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Training for Allure: 10/15/23-10/22/23


Ampurp85

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3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

This week (Mariner) the Pinns are shut out of the SL completely (unless they’re in a suite, of course) so many are using the CL.  I only visit the CL in the morning for coffee so I have no idea what it’s like during HH.  Maybe I’ll peek in there this evening to see how things look.  I’ll do a kind of sleuthish recon.  They’ll never know I was there…

While things have not been horribly overcrowded in the mornings when I’m in the CL getting my coffee, the seating clutches have been pretty much occupied.  If you are too timid to ask if you can share someone table, you are probably not going to get a seat.  I have not noticed any loud or raucous Pinn circles this far….but then again, I have not visited yet for HH.  Maybe things are more boisterous in the evenings.  Now I’m curious…so I will make a point of sneaking in and checking things out.  Expect a report in the AM…

Oh i can't wait!! Genuinely curious if you have the same experience. 

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9 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

I never went to the loyalty meeting to see how many of each level were on our cruise

We never go either but we asked the concierge when we were onboard Wonder and I saw the numbers posted here for 2 or 3 other weeks later last summer and they were all low so I just assume they will pretty much always be low on a big ship in the summer.

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3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

headed to the Crown Lounge. Wow it is really stunning on Allure. You can watch people on their boardwalk balcony and see the Aqua show. I am watching people zipline as I type this.

THE CROWN JEWEL OF DIAMOND CROWN LOUNGES TBH!!! i miss that lounge. so much phenomenal people watching to be had there.

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

There have been a ton of arguments amongst the large group. And one slapped another in the casino. I don't understand ppl who act a fool on cruises.

gosh casino happenings are truly something else. i live for this part of your blog since i am not a casino frequenter (ever) and this is an aspect of people watching i would not normally get to partake in. it's like another world to me!! 😂

 

i'm afraid to ask how the final FINAL room assignments shook out -- did your mom still share a cabin with the blind gent after he didn't show for dinner?

also the new vintage is a riot. i think i'm team new vintage 😂 (but am very glad you smoothed things over with the cabin attendant!!)

nice offerings in the crown lounge -- good to see there is a beautiful spread for breakfast 💚

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Our Serenade sailing Thanksgiving 2022 had 29 pins. The concierge told us the cut off was 30 so they occupied every seat circle an hour before happy hour until dinner. They also sat at the little bar in there. They were gracious when you engaged them but very territorial. The mornings were very light but by maybe 3 or 3:30 not a seat unless you went to the back on the stage. Just an observation, so on Serenade that week 31 pins would have been directed to the now Crown Lounge. 

@OCSC Mike we visited the DL and SL on our Wonder sailing in June, same food offerings. We just don't enjoy the venue/space of the DL on Oasis class (except the Allure of course) it just feels like you are in a large closet! 

Sorry @Ampurp85 to continue the hijack, now back to our regularly scheduled Vintage hijinks....hosted by our favorite Cruise Director @Ampurp85

 

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21 minutes ago, Neesa said:

we visited the DL and SL on our Wonder sailing in June, same food offerings. We just don't enjoy the venue/space of the DL on Oasis class (except the Allure of course) it just feels like you are in a large closet!

Thanks, you may have already told me that, hard to keep stuff straight. And yes, I call those DL's the basement. I don't care when I pop in to grab coffee to go in the morning but it's not great when you actually want to sit there and have some snacks. Looking forward to the Allure DL next week (assuming they let me in).

We were looking forward to the DL up in the crown when we went on Indy last year and the space was beautiful (especially with the outdoor area)... but the food was so bad on that ship even I stopped bothering (which says a lot, lol).

I'll echo the hijacking apologies and try to shut up now. Sorry @Ampurp85.

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2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

But during my breakfast I met two pins in the Crown Lounge.

either i’m giving STRONG rbf or keep away vibes when i occasionally pop into the crown lounge or cruising, because i do NOT meet people — besides @WAAAYTOOO of course 😂 (and we met in central park!!) 💚

then again, i am often rushing from place to place (when not falling down stairs) so perhaps it is a pacing issue 😅

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We ate at JR and they loved it. Most people ate before i could get pictures. Being that most are from Chicago and some never cruised, they thought the burgers and onion rings were top notch. Our server from Sabor came over and begged us to visit again.  She has also claimed my brother as her boyfriend and the blind gentleman was jealous 🤣🤭

They went to the sexiest man contest while I wondered the ship and eventually went to the casino. It hasn't been too kind but I know why. They have replaced a lot of machines and the new ones don't seem to be bonus friendly.  I am down $320 but I got my brother 580pt and I got another 100pt. I had played with my card out of muscle memory most of last night. So essentially I have gotten 1 point for every $2 spent.

