Pros:
e-Muster was fast and so much better than sitting around waiting on everyone else
Boardwalk area was really neat
Upper Central Park outdoor area
Diamond benefits are better than the other cruise line's perks
No loud stateroom or hallway announcements
Clock in stateroom
No obnoxious singing & dancing in the MDR at dinner by waitstaff
Cons:
buffet was tight & hard to navigate with so many people
Up charge for specialty dining is too high
Pub doesn’t sell food
Line at WipeOut Cafe always long but food was great
Royal App is convoluted & hard to find what I want (charges weren’t accurate)
Stateroom gets over heated even with drapes closed all day; windows need better UV protection
Mattresses are too hard
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Super fast and easy. We purchased covered North Lot parking and it is literally right at the terminal.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was far superior to that on the Carnival cruises we have taken from Galveston.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The Carnival "Boardwalk" area was really neat as was Central Park. So many things to do on the Allure!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Aqua Show is incredible. Don't worry if you can't get reservations ahead of time. Everyone in the standby line got to see the show and we had a full ship. Plenty of people with reservations didn't show up.
Children's Programs
We don't have kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship felt spacious and had a ton of areas to spread people out. The buffet layout was the only cramped space on the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The bed is closer to the balcony giving plenty of room at the closet. We love that Royal Caribbean has hard shower doors over the curtains that Carnival has. So much easier and roomier for showering. Our room was especially clean and our steward Chanda was incredible!
Ship tip
If you are of a bigger size, you can shower in the locker rooms of the gym instead of the tiny showers in the staterooms.
We love Galveston. Park and walk on to the Bolivar Ferry to cross. You stay on the ferry for the entire trip coming back to where you left the car. It takes about an hour round trip and you can see dolphins, jellyfish, tons of seagulls, etc. If you are brave you can even bring bread or crackers to feed the seagulls on the back of the ferry. This is so much fun and makes excellent photos. It is allowed only from the back of the ferries.
Take a taxi to the east side of the island to get a feel for really beautiful and untamed beaches. Punta Morena is a great spot with a small protected cove for swimming, loungers, hammocks, food, drinks, clean restrooms, etc. They do want you to spend at least $5/person on food, drinks, or souvenir stuff to cover overhead, but there is not entrance fee. Drinks are reasonable. Food is overpriced, but really tasty. A taxi right from the cruise port entrance will cost $100 round trip but if you walk outside the port and go across the street there are plenty of taxis that will do it for $60 round trip. You set up the time you need to come back and they are there waiting for you. It was awesome!
Easy disembarkation. There is one port employee, Farhad, who is on a power trip and yells at people about safety, but other than him it was a positive experience.
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