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

[pit303]

I'm in!!

 

[nenner1]

Friday September 16- Travel

We live in Tampa, FL which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive to Ft. Lauderdale. We left home at about 2:30 PM and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at about 7:30. that's pretty good time taking into account potty breaks, gas stops, firecracker stops.

Nooooo, not firecrackers the things you light from 4th of July..the pickled sausage road trip necessity!

Found at only the best gas stations, truck stops, and most Stuckey's:

And if you want to REALLY get the whole true expereince, well just imagine 5 hours of this: (video click image to play)




It is our cruise tradition to start off our vacation with a meal at Cracker Barrel, so we had a good meal there before heading to our pre-cruise hotel Hyatt Place Airport South.

A bunch of EEG-NOR-A-MOOSES!

Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?

We had previously stayed at the Hyatt Place North , but we like to get deals through Hotwire and Expedia and this time the deal was at South ($49/nt). The big difference was obviously the location. We much preferred the HP North, as it was just minutes from the Port. South is about 10-15 minutes away- so not as convenient. One other thing we did not like about HP South is the Lobby had an extremely strong fragrant odor to it that smelled as if someone had just dropped a large bottle of cheap perfume. It gave us a headache and clung to us every time we passed through. I am normally not sensitive to fragrances at all, and it bothered me.

Our room was pretty typical. We were given one of the 2 Queen- plus pull-out sofa bed rooms (normally an additional $10/night, but we were not charged). This was enough space for all of us. The rooms were comfortable and spacious, though the beds were extremely firm, which wasn’t to our taste and left us stiff and achy in the morning.

Hyatt Place South

Our Room:

Not sure if the toilet was left that way by housekeeping, or if the boys just got there first!

With the pull-out sofabed open:

Too bad we got used to all this space. It made our staterooms onboard seem awfully tiny!

As far as comparison of travel distance and area, we much, MUCH prefer Port Canaveral/Cocoa to Ft. Lauderdale. While the distance (and proximity to WDW- just sayin' ) is obviously much better with PC, we have been also able to get cheaper accommodations in Ft. L due to there being a lot more options. Two points for Mickey, one for Shrek.

Tally

Mickey -2
Shrek - 1

Up Next: The Dark Side of the Moon

 

[Fastpaks]

I'm in!!!! One question: can you get the Greatest Roast Beef Sandwiches in the World sliced thin or do they only come in thick ones?

FYI: Oh yeah The Dream and the Allure seem to leave almost at the same time... the camera there is http://portevergladeswebcam.com/

 

[nenner1]

My dahling you have NOOOOO idea how I am looking forward to this TR! Drea already has me looking at Carnival, but I have a secret.... I'm booking FOTS on Tuesday! Booking on Tuesday, sailing over Spring Break.... 2013. Yes, 18 months from now. But I'm BOOKING!!!!

So hurry up already!

What? No update yet? It's been like 10 minutes!!!!

Ahhhh, the start of TRs is so much fun!!!! The ending, not so much, much like real vacations....

Oh my dear Kara, just you wait until I get going!

That's awesome about Freedom, you will love it! In a lot of ways I still prefer Freedom class- mostly in that it doesn't take 10-15 minutes and 1/4 mile to get from forward to aft.

Drea is hooking me on Carny too. That new Breeze and it's itinerary is awful intriguing. So is the price point- $2800 for all 5 of us on an 8 night southern?!?! SOLD! We just have to figure out when we will go.

Are you doing Eastern or Western on Freedom? Labadee or Coco Cay?

Can't believe those comparisons - the Allure is HUGE! I will definitely be reading with interest as I've wanted to sail the Oasis or the Allure since they were launched. I really want a Central Park or Boardwalk view stateroom

Thanks for the tip Jen - I am really hoping DH will take the massive hints I've been dropping and book something for my 40th

You would love it! Oh wait, am I spoiling the ending??? Definitely, definitley try to have the ocean in eyesight be it an aft BW balcony or OV. Like many say it is far too easy to forget you are on a ship when you're on these mammoths! We loved our OV balcony a lot!!!

I take it you're no closer to finishing yours yet then Only 2 weeks before we leave for our vacation you know (no pressure)

Oh my goosh, don't rush her! I am soooooo far behind on all my trippie reading. I'm ashamed of myself as a dis TR fan failure.

Hey Nenner1, you are a busy person!!! Just finished your latest update on cruise critic!!!!

Woo-hoo! So you're ahead of the curve. Thanks for checking it out in both places!!!

