Shrek Takes On Mickey: The Dreamworks Experience Aboard Allure of the Seas 9/18-25

[sweetpee_1993]

Originally Posted by nenner1

The worst part though was after the ride, as I was getting unhooked, I was teetering so close to the edge of the landing platform.... I could totally sense how near the edge I was, at one point I even grabbed the padding which was on the plexiglass wall there, just to be holding something, and it ripped right off the wall! Somehow the guy got me safely unhooked and I managed to get off the platform OK. I began to think maybe I was just crazy and I wasn't really that close to plunging 9 decks to a gruesome death and that my eternal epitaph wouldn't really be on the Cruise Bruise site. Then Ron told me he noticed it too: if I had taken just one eensy weensy step back I would have been a goner.

Livin' on the edge:

Okay. I was totally freakin' out with you reading about how you were a hair away from plunging to your death while being untethered from the zipline! I was aggravated because here they've offered this awesome activity and left an obvious safety loop hole...What were they thinkin'?!?! But then I looked at your picture of being untethered from the zipline. Lookit again! There's a line attached to your waist that ties you off so even if you'd stepped back over the edge, no plunge. Just a heart attack, awkward dangle, and spider-man style clinging onto the ledge. You were o-kay. I now give my safety stamp of approval. Way to go, RC!

Looooved the pics and video of the flowriders. I've always thought "no way" just because I know I'd be fodder for the sadistic voyeurs (of which I am proudly one of the group). It just looks like so much fun! If only I could make eeeeeveryone turn around or cover their eyes...

No sweaty intimate intros to your shipmates during the mustard drill?! How will you recognize each other's scent later? I'm liking the RC a/c treatment. I could sooooo go for that!

Hangin' on every word and resisting cruise critic to skip forward....

[sperkins921]

*struggles with inner self*
must not skip...to...cruise...critic review..........must not....skip....ahead....

[livingis2me]

Originally Posted by sweetpee_1993

Okay. I was totally freakin' out with you reading about how you were a hair away from plunging to your death while being untethered from the zipline! I was aggravated because here they've offered this awesome activity and left an obvious safety loop hole...What were they thinkin'?!?! But then I looked at your picture of being untethered from the zipline. Lookit again! There's a line attached to your waist that ties you off so even if you'd stepped back over the edge, no plunge. Just a heart attack, awkward dangle, and spider-man style clinging onto the ledge. You were o-kay. I now give my safety stamp of approval. Way to go, RC!

I meant to say something about that... I noticed the tether later after zip-lining a few more times. They actually do not take it off until you step out on the the other side of the safety gate. No problem... That first time, I didn't realize she was safe. I saw how close she was to the ledge and I didn't want to say anything to her because I didn't want to scare her. I thought she might faint and go over the side.

Ron

[livingis2me]

Originally Posted by sweetpee_1993

Hangin' on every word and resisting cruise critic to skip forward....

Originally Posted by sperkins921

*struggles with inner self*
must not skip...to...cruise...critic review..........must not....skip....ahead....

Trust me, the cruise critic review is nowhere near as detailed as this one... That was is intended for a much different audience. This one is much more fun!!!

Ron

[sweetpee_1993]

Originally Posted by livingis2me

I meant to say something about that... I noticed the tether later after zip-lining a few more times. They actually do not take it off until you step out on the the other side of the safety gate. No problem... That first time, I didn't realize she was safe. I saw how close she was to the ledge and I didn't want to say anything to her because I didn't want to scare her. I thought she might faint and go over the side.

Ron

You did better than I would've if I didn't know she was tethered! I'm kinda squirly with some things. I think I'd have been screamin' and climbin' over the rail to grab hold of her and hang on!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

Trust me, the cruise critic review is nowhere near as detailed as this one... That was is intended for a much different audience. This one is much more fun!!!

Ron

I figured the reports would be written differently according to the target audience. I want to hear the perspective that contrasts with DCL so I'm going to be patient and wait. Such a challenge, tho! On a good day I have the patience of a gnat.

