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

[LuvEeyore]

Thanks for the update, Nenner!! I love the ship. The pool at night seems great. What do you do that you work nigts? A nurse maybe?

 

[uncw89]

Hi! I'm in. I just found your report. We will be cruising on the Allure Aug.12,2012 and can't wait. I just recently found your report over on Cruise Critic and had skimmed part of it and was wondering if you had started a TR over here. (I saw you had mentioned that you were going to do one here but hadn't had a chance to come look for it). Now to go back and read!!!

 

[podsnel]

What a great first day!!! And...welcome back! Allure looks like an amazing ship- I am sure we'll love her too- someday......

 

[livingis2me]

Savannah loved the kid's club!!! I was not expecting this as she did not like the clubs at all on our last Disney cruise. Not sure if it was the club itself or that she had made a great friend in there.

Oh yeah, Jen. There wasn't a pre-registration for the kid's clubs. We had to wait until we got on board. It was very easy though.

Ron

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Don't really know.... we're going on the Oasis for the 1st time for Thanksgiving and don't even go to the signature restaurants. I know the speciality restaurants on the Oasis are Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Giovanni's Table, Izumi and many others that charge and don't charge.

Guess we'll have to wait for nenner1 to answer - hint, hint! Come back!

We've been on the Magic and Wonder each a couple of times, the Dream and have the Fantasy booked. I do love Disney, but sometimes we like to venture out and try something new instead of the same thing over and over again. Our 10-night on the Emerald Princess last year was fantastic!

Thanks for the report on Princess. I was thinking a Southern Caribbean would be nice - Disney doesn't do that one.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

WOW! Just wow! The Allure really does look amazing Jen (and Ron)

The night lighting is beautiful! Is the Promenade/Boardwalk (?) Open air all the time? So cool! The pool area is beautiful too.

I love the carousel! The kid's clubs look great too. I'm glad Savannah had such a good time. Your family packed alot of fun into your first day!!!

 

[morgansmom2000]

Beautiful nighttime pictures, Jen! We've had an unexpected (LARGE) cost come up and may be canceling our April cruise...Maybe we'll look into this ship sometime next summer...

 

[kellyb2000]

Just found this and really glad I did! Loving the comparisons. Really loving the humor!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Thanks so much for covering all the kid's clubs! They all look very nice.

Wow, I can't believe how uncrowded the pool was and no one in the hot tub... W. O. W.

Lovin' those night shots, BTW.

 

[karajeboo]

I swear, Jen, you just give the best info in your TRs!!!! I mean, to the tune of I'm wanting to book Allure RIGHT NOW!!!! Well, guess I'd better wait until at least my next DCL cruise is complete.... then have FOTS coming up..... but like Ellen said, SOMEDAY!!!

 

[nenner1]

Rita's definitely sounds like a great deal for the drinks alone! Nice they give you to-go drinks if you do not use up your allotment during dinner. What a cool way to start off your cruise!

It was really a lot of fun-an awesome way to get things going!

Yes, I think LOS and FOS are the same ship, like Magic and Wonder.

Yes, the other sister ship is the one I was on previously, Independence.

1. Hmmm, top of my list would be the food,. It was horrible. You know it's bad when your favorite meal is the little sandwiches in the coffee shop. Others on our cruise, even the most positive ones, felt the same way. Maybre it was a fluke, or they gave Arbonne a great deal and then cut back on our food - although 1/3 of the ship was non-Arbonne3

That’s such a bummer!! But yes, some ships do have more of a reputation for iffy food than others. I also think it’s time for a shakeup – that menu is old and tired. It’s exactly the same fleetwide and has been around for several years now.

Oh, and the Café Promenade sammies? Love em! So maybe they are just that good! LOL!!!

There was no food available at the pools - you had to go inside to the buffet. The ice cream was free, but only open during limited times - we had a hard time finding it when we wanted it.

This. Dislike. Wipeout Café on Allure had such limited hours, I was really looking forward to finally grab a bite by the pools (we spend a lot of time up on deck when we cruise) but it was hardly ever open. Ice cream, however they did a good job with, it was always available all day on Allure (4 machines).

There was a $4.50 cover charge to walk through the doors at Johnny Rocket's so we could PAY for an ice cream sunday there, after the cover charge.

Yeah, true. The one good thing about that is you can get milkshakes to go without the cover (you still have to pay for the milkshake itself though).

2. 2nd would be how they nickle and dime you. The cooking class on LOS - $140 pp. This did come with an apron, however. The cooking class on DCL is free and they gave you free wine to go with it.

That is pretty awesome, I always say I am going to go to one of those and never end up finding my way there. Maybe this time on the Fantasy!!!

Yes, there are "free" beverages, but they are hard to find. The free beverages are watered down tea and lemonade, although you could get some decent coffee and tea in the coffee shop. The "soda card" isn't a bad idea, if you think you will be drinking enough soda. We just didn't think we would.

Agree- it was overall WAY easier on Allure though with so many venues that had the tea. Except it always tasted crappy. It is strange though- some places you would think you could get a drink you can’t. It definitely pays to know beforehand and to bring one with you. Like the Boardwalk for instance. Soda is a pain too- we don’t bother with the card since only Ron drinks a lot of it, and he just schlepps on a suitcase full of it and then he’s good for the week.

Orange juice is $3.99 per glass at breakfast, unless you want watered down tang stuff. If you want juice, you have to have a "juice card."

Yeah, we just drank the watered down stuff. Nobody was buying the $3.99 stuff- those guys were working it too trying to sell it. There was one guy walking aound saying “Sippy Sippy” LMAO- he cracked me up!

I also didn’t like that they don’t have iced tea in the morning, they replace it with apple juice (free). Bah! At least ice is readily available, so I made my own hot tea and poured it over ice. Tasted waaay better that way too.

One time, they actually came around and served us bonafied Kool-aid at the buffet - Strawberry kiwi - are you kidding me?

