The Allure of the Seas cruise review

Trip Report from the Eastern Caribbean:

I was recently faced with a choice: to play the World Series of Poker main event or take a two-week cruise on the magnificent Allure of the Seas. You can see that it was an easy decision! Jan Fisher, one of my partners, and I immediately reserved a balcony cabin and booked a red-eye to Ft. Lauderdale. I was looking forward to some rest and relaxation after six weeks of almost nonstop poker during the WSOP.

The purpose of this review is to let you know what to expect if you cruise with us on the Allure of the Seas on the Card Player Cruises Sept 18-25 trip to the Eastern Caribbean and/or the Sept 25-Oct 2 Western Caribbean sailing. Passengers may cruise both weeks (automatic discount) or one week.

The Ship: The Allure of the Seas launched in December 2010 and is the biggest cruise ship in the world, and is a twin to its sister ship the Oasis of the Seas. The Allure is 1,187 feet long and has 16 passenger decks. Occupancy at full capacity is 6,296 guests in its 2,704 staterooms. The ship offers a plethora of activities and features a zipline, carousel, Central Park, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, more than 20 eating venues, a Broadway theater, an aqua theater, comedy theater, jazz club, full casino, fitness center, Surfrider, miniature golf, jazz club, karaoke lounge, a child and teen program, disco, sports court, duty-free shops, internet cafes, jogging track, and lots of cool public lounges.

The Allure offers the latest in technology. If you aren't sure how to find a specific destination, go to any elevator and type in where you are going and the route will light up. You can press a button to find out how busy each of the restaurants is. You swipe your card at each show to confirm your reservations. One nice feature in the cabins is an iPod docking station so feel free to bring your iPod with you.

The Restaurants: The dining choices are many…most are free but there also are some pay restaurants for those who really want to be pampered. Please note that there is no need to pay extra for food on a cruise ship since the food in the free venues is plentiful and tasty. The Adagio dining room is open for breakfast, lunch (on sea days), and dinner with a choice of at least three appetizers, soups, and salads each evening as well as at least six entree options and six dessert choices. Don't forget…it's all you can eat so if you want the beef and the pasta, you can order both! If you prefer a more casual dinner a good alternative dining room is the Windjammer Marketplace. The Windjammer opens nightly at 6:15 and is buffet style with many great food choices and desserts. I ate there for dinner most nights since I prefer casual dining to long, multi-course dinners. The Windjammer is open for breakfast and lunch every day as well.

If you want something even more casual, I highly recommend the Park Cafe for breakfast or lunch. Located in Central Park, the Park Cafe breakfast includes a designer bagel bar, lots of fresh fruit, grilled egg sandwiches, hot and cold cereals, and lots of other quick and light food items. The Park Cafe is my favorite lunch spot featuring scrumptious roast beef sandwiches, a salad bar, soup, and lots of desserts. Another good choice for a quick bite is the Cafe Promenade, a 24-hour snack bar with sandwiches and cookies. Sorrentos is a pizza bar where you can grab a slice of four different types of pizza or design your own personal pizza. Johnny Rockets has breakfast for free (there is a small charge for lunch and dinner), as does the Solarium Bistro. Room service is available 24 hours a day and is complimentary except during the hours of midnight to 5am, when a $3.95 service charge applies. The Wipeout Cafe is a great place to grab a burger, hot dog or pizza when you are out at the pool.

Looking for a snack? You can grab a yummy hot dog in the Boardwalk Dog House (five types of hot dogs and sausages), a donut at Boardwalk Donuts, or frozen yogurt by the pool. Each of the above venues is complimentary.