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by nenner1

O

So basically they have Whack-a-mole?

Originally Posted by nenner1

O

And bad dancing IS allowed on AOS?

Cause I really wanna know......

Loving it, keep it coming!

[JKSWonder]

Hey Jen! I want you to know I didn't stop reading....Mike and I were on vacation in St. Lucia last week (we returned this past Thursday night *sob*), so I'm catching up on your report today.

So far, it's all looking amazing.

St. Lucia has a rainforest with ziplining, including one they do at night. I wanted to give it a try, but Mike was opposed. I'm the daredevil in the family with everyone else, Mike and kids, holding me back! I did finally get him to go snorkeling this time, and lo and behold, he loved it just like I told him he would.

Curious to see what you do in St. Thomas as I am trying to figure out what would be the best excursion for us there.

[Jennifer48]

You don't even need to get off that ship at port, has everything already there! Zip-lining, surfing, shopping, etc!

about your zip-lining experience!

Did Savannah gain enough weight during the week to get a turn?

[Jessieknj]

I am loving your report. This is def a ship I would love to go on!

[bound2travel]

[QUOTE=karajeboo;42970418]So basically they have Whack-a-mole?

QUOTE]

This is funny.

Enjoying the review and look forward to more. I may have to cruise RCCL if the prices on DCL keep getting so high. I'm already priced out of the 2013 Dream/Fantasy unless I can find a cruising buddy.

Kristi

[nenner1]

About the title: It's an obscure quote from Shrek 3. If you can figure out how it relates to this post, well then you get the trophy.


And that brings us to sailaway. One of my biggest gripes on Independence of the Seas was the lame sailaway party. On DCL, the sailaway party is entertaining, engaging and exciting. Disney has it all- characters, a countdown, and charm. On Independence it was the steel drum band and 9 semi-drunk chicks doing the Macarena. Oh -and lest I forget and not give Royal the credit they deserve- there was one character- I think actually he would be better described as a mascot. Before you get too excited, though I should let you know our high school football team had a better mascot than this…thing. Wish I could explain it. It was a headless, tear drop shaped..bouncy …THING! made out of hula hoops and one of those parachutes you run under in kindergarten. Now, I only know about The Thing because I saw it on our Cruise in Review DVD, I did not actually attend the sailaway party on Independence. It was quite interesting, I have to say. I have scoured the internet for pictures to share with you of said “THING” however nobody else actually attended the sailaway parties either so google came up empty. Sorry about that. Anyway…..

The good news is, The Thing is no more on Oasis and Allure. Now with the Dreamworks characters , and the addition of an appropriate venue, the Aquatheater, RCCL can have a sailaway party shindig right up there with the likes of Disney. I’d read good things about it and I was anxious to see what it had to offer and if it jacked up my excitement for the cruise like on DCL.

The dilemma is, we wanted to be in a visible area to be seen by friends and family back home on the webcam. This was something we’d done in ’10 on Indy and not only was it a lot of fun, we now have the great keepsake of the video on youtube of us sailing away. We wanted to do the same thing this time…
Luckily, on Allure we could do both!

There are public decks at the back of the ship overlooking the Aquatheater and the aft of the ship. They are still relatively a secret. Most people incorrectly assume the decks are part of the Aqua theater Suite cabins, but those are only on Decks 8. 9. and 10. Decks 11, 12, and 14 are open to the public (both port and starboard). It’s a lot like the Deck 7 “Secret Verandah” on the Magic and Wonder, only better because it overlooks both a venue and the aft of the ship. And oh, what a venue the Aquatheater is. More on that in a bit.




Since we had pre-arranged for the banner and webcam wave from www.portevergladeswebcam.com, we headed up to Deck 11 aft overlook where we had said we would be. We picked that spot to be easily visible on the webcam for our family and friends back home to wave goodbye to us, and also so the kids could still watch the sailaway party. Problem was that sailaway was immediately after muster, and the elevators and stairs were mobbed. And when I say mobbed I mean a crowd of epic proportions. It was hard to even move through the elevator lobby.

