I apologize for the delay- this segment took a lot longer than I anticipated! But it's chock full of good stuff!
After our very filling dinner at Samba Grill, we had reservations for our first show onboard- the highly touted near Broadway version of CHICAGO-The Musical.
While a shortened version of the Broadway classic, Allures rendition of the Tony award winning CHICAGO is, as they say, An incredible evening of murder, music and merriment. If you are familiar with the plot, then you know this is where Royal diverges from Disney, as the themes and content in this show is not for the whole family. It has quite adult themes, including murder, prostitution, and includes profanity.
Despite the racy storyline, the presentation of CHICAGO onboard Allure has received rave reviews and has been considered- along with sister ship Oasis Hairspray- among the elite in cruise ship entertainment.
We didnt originally plan to go to CHICAGO. It isnt the type of show we could take our kids to- obviously- but we were hopeful that at least Ron and I at least could catch a performance. The only one that worked out for us was on Day 2 at 10:30 PM and we ended up booking the reservation last minute, and decided at least that way wed have the option to go should we decide we wanted to.
Due to Allures having so many passengers onboard, reservations for the shows are required since there is not enough availability to accommodate all of the passengers. There is a standby line at each performance so there is a chance to get in without a reservation. And Im sure two people were grateful for that opportunity when we didnt show up! Honestly though Im sure its an excellent show, I am pretty sure CHICAGO is not my cup of tea anyway. I tried to watch the movie many times and fell asleep. Tee hee.
We did see all of the other shows onboard with the exception of theHeadliner. On Allure there is one night that there are a couple of variety performances with a guest performer. Sometimes it can be a singer, like on our cruise it was Tony Tillman, who his known in Vegas circles for his Rat-Pack/Sinatra meets Sammy Davis Jr. style of vocal performance. Often it is a tribute band like ABBAcadabra (Abba tribute) or Beatles/Temptations tributes. Occasionally there are D-list musical bands like Nelson (the Nelson Twins band) or even on rarer occasions, A-list stars like Taylor Swift.
Click here to See a short clip from Taylor Swifts concert aboard Allure in Jan 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AD-ZwYgJ50
But that is obviously the exception. Most of the time the Headliner entertainment is- like we experienced- what you would expect on a cruise ship. On our cruise the Headliner shows were on evening five. We had other stuff to do that night, and more on that to come!
Id also like to highlight a few of the amazing Dining venues we didnt get to. All of these are for-fee/specialty dining restaurants and the fees vary but I thought I should give you all a little taste of some of the things you wont learn much about in this TR.
Chefs Table
The ultimate dining experience on Allure is the Chefs Table. It is extremely exclusive- only open to 12-14 maximum people per night. This is a three hour, multi course gourmet affair. It is held in the mezzanine level of the Concierge Lounge, and was originally only open to Concierge guests. Now it is open for any passengers to book at a cost of $95/pp
You are greeted at the Library with a glass of Champagne and when you are seated, each course is carefully explained by the Chef and is accompanied by a wine which is explained by the sommelier. They go into detail, explaining where the wine comes from, the ingredients and
the grape varieties and why it is paired with that dish and the sauces.
Here are some examples of courses and photos, from twoculturescook.com
Smoked Duck Salad
Soup Trio
Serrano Ham (Pata negra) wrapped Diver Scallops
Roasted milk-fed veal tenderloin, fondant potatoes, wild mushroom confit, and truffle glaze.
Flourless roasted hazelnut chocolate cake with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and crème Chantilly.
Petits fours
All the guests get a cookbook signed by the chef and also by the
sommelier. They also get an apron as well saying: 'Chef's Table'. Plus
they customize the menu, which is a special menu with the logo of the
Chef's Table. It has your name and the position that you were on at the
table.
The cookbook you get:
Sounds like an impressive experience to me, one I hope to have next time we are onboard Allure!
150 Central Park
Another fine dining venue we did not have the opportunity to experience is 150 Central Park. Considered to be the signature dining establishment onboard both Oasis and Allure, 150 Central Park features two six course tasting menus that are modified seasonally with the freshest, most distinct ingredients.
150 Central Park is located in the beautiful Central Park neighborhood, and as with the other restaurants in the park, you can choose to eat inside the elegant restaurant or al fresco under the stars. The
foundation of 150 Central Park's style is Old World luxury but there are
also over-sized, high-backed chairs giving it a touch of whimsy.
150 Central Park features executive chef Molly Brandt and the fee to dine is $40/pp (not including wine pairing).
The décor is stunning. I love the oversized clamshell chairs (or, thrones as I like to call them!)
Like Chefs Table, this tasting menu is set. Here is an example of the menu and select menu items: