New Year cruise

Registration and boarding process in Fort Lauderdale took more than 1 1/2 hour even though we went at the time we were told to go. There was 4 openings for our deck but only one person attending. That was the longest process of all the 7 cruises we have taken.

We had a "My Time dinning" but this is not real. You cannot get the time you want when you make the reservation. They offer you 2 times which were not convenient for us but had to take them since if you don't, the wait to be seated can go as high as an hour. When you accept the time they suggest, you are always directed at the same table at the same time. Therefore it's the "cruise line time dinning", not "my time". it's been pre-assigned. On top of that, if you chose "my time dinning" at the cruise booking, the tip for the whole cruise has to be paid in advance. However, food and service in the dinning room was good.

The Windjammer (depending at what time you go) is very crowded. Food is ordinary, it all taste the same. The cost of the offered packages is way to high for what it offers. For example, the "dine and wine" package was $165/day/person (you can't share) where all drinks and wines were included. That means that if a couple takes that package, it comes to a hefty total of: $165 X 2 X 7 = $2,310. Do the math before considering a package. You would have really to over do it in alcohol to match that cost. You probably would get sick before ....  The cost for the excursions are also quite expensive for what they offer.

On a positive note: the shows and music venues were the best of all the cruises we've been on.

This boat is huge which makes it quite impersonal if you only go as a couple. There is a lot of activities even though we did not get involved much in them.

The cruise on the Allure or Oasis would be best suited for groups or large families. In our case, as a couple, a cruise on a smaller ship would probably be more convenient.