For all of the Dis-faithful, yes this TR is also posted on the Cruise Critic Royal Caribbean boards....BUT......a big BUTT...I promise it will be better here. There will be a ton of Dis exclusive content and I tend to be a little cattier over here.

Yay!!! So happy you started!!!

Ellen's here!!!!! Can I get a WHA-WHA!

Curious to hear and see the comparison. . .

Thanks for joining us sleepydog! There's an awfiul lot to compare, and it will be interesting for sure!!!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

Jennifer! Great to hear from you! How are you all doing? How is Morgan? Do you all have any WDW or cruises planned?

I'm in!!

Maureen! Hola! Now we just need to get you and Joe booked on the reunion cruise! LOL!

I'm in!!!!

Jonathan! Great to have you onboard! I was really happy to see you have been working on your TR too, I will have to get on the ball and find some time to catch up on all my subs!

One question: can you get the Greatest Roast Beef Sandwiches in the World sliced thin or do they only come in thick ones?

They are hand sliced so it tends to be pretty thick. You can ask then to try and slice it thinner but you aren't going to get thin deli slices by any means.

FYI: Oh yeah The Dream and the Allure seem to leave almost at the same time... the camera there is http://portevergladeswebcam.com/

Love the webcam site- wait to you see what I've got coming!!!

Normally the Allure and the Dream are together every other Monday in Nassau. WE were SO BUMMED to find out after we booked that the Dream would NOT be in Nassau the Monday we were there. (It was on a double dip for the DVC Member Cruise). We *really* wanted a closer look at her. Oh well, something funny about that coming up soon too! Stay tuned!

 

[morgansmom2000]

We are going to WDW for Thanksgiving and it's still a SURPRISE! Morgan knows nothing about it, and I've managed to keep quiet about it since May!

We are on the Dream next April vacation. Only about 6 months now

 

[nenner1]

Saturday September 17-Beach Day, Oasis Sail Out

We started off this day leisurely. Hyatt Place does offer a free continental breakfast including the typical offerings of cereals, fruit, pastries, bagels, etc. It was not remarkable- what you would expect from a low end chain.

Our big plans for today were to hit the beach and hang out at the port and watch Allure's sister ship Oasis of the Seas depart for it's cruise.

After breakfast we went to the store and picked up a few last minute essentials (soda, etc. ) and made a trip to pick up the Port Everglades Webcam banner to use at sailaway the next day. The banner advertises the Portevergladeswebcam.com site, which is a LOT of fun to watch the ships sail out every week. The great news is that now they also have a cam at Port Canaveral too! (portcanaveralwebcam.com). The guys that run this site are awesome and will zoom the cameras in on you so everyone back at home can see you leave. Or for added visibility and more camera time (just sayin') you can borrow one of their banners to display during sailaway. It's all free, and we have some priceless sailaway memories now thanks to this awesome website.

Brendan! Way to bulk up those guns!

We then headed out to the beach, using the nearby Ft. Lauderdale South Beach Public Access. This is a well appointed beach area with a large playground and swings- even a tire swing. There are picnic tables and grills available. Lots of family reunions and birthday parties in full swing. Parking is by meter stations and costs a nominal amount (a dollar or so an hour or thereabouts)

Fun at the Beach:

The water was pretty nice, but had a bit of a chop going on and a wicked tide. Oh and it had jellyfish. Plural.

Tonight's dinner special! Who's hungry???

After some fun in the sun, we went out to the jetty to watch Oasis leave port. We did not have very good directions on where to go so we just kind of drove around until we found the area that looked like it might lead out to the beach area by the jetty. (Good job Ron!) There is street parking here which is allowed and free of charge between 6 AM and 6 PM. I have read that parking tickets are given out promptly at 6 PM, so be careful to quickly retreat to your vehicle after the ship sails if this is something you decide to do.

Street Parking near Beach Access:

It is still a little bit of a walk to get out to the jetty. First you have to walk east about a block past the condos and you will find this gate to a public beach access path:

It’s a long (LONG) path

You emerge out onto the beach very close to the jetty. Be very careful, as the rocks are quite dangerous, and very slippery when wet.

Here she comes!!!

She's coming right for us!!!

As she approached, Oasis serenaded us with her not so glorious and creative horn. Bah. It sounds like a big fart. (video clip- click to play)

Horn Score:
Mickey: 2
Shrek 1 (for pure potty humor)






The view, however is quite spectacular. This huge monstrosity passing right by you is just stunning. We could hear the passengers on the boat cheer as they passed, and it was so exciting!

