Allure of the Seas - New Years Sailing Summary

[MarkusB]

Hi, I wanted to share a few thoughts on our recent cruise from Ft. Lauderdale on the Allure of the Seas.

We arrived 2 days prior to the Sailing in Ft. Lauderdale to have sufficient time for testing. The Abbott Self-tests worked great, but I had booked a Walgreens the following day as a backup. NB: On our way back home we met a couple in the Airport lounge, wanted to go on a cruise and were still waiting on their test results, more than 50 hours! So have a backup plan!

The itinerary changed several times prior to and during the cruise. Antigua and Barbados got canceled a few weeks prior, San Juan the day before the travel, and St. Thomas denied entry because of Covid on board. Get used to it! Shore excursions got refunded within 24 hours, we also got refund some money for St. Thomas, also to our cruise account which you could spend on board, and the remaining balance gets refunded to your credit card. We got the money back within 48 hours of returning from the cruise.

We visited all the specialty restaurants and enjoyed it very much. We had breakfast once in the Main Dining room. The tables are pretty close and that was the only place we didn't feel comfortable. Windjammer was also good for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Some people still didn't get the message though. Food is being served by the crew. No need to point with your fingers into the food! Yup seen that a few times. The crew had to exchange the food container. Also, tables are marked as cleaned or need to be cleaned and blocked for social distancing. Doesn't help if people just move them around.

Shore excursions were the "usual". If you have a back problem don't take the railway trip on St. Kitts - just saying.

Onboard activities were great, some shows had short performances as crew members were sick, some not Covid related. So Mama Mia and the Aqua-show where only 1/2 the time. The "Adult Comedy" was bad and not funny at all. Just throwing out cuss words doesn't make it funny. The Magic Show was also subpar. Surprisingly funny was the Juggler. Great show!

Overall most people were their masks and tried to keep social distancing. There were still some exceptions, and we overheard discussions from a few people complaining about the cruise.

Shoutout to the crew who went above and beyond to make this a memorable experience. You may not be aware, but once they are on board they cannot leave the ship until their contract has ended. That means they are bound to the ship for 6 to 9 months. They all wear masks all the time, most of them double up on masks. That also means they can only get the bug from us, the passengers! We had already several cases on the 2nd day from the passengers and the crew! The Captain did not provide any numbers after the 2nd day. I think that needs improvement. I hope they find ways to test quick and reliable when entering the ship.

We noticed in St. Marten that one ship following us but never docked. My wife did some research and it was confirmed by some crew members. All infected crew is isolated on the ship and will be transferred to the Rhapsody and the Vision for recovery. They are used as hospital ships. Infected passengers got disembarked in St. Marten in buses and were brought to the airport to be transported home. We have seen at least 100 people from the Allure and the Symphony at the dock.

Embarkation and disembarkation had been a breeze and much simpler than the previous cruises. I hope they keep that. I would rather wait in my room, than in the main area.

Overall we enjoyed the cruise and already booked the next cruise for New England later this year

Markus

[Yesiamthere]

Thank you for this overview of the Allure. We are set to sail the end of February on her.