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Allure of the Seas Cruise Review

PackofCruisers

Contributor Level: Second Mate

9 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 21

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 20, 2023

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8694

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The ship was fun and had a number of activities to do. We were also able to slow down and do next to nothing in some of the bars and other locations. The ship on a whole looks well maintained and continuously clean throughout. It was good to see staff cleaning pools and other areas all over the ship. The staff was able to help with issues and resolve problems that we had on several occasions. Always helpful and friendly. Before leaving the ship, we had gone to NextCruise and booked our next.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

It was very easy getting on board. Got dropped off at the terminal at our assigned boarding time. Went up the escalator and straight to have our documents reviewed and pictures taken. Hardly any wait for security and then on to have Set Sail documents scanned. Walked up the ramps and then on board. The whole process took less than five minutes.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

We did not do any specialty restaurants. We do not like the new menus in Main Dining. The service is always great. However, it is the food that is the problem. On one of the nights, the choices were so not to our liking that we went to the Windjammer for dinner. The previous menus had some tried and true items that were always good every night. The Windjammer was ok for breakfast, but it was usually very crowded. It takes a while to find a seat. Lunch was about the same population-wise, but the food had few appealing options. We went to dinner once at the Windjammer; it was better than lunch but worse than breakfast.

Blaze

4 out of 5

We only went to Blaze once and that was for the "escape room". That activity was slow to start but was fun once it got going. Having multiple teams working at the same time heightened the anticipation to completing it in time.

Candy Beach

1 out of 5

This was equivalent to the snack area at a hotel. Nothing to write home about at all

Sorrento's

5 out of 5

Infinite pizza throughout the day and night. I prefer more pepperoni on my slices, but it was still great every time.

Boardwalk Donut Shop

2 out of 5

Was very surprised to find that the doughnuts appeared to be the same ones from the Windjammer. We were expecting something much different.

Dog House

4 out of 5

Hot dogs were good, but too much bun for my tastes. Others seemed to really enjoy them, though.

Diamond Lounge

4 out of 5

There was always a seat available and enough staff to keep everyone happy. Our bartender of choice was Sylvia. She always made the best drinks on the ship. She also worked at Dazzles.

Park Cafe

5 out of 5

We stopped for salads a couple of times here and were not disappointed. Everything was fresh, and they served them up quickly.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

To our very happy surprise, the Beach Pool was not freezing when we went for a swim on the first day. It eventually got cooler later on in the cruise, but it was nice not having to jump into the spa to warm up. The fitness center had a wide variety of machines to use. The free weight area can get a little cramped, though. However, we did not expect to have so limited trivia and the like. It would appear that those activities are more prevalent on smaller ships.

Casino Royale

4 out of 5

I know that you can't win them all, but the slots seemed very tight. Either that, or I am a sore loser. I was also not fortunate on the craps table, so walking away was my best option.The good thing is that they had a non-smoking casino. It was nice to have even though it was very small. There was roulette, a couple of cards tables, and a few slots. Sadly, no craps.

Jogging Track

5 out of 5

We enjoyed having the track travel the length and width of the ship. There was less monotony than when the trash is on top so you have to do more laps for the same distance. And the sitting/viewing areas are nice to have.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We really enjoyed the horns that played in Dazzles. No singers, just musicians playing hits from Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder and others. The only problem was that even though there were two levels to the venue, it was still standing room only. Glad that we got there earlier.

Studio B

5 out of 5

My wife says that this ice show is the best out of all of the other cruises we have done. It is amazing to me that they can do so much in such a little space. The skaters are very talented.I am a roller skater myself, but I enjoy having the opportunity to try my hand (or skates) on the ice.

Amber Theater

5 out of 5

I had never seen Mamma Mia before but the wife had previously enjoyed the movie. She said the show did not disappoint. I was familiar with all the songs in the show, even though I am not an Abba fan.To be honest, we didn't know what the story was about with the Planet Home show. The costumes and backgrounds were great.

Blaze Comedy Club

3 out of 5

We went to the 18+ comedy show. The wife liked both comedians much more than I did.

Aqua Theater

5 out of 5

They had some technical issues and could not complete the show on the first night. When we went during our reservation, everything ran flawlessly. It was a very entertaining show.

Central Park

5 out of 5

This was a very nice addition to the ship. It is a very relaxing area to be in.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

This is my first review and I put the staff review in a different area. The staff always seem to work to keep passengers happy.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

I also put this review in the wrong place. The ship stayed clean and looke well maintained. There usually is a wait for the elevators, but we still hope people would not crowd into them.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Royal Caribbean reduced the number of times rooms are cleaned up to only once a day. The steward asks when you would prefer to have it done. As usual on RC cruises, the staff does a really good job with keeping everything great. We had a balcony on this cruise, and the size was enough. Storage was a different issue. Instead of drawers, you have cubbies. Interesting. The balcony itself was smaller than I anticipated. I didn't look at the ship details to know beforehand. Just expected more.

Ship tip

This is a large vessel with a large number of people aboard. Expect to wait in lines for elevators and everything else. It is still very enjoyable, just remember to pack your patience along with your sunscreen.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

3 out of 5

We live near Houston, so "been there, done that" for this port.

Thumbs Up 0

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5

We were going to plan an excursion for this port but never got around to it. Sleeping in will do that to you. We walked around and checked out the pool area along with viewing some dolphins. We did find a little beach area that we never came across before.

Thumbs Up 0

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

3 out of 5

We did not do an excursion here and only went to the little shops right off the pier.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5

Even though it rained, we still got off the ship at this port. Walked around some. Went back to the ship and sat in a hot tub while it continued to rain.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

No problems getting off the ship. After getting our number called (we headed out several minutes after being called), we got into line. Line moved at a pretty good clip. We scanned and headed down the ramps. We got into the passport lines and went through the facial recognition devices; they had enough scanner so that the lines were moving quickly. Next, we were down the escalator and collecting our luggage. We continued following the route and were outside in short order. Total time after having our number called and leaving the assembly area was about 15 minutes give or take.