My bffs mom begged him to play in the casino for her, so I will be teaching him later. Dinner is a Samba Grill tonight. I was 3/5 on vouchers yesterday and so far I am 0/5 thanks to the casino. Everything is a bit congested and all the vintages are shocked by the number of children on board. I will be heading to the WJ for pictures.

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20 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I am currently in Central Park, waiting on the rest of my party. The non-smoking casino had drinks and a raffle from 7-8. The new casino is small, like I counted less than 20 machines and there is no bar so service is sloooooow. I played for an hour and had no luck. I guess it's the smoking side for me.....🤷🏽‍♀️

They also now have a QR code to scan for the casino points. It is easier and they have options 11 months out.

20 machines? They had about double that in there when it first opened. I wonder if the test isn't going as well as they had hoped? ☹️

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Very quick debrief on the happy hour CL/SL overflow situation (Mariner).

There was the expected hors d’oeuvre spread inside the CL for happy hour.  It was busy but not particularly crowded.

There was an hors d’oeuvre spread out in the VCL as an overflow from the CL/former DL.  I would estimate that 2/3 of the VCL was being utilized for happy hour.  There was absolutely no signage or restriction on getting into the VCL overflow area so anyone could have come up and enjoyed the happy hour spread.

The SL was dead.  There probably weren’t 5 people in there the whole night.

 

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These might be a lot of photos. 

The Crown Lounge was packed when I went around 4:45 to ask the concierge about my brother's D+ stuff.

I got a fruit plate from C&A. I tried calling 10 days before to set my preferences and I could not get through. I hope this was not the amenity. We opted for evening service but our room steward comes to get trash and stuff like that in the morning.

The new vintage is loud, I believe I mentioned this. She also seems to lack couth. She loudly proclaimed the elevator smelled like dirty butt. It was embarrassing to the other vintages and then she decided to loudly tell the story at JR. People were staring at us hard. She also narrates everything she does.....which is funny but also annoying. My mother is over her and the blind gentleman and it is only day 2🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. My mother said, my brother confirmed, that she lost her mind at the sexiest man contest. She was so loud and apparently had to be restrained from touching the contestants.

I spent most of the day in the casino. My brother has 860pt and I am down $400. Which means I made a math faux pas earlier.  My current cost per point is less than a dollar. Also I am aiming for a balcony on Quantum/Ovation for an Alaskan cruise since that's the only "larger" ship offered.

We had dinner at Samba grill and it was a lot.....like the meat sweats a lot. Service was great but I don't see how anyone could get seconds of anything. They ask the temps beforehand.  It went bacon wrapped chicken and sausage. Lamb chop and filet. Beef short rib and bottom round.  The picanha and then the pork. I got 5/8 and ate maybe 3 of the items in full. We all tapped out early.

The vintages said they were going to silent disco. But ended up in bed. I played in the non-smoking casino for almost 3hrs. I feel like it is much smaller than it is, @melmar02 is correct there's about 40ish machines. But the selection is still limited.

I went to the WJ and the selection was horrible. Why is only one section filled when the ship is at/over capacity?????

The large group booked some of the venues for private events and people have been trying it. Studio B was booked tonight and this lady went on a rant about how she should be allowed in because she is D+ and that they were being racist 😤 😂.  Majority of that group is black people. I could hear it from the casino until crew members took her away.

 

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7 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I got a fruit plate from C&A. I tried calling 10 days before to set my preferences and I could not get through. I hope this was not the amenity

I am pretty sure it's not. We always get a fruit plate + a small sweets plate ever since we turned D+. I suspect it might be the "Chef's choice" perk. The actual D+ amenity is one from that list.

Also, what is that dessert looking thing in the pic after the fruit plate? It looks good.

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Day 3......at sea

The rest of the group went to breakfast, despite having Giovanni's booked for lunch. It was a lot of hubbub because my mother is selfish with the bathroom.  She gets up early to go in but its like 2hrs of prep for NOTHING 🤣😂😂😉.

I went to change our second Samba to Sabor because too much meat. The concierge in the Crown Lounge was really frazzled 🤣......she isn't a fan of this ship. The Lounge was packed at 8ish.

I went to the top tier but got a call and missed it. So I went to the casino. I had a good run and I'm up to 1400pt and still at fifty cents for a point. I might be able to get a balcony for two with OBC and freeplay for $1k.

It's really hard to live blog with vintages. I have so many shenanigans but they fry my mind and take my time 🤪.

