Our first experience with an Oasis class ship

Item: Allure of the Seas
Rating: 3.9
Author: NCRuss

Allure of the Seas Cruise Review

NCRuss

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 130

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 23, 2020

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 11636

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

My wife and I took a cruise on the Allure of the Seas, because we had never been on one of these "big" ships.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

We did a ship-to-ship transfer which did not go smoothly, but the check-in process went quickly

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Coastal Kitchen was superb, once we discovered that junior suites could eat there for dinner. The Main Dining Room (where we ate the first night only) was a major disappointment for us. We are accustomed to being able to look outside while dining, but this was like eating in a dinghy cave. The service in the MDR was below par and slow; in fact they got our dinner orders wrong. Not so in Coastal Kitchen, service and food was outstanding.

Sorrento's

5 out of 5

Great pizza and you can get a salad

Boleros Lounge

3 out of 5

The music tends to be on the loud side which is not comfortable while trying to enjoy a drink

Park Cafe

5 out of 5

This is a great alterative place for breakfast or lunch

Cafe Promenade

5 out of 5

Great place to get coffee and snacks

Blaze

2 out of 5

Not a very comfortable venue, but I believe after the ship refit this will become the Diamond Lounge

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Zipline

5 out of 5

This was fun to do at least once. It is a short ride, but at least you can try out a zip line

Center Ice Rink

5 out of 5

The ice show was very entertaining with a theme of the Monopoly board game

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We attended both 'Mama Mia' and 'Blue Planet' which were excellent. Royal Caribbean appears to have put their best entertainment on these big ships

Library

5 out of 5

This is great place to hang out while waiting for your room on deck 11 on embarkation day

Aqua Theater

5 out of 5

The show, 'Oceanaria' was excellent. The clown routine prior to the actual show was very European in nature.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Not a fan of the Main Dining Room (Silk on deck 5). It was dark and overbearing.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The stateroom was roomy and comfortable. We did have some noise from the balcony sliding door, because occasionally it would not seal properly. Beds and pillows were typical, but comfortable enough for sleeping

Ship tip

We found the Cafe Promenade great for a cup of coffee. The Park Cafe is a good alternative to the Windjammer which we did not enjoy. Sorrentos is a great place to get pizza and a salad. The running track on deck 5 is nearly a 1/2 mile uninterrupted course which is a great location to work off those extra calories.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Nassau is one of our least favorite ports in the Caribbean. Again, we stayed on the ship.

Thumbs Up 2

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Having been to Coco Cay once before, we were not impressed. In fact we stayed on the ship. However, one of favorite ships was docked across from us at the pier.

Thumbs Up 0

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

2 out of 5

There were three ships docked at Costa Maya, when we were there. The shopping area at the port was packed with people.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

2 out of 5

There is some shopping at the end of the International Pier, but Cozumel is another of our least favorite ports.

Thumbs Up 0

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

2 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

After a couple of hiccups, once we got off the process was slick. They use a facial recognition system for customs. This worked well for my wife, but it didn't recognize me and the attendant looked at me and my passport, then let me pass

Traveler Photos

Disney Magic was the only other ship we we were at Nassau

Allure of the Seas from the market at the pier in Cozumel

We were on the Adventure of the Seas during the previous week. What were the odds of us docking across from her in Cozumel?

Coffee/tea service. You have to move the pots to plugs at the vanity area, as there are no plugs at this area.

There was a lot of room in this bathroom

5 Comments

sparkeybob 4 years ago

Queen b is correct on now and before. Just saying.

Thumbs Up 0

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sparkeybob 4 years ago

Can't wait to go . Have not been on this ship yet.

Thumbs Up 1

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Travelgirl27 4 years ago

We LOVE the Allure and have been on it twice. We had a mini-suite and were told we didn’t have access to the Coastal Kitchen...maybe that has changed in the last few years???

Thumbs Up 1

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queenb12702 4 years ago

Love the Allure! I don't think it's fair to rate the present Coco Cay with a previous trip...js. I certainly wished we had a chance to go instead of Labadee.

Thumbs Up 1

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Dcruisingqueen 4 years ago

Very informative. Thank You

Thumbs Up 0

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Other reviews of this sailing

Awesome!

Fun cruise to the Western Caribbean