A different but good Cruise.

We were on the Allure of the Seas January 18th-25th.  My husband and I have taken numerous cruises and have adored them all.  This was our first cruise since we had our son 4 years ago. 

First let me say this ship is big, yes you say I've heard.  However if you have ever taken a cruise just know this ship is very large and has a different feel to it.  There were a ton of family activities and the shows were amazing.  Usually my husband can skip the shows but after the first one he was hooked on making sure we went to them all.  My mother in-law adored the Dream Works Parade and actually said it was one of her favorite parts of the cruise.  What I would not bother paying for was the Dream Works Breakfast, the food was no different than the food served in the dining hall and there were three charcter visits.  The ship has plenty of character picture opportunities all week so save your money on the breakfast.    What I missed were more simple sail away parties, more activities at the pool (most were focused on the flow rider) or at the aqua theater which is far away from the pool.    The windjammer cafe was always full and pretty overwhelming, eating in the dining hall felt different because of the sheer size.  It took us a couple of days to learn to go to the smaller restaurants, that are free, for breakfast and dinner.  Once we figured this out the crowds felt much less overwhelming. 

It took some time adjusting to the amount of people and crowds.    Probably what I most disappointed in had less to do with the ship and more with the people on the cruise with us.  This boat was full of families, however a lot of families did not seem to want time with their children.    Kids club was full and many of the kids in there were left there all day.   In the pools there were many children unsupervised and not well behaved, my husband was spit on by a 8 year old.  We did end up calling guest services and it seemed to get a little better.  This made the trip a little disappointing but overall our experience was good!