Nice Trip

Item: Allure of the Seas
Rating: 3.8
Author: melbeth

Allure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

melbeth

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 11

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 30, 2018

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin number: 9305

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Royal Caribbean was nice but I was suprised at the extra fees along the way and the service fee for room service. We have traveled on Carnival before and the food was much better as well as no fee for the little extras like ice cream sundaes and they had food available at the buffett at all hours. On the Allure of the Seas the buffett was closed by 8 pm. If you wanted food after that you had to pay for room service to bring it to you.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

This was a very streamlined process. The waiting area had nice chairs to sit in while waiting to board.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

We were disappointed with the quality of food on this cruise. We have cruised on Carnival before and the food was much better on that cruise. We also had to pay extra if we wanted lobster or tenderloin/rib eye at dinner.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Be prepared to pay extra for little things all along the way....even popcorn during shows was extra money.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida Did not visit port

Thumbs Up 0

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

We went on the Zip Lining at Loratie Farms. It was a great excursion but had more rope courses than zipping. The beaches here are amazing. Don't fall for the guys on the beach "renting" beach chairs. They are free to use but you can tip the guys for helping you find a seat.

Thumbs Up 9

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5

We did our own visiting around this town but didn't get too far from the port.

Thumbs Up 3

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5

We relaxed on Nellie Beach and it was really nice!

Thumbs Up 4

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

The ease of picking up luggage was amazing! Royal Caribbean really has this part of the trip streamlined

8 Comments

goldenmomma 6 years ago

I understand what they are saying. We were on the Carnival Breeze three years ago and there were more options for late night snacking once you got out of the shows or done dancing. They had midnight buffets and dessert bars after dinner. Room service was included any time of the day. While the Allure is a beautiful boat, there are definitely some areas that they could improve. Sorrentos pizza is good...but not every night good. Lol!

Thumbs Up 0

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Hindman5 6 years ago

I just got back from the allure and had 3 lobster tails at no charge on formal day 6 so maybe you missed that menu or something. Food was great and the buffet closed at 9. Cafe promenade stayed open for lite snacks and the pizza place also was open late. Sorry you didn’t like the food but my experience and my families was a positive one.

Thumbs Up 2

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capttrips 6 years ago

The cruise lines are all doing well, so most travelers are happy. Stick with what suits you best, there is no right or wrong.

Thumbs Up 0

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MissouriGal 6 years ago

We like Carnival Cruise Lines. No extra fees

Thumbs Up 0

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untcruiser93 6 years ago

What exactly was it about the food that did not appeal to you? I've been on the Allure and Oasis. The various food options is why I loved it. Park cafe was my fav, solarium, promenade cafe, windjammer, wipe out cafe, JR breakfast, MDR breakfast and love the lunch option, etc. I'm not loyal to any cruise line. I've been on about 20 cruises, half royal the other half carnival. I did miss the pool side lunch options blue iguana tacos but guys fries. But other than that I thought both lines food was comparable.

Thumbs Up 1

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KofiNaija 6 years ago

Liberty is ok. Certainly not as nice as any Oasis class ship. Buffet was standard. Probably even a little less than standard especially with Asian fare. Big downer for Liberty is it is an older largely Texas crowd. So the ship dies at night. Not nearly as party heavy as the Miami and Lauderdale sailings. Night club empties out early.

Thumbs Up 0

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isiala 6 years ago

Although I am happy with Royal Caribbean in general, and have not sailed on other cruise lines, I have to agree with melbeth. The food on Allure was not that great. That was surprising for me as well. The food on liberty of the seas, though, was wonderful. Not sure why that would be except perhaps it’s harder to make really good food for so many more people. We had such a great overall experience on Liberty. Allure was great to look at, but Liberty was a way better experience overall. So maybe try Liberty of the seas next time, melbeth.

Thumbs Up 1

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KofiNaija 6 years ago

Carnival loyalists are best served by staying on Carnival or at least being factual. Oasis class buffets are open until at least 9pm nightly. Snacks are available at least until 2 am often 3 am in line with the closing of night clubs ... Offering pizza, sandwiches, cheesecake And other snacks. The buffets regularly offer ice cream sundae stations with Oreos, sauces, nuts, etc. Finally Carnival doesn't have a ship in its fleet on the same level or with the attention to details or amenities as Oasis class ships and this includes its newest biggest ships which remain inferior designs to Oasis ships.

Thumbs Up 9

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