Agent Review: Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines recently debuted it's most innovative ship to date and one of our Destination Planners, Char Stertzbach, was fortunate to see this ship first hand. Here is her review of the magnificient vessel.


Allure Of the Seas Pre-Inaugural Sailing Nov. 29 2010

My husband and I were fortunate enough to experience the Pre-Inaugural sailing on the world’s largest cruise ship, Allure Of The Seas. The ship is 1,187 feet long and 208 feet wide. A crew of 2,384 to take care of passengers, and 24 elevators to assist in moving guest from deck to deck. There are 16 decks, 2,706 staterooms, of which 70 percent have balconies, that will accommodate up to 6,318 passengers.

While the suites are lavish as you might expect, the rest of the guest rooms are tastefully appointed, they feature the latest technology, including flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations. They do a remarkable job of maximizing the space with shelves, cabinets and cubbyholes for all your belongings.

The ship’s home port will be Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale Florida, and will sail the Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

Words like "revolutionary", "most innovative”, “incredible”, “awesome”, “unbelievable” were heard over and over onboard by guest experiencing this remarkable ship.

Allure of the Seas is the sister ship to Oasis of the Seas, but not a clone. One difference in particular stands out: Allure is 5 millimeters longer, making it the largest cruise ship in the world. Plus there are different dining options and show choices than Oasis Of The Seas offers.

How big is the biggest cruise ship ever? It doesn't really hit home until you are actually onboard.

GETTING AROUND: You are 'here'
For all its size, there is a wonderful feeling of flow as you go from one area to another. There are 7 different neighborhoods. One thing you hear over and over from the Royal Caribbean executive team is the focus on the "guest experience." Particularly useful are the interactive touch-screen guides on every deck. With buttons for "What to Do Right Now" and "Room Finder," We never felt lost.

CENTRAL PARK: Yes, there's a park

Imagine exiting an elevator in the middle of a cruise ship and walking out into the bright sunshine amid thousands of trees and plants, complete with chirping birds and upscale restaurants. It's called Central Park, and, like its New York namesake, it's the perfect place to rest and unwind amid walls of plants five decks high. You can grab lunch at the Park Café or reserve a table at 150 Central Park, the most upscale restaurant on the ship with a surcharge of $35 a person. Other venues include a steakhouse, Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table and Vintages, offering a wide selection of wines.

BOARDWALK: Family fun and a carousel

If you desire an experience more like Coney Island, proceed to the Boardwalk, where the emphasis is on family and fun. For starters, you can't miss the full-size carousel, with its 18 hand-carved figures. Rita's Cantina is here, a new Mexican specialty restaurant (specialty in front of any restaurant means there's an extra charge, by the way), during the evening they have guitar music and dancing, Johnny Rockets with its signature dancing waiters, the Aqua Theater, featuring water and light shows and two 43-foot-high rock climbing walls for the adventurous. Also here is the surprisingly popular Dog House, where you order from seven varieties of custom-made hot dogs, sausages or brats. A ice cream parlor and a must visit to the Candy Shop.

THE ENTERTAINMENT: 70’s Street Party and Dream Works Parade
A mega-size ship provides mega-size entertainment, and Allure Of The Seas delivers, starting with a full-scale, Bob Fosse Broadway-caliber production of Chicago complete with orchestra in the 1400 seat Amber Theater. There's also an ice show, a 3-D movie theater (showing DreamWorks' Megamind), a Cirque du Soleil-style experience, a comedy club, a jazz club, dance clubs, including the two-story Dazzles, and gambling in Casino Royale. Royal Caribbean's alliance with DreamWorks, whose characters and creations are integrated throughout the ship will make for a pleasant family experience. Not to mention Shrek’s Princess Fiona is the Godmother of the ship.

If you want to try surfing, there's Flow Rider.

For thrill seekers, attach yourself to a zip line and soar over the atrium.

Miniature golf, ping pong tables, and basketball courts all on deck 16, along with the teen night club, Fuel. The younger children have a special area new to the seas, where mom and dad can play with the children inside, toys provided. Also new is the nursery for the tiny ones with a minimal fee per hour. There definitely is a lot for the children to do onboard. They even have a special water park, the H2O zone.

DINING: A 3,000-seat main venue, and 26 dining options to choose from.
Allure gives you a chance to eat and drink nonstop at almost every turn. The main dining room is the multi-deck Adagio, which can seat 3,000. New on Allure is the Samba Grill, where you can eat Brazilian style. Just press "green" on your table light and more meat selections start coming your way. There's something for every taste, from steak to Italian. You can even cook it yourself at Izumi Asian Cuisine, featuring 550-degree hot rocks. Allure also features the first Starbucks on a cruise ship. Sorrento's Pizzeria where you can order pre made pizzas or create your own and The Cupcake Cupboard where you can also order pre decorated cupcakes or create your own concoction. (Oh, and there's a special Coke machine. At a touch a button you can order up to 106 kinds of Coca-Cola products.) There is the Ice Cream Parlor set perfectly on the Boardwalk for a variety flavors to choose from.

We ate at Chops Grill the first evening and what an experience. An excellent seafood or steak restaurant. Well worth the nominal fee of $25.00 per guest which includes gratuities.

SHOPPING: GUESS, anyone?
Among the many shops is another first for the Allure - a Guess fashion store. Also on board is the first Britto art gallery, featuring the work of Romero Britto. There is the Coach shop in Central Park.

THE BARS: How high can you rise?
Even on a ship this size, there are plenty of places to lose yourself in a quiet, dark corner against a background of jazz or Sinatra. My favorites included the Vintages/Tapas in Central Park for a great glass of wine, Crown Viking Lounge, high atop the 17th deck, where the entertainment includes the sunset; the Champagne Bar, for a taste of the bubbly; and maybe the most unique, The Rising Tide Bar. You enter on the fifth deck and the whole bar lifts skyward toward the eighth deck.

Like everything else my 2 days must come to an end, and sadly I had to disembark this mega ship. The embarkation and disembarkation of a ship this size was the most organized I’ve experienced. I’d never of known there were almost 6000 guest leaving the ship at the same time as I was.

Just some FYI:
Cost to build: $1.5 billion
Time to build: Seven years and 10 million man-hours of design and construction
Cruising speed: 22 knots (25.3 mph)

For more pictures or to reserve your stateroom under our special group package, please visit our website or our Facebook page.