Yep the flavored waters are huge on Oasis and Allure. They have the Strawberry Kiwi and Mango something or other in several places onboard. I didn’t drink any. The kids liked it though.

You are not allowed to bring any drinks of any kind with you, although I know some people did do it and didn't have a problem.

Yep we always bring plenty of soda with us and have never had a problem. I think it depends on what port you go out of though.

No self serve laundry available - for us it was no big deal, we just had some things laundered, but with a whole family, this could get really spendy.

True.

3. The activities - like trivia games, etc. They were held in bars, and it would last about 10 min. - just enough time for them to take your drink order and move you to the next bar for the next activity. It didn't feel like they were truly there for you to have a good time, just to sell drinks. They are pretty in your face about getting as much of your money as they can.
We did enjoy the Kareoke nights, though. - That entertainment was provided by the guests!

That stinks, we haven’t really done many activities like Trivia, etc. And the one night we went to Karaoke it was a misprint in the Compass. Boo.

If you are into partying and gambling, I guess there is probably more to do - we are just a little boring, and enjoy the shows and trivia games more than the a smokey casino and loud head banger music. It just seemed like everything was for the early twentiers or the senior citizens.

LOL Tammie!!!

The sports bar only played soccer games, and the sports trivia game was a room full of American men and the questions were about European soccer. we pointed this out to the CM, and she just smiled and kept asking - so Jim got up and left.

Blah, yes, way too much soccer. There is quite a heaver international crowd on RCCL- especially from South America and they like their soccer!

4. The service - other than our room steward, we were very disappointed with the service. We are nice people and good tippers, so I don't think it was personal - we even took showers!

That stinks too. We’ve had mostly excellent service on both lines. There have been a couple of duds, on both RCCL and Disney, but for the most part we have been very, very happy with our experiences. There was only one bad encounter service wise on Allure. It’s toward the end of the TR but I have all the details. I had to get snooty. Snooty? Snotty. (LMAO- I know David Spade said it but I don’t remember the movie.)

We had questions about the "day stay" program and ride to the airport, and we could not get an answer - we were put on a bus to Miami when we needed to be in Ft. Lauderdale - no one knew what was going on, and would not reimburse us when they got it wrong - cost us an extra $115 at the end of the trip. It was hard to find a CM in customrer service who spoke enough English to help us.

Yeah, that was absolutely ridiculous.

If you wanted to re-book, there was never anyone even in the cruise booking office at all. It was located in the coffee shop area, where Jim's cookies were, so we were there alot.

Yes, what a pain! Allure is that way too. In fact we didn’t even think about going to rebook until the last day and by then their “list” of appointments (there is a book and you just write in your name and stateroom number yourself) was full. Of course even though an “appointment” was supposed to be going on even while we were there, and there were other cruisers around there were no staff members. We weren’t really sure of our dates or plans anyway so no biggie for us, but I can see others being totally disappointed.

5. The entertainment - With the exception of the Ice Capades, I thought the entertainment was cheesy and boring. Now that they have Shrek, it might be better - Jen's video looks good!

Yeah Allure entertainment is much, much better!!! I didn’t see the real good show on Independence, Ron loved it though.

6. The SMOKE! They had indoor smoking areas right in the middle of the ship - right where you needed to walk to get from place to place. Not appreciated - even the pub in the Promenade looked like a fun place to go, but we didn't feel we could take that much smoke.

Yes, ugh. It truly wasn’t as bad in the Promenade on Allure, even though there is a club that allows it. It pretty much stuck in that one area and didn’t drift out. Casino, meh- we didn’t go there except to walk through and take pics. But what really bothered me was the one whole side of the pool deck was smoking and with such a high international population, there were a lot of smokers onboard (no offense smokers out there). It was quite smoky for being outdoors and we just pretty much avoided that whole side of the deck because of it. Luckily there are a lot more places to go!!

7. The excursion guides - it was a very confusing, very chaotic process, with no communication about what to expect. On DCL, I just felt like they took better care of us. We did just as well on our own in Jamaica with getting around.

This was our first time taking an excursion through RCCL and yep they could have been more informative for sure. Nothing like you went through on the Ft. Lauderdale one though.

8. The fun factor when things change. We were delayed in getting of at Grand Cayman due to a hurricane, so alot of us didn't get off the ship. They didn't adjust for that at all. We had a hard time finding a bar open by the adult pool and it was hard to find crew members to help with things - they blamed us because they "didn't expect so many to stay onboard." Hello. You know Disney would have come up with a plan!

That’s crazy-blame the passengers for staying onboard! Disney does do an amazing job coming up with alterantives when they have to fly by the seat of their pants. I have been lucky enough to not have to experience anything like that on either line, yet!

Okay what we DID like:

1, The cabin!!! It was beautiful and comfortable with lots of storage!! We had a King sized bed situated right by the balcony, so you could wake up and look right at the ocean from the bed!

Freedom class rooms are quite large with great storage. Allure, not as much. It was a little smaller overall of a room and not as much drawer space/etc. It was pretty darn tight for the three of us in the one room. The two kids in the other room had lots of space. Yes, as usual I managed to overpack!

2. The Ice show was amazing! Great talent, and pretty impressive.

It is really awesome to see that at sea, when some days it’s hard to walk straight!!!

3. Having an ice rink there was fun- we just didin't seem to have the time or energy at the limited times they offered skating. Our fault, I think.

Yep, wish they offered more skating times. It is even more limited on the bigger ships. We squeezed in a session but just barely.

4. The itinerary - we loved, loved, loved jamaica and Cozumel! I have heard great things about Grand Caymen, too. I think Labadee is great - you just can't expect CC for sure. Oh, that food was better than Cookie's BBQ, I thought.

Yes, I agree we have never been to Jamaica so we are looking forward to doing a Western next time we are on RCCL. The Eastern itienerary on the big ships stinks though. St. T and St. M are nice but Nassau, and a half day at that…blah. It’s funny the Easterns are more expensive too!

