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Navigator (amped) Vs Allure - am I overthinking this?


Tony Sky

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Hey guys,

So I have my family booked on their first cruise on Allure going to Roatan, Cozumel and Play Costa.  The Allure is a beautiful big bold ship but it's not amplified, and there are no water slides. I'm paying about 6k for 5 of us, plus airfair. 

1. I'm booked on the Allure, but I saw another option

2. Navigator which has been amped and has crazy fun looking slides, smaller ship and it's going to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Villarta.  No airfair needed as we can drive to LA from AZ.  It's about 4k for the cruise.

My kids are 15, 12 and 9. I'm thinking skip the unamped Allure and go on an amped Navigator for less, but then again I've never experienced and Oasis ship. 

Thanks.

What would you do?

 

 

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The Allure is an amazing ship, and in my opinion, it needs no amplification.  It's a literal resort on the water.  Kids will definitely not be bored.  Who needs waterslides when you have two Flowriders!

I haven't yet been on the Navigator.  It looks like tons of fun with the new amps, but might feel cramped.  The Allure is so immense, to me it didn't feel overly crowded with a full ship.

If you are cool with your original budget, then stick with the Allure.

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I think I agree with SpeedNoodles. The fact that you're saving money by not having to fly, a lower fare and will have the slides on the ship to entertain the kiddos sounds like a win. Allure's amplification is on hold indefinitely so I think you could plan to do Allure out of TX in a year or so and still get to experience an Oasis class for a nice budget.

I will also, for the sake of comparison, list the non-water slide features you may not get on Navigator:

  • So much food. Included food on Allure that won't be on Navi includes the dog house, the donuts (in the morning), Johnny Rockets breakfast, park cafe, solarium bistro and I think the vitality cafe. Not huge things as you can get hot dogs, donuts and breakfast at Windjammer and cafe bites and coffee from cafe promenade.
  • Broadway shows. I think only Oasis class ships have full broadway shows in the main theaters. Now! you will still get amazing shows and Royal usually works on having at least one production show of their own on every ship but you won't get to say I saw broadway at se.
  • The aquatheater - it's really one of a kind and probably the only thing no other class has anything like.

 

All that said however I still stand by my initial assessment and that is what i would do if in your shoes

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You cannot go wrong either way. Your kids will not be bored on either ship. The shows are probably be a little better on Allure but both are are great. 

I am a maximize my vacation dollars person so I would probably save the money on airfare, and the 2K savings on the cruise, and do the Navigator twice!

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For the savings, if you have the time, you could probably add a 3 or 4 day B2B on Navigator.  Between the airfare and the cruisefare savings.  The short trips visit different ports than the 7 day, so it is not just a repeat.  I have sailed on Navigator several times with kiddos along and there is plenty to do. As for the shows - it seems the teens usually pass on these, so that would be something you would decide if you would miss or not.  Generally there is a comedy night, some sort of variety show, a production show, and often a magician or aerial type act.  Plus all the small venue entertainment. 

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The savings mean more cruises, you could possibly do a B2B for the price of the Allure cruise. I have sailed both and for me I would do Allure because I did not like sailing out of LA. But that is for a single, solo-cruising woman who doesn't want children interfering with my fun. As a family the slides and other activities might be a better draw on Navigator, plus you could probably get a suite and add in all those perks as well.

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We’ve been on Navigator (albeit during Omicron, so not fully operational) and decided to book Allure for our family despite its lack of slides for the experience. Figure we know the kids like the water slides but want to see how they do with the zip line, multiple pools, and neighborhood concept of Allure. If they don’t like it, we don’t have to do it again until it’s amplified. Plus, it’ll give me the opportunity to get on my high horse - “Back in my day we didn’t have water or slides” and so forth. 

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Have 4 sailings on Allure and two on Nav. When we did the itinerary you mentioned on Nav it was the end of April and while we love the ship the temps were not conducive to really enjoying outdoor activities. When we arrived back in LA the high temp for the day was mid 60s. In Mexico the ports were listed as low to mid 80s but that didn't arrive till the afternoon. So, I guess it depends on when you sail and the temperature during that time.

As for Allure, I do enjoy the ship. some of those that have worked on the ship for years and activities/events but after sailing on Symphony I saw the next step up from Allure and enjoyed it enough that if I had the choice, will all else being similar, I would sail SOS over Allure. Next year, 3 planned with two new, Odyssey and Wonder and back on Allure out of Galveston.

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The two ships have plenty to do so I’ll take that out of consideration for a moment.  

The Navigator is typically doing shorter cruises, we will be on her in a few weeks for the 4 night, so is the “savings” actually from comparing a longer cruise on Allure vs shorter on Navigator?  
 

Putting the ships head to head may not be the best comparison.  I would probably choose the longer cruise unless other things are impacting.  If the 4K is for a four day then the 6K for a seven day is actually a better “deal” if you look at the cost per day viewpoint.

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I am thinking if this is your first cruise:

1. leave the kids at home

2. Book a cruise on Navigator (Adults Only)

This way you can decide if YOU enjoy cruising. I figure that without all the stress of trying to make the whole family happy (Which rarely happens), you can determine if cruising is YOUR thing and if it is then you can have a better idea of what to expect and can then plan for entertaining the whole family on your next cruise. This plan falls apart if your budget is your restraint.

