All Around Excellent Cruise

Allure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Allure of the Seas

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 15, 2024

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 9244

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 month ago

Review summary

Overall, we had a wonderful time with our 3 adult sons. Our oldest has Celiac disease (severe gluten allergy) and they were able to accommodate his diet. It helped that we ate at the Coastal Kitchen a lot - a chef talked to us on our first visit and then the servers knew who we were and automatically separated his food, brought gluten-free bread, etc. The only "ding" I have is that there are a lot of extra costs on RCCL. Having already booked a really expensive 2 bedroom suite (we were celebrating my youngest's college graduation), things really started adding up with drink packages, the cabana, automatic gratuities added-on, plus the extra discretionary gratuities (the service was worth that though!). Just sort of felt nickel-and-dimed (or maybe 20-dollared) to death. The last cruise we were on was on MSC (Yacht Club) and the suite experience was even more "exclusive feeling", and it included the premium beverage package (heck they even stocked your cabin with your choice of a full fifth of booze on top of that!), plus no additional automatic gratuities (just your discretionary add-on). Their suite-only sundeck had a hot tub and pool. And, they have a private suite-only beach on their island with a nice sit-down restaurant that was fabulous (all included). While we've sailed on RCCL twice now, and do truly enjoy it, we felt (at least in the suites), the MSC was an overall better value/experience. Having said that, we selected this cruise due to timing and itinerary and we certainly would not hesitate to book RCCL again!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
We ate in the Coastal Kitchen for dinner each night (+ one lunch and breakfast) but experienced Sabor and the Windjammer for other meals.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Did rock-climbing, my son used the fitness center and we used the hot tubs and suite sun deck. All were great!

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Mama Mia, the comedians, the Aqua Theatre show and Blades were all great. Didn't care much for Blue Planet... just "meh"

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Impeccable (we were in a Grand Suite). Outside of the suite staff, everyone we encountered was great.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
These 2 bedroom cabins are awesome! Having 2 full baths (since there ended up begin 5 of us) was a Godsend. The common room had plenty of space. The amount of storage was impressing. The oversized balcony got a lot of use as well - especially for a short cruise.

Ship tip

For things like drink packages, excursions, etc. watch the pre-cruise sales. They do go up and down and sort of follow a pattern of discounts so you can wait for the best deal on the ones you want.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
It's a port. We drove and I liked how Terminal 1 parking is directly connected to the terminal. Made it easy to get on board.

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5
Easy on and off (no customs!). We just checked out the port and did our own self-guided walking tour for a few hours. In hindsight, I'd book a sightseeing tour if I had it to do over again - some of the walking was a bit strenuous (like up to the Queen's staircase and fort) - not to mention dangerous as cars zipped by and sidewalk space was limited.

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5
Fantastic time! Rented a South Beach Cabana and it was excellent (albeit pricey! but, we caught a pre-cruise sale). The weather was text-book Caribbean which made the day truly a "Perfect Day at Coco Cay". We didn't check out much else on the island - just enjoyed the relaxing beach day with awesome service of our Cabana attendant.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Early breakfast at Coastal Kitchen and then they walked us right down to luggage claim (suite perk).
Was this review helpful? 11

6 Comments