JBCruiseMan

Good choice on the Embassy Suites. Also, I stayed at the Hilton Marina when I cruised back in May. It was a quick commute to Port Everglades and was also within walking distance of many restaurants and even a Walgreen's in case you need some last minute items before the cruise. I recently stayed at the Sonesta Ft. Lauderdale when I cruised on the AOS a couple of weeks ago. Its further down the strip than other hotels but they had a (paid) SUV shuttle service to take us to the port and the accommodations were nice.

I just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Allure of the Seas. Overall it was a great cruise but I did have a few comments that I shared (posted below) with Royal Caribbean. Does anyone know if they actually use the survey suggestions to improve service? ----------- I really looked forward to cruising on the Allure of the Seas. Overall, we had a great time. The things that we were unhappy about were the food quality in the main dining room and the staff who never dried tables that were wiped down. We felt that the food in the MDR was not very good on the Allure. We also felt this way about the Windjammer food. The taste was not good and the overall quality just did not seem like it was there. We sailed the Vision of the Seas in May 2014 and we really enjoyed the MDR and Windjammer on that ship. We reasoned that maybe because the Vision is a smaller ship, the staff had more time to prepare and perfect the food. I would like to see more consistency when it comes to food taste and quality on Royal Caribbean ships. We do enjoy dining in the specialty restaurants but not each night and not because we feel forced due to the quality of food in the MDR and Windjammer. We were happy that the staff was thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the chairs and tables where we dined. However, we noticed that consistently we would sit at a table and it would be drenched with water because after the staff wiped it down, they didn't dry it. We had to consistently find napkins to dry tables that we sat at. It became very frustrating especially when carrying plates of food. We had to sit our plates and silverware down on a wet table. On a side note, our stateroom attendant Brendan was very pleasant and we enjoyed him. He helped to make our stay more enjoyable. We were in room 12-720. Also, Daniel in Vintages was just great. He has a great attitude, is very genuine and seems to be overall a good person. We dined at Vintages twice because he worked there. If we are on the Allure again, we will definitely go back to Vintages. Additionally, please consider making Johnny Rockets a late night option for dining. We did not enjoy the pizza at Sorrento's at all and the Promenade Cafe grew repetitive after a few nights as they really did not have many choices. The burgers at Johnny Rockets were consistently good and it would be great to get one late night after hanging out. Thanks for the consideration Royal Caribbean!

Thanks for the reply guys. Matt - if you have the number of the driver you used in St. Maarten, I would be interested.

I will be on the Allure in a few weeks on the Eastern Caribbean cruise. I will be visiting St. Maarten, Nassau, and St. Thomas. I have been researching excursions for the ports and just wondered if anyone who has been to these ports had any "can't miss" suggestions on things to do? I don't snorkel. I am thinking about Maho Beach in St. Maarten so that I can see the planes land but I don't know if I want that to be an all day excursion. I have also read on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic that 'Bernard's Tours' in St. Maarten is pretty good. Has anyone used them? Also, if anyone has any suggestions about Nassau (was thinking of the Paradise Island waterslide and lazy river package. Is it worth the money?) and also St. Thomas, I would appreciate any and all feedback.

Thanks to everyone for your replies! Do they still have the omelette station at the Windjammer on the Allure? I really enjoyed that on Vision.

Hello All, I will be on Allure of the Seas in February and I am very excited. I am calling it the Superbowl Cruise since it is during the Superbowl! Anyhow, for those of you who have been on Allure before, can you tell me how the food at the Windjammer is onboard? I have heard that the Windjammer on Allure is not that good. I cruised on Vision of the Seas this past May and I thought the Windjammer was pretty good... Hit and miss but overall good. Also, what speciality restaurants are not to be missed? We stuck to the main dining room and Windjammer on Vision and would like to branch out more this time. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, Thanks for the reply. I have checked eBay but have not found one for the Vision yet. They did have some of the other model ships for sale. I will keep checking. I'm honestly surprised that Royal Caribbean does not have an online merchandise store.

Hello, I sailed my very first cruise on the Vision of the Seas this past May on a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise. I went into the gift shop while on-board the ship and I saw a model ship of the Vision of the Seas that I just had to have. I was unable to get it when I first saw it and vowed to go back before my cruise was over to buy it. Needless to say, I ended up leaving the ship without getting it. I am going on a 7-night Eastern Caribbean ctuise on the Allure of the Seas in February 2015 and I will be sure to get a model of that ship from the gift shop. However, my goal is to get a model of each ship that I have sailed on so that I can build a collection that I can be proud of and have my memories of sailing the seas on the beautiful RCL ships long after the cruise is over and I'm back home. Does anyone know where I can get a model ship of the Vision of the Seas? I called Royal Caribbean customer support and was told that I could only get the items in the gift shop while on-board the ship. But there has just got to be another way! Any responses are appreciated.