Best wishes with whatever way you choose to Cruise.

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I’ve done that itinerary on navigator and have 4 kids aged 4-16. They loved the ship, just were sad there was no Sorrentos. Cafe promenade pizza just isn’t as good. I’ve never been on Allure. My big question is when are you looking at going? Whale watching season is mid December through mid March and was really incredible from the ship, we were so glad we had balconies. We also did a whale watching excursion in puerto Vallarta and watched for nearly an hour as a female slapped her fin on the water and males breached with huge splashes around her. Such an incredible experience. We loved PV and ended up going there for a full week over the summer to see bioluminescence and just enjoy the city.  

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Thanks for all the feedback. Both are 7 day cruises.

22 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Having sailed on both, I'd pick Navigator over Allure any day.

Plus I think that's a better itinerary.

Take some of that $2500-$3000 you'll save in airfare and upgrade your cabin

Why do you like navigator over Allure? 
 

 

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12 minutes ago, Tony Sky said:


Thanks for the feedback.


We would be going in mid march.  Not sure if it would be too cold for water slides then?  I would assume the gulf of Mexico (Allure) would be warmer so more likely to be able to enjoy poolside activities? 

The wow factor is going to be Allure and considering the fact that you can actually use the pool area (possibly unlike the Navi in March), this should be another reason to get on the big ship for your first cruise. 

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On 11/2/2022 at 12:13 PM, tonyfsu21 said:

The wow factor is going to be Allure and considering the fact that you can actually use the pool area (possibly unlike the Navi in March), this should be another reason to get on the big ship for your first cruise. 

 

It seems like yes for sure the wow factor.  I've been on EOS years ago, but my kids have never been on a cruise.  So they'll be blown away either way.  I was looking at the temps and the highs in Galveston (Allure) and LA are both 70 in March.  Roatan and Cabo about the same high temps.  Maybe out on the Pacific it's just colder on the way down to Cabo vs sailing through the Gulf to Roatan?

 

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41 minutes ago, Tony Sky said:

 

It seems like yes for sure the wow factor.  I've been on EOS years ago, but my kids have never been on a cruise.  So they'll be blown away either way.  I was looking at the temps and the highs in Galveston (Allure) and LA are both 70 in March.  Roatan and Cabo about the same high temps.  Maybe out on the Pacific it's just colder on the way down to Cabo vs sailing through the Gulf to Roatan?


As I mentioned we sailed the end of April on Nav and the temps were not frigid but not all that hot either. Cool mornings, warm afternoons, cool evenings. I have done Liberty out of Galveston mid April that hit Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica...no problem being warm to hot out in the Gulf of Mexico and ports. Mid March in Galveston has begun to warm up into the mid 60s low 70s but as you sail into Monday it will be warm. Left Galveston on Nav one year, before the amp, just after Christmas, the first stop in Cozumel, then onto Roatan and Belize. On Monday warmed up nicely and by the time we got to Cozumel on Tuesday it shorts and t-shirt weather.

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Having done a 14 day from LA to Miami and experiencing both the Pacific and Caribbean, in December, they both are pretty similar in the temps.  The use of pools and slides likely will not be all that different.  The immediate local weather patterns will change and that can be unpredictable especially from far out.  Both have a pretty equal chance of pool weather.  

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On 11/1/2022 at 12:43 PM, Tony Sky said:

My kids are 15, 12 and 9. I'm thinking skip the unamped Allure and go on an amped Navigator for less, but then again I've never experienced and Oasis ship. 

With your kids in that age, I won't worry about the outside temperatures for the waterslides.  Kids will love it even if their lips go blue. 

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My family was on Allure this past spring and my kids (12 & 14) absolutely loved it. There was a very robust teen program available and plenty to do. We're thinking of doing Allure again this year with those same ports, we had such a great time on that ship. I'd be worried that there would not be as much teen activity on Navigator even with the slides.

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I was considering these options myself in recent weeks (but in reverse as I am in Texas and was thinking of heading in your direction).  Previously, my kids and I sailed on Liberty and Harmony.  The kids were in their late teens during those cruises.  While we enjoyed the slides, we only used them a few times.  I am really just a big kid. Last summer, Mom and I sailed Allure out of FLL. It was an 8 day cruise with 4 sea days. Even though the kids were not with us on this cruise, I thought that I would miss the slides. But I didn't miss them at all. In fact, we just rebooked Allure from our "home" port. 

Oasis class ships are so fun. We only have a short drive to Galveston. A quick drive home instead of dealing with air travel after a cruise is great. I don't know how long of a drive you would have. We have also made the long drive from Port Canaveral back to Houston after a cruise (16/18ish hours). Never again (famous last words. . . . . 🙂).

There are so many positives about any cruise choice. I bet you will have a great time regardless of what you decide. If you guys come our way, welcome!!

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We're in AZ too! We did Navigator in October with my 11 and 13 year olds. They LOVED the amplification as well as the teen activities.

That said, we're booked on Allure for summer 2023. They were a bit bummed that there are no water slides, but they're super pumped about all the teen activities again and new ship/stuff to explore. 

I'd say drive to Cali, it's not a terrible drive (6 hours from Phx, 7 from Tucson), and do Navigator. I'm looking forward to doing that 7-day itinerary at some point too! (we did the 4-night in October)

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