Quick stop on the way for this photo. I thought we'd be back but we never did take another picture here:




We were in a hurry to get our spot secured and get the banner up , so we nudged our way to the port stairway and scurried up the 6 flights of stairs to deck 11 and proceeded to collapse. LOL.




Here’s our Spot: Deck 11 Aft Port side. Like I said, these public decks are on floors 11,12, and 14. To get there just go in the port or starboard stateroom hallway and walk all the way back until you encounter a door.





We were further away from the sailaway party than I would have liked. We could hardly hear it. The view for actually sailing away was pretty awesome though.





Now about the party. Because I had the banner to get up and I was further down the wall, I missed a lot of it. Let me explain. We were the first ones out to the deck and got the kids in lounge chairs in the prime area where they could best see the party and also the back of the ship (the direction the camera would be on us from). As Ron and I stepped away to unroll the banner, the kids got up and followed, right as some people came out the door and plopped down in those seats- taking that area from us. We were a little frustrated since there was really no reason for the kids to have gotten up, plus we had our drinks and such on the table right there but the people sat right down in the chairs anyway. We told the kids quite loudly they should not have gotten up from their seats because now we lost them, hoping the people would get up and let us have them back. But they acted like they did not hear (and trust me, I have a naturally LOUD voice- they heard and I hope they feel good about stealing a seat from a 3 year old. But I digress). I tried to not get overly peeved at the time though. It was our fault, we should have all just stayed right in the immediate area by the chairs. Besides how could you be mad on a ship like this at the beginning of a cruise? We moved down a bit and got a new area and that was that.

Whatever, seat snatchers. We're all smiles!









The Aquatheater is an amazing thing. It is a 750 seat outdoor theater at the back of the ship with wide open sky and an endless horizon as your backdrop. But the real feature here, is the pool. The deepest pool at sea, it is 14 feet deep and it accommodates performances that include 3m and 10m high diving, dramatic acrobatics, water ballet, choreographed swimming, trampolines, a Bellagio-style fountain show, and a convertible, adjustable stage that can rise and fall in minutes altering the depth of the water. Seating is provided in colorful beach chairs. They even show movies at night on the twin jumbo LED screens!

The Aquatheater:



The kids could still see the Sailaway party but because I was at the far end where the banner was, I could not. I did see bits and pieces, however, Ron saw a lot of it, and we do have a few videos to give you a taste of it. There is actually a fun part where the Penguins of Madagascar take over the Bridge.

(Penguin sailaway pics from TPR)








That’s basically the plot, the rest of it is just singing and dancing with the characters. The kids liked it, although there was a bit of disconnect being so far up.


Sailaway Party from up high:


First, the Madagascar guys! (minus the Penguins, they were still on the Bridge ya know)







Decent crowd:










Then the gang from Shrek:





**Continued**

[nenner1]

And we're off!





For those thinking about doing the banner wave, be aware getting the banner up in this location is VERY difficult. The plexiglass safety railing goes to within millimeters of the floor. It is very hard to feed the ropes that secure the banner through, and tying it down is quite awkward. We had trouble keeping it taut. And you absolutely need 2 people to get it up in this spot.
But the hard work was worth it and so many of our friends and family waved

Bon Voyage to us online:





Here is a link to our sailaway video on youtube. And it has great music too! Thanks Lou and David from Portevergladeswebcam.com* Wave to us!!!!

Sail Away on Allure of the Seas 9-18-11

Adios Ft. Lauderdale! See ya in a week!









*PS : There is now a Portcanaveralwebcam.com sit that I believe also offers sailway wave video from that port. Not sure if you can do the banner here yet though! So now you can do this on DCL too! Check out the website for more details!



Meanwhile the party down below winds down:

(Video- click picture to play)



But upstairs we are just getting started. Random Dancing anyone?

(Videos- click each picture to play)





And away we goooooo....

(Video- click picture to play)



Coming up: Holy frijoles! Fiesta! Tequila! Ole!

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by lucas

Don't worry about us. We'll wait for you.

Originally Posted by Timon

I am so in with that smilie!!!

