see the many parts of the ship. We also got to watch the skating show and the main show - both of which were wonderful.

We have all day tomorrow to explore and finish checking out the ship, so if anyone has any questions, now's the time.

We are to disembark by 9:00am on Wednesday so they can get ready for the 4-night inaugural cruise. We'd love to stay onboard so we could get to try some of the specialty restaurants that look very good.

Pete

Pete hope you and Nancy have a Great time!

We had similar issues with the food on the Oasis last week. Left a lot to be desired.

Yep, food leaves alot to be desired, that's for sure.

We're in a Category D1 balcony (oceanview) cabin on the bump-out area and it's really nice with a larger balcony. The suites on this ship are amazing, but for a couple, I still like the junior suite - those are just the right size for two.

Now that we've been on this ship for a day, here's the things I like about it;

Shows
Variety of specialty restaurants
Several eateries for breakfast - not just the buffet & MDR
Bathroom in cabin
Beds (they have a 2" memory foam topper on them - Very Comfortable)
30" HD flat screen TV's in cabin
Internet keyboard and usage through TV - don't need a laptop or computer - speed rather slow and keyboard is a little strange
Can check onboard account, book excursions, get show tickets, and check restaurant availability through cabin TV - NICE TOUCH!!
Built-in nightlight in bathrooms
Digital clock with ipod plug-in in cabin
The Staff!!
The balcony has glass front, nice furniture, and a non-slip floor
Shower has a curved plastic door and not a flimsy platic curtain
The fitness center is wonderful and huge
The children's area is absolutely amazing - best we've seen on any ship
You can see pictures taken of you on a monitor
Digital monitors by the elevators to help you find cabins, restaurants, venues, etc. And provide a real-time waitlist time for eateries.
Lots of bars & nightclubs
Basically - a non-smoking ship! No smoking in cabins or on balconies overlooking the Boardwalk or Central Park - oceanview balconies smoking is allowed. 1/2 the casino is smoking and there are some outside areas as well as a couple of bars where smoking is permitted.
Lots of swimming pools & hot tubs, including a great children's pool area
Huge casino
The Aqua theater

They also have a soda machine in Sorrento's where you can mix any combination of 106 different drinks. For example, I had a Sprint & Peach yesterday that was very good. Nancy had a Dasani water with lime. Very unique.

There's only a few things we don't like;

Food in the MDR & buffet (all rather bland)
Closet in cabin (sliding doors next to bed and rather small)
Pizza in Sorrento's

I'm sure there will be others we can add on the list, but that about covers it for right now.

Pete

Whoa. No smoking on the balcony? Is this new for RC just for the Allure?
Thanks for the input Pete.

Thanks for the live from the Allure conversation, Pete. We're anxiously awaiting your next update.

Thanks so much for all of these like's, dislike's and details. Safe travels!

Sorry - I mis-stated that.

This is basically a non-smoking ship. Smoking is not allowed on balconies overlooking the Central Park or the Boardwalk. Smoking is not permitted in cabins, but is permitted on oceanview balconies. One-half the casino is for smoking, but it's a huge casino. There are a couple of outside areas where smoking is permitted and a couple of bars allow smoking. So far, we've not found smoking to be a problem even when sitting on our balcony.

Sorry for the confusion - I read the part about no smoking allowed on balconies and didn't finish reading the whole paragraph.

Pete

Pete, How about dance floors , compared to other ships ?

Hi Pete! Glad you're having a great time.

Thanks for clearing up the smoking of the balconies thing. Some of us we starting to panic.

Very much enjoying reading your "LIVE"!

Originally Posted by tonylinsdell

Pete, How about dance floors , compared to other ships ?

There are more places on this ship to dance than any ship we've been on. And a wide variety as well.

Pete

Originally Posted by Cruise Planner

There are more places on this ship to dance than any ship we've been on. And a wide variety as well.

Pete

Fantastic , now I need to persuade my wife that 6000 people is not a lot.