5. The Promenade - it was cool to have a Mall in the middle of the ship, the shops were fun, there was always something going on there, and the parades were really fun!

Yes! We had a blast at the street party too! It’s a fun place to hang out!!

6. Starbucks - it was great to be able to get really good coffee drinks - however it was a premium price.

Yesyesyes! Cove Café has been just fine on DCL but boy there is something about that Pumpkin Spice Latte that tastes just like at home! Yummmm!

7. The Cantelevered(?) hot tubs. Very cool and very big! The adult pool area was nice too.

Oh yes, we much prefer the solarium on Freedom class. It is visually very aesthetic on Allure, but it’s pretty hot and the pool is WAY too small. (It’s bigger than the Dream’s Adult pool I think, but not by much. )

My TR is still in my siggie, if you want to see it - Overall, we had fun, and it was a free trip, (almost) so we didn't want to complain. But as Jim said, if he's paying he would want it to be Disney. We really tried not to compare, but I think you just have to know going in that you saved money up front, but you will def be spending more of it onboard.

It’s a good read! You definitely should check it out Kara (Pssssshaw, I’m sure she’s already read it all by now. )

I don't want to ruin your excitement - this could have just been a matter of taste, or the fact that we spent alot of our time waiting around for my teammates, who have different touring styles than us. I am willing to try again sometime with just us, but it will probably be a different cruise line.

Hey you know what they say, different strokes. You did have some PITA situations go on there. And Bees! Criminy woman, the BEES!!!!!

I'm sure the McSparkelsons are more fun than us, so you 'll make it fun whereever you go - and there is the flowrider, which we felt too old to try, but you go girl!

Can’t.wait.for.Kara.on.the.Flowrider!!!!!!!!!

Rita's! How fun! I wish they had one on the Oasis. But, I would die if they picked me (or dh) for the dancing!

I know! I would have probably just dumped my hat on someone, anyone! Ron was a good sport, he is so not the type to get up in front of people and get silly. Not even drunk! LOL!

Rita's looks so fun! I love that when everyone went out to the Boardwalk to dance your DH brought his drinky-drink with him. That's great!

LOL you betcha!!!

I wonder if we could get by doing only 1 of us a drinky-dinner, the other 3 unleaded drinkies, then Tracey & I sip off the 'ritas together. We so rarely drink. If they mix them strong I don't think either of us would drink past 1 much less 3.

Sure you can, once it’s on the table, they don’t care who drinks it (well, no underage but adults are free to pass the drinks amongst themselves!

Lovin' it! Can't wait for the next installment!

Sorry I made you wait so long!!!

I have to say, in the great RCI/DCL debate, that even though we had a great vacation on RCI, we all agreed the DCL cruises we took on the Magic were really, really better.

There is something to be said for the amazing people. (Us Disers that is!) There is something so special and intangible about DCL. I still love it! It will always be the first and hold a special place in our hearts for sure.

My kids had fun because of other kids- not at ALL because of any kids club employees, who were fairly scarce. If we had been cruising without as many kids onboard, they would have been bored. They said so- and they said flat out that Disney was waaaaay better.

Yeah, especially for the Edge. Savannah much preferred it this time in AO on Allure to the kids club on the MNSSHC probably only due to the fact that she did not like being mixed in with the under 6 set. (She has to do it enough at home, she wants AWAY from the ankle biters whenever possible!!) If she had been in the Edge like our boys she would have liked that a whole lot better. The 11 and unders still had a lot of interaction with the staff on Allure, they played a lot of games and such . Not sure next time how it will be when both of them are in the teen club. …especially with Sav only 12. I’m not a huge fan of the mixing of the 12-14’s and the 15-17’s.

There was not alot for them to do once they got past the rockwall, ice skating and playing mini-golf a few times.

That’s where the flowrider is gold!

As far as food, some was good, a couple of things were great, but most were just eh. Pods thought DCL food was better, for sure.

We ate at a lot of specialty restaurants so our impression on the food on Allure tends toward good/very good sometimes excellent. I think we had an amazing chef on the Magic last time, the food was just outstanding on that cruise!

We REALLY missed the food by the pool- the kids didn't like that either.

Me too! Was way bummed to find Wipeout Café closed most of the time.

We liked Portofino's better than Palo, though.

I think we like Palo better than Portofino (at least I did) but Giovanni’s was better than both of them!

And we really liked those little sammies in the PC! I would definitely cruise RCI again in the future- in fact we plan to go on whatever ship is in Cape Liberty the summer of 2013- but we are hoping Timmy will be ok with it because he will be older (14) by then. The service we received in all other areas of the ship was equal to Disney's service- I could not have loved our servers and cabin steward any more than we did- they were beyond fantastic. But I think the Explorer is known for having the friendliest RCI crew, so maybe that was why. But I have to say, ITA with everyone- those Fantasy prices are just too much- they, I think, have pushed the envelope a little too far....

I heard whisperings of the Liberty heading up there. Makes sense doesn’t it…Liberty..wink wink. That would be in winters of 2013 when the Independence returns from across the pond to go back to its 8/6 Caribbean itineraries. That’s some of the speculation I’ve read.

Anyway...Jen, I LOVEd watching your family on the sailaway, that was SO COOL!! And Rita's looked like a blast- Sav did a great job dancing as usual, and I would have paid cash money to see Ron up there, it must have been a riot!!

Oh it was too funny! I wish I had taken pictures though..I could have gotten away with posting those- instead of the video which I have been instructed to lock up and throw away the key to! LOL!!!

More, please.

Aw, it’s nice to be missed!

Please come back! I have been comparing '13 eastern carib cruises and the price difference for an ocean view on DCL vs. RCI is running between $1k - $1.5k. I know everyone says that RCI "nickels & dimes" you but how much would you say you spent on the things you wouldn't have spent on DCL?