As far as the pay restaurants, Giovanni's Table is my personal favorite. The cover charge is $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner but you would have to pay at least three times that much for similar food at home. The service is five-star, as is the food. Beware: there is way too much food if you order every course â€" appetizer, salad, soup, pasta, entree, and dessert. I recommend dining family style and sharing some of the early courses so you have room for your entree. Jan's favorite pay restaurant is Chops Grille. It is a gourmet steak house with wonderful food and plenty of it for $30 per person. Other pay restaurant choices are the Brazilian Steak House Samba Grill ($25), Vintages (an a la carte tapas bar), Izumi ($5 cover charge plus a la carte pricing for sushi…note I HATED this restaurant on the Oasis so wouldn't consider trying it on the Allure), 150 Central Park ($40 per head or $75 per head with wine pairings), or the Chef's Table ($95 for a wine pairings dinner at a private table hosted by one of the ship's chefs.) If you're in the mood for a snack, the following venues have a small charge: Starbucks, Ice Cream Parlor, The Cupcake Cupboard, or Johnny Rockets.

The Shows: The Allure has six special shows during the week in addition to all the other activities offered. Chicago is the featured Broadway show in the Amber Theater. There is an ice skating show, a standup comedy show, a water show featuring amazing high dive and trampoline acts, a headliner show (the Texas Tenors from America's Got Talent were featured this week), and Blue Planet featuring vocals, energetic dance, and aerial acrobatics. I found the talent on the Allure to be terrific.

The Activities: Obviously, Card Player Cruises will have a first-class poker room for your pleasure that will open at 9am on sea days and after dinner on port days except in Nassau, when we will open in the afternoon once we sail away. Both live games and tournaments will be offered every day. If you want to take a break from poker, here's a report on some of the ship activities offered throughout the week: trivia, singles get-together, karaoke, ice skating, dance classes, movies, sing-a-longs in the piano bar, bridge, Soduko, jewelry making, fitness classes, seminars, bingo, name that tune, concerts, pool games, parades, scrapbooking classes, Ping pong, basketball, line dancing, wine tasting, and cooking classes.

If you are bringing children or teenagers, they will be busy the entire cruise. They have their own counselors, designated lounges and play rooms, and an arcade, as well as a full menu of activities including scavenger hunts, seminars, face painting, DJ academies, dance lessons, talent shows, ice shows, Dream Works shows, carousel, parties, etc.

The Ports on our Eastern Caribbean cruise are Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Some of the shore excursions available through the ship are:
Nassau: Stingray snorkeling and beach break, Atlantis Hotel/Casino tour, glass bottom boat, Seaworld Explorer, Paradise Island tour, swim with the dolphins, and the Forts and Pirate Museum tour.
St. Thomas: Sail to Christmas and Honeymoon Cove, bike trip, beach excursions, trips to St. John, catamaran snorkel trips, golfing, jet boat sail, power raft snorkeling, island tours, jeep adventures, helmet dive at Coral World, parasailing, scuba diving, hiking, and kayaking
St. Maarten: island tour, eco snorkel and beach tour, Rhino Rider adventure, art tour, extreme tour, scuba diving, discover scuba, aquaboat and jeep adventure, butterfly farm, and scuba. The Ports on our Western Caribbean cruise are Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica,
Labadee, Haiti, Cozumel, Mexico.
Labadee is a privately-owned island reserved exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests. There is a lot to do on the island including, parasailing, snorkeling, kayaking, and shopping. There also is a zipline (at 2,600 feet long, it is the longest zipline in the world over water) and an alpine coaster ride. I recommend going to the island long enough to take a tram ride and to eat lunch at one of the three barbeque areas. The white, sandy beaches are great for sunbathing, but I preferred going back to the ship to swim.
Falmouth, Jamaica: There is a new cruise terminal in Falmouth with lots of shops and a few eating venues. Some of the shore excursions available include climbing Dunns River Falls (my all-time favorite shore excursion), rafting, golfing, swimming with dolphins, catamaran sails, tubing, beach breaks, and local sightseeing. I recommend having lunch at a Jamaican jerk center. Be aware that most of the excursions involve a minimum of 45 minutes drive each way.