And then there was this guy. There's one in every bunch, I guess. Video (click to play)




**CONTINUED**

 

[nenner1]

The crowd on the rocks. Can you spot us? (Photo courtesy of inletphotos.com)

And as seen from Oasis! (Photo courtesy of Trainman-2 on CC)

If you can see us in this one you eat way too many carrots!

And there she goes! Hasta La Vista!

Watching the boat sail from here was really cool. I liked watching the ships sail out at Port Canaveral from from Grills too though. And overall that port is prettier. This was a lot cheaper than Grills. Still a wash. Both are fun and exiting to watch ships leave.

Port Watching
Shrek-1
Mickey-1

Tally
Shrek -3
Mickey-5

Coming Next: Stupid is as Stupid Eats!

 

[nenner1]

We are going to WDW for Thanksgiving and it's still a SURPRISE! Morgan knows nothing about it, and I've managed to keep quiet about it since May!

We are on the Dream next April vacation. Only about 6 months now

Well I guess I could have looked at your tickers! LOL! Great job on keeping that secret! She will be so shocked and excited!!! Sounds awesome!!!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

So Skye spotted Brendan in post one wearing the long FE pirate Halloween necklace she helped me make. She was super excited about that, plus also loving watching your kids rock out in your car en rout to Ft L! That scene looks eerily similar to the craziness that goes on in our car when we are vacation- bound!

Steve and I did a 3 day in May sans kids on the Dream and it was completely different than our 5day with them in August. The girls LOVED the kids club on the Dream. I liked the ship but missed the Magic's more intimate feel. Plus, it is hard to top all of the magical memories on that longer cruise with such a special group of Dissers! Speaking of that, hi to Jonathan, Jennifer and Ellen and you too Ron!

I can't wait for more of your trip reports. popcorn is at the ready!

Beth

 

[anewmac]

I saw you on cruise critic and was all ***? where is my invite then saw you were going to post here too so I waited.. impatiently lol... yeah so ready!

If you are not familiar with me, or my trip reports, I'll go back in time a bit and share the experience that makes me qualified to make this comparison.
we have to be qualifed to write trip reports.. im doomed LOL

It highlights an opportunity to try something so different, yet so familiar. I will steal a little rating system from my good friend and fellow Diser Drea (anewmac) and issue/subtract points for each cruise line for positive and negative aspects of both cruise lines as we compare and contrast the amazing character experience and other features too! Sure, the score at the end will signify a winner and a loser overall, but there is so much to learn about, only you can be the judge for yourself and your family.
Exactly.. I need this disclaimer on my trip report lol I may steal it too

So what are you waiting for? Let's get Cruising!!!
if only you meant this literally i could use another cruise

Table of Contents:

Introduction-------->YOU ARE HERE!
thank god I almost forgot where i was already lol

This is going to be fun! I know because it was!!!

Ron

I LOVE THAT you get into this Ron.. wish my hubby would!

I am excited to read it too... after our hiccups on the Dream last week, Disney really needs to get it together with customer service on this ship.

Oh no Val hope it was just hiccups tho and you all had a good time even tho

And if you wanted a side by side photo to compare, here you go:

HA love it

Here is a real comparison of the Allure, Dream, and Carnival Fantasy in Nassau: (photo from Flickr)
hnn from the front magic looks same at the rear of Allure. almost, but guess you shouldnt go by that huh, cuz if soneone loked at my rear they could compair it someones front to be just as big LMAO

My dahling you have NOOOOO idea how I am looking forward to this TR! Drea already has me looking at Carnival, but I have a secret.... I'm booking FOTS on Tuesday! Booking on Tuesday, sailing over Spring Break.... 2013. Yes, 18 months from now. But I'm BOOKING!!!!
If we didnt have to add in the cost of flying to the east coast, we would definatly be looking at RCCL or Mickey again. But add 1G there and that cuts my DOTD budget in half. unless we ditch the kids of course, which i have been tempted to do.. but then I remenmber they will pick out my senior citizen home.

So hurry up already!

Friday September 16- Travel

Found at only the best gas stations, truck stops, and most Stuckey's:
whats a Stuckey?

And if you want to REALLY get the whole true expereince, well just imagine 5 hours of this: (video click image to play)
OMG i love it! i could so be stuck in the car with you all for that long no prob

It is our cruise tradition to start off our vacation with a meal at Cracker Barrel, so we had a good meal there before heading to our pre-cruise hotel Hyatt Place Airport South.
I love how seeing how your kids have grown by how they are in the rocking chairs. So cute!

