We would highly recommend Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. Because of its massive size, it is not for everyone, but this was our second time aboard this ship and, so far, it is our favorite!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The lines were long, but moved very quickly. It felt as if we were onboard the ship in record time!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We had a regular 5.15 pm seating in The Grande Dining Room. For the most part, the menu choices were excellent and the quality of the food did not disappoint. We had one dinner at a specialty restaurant, 150 Central Park. The meal and the service there were extraordinary and well worth the surcharge. We avoided most buffets, except for an occasional breakfast. We felt the food offerings there were inferior to the full-service restaurants.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We personally enjoyed the Solarium pool area (which is designated for those 18 years old and above). Though it was usually crowded, it was still a relaxing atmosphere. We enjoyed the zipline on the ship and the miniature golf course. We took advantage of many of the entertainment offerings and were pleased with them all.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We commented, on several occasions, that the entertainment level on this ship was amazing! We have been on several cruises previous to this one, and we have never before witnessed entertainment at this level. Amazing talent was on display, continuously!
Children's Programs
We traveled as a married couple celebrating 36 years of marriage. No children traveled with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our stateroom attendant was the best we have ever had (this was our 7th Royal Caribbean cruise). She was attentive, caring, and friendly. Every need we had was met immediately with enthusiasm. Our waiter, assistant waiter, and headwaiter in the main dining room were "top-notch." They knew us by name immediately, learned our dining and beverage preferences immediately, and were always eager to serve. They showed us much personal attention and became our friends throughout the week.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It is a massive ship, with lots of things to see and do. Though it was crowded, the size of the ship helped keep the crowds dispersed most of the time.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a nice-sized balcony room overlooking the Boardwalk. We feared it might be noisy, but such was not the case. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ship tip
Make sure you book all your entertainment preferences in advance of the cruise. It removes much confusion while aboard the ship.
We really spent little time in Fort Lauderdale. We chose a nice hotel within walking distance of several nice restaurants. The hotel shuttled us from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port the next day.
We loved the beauty and cleanliness of this private island. We had a wonderful zipline excursion experience while there. We, however, did not like being pressured by the locals to come into their shops to buy their wares.
Heavy rains prevented our thorough enjoyment of this port. It was beautiful, but the excursion we chose took us too far away from the ship. We spent more time in a bus than we had hoped.
Interesting you comment about the shops in Labadee.
We were there 2 years ago and RCCL were doing a survey about the shops. They said they had a lot of similar comments and were looking at solutions.
It sounds like they hadn’t found them yet.
It seems a bit ironic that in Falmouth (not a private “island”) they had community officers casually wandering the area making sure that the shop operators were not too aggressive.
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