Well, that would only be the specialty food. Johnny Rockets, Starbucks (but that doesn’t really count because it equates to Cove Café), it’s hard to compare. Yes we ate at Johnny Rockets but you can get free burgers at Windjammer so it wasn’t like we had no other choice. Allure also has so many more specialty restaurants that don’t have an equivalent on DCL that it is very hard to compare. I think the biggest concept of the nickel and diming in comparing DCL to RCCL is the drinks/soda. We don’t buy the soda package, so it doesn’t affect us though. I mean it’s not like the soda is actually “free” on DCL- it’s just built into the price of the cruise fare, KWIM. I do wish drinks were as easy to come by on RCCL as DCL but it the convenience worth that much price difference? It’s up to each person to decide.

Also, is the quality of experience really worth the difference in price? I know its subjective but I have will be 8 year olds, they've cruised once on a 3day Carnival and loved it (easy standards), so I am struggling with the idea that the "magic" is worth $1500. Kwim? Very interested in hearing your thoughts!

Well…obviously we have an upcoming cruise on DCL, so we do feel that they have something special to offer. We (especially me) are pretty big Disney fans though. Is it worth $1500 more? IMO, no. The Fantasy prices for 2013 were $5800 ($1100 more) and $6700 ($2,000) more than our Fantasy 2012 cruise ($4700). Our Allure cruise cost $4700 and change. Especially when comparing to Allure because it is such a unique experience. Will we be back to DCL after next year? I don’t know. Time will tell, but the prices need to stay competitive. We have even started looking at Carnival too. We have started to get more interested in new ports vs. the same ol/same ol too. So while I think Disney has some unique and special things to offer the price point is really just getting too high when you consider what other cruise lines have to offer for much less.

Are you really going to spend 1500 on board? Whether you do DCL or RCI you will have excursion expenses, photos, drinks etc. My bill for a 4 night was $450 but we did spa, drinks, tastings, and Palo. Either way you will sppend $ but will you really spend 1500 more on an RCI cruise?

I know this is discussed further on down the line but we have had some really high onboard bills. One was $1800-that was on DCL. That was mostly due to several hundred dollars of picture purchases and included tips and excursions-one of the excursions alone was $560. (Atlantis Aquaventure)…so yeah….it happens. LOL! I was quite happy with our onboard bill on Allure though!

We don't feel nickle and dimed. The things we pay extra for- photos, bar drinks, excursions, bingo, spa- are there on all the cruise lines.

Very true.

We don't do cooking classes, wine tastings or other things that you pay extra for that differ from one cruise line to the next. Occasionally our kids do late night in the clubs, and the $5/hour/kid on RCCL is not that big a price difference. Same for soda, yes other lines charge for it but it's probably 1 soda a day per kid i.e. $5/day.
We just got off a 5 night RCCL Bermuda cruise and spent $600 onboard, and I felt like we splurged way more than usual because it was our anniversary. More drinks/wine than normal and some indulgent spa visits. Otherwise it would have been half that.

Yep. I think we tend to spend more on DCL because I am a sucker for the merchandise. And the Dooney purses! LOL! I didn’t even go into Coach on Allure. Ron did though, sweetie that he is. The one purse he liked for me cost like $1500 though..LMBO, he was outta there real quick when he saw that!

A prior poster said that RCCL "nickel and dimed" you so you are not saving as much. I just do not seeing spending 1500 above what I normally spend on the "nickel and dime" stuff.

No, you are right-nowhere near the $1500 difference. Like I said our onboard bill was only $361 and we ate at four specialty restaurants (five, if you count Johnny Rockets). We bought a lot of merch. And drinks. But you pay for that on both lines. The only thing that I was aware of that you spend money on RCCL but not DCL is soda, the fresh squeezed juice, and casino. Tammie said there is the cooking class, I did not look into that. But aside from that- those are all choices- there are free options so you don’t have to spend an extra penny.

That's great Jen! You had a family of 4 and did better than we did! Ours was about $460 and we had prepaid for tips and excursions - we ate no "for fee" meals and no starbucks. I had a bottle of wine, and we had only a few drinks, and did very little shopping. I think we did spend a little extra for tips - but we didn't buy any pictures. Maybe our excursion wasn't added on until we boarded.

Hm, if you signed up for the excursion prior to the cruise then you would have paid for it then too. If you got it onboard then it would be part of your onboard bill. One thing that came in REALLY handy and we took full advantage of is the Crown & Anchor coupons- (Crown & Anchor is they loyalty program similar to Castaway Club). They had lots of B1G1 free deals and also percentage off coupons. We used a LOT of them, and we got coupon books for each of us so that was a lot of coupons!
Also some of the pirces have really gone down a LOT recently. The photos for one- we watched the prices for that photo disk just melt away. It used to be several hundred dollars- now it is just $199 for all of your pics for the whole cruise on CD on Allure! Some people got it prepaid for $139!!! It was $239 onboard I think. $199 was our prepaid price. We opted not to get it, because we didn’t plan on doing a lot of pictures this time (and we didn’t, we probably had less than 20 in our folder) but yeah, compared to DCL’s now that is a good deal (I think the one on the 7 night cruises is still like $399)

There are things we chose not to do because of the cost, like the cooking class, but I still think your cruise looks WAY FUN so far!!!

It really was awesome! So much more to come still!!!!

I think what she is saying is that before ever getting on the ship, DCL is $1500 more just for the cruise itself. And I have also heard that RCI nickels and dimes it's customers..... Again, that's just heresay because I have yet to cruise on RCI.... HOWEVER, some of these things would include paying for soda on RCI (although I think DCL is the only one with the complimentary soda fountain? If so, this doesn't really count RCI vs the whole industry), the cooking class, and some other events that are included on DCL and some other lines.

True, like I said ther are lots of free options. Yeah they may try to get you to by the $3.99 OJ (sippy sippy) we just smile. Some things we are willing to pay for (Johnny Rocket’s yummmmmm!) and Pineapple drinks. Just wait til you see my pineapples! (well those of you on FB have already seen them!) Hahah!

