We have been so enticed by the Oasis class since they launched Oasis years ago - and now my daughter is 19, and not in the 'teen club' age - I just feel we need a ship with more to do together- not to mention I got a room on an amazing Canadian deal for $1500 less than Disney the same week.
So now I have tons of reading to do - lots to learn about the Allure! Can't wait- Jan 3 Eastern here we come!
Any amazing advice??
Congrats on your great deal! We were on Allure on Jan 3, 2014.
Oasis and Allure are both amazing, with tons to do. i think on most royal cruises there are meetups every day or two for passengers 19-21 years old, so that should be good for your daughter.
there's so much to do, it's hard to give general advice, but i would definitely read the cruise critic review of the ship to get an overview, and would recommend reserving your shows ahead of time if you care about getting good seats. the comedy show is in a very tiny venue and pretty much the only way to get in is with a reservation; any other shows you can do standby but the seats may not be the greatest. the aqua show and the ice show are musts. in addition to the ice show that you can reserve in advance, there is a second ice show based on the movie "how to train your dragon" ; if you've seen the movie, it's a really well-done show.
my hint to starting your vacation stress-free -- when you board, instead of following the masses to the windjammer (the buffet), head to central park and eat at giovanni's table. it's $15/pp, but it's so nice to eat in a relaxed atmosphere without schlepping your luggage around the buffet area. they also have the best lasagna ever.
also, the cafe promenade is open something like 23 hours/day and has really good little sandwiches and baked goods for free, and there's a pizza place called sorrento's that's also open late which has ok pizza but also some good snacks and sandwiches.
if you're a drinker, look into the drink packages. if the alcohol ones aren't worth it to you, they also have a soda-only package that allows you to use the coke freestyle machines, and a package called royal replenish that includes almost all non-alcoholic drinks, including sodas, bottled water, fresh oj at breakfast, virgin cocktails, and specialty coffee and frappuccino-type drinks at the cafe promenade. these packages are one thing that disney doesn't have that i wish they did - it's so nice to order whatever i want and know it's already paid for and the price doesn't matter.
speaking of paying, one thing that's different about royal and disney is that if you purchase a drink package or pre-reserve a shore excursion, royal charges your credit card at the time of purchase. you can generally reserve everything before final payment, though. so, just some differences to be aware of.
if you have any specific questions, just ask!
