Allure of the Seas was the first cruise I ever took and it impressed me in almost every single way. The food blew me away, and the shows were phenomenal. I would recommend Allure of the Seas to anyone who wants to get into cruises.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
At the time of boarding, Covid procedures were still in place, which led to the lengthiest boarding I’ve yet experienced. I do expect this would be much better now.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Samba Grill remains my absolute favorite restaurant on any ship I’ve ever been too. It’s been two years and I still wish I could go back, especially for that dessert. On this sailing, I got the unlimited dining package, and also had dinners at Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table, Sabor, and Izumi Hibachi, and greatly enjoyed each experience.
Additionally, I ate one dinner in the main dining room, and found it didn’t hold a candle to the specialty restaurants. I would absolutely recommend getting a dining package of some sort, because the specialty dining on Allure was phenomenal.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I don’t think any ship other than Icon comes close to the sheer amount of onboard offerings as an oasis class ship. I don’t think it’s possible to be bored onboard.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Mamma Mia is the perfect show for a cruise ship, and was perfectly executed by the talented cast onboard. It remains my favorite cruise show to this day.
Additionally, I saw the aquatheater show OceanAria, the figure skating show Ice games, and the standup comedy show featuring Greg
Vaccariello & Phil Palisoul.
I thought each show was wonderfully entertaining, with the comedians being a standout. They had different sets but played off of each other, acknowledging each other’s bits and working together to make a funnier punchline. They did excellent crowd work, and I’d love to see either of them again.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This is the ship that made me fall in love with cruising, and the design of oasis class ships is by far my favorite of the ships I’ve sailed on. I’ve ridden the water slides and Ultimate abyss on Harmony, and think I actually prefer that Allure preserved the incredible view from the back of the ship, and with Allure, I’m not sure I’d change a thing.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
When I booked this cabin, I was intrigued by the idea of an inward (Central Park) facing balcony, and thought it was such an interesting room. I thought this stateroom did everything I needed, but did feel a little dated, with not quite enough outlets for the three of us. The TV also had a huge crack that I would have liked to see replaced.
Ship tip
See the shows and try Samba. It’ll become your favorite ship.
In Cozumel I took an excursion to see the Tulum Ruins and stop at a beach with lunch. I thought the Tulum ruins were incredible, and the view overlooking the ocean was stunning, but like Costa Maya, the beach was sullied by the overwhelming amount of sargassum in 2022. Before going to western Caribbean I would absolutely make sure to look into sargassum.
In 2022 there was a huge sargassum bloom in Mexico, and admittedly, that biased me against western Caribbean. The beaches stunk and felt dirty, but I could see how Costa Maya and Mahahual would be absolutely stunning in better times. The area was super cool, but the seaweed is definitely something to be aware of.
You are giving a review from a June., 2022 cruise and you are referencing to Icon of the Seas which is a brand new ship that you have not yet sailed on. ?????
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