They are all offering the "for fee" restuarants now, and hey, just because RCI has Starbucks and Johnny Rockets, I don't know you can call that nickel and diming, because you don't have to go there..... All cruise lines have "extras", right?

Yep!

But I guess if RCI is going to "nickel and dime" me for that and extra $1500 then I might as well cruise on DCL, is this what you are trying to say? I think?

Ah//with tips (a few hundred for our family of 5) and our St. Thomas excursion (couple hundred) our total non fare expenditures were still under $1000. And it would have been the same on Disney. Actually I would have spent more on Disney because I can’t resist that dang mouse merch. LMAO!

When it comes right down to it, I am SO excited to hear more from Jen because RCI's ships really intrigue me with what they have to offer. And yes, I'm not afraid to spend a little extra onboard, because that's what a cruise is all about!

The best thing is though- as you see you don’t have to spend a lot! Especially on Allure because they keep you so BUSY you don’t have time to part with your wallet…LOL!!!!

Oh, and as for more being included on DCL, how does a final onboard bill of $1700 sound????? That included Palo, all gratuities, Castaway Cay excursion, a few souvies, spa, and the rest is all drinks and "miscellaneous." So it adds up really fast, no matter what ship you are on!

Mouse. Merch. Talk about evil!!! Haha!

At the moment, I am having a massive vacation debate with myself.
We are booked on the Fantasy for August 2012. One Category 4C for me, Mike, my Mom, Allison and Michael.
I looked at the 9 night on RCI out of Bayonne to Bermuda, etc. after reading Ellen's trip report. I don't think we can do a 9 night (hard for Mike to get off that many days). However, Norwegian has a 7 night to Bermuda (the only port) from Bayonne. For $1300 less than DCL I can get two (count 'em TWO!) connecting balcony staterooms. Plus no airfare for us. NCL also has a sale right now offering OBC for each cabin and 1/2 off deposits. While not DCL, and not RCI with Dreamworks, NCL has Nickelodeon.
I have always wanted to see Bermuda. Plus the money thing and no flying is attractive. What to do, what to do?

Yep that is a delimma. I know Ellen just LOVED not having to fly!!! Do check out the NCL ship, I don’t think the Nickelodeon thing is all the time like RCCL’s Dreamworks ships and DCL. I think it is only specific dates/ships.
Although…at least for us the 2012 Fantasy prices were still reasonable- especially since we got it booked so early like you guys. Tough one! I don’t envy your position!!! LOL!

WOW! That's another cruise!

Yeah that cruise I mentioned the $1800 Onboard bill….it was a 3-night on the Wonder. The whole cruise fare was $1700 (FL Res rate) and we spent more onboard (with tips and expensive excursions) than the cruise cost. LMAO!!!

It is just dh and myself and we pre-pay tips (we usually leave our cabin attendant extra in cash).

That’s what we do too, and I really like it that way. I see the tips as just part of the necessary fare anyway.

The only other items on our final bill are: a couple of things from the ship's shop, 1 or 2 massages each (we always look for spa specials on port days), maybe 1 or 2 drinks (that would be a lot for us), and maybe 1 picture. That is basically it. We have been to the Caribbean so many times we never do shore excursions, when in St. Thomas we get a cab to Magen's Bay on our own. And, we never eat at specialty restaurants that charge extra fees.

Yup, you don’t have to, even on Allure/Oasis. There are plenty of great free food options! PARK CAFÉ!!!! Hehe!

Yes that is what I was trying to say (albeit badly) The price difference in just the cruise is enough to fly us into Florida from TX. Or we could take that difference and spend a few days ahead and do the Sea World or Universal days we always talk about. Or we could use our pre-purchased WDW tix, buy a couple more for the kids and do a four day WDW budget trip (might have to add some more $$ to that option). But...it wouldn't be a disney cruise So my big debate (internally and with the nice therapists, I mean dis'ers here) is IS THE "MAGIC" OF A DISNEY CRUISE REALLY WORTH $1,500?? I know you can't answer for me but I would love others thoughts

Well I can answer that with: sometimes. DCL is special to us, like I said. Sarah still really, really loves the Disney characters a LOT and talks about how much she wants to go on the “Mickey Cruise”. With older kids, folks that aren’t as Disney crazy as me- not so much. I’m open to new experiences though. WE really aren’t sure when we will be back on DCL after next year. Price is a big factor.

Maybe I am having an airhead moment??? I guess I understood the previous poster to say DCL costs $1500 more.

If I misunderstood, please correct me. My premise was that DCL costs $1500 more. Why would anyone think that RCCL would nickel and dime you to the tune of $1500? How I see it, DH and I are going to do excursions, drink, spa, Palo's, pics, souvies and tip when we cruise. If you look at the price difference of those activities between DCL and RCCL will it equal $1500? I think not!!

No, it doesn’t.

To me, DCL has priced itself out for the average person. Do not get me wrong, I love DCL and will take a 2013 DCL if they are in the Med. But a Carribbean cruise? Not going to happen at those prices in the summer when I can sail with the kids. Not taking DS12 out of school for a week just to sail DCL when the prices are reasonable. Just my two cents!

OMG yes, the summer is insanity. For now, we’ll continue to pull our kids out but we can’t do that forever. It’s going ot get interesting for us in the next few years.

I am definitely thinking of an adults only, girls cruise on the Allure. This trip reports and its pics are making it seem like a must!!!

I think you would LOVE that!!!!

Nope. You're right. It is $1,500 more just for the cruise. I guess I love this trip report (and am dying for Nenner to return ) because I LOVE Disney but I'm a practical person. I just want to hear her comparisons on kids clubs, the extra costs, service, and "fun". It seems that people (like us) who love Disney always say that RCI really misses it and Disney is worth the extra money. Just thinking (and posting) my thoughts/questions/wondering to see if others are dealing with the same comparison issues. In no way trying to hijack the thread - just sharing issues I'm dealing with as we wait

LOL, so sorry I made you wait! I love the discussion though! A lot of thoughtful postas and very valid opinions!!!

okay Nenner...I am hooked. Waiting to hear more. I will have questions along the way.