Tally

Mickey -2
Shrek - 1

Up Next: The Dark Side of the Moon

And there goes the Mouse in the lead

After breakfast we went to the store and picked up a few last minute essentials (soda, etc. ) and made a trip to pick up the Port Everglades Webcam banner to use at sailaway the next day. The banner advertises the Portevergladeswebcam.com site, which is a LOT of fun to watch the ships sail out every week. The great news is that now they also have a cam at Port Canaveral too! (portcanaveralwebcam.com). The guys that run this site are awesome and will zoom the cameras in on you so everyone back at home can see you leave. Or for added visibility and more camera time (just sayin') you can borrow one of their banners to display during sailaway. It's all free, and we have some priceless sailaway memories now thanks to this awesome website.
i think this is the best idea ever, we were on the other side (starboard? you know me and my ship definations) for sailaway wish i would have thought to be port side to maybe see us on it when we sailed LOL oh wel always next time

Tonight's dinner special! Who's hungry???
aww its like that fish from nemo that helps nemo get away and is gasping for breath in the dentist office.. minus that this is real and nemos a cartoon but you know i mean lol

After some fun in the sun, we went out to the jetty to watch Oasis leave port. As she approached, Oasis serenaded us with her not so glorious and creative horn. Bah. It sounds like a big fart. (video clip- click to play)

Horn Score:
Mickey: 2
Shrek 1 (for pure potty humor)
lets be real no one can touch the disney horns. they all sounds like loud farts, and i live in house of 3 boys i know any and ever fart humor and sound there is!


And then there was this guy. There's one in every bunch, I guess. Video (click to play)
HA HA that is awesome.. wonder how many vacation pics his butt is in

**CONTINUED**

[The crowd on the rocks. Can you spot us? (Photo courtesy of inletphotos.com)
i see you I see you.. lol

And as seen from Oasis! (Photo courtesy of Trainman-2 on CC)

If you can see us in this one you eat way too many carrots!
only in the form of cake and bread!


Tally
Shrek -3
Mickey-5

Coming Next: Stupid is as Stupid Eats!

oh there goes the mouse again!

great start cant wait for more!

 

[MrsKP]

in seeing the comparisons.

What activities are there for little ones?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Oh, I cant' wait for the rest!

I loved our DCL cruise but have since taken 3 (3!) Carnival cruises and loved them as well.

We're back to back on the Dream this October but then I'm thinking we might branch out a little bit.

The Oasis and Allure are definite contenders.

Thanks for writing this report Jen.

 

[DundasDad]

You gotta start charging for these ... love your TR's!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Checking In!

 

[morgansmom2000]

Well I guess I could have looked at your tickers! LOL! Great job on keeping that secret! She will be so shocked and excited!!! Sounds awesome!!!

Meh, you're busy Love hearing about the trip, can't wait to read more!

 

[narsibvl]

Loving it already...my opinion of the ship,just my opinion, it is big but lacks the class of the Disney's.

 

[karajeboo]

I take it you're no closer to finishing yours yet then Only 2 weeks before we leave for our vacation you know (no pressure)

I'm VERY close, but I'm delaying it. I don't want it to end!!!! I promise to wrap it up this week though. Just for YOU!

 

[karajeboo]

Oh my dear Kara, just you wait until I get going!

That's awesome about Freedom, you will love it! In a lot of ways I still prefer Freedom class- mostly in that it doesn't take 10-15 minutes and 1/4 mile to get from forward to aft.

Drea is hooking me on Carny too. That new Breeze and it's itinerary is awful intriguing. So is the price point- $2800 for all 5 of us on an 8 night southern?!?! SOLD! We just have to figure out when we will go.

Are you doing Eastern or Western on Freedom? Labadee or Coco Cay?

FOTS is a Western, which we will be doing this coming March. Not sure if we will like as much as the EAstern, but looking forward to it! If for some reason we just hate that itinerary, which seems unlikely but you never know, we can always look at other options.....

I LOVE the Carnival Breeze itinerary and I am also looking at that 8 night Southern!!!!! You should see my 3 page spreadsheet showing the dates, itineraries, and prices for EVERY flippin ship between PC, Miami, Ft L, Tampa, and New Orleans. We really like Tampa, PC and NO though because we can drive to those. Miami or Ft L we would have to fly (although we do have enough frequent flier miles.......).

We have friends who cruised on the Oasis this summer, but they I only saw 3 pics on FB and all they said was "It was awesome." Um.... excuse me, but that's not a Trip Report!!!!! So bring it on girlfriend, I'm ready!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Joining in. Great start and can't wait for the next update!

 

[JKSWonder]

Here and loving the read so far!

That video in the car cracks me up. Sara is still such a cutie. And has Savannah grown like a foot or something since last year? She looks so tall in those photos standing next to Ron.