Awesome! LOL!!

Originally Posted by anewmac

you call it slacking after less then a week from an update.. crud dont wanna know what your calling me then. Think i last updated a month ago... im keeping you all in suspense ya thats it! lol

Hey ya did good today! I'll get over there soon to catch up. Geez. don;t want to admit how far behind in my reading I am. Keeping all these TR's up is wipng me out!

Originally Posted by sperkins921

I'm really enjoying this trip report! I'm itching to see where you go in port.

Thanks! We did some really fun stuff in St. Thomas and St. Maarten! Wll be worth the wait, I promise!

I love that you did this report b/c for the past year I've been tossing the idea of the Dream then the Allure/Oasis and back to the dream around. I see things I like on both. And it's good to have someone who is honest when Ogre beats the Mouse, or where the Mouse truly rules.

Thanks, I think the Dream/Fantasy and Allure/Oasis are so different they require checking out both! LOL! I am looking forward to our Fantasy cruise in just 11 months! Woo hoo!

That off site parking that you used for RCCL, is there one close to the DCL port? $15 a day is a hefty price- esp if you are paying to rent the car in the first place. I might have to just drop it off and use a taxi to get back to the ship...

I don't think there is a place like the Park 'N Go at Port Canaveral. Yes, definitely drop your rental car off before the cruise- I think most rental car places even have a free shuttle to take you back to the port so you don't have to deal with a taxi!

Something else I'm liking is the sheer number of pools and hot tubs on this ship versus the Dream. I've seen pictures of the pools on the Dream that are to look at.

Thanks again for the report and I can't wait to read more!!

You're welcome. Yes, we are BIG pool people on a cruise. I agree with your assessment about the Dream- we thought the pools were too small on the Wonder/Magic and they are even smaller on the Dream for 50% more people. Allure did have ample pool real estate for the number of cruisers onboard. The only one that was a little too small was the Solarium pool in the Adult area. I will say I am glad to hear the recent announcement in regards to pool deck enhancements on the Fantasy (Aqualab, Satellite Fountain). t's good to see they recognize the problem on the Dream, and are trying to alleviate it on the Fantasy.

Thanks so much for reading!

Originally Posted by princessnpirate

Looks like a great trip so far! Makes me want May to come How did you do the research for the cruise? I am having a hard time - was it just the cruise critic boards?

Yep, just Cruise Critic. It was a lot easier when they had an Allure-specifc board but they merged it with the RCCL board a few months ago. "Reviews" (what they call TR's over there) are nowhere near as detailed as what you find on the Dis so it can be hard to get the info you are looking for. We dd try to do it all and I will report back about as much as I possibly can so hopefully that will help you. And of course if you have any questions; don't hesitiate to ask!!

Originally Posted by morgansmom2000

Wow! I don't think I could have done the ZipLine. That would have been far too scary for me. I probably would have freaked if Dan and Morgan did it too!

LOL I wasn't scared at all for the boys. But they went before me. I only went the one time. Nuff said.

The FlowRiders are cool though! I could watch people faceplant all day!

Yeah it was fun! I was surprised at just how GOOD everyone was at flowriding. Not a lot of horrible wipeouts. We heard that a few injuries were sustained though. Sprained ankles and wrists. One guy was seriously injured and had to debark in St. Maarten to be hospitalized!

Originally Posted by iloverags2

Are you sure you are on a cruise ship?

The zip line looks absolutely awesome! So glad you survived that! Anxious to hear if you were able to "beef up" Savannah so she could have a go at it.

Sheesh, you haven't even left port yet and I'm already pooped!

Oh my gosh, tell me about it! We completely went until we dropped the first few days. We slowed down a bit towards the end of the cruise/ Yep, Savannah does get to try out the zipline! It took a few days and several large plates of spaghetti but she made it!!

Originally Posted by sperkins921

Me too! I'm gonna need a vacation from their first hours of vacation!

No kidding! We slept like babes that first night, let me tell you!

Originally Posted by anewmac

is the line long to get a temporary one each time?

