A mixed bag of good and bad.

Item: Allure of the Seas
Rating: 4
Author: meghad23

Allure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

meghad23

Contributor Level: Captain

180 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 7

Helpful Votes: 47

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 24, 2016

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10652

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

This was the largest ship I've been on, and it was almost too large. Our experience was a mix of good and bad. The best I can say is that service was inconsistent. I would almost say that the ship was too large, and I was not able to experience everything it had to offer. Still have not gotten to the flow rider or the zipline on this ship. We were only able to go to one show because all of them were full before we were able to get make reservations (not a fan of the pre- reserving tickets). My partner is not a person that likes to pre-plan, because he is not sure he will be in a mood for one thing or another, so the reserving of shows prior did not suite us any. Either have a better system, adjust what they have, or offer more showings (Which I know would be hard on the performers, but with 6000+ guests, you would need to anticipate the demand). 2 of the ports I've been to previously, and Nassau was new, and I was not impressed. There were some shining moments and excellent individual crew members that made the experience better. I ended up getting an ultimate package under the assumption that "Specialty coffee" included the Starbucks per the sales person on the phone that was helping me, but come to find out, it does not. I would have stayed with the premium package had I known. All in all, still nothing like a cruise, whether you are doing an excursion every port, or exploring on your own and relaxing by the pool.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food in the windjamer was okay, and the coke machines seemed to be out of a lot of drinks constantly. The main dining room had good food, but desserts were lack luster with options. We did eat at the tequila bar/restaurant and the table-side guacamole was delicious! Options were not huge as far as what to eat for main meal though.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There were more activities on the last 2 sea days, and wish they were more spread out, but there was plenty to do it seemed

Entertainment

3 out of 5

We were only able to go to one show (blue planet) and it was good. Wish we could have seen the other shows, but they filled up months before the cruise.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Did not use any, but seemed like the kids were running around rampid all the time.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our original servers were not the best. We tried giving them a chance, but they were not as attentive to our table as others and were missing simple things along the way. We spoke with the manager and had a phenomenal experience the next day, but they were working hard to make up our bad experience in a short amount of time. Courney our room attendant was great! Made friends with a bartender we visited every day. Some experiences were not as great

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very big and everything was tip top shape. I enjoyed the rising tide bar, although it was small and could be cramped at times, but there were more than enough bars and hang outs to go to.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The balcony was not anything special. Was a bit disappointed we did not have a love seat/couch like we did on our last cruise, but it is always nice to have the option of a balcony, especially on port days.

Ship tip

Do not make the mistake we did, and reserve your shows early! With a big ship, prime slots fill up quick and the stand by option can be a pain an unorganized.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5

I would highly recommend getting a hotel the night before the cruise, it will make your life so much easier. Did not do much of an excursion, but went downtown Saturday night and was VERY crowded.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

1 out of 5

Unless you have the time at port and the money to spend on Atlantis, I would stay on the ship. There was not much to see close to the port, and walking down the streets and by the straw market is like going through a gauntlet.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Fantastic shopping port! Being we had a XL ship, we were in a different port than I have been used to, but taxis were cheap, but crowded.

Thumbs Up 0

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

If going to Maho beach, check to see how many ships are in port. The "Beach" is very tiny. We were the only ship in port (but a very large one) and it was pretty crowded. Was an experience that I think all should experience. Leave plenty of time for the cab back to the ship though, traffic can be rough after the Air France plane, as everyone is leaving at once.

Thumbs Up 2