No problem!! Glad to have you along for the ride!!!

That $1500 less on another cruise would have just about paid for those extras! It will be fun to see what your experience with FOS is - I know there were people on LOS who had been cruisnig on her twice a year for years -

Yes, like I said somewhere my aunt and uncle LOVE Freedom, it is their favorite ship!

Jeeeez!! I hate showing up late for a good party!!

Janice!!! How are you!!! So glad to see you here!!!

Jen, I love your family!! I can't believe how big Sarah is!!

Aww, thanks! Can you believe it? It’s crazy!!!

I just printed this entire thread out to read at the dr's office - of course today will be the day I get to walk right in!!!

Oh my gosh! That’s a lot of paper…and ink! Ha ha! Hope it helped your wait go by quick!!! LOL!

I am in the same boat here. I had yet to cruise DCL, and we were eagerly awaiting the 2013 itineraries to put a deposit and start paying the cruise. I can't really justify spending an extra 1500-1600 because its Disney. In our case, the kids will not know the difference. We want to do a WDW pre stay. 1600 will pay for most of that!

Hopefully this will help you in your decision! Thanks for reading!!!

I do not think you are hijacking!!!! I LOVE Disney but it is pure economics. I just do not think that Disney is offering that superior of a product to justify spending that amount of extra $$$ Just sayin'

I really think the 2013 prices for the Fantasy are out of line. I actually expected the 2012 prices to be higher than they were, and I think they realized their mistake and decided to jack it up since there is so much demand. Instead, people are going to be jumping ship. I do think eventually they will reduce prices..but there is a lot out there. And to pay LESS for a cruise like Allure/Oasis that has so much to offer….well…..

ITA!!! I hate to agree, but sadly, I do....
And I'm sure Jen would encourage us to "tawlk amongst ourselves...." while she does that "work" thing. Sheesh, I really think she needs to rework those priorities.... Does she not realize I'm getting carpel tunnel checking back so often????

I hear ya Kara. LOL. Ron can recommend a good ortho though LOL, just a short drive for ya. The good thing is…. once you’re down here……. hehe

I know!!! I can't wait to see what we did next!!!
Ron

Ha!!!

I know!!!! I logged on 1st thing this morning to see if the next installation was in!
We are having people over the watch the Tenn vs South Carolina game tonight (Go Cocks!!! ) and my traveling girlfriends will be here. I am planning on showing her trip report to them. Must get on this ship and DH has zero interest. Sooo...... GIRLS TRIP!

Lucky! I tried to convince mine to let me go on the DisMoms cruise on the Dream in May- no WAY would he go for that without him getting to go!

I tried to post this the other day, but my Internet Explorer was all wonky. Anyway, I was thinking about my perception of the onboard charges on RCCL vs DCL, so I did a little tally of what we did and wanted to do on our Western cruise. Not counting the photo CD, which we just don't get many pics of just the two of us - Including excursions:
DCL = $692 RCCL = $1211 / Roughly $500 difference

***Still not $1500 - that extra $1000 would pay for our airfare to the port, or a nice suite!***

I realize that no one "has" to do any of these things, but these are the things we would choose to do on a reasonable vacation that make our time more enjoyable for us.
I guess if we need to budget, which is most of the time, we'll look for other cruiselines unless we can find a deal, but for overall experience when we splurge it will be with Disney!

Cost Comparison Disney Vs. Royal Caribbean
DCL / RCCL

1. Wine Tasting - $15 / $15
2. Cooking Class - Free / $140
3. Burgers Free/ $4.50
4. Sodas/Milk Unlimited FREE/ $4 or $6/day
5. Wine/BTL $25 / $25
6. Orange Juice FREE / $3.99
7. Kids’s Club FREE / $6.95/hr late
8. Bottled Water $2 sm/$35 / $4 Large/$24 pkg
9. Cheese & Fruit $38/no wine / $42 w/ wine
10. Calif Cab added= $55 / included
11. Bingo $46 pkg / $60 pkg
12. DOTD $6.95/plastic cup / $10.95/nice glass
13. Laundry $3.00/ld (self sv) / $2-4 item/$47 for a sm load
14. Pictures $399 digital CD / $349 digital CD
15. Signature Dinner $50 / $50
Estimated Totals $705 / $1096

Excursions $184+76+116 / $176 + 144 +144

$1091 - 399 = 692 $1560 – 349 = 1211

Ooh, very interesting! That’s a lot of work Tammie! I’m sure folks will find the breakdown useful!

Hey there!
Just to let you know the $4.95 for burgers was only if you decide to go to Johnny Rockets for burgers. There are plenty of free burgers on RC. I actually preferred the free burgers on RC to Disney (less fillers).

Yes, there was a big burger bar setup in Windjammer. I prefer to just pay for JR’s …tastes soooo good….hehe

Also the OJ for 3.99 was the fresh squeezed glasses. I never saw anyone actually buy it. They have the usual bulk stuff that is watered down just like DCL for free. Either way neither cruise lines free options pass for good OJ.

SIPPY SIPPY! (yeah I just like saying it)

On the Allure the DODs were served in plastic souvineer cups for 6.95 and 5.95. They also had them cheaper if you didn't get the special cup.

And pineapples! The pineapple drinks were actually a good deal too!

We didn't have to pay for milk it was always free.
Have yet to do laundry on a cruise.
Everyone's experience is different.

Thanks to my awesome overpacking skillz. LMAO!!!

They also had $1200 purses and $560 sunglasses for sale...but we didn't buy them.
Ron

You COULD have bought me the Coach purse. I wouldn’t have protested.

Wow, Jen really IS mistreated, huh?

Totally.

can;t wait to read your entire review!