Nope, both times I did it, it was walk right up. Never saw it longer then 2 or 3 ppl!

THAT IS TO DIE FOR!

To quote Kara: "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!" Just you wait. Did you know Allure and Oasis have *EVERYTHING*? They even have a MORGUE! (6 body capacity if I recall that right). Thankfully I did not get the tour. But more on that later..... (And, no none of this will be mentioned on CC! Dis exclusive death content!!!)

so do they have bigger balls for the kiddie cours?

They do! Big blue ones! And a multitude of other colors and sizes too!

(Hey, you asked for that one!)

LOL have to get in a minimum of 10 Mickey references in order for this to be on the DIS.. its in the agreement.. I read it.. all 5739 pages LMAO

Oh whew, I'm glad you read it. I keep worrying they are going to swoop in one day and kidnap me and drag me away and make a human centIPAD out of me for posting in the DCL forum. Teeheehee

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/382783/i-agreed-by-accident

now that could be both cool and dangerous. Can you see your pics too or was that just on the kiosk things I cant rmeember what you said before

No, you can't see your pics on it. That's pretty much the only thing they haven't integrated into it and I don't know why. I guess to keep people form taking pictures of their pictures on the TV screen. Not that I know anyone that would do that or anything.....

Originally Posted by knewton64

.......foolish mortals!!


NEVER do some cooking at home -

THEN head out to the library

and

read your trip report!


WHY??


All THOSE PICS OF FOOD!!!!

ARGH!!!!!


My mouth is just a drooling....
WHHOOPS!!

I need a napkin


Those pics look just FAB
(ESP BUBBA GUMPS)


Hmmmmmmm.......

I a just a gonna have to return the favor -

YA KNOW?



SO -----

be on the lookout for food pics in
my upcoming adventure into Hawaii


the adventure begins in 300 hours.....

BUT WHO IS COUNTIN?:


ANYWHO -

glad ya had fun




T.T.F.N.

Oh I can't wait for that!!! Hawaiian Food Porn! Count me IN!

Originally Posted by MISSREBECCA76

I am loving this trip report....can't wait for more!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!!

Originally Posted by sweetpee_1993

Okay. I was totally freakin' out with you reading about how you were a hair away from plunging to your death while being untethered from the zipline! I was aggravated because here they've offered this awesome activity and left an obvious safety loop hole...What were they thinkin'?!?! But then I looked at your picture of being untethered from the zipline. Lookit again! There's a line attached to your waist that ties you off so even if you'd stepped back over the edge, no plunge. Just a heart attack, awkward dangle, and spider-man style clinging onto the ledge. You were o-kay. I now give my safety stamp of approval. Way to go, RC!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

I meant to say something about that... I noticed the tether later after zip-lining a few more times. They actually do not take it off until you step out on the the other side of the safety gate. No problem... That first time, I didn't realize she was safe. I saw how close she was to the ledge and I didn't want to say anything to her because I didn't want to scare her. I thought she might faint and go over the side.

Ron

LOL, I know I know. I wasn't trying to mislead you guys. I really had no idea it was there..I thought for SURE I was going over. Did you see my reference to the Morgue? Hmmm....



LOL, anyway, yes Ron told me later on that I would have been fine. i was sweating it at the time though for sure! I wonder if anyone ever has stepped over the edge?

Looooved the pics and video of the flowriders. I've always thought "no way" just because I know I'd be fodder for the sadistic voyeurs (of which I am proudly one of the group). It just looks like so much fun! If only I could make eeeeeveryone turn around or cover their eyes...

I know right? I'm the same way. and everyone was just so GOOD at it on this ship. On Independence there were plenty of people that weren't so good. Will I get out there and give it a try? Wait and see....

No sweaty intimate intros to your shipmates during the mustard drill?! How will you recognize each other's scent later? I'm liking the RC a/c treatment. I could sooooo go for that!

Hangin' on every word and resisting cruise critic to skip forward....

LOL! No, stay!! I promise it will be worth the wait!

Originally Posted by sperkins921

*struggles with inner self*
must not skip...to...cruise...critic review..........must not....skip....ahead....

