I am going on this itinerary in August. Can't wait!
Just got back from a Western Caribbean trip on the Allure. This was our 18th cruise overall. We loved the cruise and the ship. A few thoughts:
- Ocean view balcony was larger then the same category on other ships. Attendant was fantastic. This was the first cruise that charged for room service. Was this due to the number of guests?
As mentioned, they started charging a flat fee for all room service except continental breakfast.
We had main seating traditional dinning. Outstanding service by wait staff of Cynthia and Simon. They were lots of fun and very patient with the spills and silliness from our table of eight. Food quality was good-very good in all venues, but very standardized. No omelet or waffle stations in the windjammer, for example. I would assume this was due to the number of passengers. However, we found good breakfast items at Jonny Rockets. You can find smaller cafes around the ship that our less crowded for breakfast and lunch
You can actually get made to order omelettes (and eggs, I've heard) at Wipeout.
The main shows were wonderful, but some of the venues for some of the smaller shows and activities were too small, esp. for such a big ship. Get to these venues early to get a seat. We all enjoyed the activities on board ship, except for the zip line. It looked like two clotheslines tied together. Not worth the wait for all the hassles of preparing to get on it. They would not let you ride unless you have closed toed shoes with socks, and all your pockets empty. Make sure you fill out your waivers online before you go and stand in line the first day to get a wristband that will allow you on the flow rider, zip line, ice rink, and rock walls. Best time to enjoy the pools and activities is when everyone else in in port.
I've never seen the ice rink seats filled to capacity, so that's not an issue. The Tube (comedy club) is tiny on purpose, so again no big deal. Aquatheatre, however, gets crowded in a hurry so it's best to get there 15-30 minutes before showtime. If your booked time overlaps with the show, I'd suggest either eating in WindJammer or letting your waiters know that you've got a show booked at 8pm (or whatever) and you want to get there at 7:30. As on
DCL, most of the staff try to be as accommodating as possible, although we've gotten a stick in the mud once before.
Best time to go on the zip line is at sea, after breakfast. To be honest though, the zip line for me is like Abyss on Harmony and Aquaduck on DCL - it's cool because it's a unique feature on a cruise ship, but as an activity it's not worth it if there's a large crowd.
We took tours in Cozumel and Costa Maya, but not ship sponsored tours. In Cozumel we toured the island with Trikes Cozumel. Very unique and lots of fun. In Costa Maya, we toured Mayan ruins with Native Choice tours. Our eight people got a private tour on our own van. We did not have any extra tourist trap stops and were the first people to arrive at the ruins. The guide was very knowledgeable and the driver followed behind us with a backpack full of bottles of cold water, Excellent tour at almost half the price of a ship sponsored tour. The only downside is the 10 minute walk out of the tourist area to their office. At the end of the tour they drop you off by the port security gate.
We were originally going to do a tour with Native Choice but the kids weren't into the idea of a 4-6 hour excursion. Also decided that Adventure Park would be fun (those zip lines look insane), but not really worth the cost of admission. So we've reserved seats at Tropicante.
Sounds like I'll be decorating our stateroom on the Oasis! We are celebrating a college graduation and a high school graduation and traveling with European friends. I'm gonna own it an decorate all three doors!
That's the spirit! If you're not getting a wifi package, I'd get some magnetic whiteboards to put on the doors as well for old(ish) school communication.