Horrible Cruise Week

Item: Allure of the Seas
Rating: 3.2
Author: Nitajas

Allure of the Seas Cruise Review

Nitajas

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

3.2 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 16, 2020

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11576

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

I travel with Royal Caribbean all the time. This was the worst cruise that I have ever been on to date. I will NEVER again travel on Allure if the Seas!

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Paid extra for Key Pass. Crew staff did not recognize the key pass from any other passenger. Spent a lot of money for nothing.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Food in buffet was okay but nothing special. Same food every day. Suggested that they change up food daily.

Johnny Rockets

1 out of 5

Horrible service, food was horrible. They tell you that everything on the menu is included in the price but then try to charge you $6 extra for a malt plus the 18% tip. Put prices on the menus of NOT included in the posted amount.

Ice Cream Parlor

2 out of 5

Was disappointed, the ice cream was tacky in texture.

Opus Dining Room

2 out of 5

This was a big disappointment. Food was not great. Service was below par. Schedules for meals were impossible due to the amount of passengers on the ship.

Windjammer Cafe

3 out of 5

It was okay, basically a buffet.

Sorrento's

5 out of 5

Great as always!

Izumi Hibachi & Sushi

5 out of 5

Great food and service. Was a blast!

Chop's Grille

4 out of 5

Food was very good.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Pools were great.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

There were events that we had reservations that were canceled. We were not able to reschedule due to limited seating and crowds. Too many passengers on the ship for the limited seating of the events.

Blaze Comedy Club

1 out of 5

Very disappointed that we did not get to enjoy. 7,000 people on the ship and 100 seats for the event.....really!

Studio B

5 out of 5

Really enjoyed the ice show.

Aqua Theater

3 out of 5

Show was good. Kept having technical issues and issues with seating.

Amber Theater

5 out of 5

Mama Mia was a wonderful show. Really enjoyed.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Waiters in dining need more training. They were giving food to the wrong guests....not good at all. Customer Service needs to fix mistakes and not give excuses for their mistakes.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Pick another ship!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 out of 5

Took a tour with an outside party “San Juan Tours”, Cost was $15 for a 1.5 hour tour. We were gone over 2 hours. Alberto was the best tour guide. Made many stops for photo opportunities. We went to a local “Market” and were given samples of local produce and the ability to purchase locally hand made souvenirs. Stopped at a beach. We tasted food from a small village....was GREAT....and cost $5 for two people to eat. This was the best tour of the trip!

Thumbs Up 0

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5

Horse back riding was fun. Disappointed that we were told we would be riding in the ocean and did not.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

This was a horrible experience. We purchased Key Pass to be able to depart in time for an early flight. There was NO special line for expedited or Key passengers. The ship employee said “there is no expedited departure, you have to get in line with everyone else”. That is crap to charge for a service that is not provided. I will NEVER travel on this ship again!!!!!

18 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks

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sparkeybob 4 years ago

I think it is fair to say that you are not a fan of RCL . Maybe it is what you make out of it. If one wants to have a good time , they will. If all you do is look for the bad then I think RCL is not for you ever.

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Never been on the Allure but have cruised RCCL a few times and always loved our cruise. RCCL is pretty much our favorite.

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Travelgirl27 4 years ago

I thought that the Allure was getting dry-docked in January of this year??? Was it delayed or something? We have been on it twice before and it was our favorite out of all of them that we have been on over the years.

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mschleich 4 years ago

We were on Allure a few weeks ago, excellent service in MDR. Sorry you had issues. We did not spend money on the key so no experience with that.

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wynwyn 4 years ago

All I can say is you knew you booked a cruise that can carry 6000+ passengers so you should have known there would be lots of waiting and that the entertainment venues can only hold so many people. Sounds like you need to cruise on a smaller ship next time.

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queenb12702 4 years ago

Our very 1st cruise was on the Allure a month ago. It's a fantastic ship and her crew was amazing. I believe its a mindset if you don't want to enjoy your vacation you won't.

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Shh813 4 years ago

You are way too picky. Didn't even like the Ice cream. Wow! We were on the Allure in November. I think our best cruise ever. Food in MDR was absolutely delicious. (American Icon Grill) SHOWS were fantastic. Our ports were great. Loved the ship so much.

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shilenae 4 years ago

When we were disembarking the Anthem in December, they had the Key guests sat in an area waiting for the queues to reduce..they didn’t seem to have anything expedited but an area to sit and wait really! Shame it spoiled your cruise as I really loved the Allure.

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Dadm 4 years ago

You can cancel the Key before your cruise. I don’t recall anywhere that it stated that you would get an early departure on the final day, but I could be wrong. As we departed out last cruise there was a large group of people with the Key, furious about being at the back of the line. They were also upset that they had to manage their own luggage. There again, they bring your luggage on. I don’t believe they agree to take it off the ship.

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TheSnoMan 4 years ago

You do not have to be on ship to know that bigger is not always better. It's simple math. 9000+ passangers and crew will cause issues at times. They have to be feed and boarded and deboarded. We prefer smaller ships and would rather pull into port with 2000 to 3000 passangers than 6000+ any day. Royal C created the overcrowd mess with that ship and they tries to profit from it further with the Key which promises more than it delivers at times especially when most buy Key then there is little advantage to having it as everyone else has it too.

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Ethan1318 4 years ago

We was on Allure in Dec. Had a great time however your on spot with the Key! We got it as well and they acted like they had no clue. Went to leave and 4 staff members sent us to 4 locations before telling us just to get in line like everyone else and by then we was so far back. We had a 13 hour driveand was very upset. Other than that perfect trip.

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DJCalise 4 years ago

That’s not good!!! We’ve purchased the Key for our upcoming cruise on Symphony of the Seas......now I’m worried.....

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cruisedreamer22 4 years ago

Sorry your experience on the Allure was poor. I was on Allure for the first time in December. My experience was wonderful, no major complaints. Will agree the WindJammer was not that good, I stayed away from it after one visit to it. Im not a buffet fan ever though. I'm a Royal Caribbean fan, too. Hopefully your cruise on Allure was just a one-off for the ship.

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portofrome 4 years ago

Thanks for your review

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CVCruiser 4 years ago

Ive never had a bad experience on any of the Oasis class ships. Yep, have had shows canceled and ports canceled due to weather or rough seas, but thats not the ships fault. If you bought the key and didnt get the service, you should have pushed for a refund. It seems for all your experience cruising, your complaints seem to be that of a newbie? Ill be on the Allure in 7 days for a 12 day transatlantic cruise.. we shall see if your complaints hold water... or just your perception.

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andybes 4 years ago

Sometimes the biggest ships aren't the best

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CruzeFan 4 years ago

Thanks. We love Royal Caribbean and always have a great experience.

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