LOL, I know it's hard to resist but there is just so much more content in this one. plus a lot of things aren't explained over there, as I assume that audience is already familiar with a lot of things!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

Trust me, the cruise critic review is nowhere near as detailed as this one... That was is intended for a much different audience. This one is much more fun!!!

Ron

True. I wasn't about to call out the seat snatchers over there. You never know....

Originally Posted by sweetpee_1993

You did better than I would've if I didn't know she was tethered! I'm kinda squirly with some things. I think I'd have been screamin' and climbin' over the rail to grab hold of her and hang on!

Yes when I grabbed that green padding and it was just velcroed on and it ripped right away from the wall, i think we all thought I was a goner!

I figured the reports would be written differently according to the target audience. I want to hear the perspective that contrasts with DCL so I'm going to be patient and wait. Such a challenge, tho! On a good day I have the patience of a gnat.

LOL, I'm quite a bit more snarky over here too. People get their panties in a wad waaay too easy on that board.

Originally Posted by karajeboo

So basically they have Whack-a-mole?

Oh and those moles got whacked too, fer shure.

And bad dancing IS allowed on AOS?

Cause I really wanna know......

Kara, Bad dancing is REQUIRED on AOS. That last installment should have given you a taste of it. But oh boy, it's just the beginning!

(And Ron looks around nervously hoping I am not going to post the video of him int he dancing contest at Rita's...)

Originally Posted by JKSWonder

Hey Jen! I want you to know I didn't stop reading....Mike and I were on vacation in St. Lucia last week (we returned this past Thursday night *sob*), so I'm catching up on your report today.

So far, it's all looking amazing.

St. Lucia has a rainforest with ziplining, including one they do at night. I wanted to give it a try, but Mike was opposed. I'm the daredevil in the family with everyone else, Mike and kids, holding me back! I did finally get him to go snorkeling this time, and lo and behold, he loved it just like I told him he would.

Curious to see what you do in St. Thomas as I am trying to figure out what would be the best excursion for us there.

Wow, glad to hear you had a great time and St. Lucia is so nice!! And I'm glad Mike finally got into snorkeling Way to go! That night-time zipline in the rainforest sounds amazing!

the excursion we did in St. Thomas may be a good choice for you now that Mike snorkels. We'll see what you think, we did have a blast!

Originally Posted by Jennifer48

You don't even need to get off that ship at port, has everything already there! Zip-lining, surfing, shopping, etc!

I know! We did not even plan to get off in Nassau (we did, just to shop a little), but for sure this trip was all about the ship!!!

about your zip-lining experience!

Don't know what it is about me and zip lines....haha!

Did Savannah gain enough weight during the week to get a turn?

She did! That's coming up in a few days (ship days, not TR days!) LOL!

Originally Posted by Jessieknj

I am loving your report. This is def a ship I would love to go on!

Thanks so much, it really is amazing!!!

Originally Posted by bound2travel

Enjoying the review and look forward to more. I may have to cruise RCCL if the prices on DCL keep getting so high. I'm already priced out of the 2013 Dream/Fantasy unless I can find a cruising buddy.

Kristi

Thanks Kristi!I'm glad you are enjoying it! Allure and Oasis can be pricey too, but like DCL, the key on those ships is to book as far in advance as possible! The DCL 2013 prices were really high though. We priced one out too and found it about $2,000 more than first day booking of our 2012 Fantasy cruise (for worse rooms too).


There is so much more to come, glad you are enjoying it!

[iloverags2]

How cool is that sailaway video! Yeah, I think the trade-off of being a bit away from the party was definitely worth it to have the video which you can keep for memories!

So glad to hear the spaghetti trick worked...looking forward to hearing how she liked the zip-line!

I am so not a fan of Shrek (this coming from a film/screenwriting major), but I would take this cruise just for the ship alone! (And steer clear of the characters! )

[Jennifer48]

Love the random dancing!

Did your friends/family have to save the webcam video or does the site do that for you? Neat souvenir!