Thanks! I hope to have more up soon!!!

Thanks for sharing! These types of quantitative and qualititative reports make our planning better!I think I would probably do the things that are in pink which are fairly comparable. We would likely do more than 1 speciality restaurant because of the options available though too. Thanks again - its very helpful

The more info the better! An educated cruise experience is a better cruise experience- especially with these big ships where you HAVE to know a lot in advance or you miss out.

Hi Ron! I wouldn't buy a $1200 purse either! ITA, and I think every cruise will be a different experience for us, too.

Haha, don’t let him fool ya- he was balking at the $300 Disney D&B too. I got the wristlet. He’s right I don’t; carry a purse daily anyway. I use a laptop bag.

the anticipation is killing me.
Hi Jen-next installment pretty please!

Sorry!!!

Any more pool pictures?

Tons!

Did you go to the private island? Would love to see those

Not this time, we went to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We went to Labadee on Independence in ’10, there are some pics in the short CC review in my signature. Oh and the movie. That’s fun, you could check that out when I disappear. LOL!

Showed the girls your report so far and they all asked-when are we going???? I see a girls trip! Woo Hoo

Oh just wait, you ain’t seen nuttin yet!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sorry!!!!

On the Disney Dream, it is $75 each for signature dining at Remy; $99 with wine pairing.

Ah, I know I quoted the question that answer refers to but it isn’t showing. I’ll get to that in the next bunch of replies.

Waiting for the next update........

Haha!

Book it! We've done 4 or 5 cruises to Bermuda from NYC and Bayonne and it is just so much easier not to have to fly, and Bermuda is so lovely, well worth it. Having 2 cabins is also much nicer, more space and 2 bathrooms.
So long as you don't expect the Disney experience you should enjoy yourself. Have done a few NCL and RCCL cruises and they were a lot of fun.
The money you save will cover your on board bill!

Very good advice! I can’t imagine having to fly to cruise I’ve said it a million times. The baggage fees alone…yikes!

Yes and no - The Dream still has Palo to dine at so the comparison is still sorta valid - but you made me think of a great question: As big as it is, does the Allure have multiple signature restaurants like the Dream in multiple price points (i.e. something comparable to Remy)?

Yes, it does. It has 150 Central Park which is a tasting restaurant very similar to Remy. It costs $40. With wine pairing I think $75. They also have the Chef’s Table which is a very exclusive experience only open to I think 12 guests per night. That costs I think $95 for food only abnd $150 for food plus wine pairing. Those prices may not be exact it is just off the top of my head. We did not do either of those but I do have a few pics of 150 CP and also the menu and a little einfo on it coming up soon.

Waiting for an update!

So very sorry it took so long!

Don't really know.... we're going on the Oasis for the 1st time for Thanksgiving and don't even go to the signature restaurants. I know the speciality restaurants on the Oasis are Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Giovanni's Table, Izumi and many others that charge and don't charge.

Guess we'll have to wait for nenner1 to answer - hint, hint! Come back!

LOL, yes I’d say 150CP is the most similar to Remy and Giovanni’s is the most similar to Palo.

We've been on the Magic and Wonder each a couple of times, the Dream and have the Fantasy booked. I do love Disney, but sometimes we like to venture out and try something new instead of the same thing over and over again. Our 10-night on the Emerald Princess last year was fantastic!

Yep I’m getting bitten by the new! And exciting! Bug too.

LOL Sean!

The suspense is killing me

Please don’t die on me!

I thinks she's evil.......

Maybe so.

Thanks for the update, Nenner!! I love the ship. The pool at night seems great. What do you do that you work nigts? A nurse maybe?

Ah, funny you should mention that. I was but one mealy Advanced Med-Surg class away from my RN degree. But , no … I work at the post office. I used to have an awesome admin/payroll job, then a nice day job like real people..now I’m just a regular flunky slaving away all night while the real world sleeps.
Believe it or not, I actually chose to go to nights when Sarah was born.

I know there are a few more responses it actually took all of my breaks and lunch last night and an hour this evening to catch up and get this posted so I’ll get to those tomorrow! Thanks again for all of your patience! MUAH!

 

[floydfamily4]

You ROCK. See you tomorrow!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Nenner,
I didnt die on you...wouldnt be good if I did, I know cpr but do not tihink it is possible to do it to yourselfand I have done cpr...thought I'd run a marathon the next day...
I hope your cruisin activities will not be affected by the PO cuts that are happening around the country.

Cant wait to hear more. You work on Mondays...I read all the posts made all weekend on Mondays cause I work Fri, Sat, Sun!!! Love my MOndays!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Wow Jen, I'm loving your detailed trip report. Looks like everyone is having tons of fun!!!!!

Beth

 

[nenner1]

Hi! I'm in. I just found your report. We will be cruising on the Allure Aug.12,2012 and can't wait. I just recently found your report over on Cruise Critic and had skimmed part of it and was wondering if you had started a TR over here. (I saw you had mentioned that you were going to do one here but hadn't had a chance to come look for it). Now to go back and read!!!

Thanks for joining me here! This report will have quite a b it more detail and a LOT of extra pictures and videos!! You will LOVE Allure!!!

What a great first day!!! And...welcome back! Allure looks like an amazing ship- I am sure we'll love her too- someday......

Thanks girl! Sooner rather than later! I hope to convince you by the end of the TR!

Savannah loved the kid's club!!! I was not expecting this as she did not like the clubs at all on our last Disney cruise. Not sure if it was the club itself or that she had made a great friend in there.

Oh yeah, Jen. There wasn't a pre-registration for the kid's clubs. We had to wait until we got on board. It was very easy though.

Ron

Yes, yes...sorry my bad. You messed me all up by doing all of the online check in stuff yourself! Hehe!

WOW! Just wow! The Allure really does look amazing Jen (and Ron)

It really is a marvel! I think every cruise fan should try it once, it's just so different from everything else out there!!

