JohnK6404

Will be on the Liberty in 2 weeks from tomorrow! Can't wait!!!

My wife and I agree that if you do not cruise frequently, and the itinerary is scenic and/or a nice weather destination, a balcony is well worth the cost. We enjoy early morning coffee, mid-day mini-breaks in the cabin to recharge, and late night coffee, etc. out on the balcony. We too enjoy waking up early to watch the ship approach the next port, etc. You can do all of this out on the upper decks, but a balcony is naturally more private. If we start to cruise more frequently and to the same destinations, then I would definitely consider a cabin without a balcony! You will have an amazing time either way!

Welcome! Enjoy your upcoming cruises!... Our next is in 35 days on Liberty... can't wait!!! Our first 10-night cruise!

My apologies... I have been in the casino on and off during the hours WAAAYTOOO has cited (morning and late - 2:30AM, etc.)... I assumed it was 24/7 because I have only seen it closed while in port (and land casinos are 24/7).

Welcome! I can't answer #2 and #3 since I have not sailed on Allure yet (next year!), but generally speaking the casinos are open 24/7 when you are at sea in international waters.... of course, like any other casino, they close tables when the casino is slow, etc.

Absolutely agree! I have it on my DVR and frequently just run it in the background while doing other things! :)

I hope you get this message... the Allure of the Seas hour long episode on Dream Cruises is on tonight (9:00PM EST) and on again at 12:30AM EST on the "AWE" channel (Channel 669 on FiOS where I am in NY)... I'm sure it will be repeated multiple times! Excellent episode!

I just bought them a couple of weeks ago from Amazon to try out for this cruise based on the positive feedback from the forum... will let you all know how we like them!

Awesome! We are on the next Liberty sailing on 10/22 (through 11/1)... take good care of the ship for us! :)

My second RC cruise back in Oct 2013 on Explorer of the Seas... it was the largest ship we had been on to date and our first 7-night cruise (Bermuda). That sealed the deal with RC... we love Disney, but do not love paying a premium price (30%-50% more for similar itinerary) and being limited to a handful of itineraries due to a fleet of just 4 ships. We'll do Disney down the road, but RC is probably the best bang for the buck with the most itineraries (and NY/NJ area sailings). My first cruise ever was on the Disney Wonder (honeymoon) back in June 2004 - we did the land & sea combo and chose 3 nights on the ship (4 nights at Disney World) since we had not cruised before (amazing cruise). The first time on RC was a corporate recognition award trip on Majesty of the Seas back in June 2010 (only 4 nights)... the ship was booked by my employer so of course it did not have the same atmosphere as our second RC cruise (all employees and their guest)! It was fun to meet people from all over the country, but it's not the same as going with family and friends. You always worry about who the person next to you in the elevator is! Also, it was of course the smallest ship we have been on to date. Now that we're hooked, we want bigger and better! :) Liberty is next this OCT (first 10-night cruise) and Allure in SEPT 2016! 61 days / 394 days respectively! :)

I do love that last formal night with endless lobster tails! ;) I never thought the day would come when I would say please no more lobster!

We are spoiled too... since we do not (would if we could!) cruise multiple times per year, unless we were going with a new cruiser, we would not book anything less than 7 nights... really wish there were more 9-10 night cruises since there is sooo much to do on the newer/larger ships... impossible to do everything plus go on the excursions while at port...

You are very welcome! FYI, I think tomorrow's episode is "Austral" not the Allure episode... I wish the TV schedule went out more than one week... I know they replay old episodes frequently... I just checked the FiOS guide on the TV and it does not look like it will air in the next couple of weeks (channel schedule only goes as far as 8/24/15). I can't find this episode anywhere online (YouTube, etc.)... The series is very good... most of the recent newer episodes are smaller cruise lines (European, etc.) and more exotic or remote locations, not the mainstream itineraries. All of the RC cruises were in season one (now just started season four). Here's an old post from our forum (also shows the first 1:30+ of the Allure episode): http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/12/20/dvr-alert-dream-cruises-featuring-many-royal-caribbean-ships

There are plenty of personal and travel agency video reviews of Allure out there (believe me, I've been searching too... we are going to be on Allure next Sept. 2016) that are decent, but if you have a channel called "AWE", they have a cool series called "Dream Cruises". I was lucky enough to DVR the episode on Allure of the Seas with the identical itinerary we will be taking next year out of Ft. Lauderdale (Labadee, Falmouth & Cozumel)... the episodes are 1 hour long (with commercials of course), but professionally done of course! I must have watched the episode 8-10 times to date... sometimes when nothing is on, I leave it on in the backround! :) They have other RC ships too... Explorer, Rhapsody, Navigator, Brilliance, Legend, Vision and Voyager to name a few more... we also DVR'd Explorer since that was the last ship we were on (different itinerary). You can see if your "cable" provider carries the channel... the website let's you pick the provider and tells you if they carry it and what channel. I'm sure they are working on doing a Quantum class episode! http://www.awetv.com/dreamcruises/

Just watched them both with my wife and we're ready to board the ship now (74 days)! Great job with the videos... await the next installments! You have a beautiful family and an adorable son!

Looks like Labadee instead of St. Thomas (and just another sea day) is the change in itinerary... can't wait to watch them! "Only 9 nights"... I wish more cruises were 9-10 nights, especially on the larger ships with sooo much to do onboard. I can't wait until next year for our Allure cruise, just wish it was more than 7 nights!

Awesome! I have not had a chance to view the first two installments, but will later today! We are taking the 10-night cruise on Liberty from Cape Liberty this October (10/22-11/1) and can't wait! Was it the same itinerary (Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten)? Your vlog will be a great way to introduce us to the ship, etc! Thank you!

75 days! I have been using the "Ship Mate" app... pretty neat... it tracks all past and upcoming cruises (dates, itineraries, etc.). So much info and data is available through this app. Every ship and cruise line is there... deck plans, photos, video feeds (if avail)... customer feedback and personal photos posted. It actually will show you where any ship is at this moment in the world via map (hybrid, satellite, etc)... very cool! Also can set it up to track changes in fares... I don't strictly rely on this, but it's been accurate so far (I get e-mailed when the fare lowers)... Liberty appears to be entering NY harbor right now... soooo cool! Allure is in the Med near Corsica and Sardinia!

Welcome and enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the great ideas!

I agree it sounds very interesting, but not at that price!

Looks like they plan on January 2016 for the refurb... http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/07/15/royal-caribbean-will-add-new-water-slide-liberty-of-the-seas

Our upcoming cruise on Liberty of the Seas is a 10-night Bermuda/Caribbean cruise from Oct. 22nd through Nov. 1st. The final full day is actually Halloween (Yes! Do not have to deal with the trick-or-treaters! :P ). Just curious, does Royal do anything special for Halloween? Thanks!

Have a great time! My wife and I are taking Liberty out of Cape Liberty this OCT (prior to refurb naturally) for the 10-night Bermuda/Caribbean cruise... 96 days! Can't wait! :D

Would be nice, although unlikely, that they add them to Allure before SEPT 2016!