Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas Launch
It was a 35 minute transfer by coach from Miami Airport to the port at Fort Lauderdale. The check-in was efficient and there were no queues. Our sea facing balcony on deck 7 was well equipped with a decent sized balcony and very comfortable beds. There was a flat screen TV, fridge, i-pod docking station and hair dryer. Dressing gowns were also provided. The storage space was adequate for a 7 night cruise. The shower room was small but the shower was powerful.
The Allure of the Seas is the largest ship in the world at this time. She is 5cm longer than her sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas! It is 220000 tons and carries 5400 passengers at double occupancy, full capacity 6296 guests.On the launch there were 3300 onboard and the ship seemed quite empty so it should not feel too crowded at full capacity. The sunbeds were very close together around the main pool area but in the Solarium area, forward deck 15, they were well spaced out and there were also some comfortable wicker sun chairs with foot rests. The Solarium Bistro was a tranquil alternative venue for breakfast. There are 5 different breakfast venues. We looked at the various cabin grades and were impressed with the Loft suites and Aqua theatre suites, the latter overlooking the open air aqua theatre, giving an excellent view of the stage for watching the aqua shows from the balcony. The family staterooms to sleep 5/6 were an excellent size and I liked the staterooms overlooking the Central Park in favour of those overlooking the Boardwalk. The Central Park was a more tranquil area filled with real trees and plants with walkways running through. The Boardwalk was more lively and there was a carousel there, along with the Aqua Theatre.
The ship is a complete resort and there is no need to go ashore as these is so much to do. As well at the Central Park and Boardwalk areas, there is the Royal Promenade, similar to the promenade on the Voyager and Freedom class of ships.H ere a number of shops, bars and cafes can be found. The Schooner, piano bar, is in this area, along with a British pub and a Latin themed bar, Boleros. There are 2 nightclubs on the ship (Blaze and Dazzles) and a moving bar called Rising Tide, which rises and descends between decks 5 and 8. The Champagne bar is also very popular.
The entertainment was excellent with Chicago showing in the main 2 tier theatre. There was an excellent ice show in Studio B and also acts in the Comedy club. I would advise booking these shows online before you board. There is no charge for these. In the open air Aqua Theatre there is an 18 foot deep pool where divers put on a fantastic show,
The main restaurant, the Adagio, was where we ate dinner but there was the option of the Windjammer cafe for more casual dinner and lunch. The choice of food was very good. There are a number of speciality restaurants that incur a cover charge eg. Johnny Rockets burger restaurant and Rita's Cantina Mexican restaurant, both on the boardwalk. We tried these for lunch and they were very good. On Central Park there is 150 Central Park restaurant, Giovanni's Table Italian Restaurant and Vintages wine and tapas bar.
The children's facililties were excellent. There were also character breakfasts including Shrek and other Dreamworks characters. The gym was huge. I was disappointed with the spa area for this size of ship. It was not very impressive.
Because of the size of the ship there are no tenders so it is restricted to the ports that it can visit. The ship has something for everyone and is suitable for couples, families and large parties. I was certainly impressed with this ship and the facilities. There seems to have been no expense spared on the fixtures and fittings. It certainly has a wow factor.