The night lighting is beautiful! Is the Promenade/Boardwalk (?) Open air all the time? So cool! The pool area is beautiful too.

Yes, I so love all of the neon and twinkly "star" lights! Both the Boardwalk and also Central Park are open air all the time. Just awesome!!!

I love the carousel! The kid's clubs look great too. I'm glad Savannah had such a good time. Your family packed alot of fun into your first day!!!

Haha! We wouldn't dream of doing it any other way! AND we kept going at that pace until like day 6 or so when we finally slowed it down (a little)!

Beautiful nighttime pictures, Jen! We've had an unexpected (LARGE) cost come up and may be canceling our April cruise...Maybe we'll look into this ship sometime next summer...

Oh, I'm so sorry you may have to cancel your cruise! That stinks!! But yes, if you decided to go that route, Allure (or Oasis) would definintely be worth the wait! They are pricier (and there are many more kids) during the summer but it's not too bad price-wise- not nearly as high as Disney jacks it up during the summer.

Just found this and really glad I did! Loving the comparisons. Really loving the humor!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! Much, much more good stuff to come!!!

Thanks so much for covering all the kid's clubs! They all look very nice.

You're welcome, we did have a lot of experience there this time so I do have a lot more to share regarding how the clubs are run and activities and events. Some good stuff.

Wow, I can't believe how uncrowded the pool was and no one in the hot tub... W. O. W.

Yeah, like nobody goes up there at night!! It's awesome! We were virtually alone int he Solarium the next night too. And we found the pool decks and pools completely reasonably populated during the day too- there were even some sea days that crowds were really light! You wouldn't believe it...but I have photographic proof!

Lovin' those night shots, BTW.

Thanks...but I can't take credit for some of them. My camera (even my good one) does not take good no-flash shots at night so I found a couple of those on the net that look like the pictures that I actually took should have. LOL!

I swear, Jen, you just give the best info in your TRs!!!! I mean, to the tune of I'm wanting to book Allure RIGHT NOW!!!!

Oh it is just awesome, I know you will end up cruising on her sometime (or Oasis)!!!

Well, guess I'd better wait until at least my next DCL cruise is complete.... then have FOTS coming up..... but like Ellen said, SOMEDAY!!!

Haha, I know, right? WE all need to win the lottery so we can just do NOTHING BUT CRUISE! Dismoms Powerball Pool- join in now!

You ROCK. See you tomorrow!

I made it! But I am battling with DSD today (Digital Scrapboooking Day) which is another hobby of mine, so I won't have an update today. Sometime this weekend I will get another one up though!

Nenner,
I didnt die on you...wouldnt be good if I did, I know cpr but do not tihink it is possible to do it to yourselfand I have done cpr...thought I'd run a marathon the next day...

No doubt! CPR is NOT EASY!!

I hope your cruisin activities will not be affected by the PO cuts that are happening around the country.

Thanks so much, I hope so too. My facility is going to close though- probably by the end of the year. Where I'll end up then is anyone's guess. Probably not laid off but a drastic change may be in store. I just hope we don't have to relocate and I would prefer not to be transferred to letter carrier. (If so, this is what I'l look like in the summertime ----> )

Cant wait to hear more. You work on Mondays...I read all the posts made all weekend on Mondays cause I work Fri, Sat, Sun!!! Love my MOndays!

Well, that's OK, I do tend to get something done on the weekend (usually) and we don't have a lot going on this weekend (unlike last weekend which was CRAZY BUSY) so hopefully I will have plenty up for you to read on your day off!

Wow Jen, I'm loving your detailed trip report. Looks like everyone is having tons of fun!!!!!

Beth

Thanks Beth! You know we wouldn't do it any other way! LOL!!! I know the girls would adore this ship..you just might have to give it a try someday!


I'll be back soon, gang! Hang tight! I'm off to go blow up my hard drive with digital scrapbooking freebies! w00t!

 

[lucas]

So nice of you to answer each and every comment! Thanks for all the info.





We'll be sailing in 2 weeks for Thanksgiving on the Oasis. Can't wait!

 

[livingis2me]

So nice of you to answer each and every comment! Thanks for all the info.





We'll be sailing in 2 weeks for Thanksgiving on the Oasis. Can't wait!

You're so lucky!!

A quick little tip for you. Around 11 pm on Saturday the Oasis will (should) have a close encounter with the Allure. And you'll be on the happier ship since the Allure will be within a mere 6 or 7 hours from being back from their cruise and you'll just be getting started. I don't want to go too far into detail as it would be a spoiler to the TR, but keep a lookout. I don't know if they'll make an announcement of this happening on the Oasis, but they didn't on the Allure. It was quite a surprise to us. Quite a thrill actually, but all I kept thinking was, those lucky jerks! That's the "G" rated version of what I was thinking!

BTW- The passing was on the starboard side of both ships.

Ron

 

[iloverags2]

Wow! The Boardwalk and the Pool Deck are so beautiful at night! What time were you out in the pool that evening? It looks nice and uncrowded!

 

[rstanley]

Are kids allowed in the cantilevered (sp?) hot tubs? I thought those were in the solarium. I know my 10 year old DD would love it

 

[PoeticMoe]

Hi - great review! I've been following along from the very beginning.

Quick question about the tween clubs on Allure. Do they allow the 12 - 14 year old kids in with the 15 - 17 year olds, or is there a clear divide between these two age groups? I have a cruise booked on Allure for 2013 and my son will be 12 when we sail. I know RCI used to separate these two age groups, but now it looks like with some activities, they'll be together with the 15 - 17 year olds. Can you give a bit more information about this? With my son being a 'young' 12 year old when we sail, I clearly wouldn't want him to be around the older teens and I'm a bit freaked out by it. As a back-up, I also made a reservation for the Disney Fantasy in 2013 as well, as I know for sure with Disney, my DS will be in Edge with the 11 - 13 year olds, which is separate from the older teens in Vibe.

What was your experience with this on Allure? Thanks!