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3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The rest of the group went to breakfast, despite having Giovanni's booked for lunch. It was a lot of hubbub because my mother is selfish with the bathroom.  She gets up early to go in but its like 2hrs of prep for NOTHING

🤣🤣🤣 

Listen i know we're unfrugal idiots, but booking a suite is by necessity.... the secret to our happy marriage = separate bathrooms, or at the very least separate toilets! Can mom maybe use the spa bathroom for the sake of her roomies? Don't answer that.  I heard it as soon as i said it. 

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

It's really hard to live blog with vintages. I have so many shenanigans but they fry my mind and take my time

You know i feel your pain! But we appreciate your dedication!!

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16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The new vintage is loud, I believe I mentioned this. She also seems to lack couth

oh dear. i was hoping to endorse her but this may cause me to retract my endorsement 😂

16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

We opted for evening service but our room steward comes to get trash and stuff like that in the morning.

yeah the once a day service for us was similar and i was very happy with it. we asked for extra towels and then loved morning service, because we are borrrrring at night and want to be in bed by like 8pm-9. 😅😂😂😂😂 so our cabin attendant would also grab trash/restock ice etc and it was great!!

16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I went to the WJ and the selection was horrible. Why is only one section filled when the ship is at/over capacity?????

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The large group booked some of the venues for private events and people have been trying it. Studio B was booked tonight and this lady went on a rant about how she should be allowed in because she is D+ and that they were being racist 😤😂.  Majority of that group is black people. I could hear it from the casino until crew members took her away.

omg. i foresee this is not the last we will see from the ripples in the pond from the large group but… that seems like a real STRETCH on the part of that individual. 

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The blind gentleman can't stand the new vintage. 🤣😅🤣🤣😅

i mean…. we knew this was going to be a clash. these two 😂

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I went to change our second Samba to Sabor because too much meat

oh EXCELLENT call!!!!

how was giovanni’s for lunch???

i LOVE your towel creature 😍

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I have so many shenanigans but they fry my mind and take my time 🤪.

oh godspeed my friend 😂

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24 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

 

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I went to change our second Samba to Sabor because too much meat

oh EXCELLENT call!!!!

Agreed! I'm the one who always talks about food but even I can't imagine eating at a churrascaria for lunch!

 

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I am sipping Champs in the Crown Lounge. I have the Aqua show tonight  before our Chop's dinner. Lunch was Giovanni's and it was better than what we had on Oasis but still my least favorite restaurant.

I just want to note I have been so bad the first two nights I didn't get all my vouchers, yesterday I didn't use any. Today I've used one......my brother has used all of his. I've been drinking but it's prime drinks. I have earned the Alaskan cruise. Got my brother 2100pts on $1400.......I am happy. I will play leisurely now.

There were lots of arguments at lunch, everyone enjoyed the food. My mother won't go on the Alaskan cruise because according to here she can be cold for free. 🙄😬🙄🙄.

There have been all sorts of shenanigans with that large group. They have rented various venues throughout the ship and on different days, people are acting brand new. Yelling at crew and going to guest services asking for compensation. Also side note the ship has been funky, I mean like butt funky. Particularly on deck 8. It also rained earlier and there was a ton of fog. The rain made everything smell worse.

The new vintage fixed a lady's wig in the hallway. In trying to be discreet, she caused a scene and embarrassed that lady. Her wig had fallen forward but she, the new vintage, could have whispered about it. She also is super Christian and insist on leading a prayer before each meal. This is quite rude as neither my brother or I practice and BFF is Wiccan. 💀☠️

 

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3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

She also is super Christian and insist on leading a prayer before each meal.

I'm sorry, this is uncomfortable! And i totally get it! Batman's dad is Super Southern Baptist. When we went on a family cruise in 2017, we told him he was on his own for pre-dinner prayers. They simply go on way too long and would disrupt service. We accommodate at home, but not in public restaurants. Oddly, his quiet prayers to himself lasted maybe 15 seconds. If only he could do the same out loud. 

9 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Who/what I the “large group” ?  I must have missed that bit in an earlier post.

I don't think you missed it, or we both did, because i was just going to ask the same!

But I'm guessing it's not the sewing club as i was hoping. 😁

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Day three

Bff not only had the meat sweats but the meatmares aka meat induced nightmares.  So he took a nap after lunch....I mean everyone did but my brother and I......he hit the gym.

I had hit the casino and then stopped in the Crown Lounge to type the earlier post. I then went to peruse the bleak WJ. It was insane, the group was eating around this time,  6:30. My brother likes bread and sweets for his nighttime snacks. On the way to the Aqua show I noticed my credit card was missing. I was going to NextCruise,  the only reason it was on me, and looked for it. I assumed someone in the casino stole it. A guy and I were taking turns watching each other's machines for bathroom breaks. I had my bag in between the machines. I turned for a bit to talk to someone. Before the show I came to put it back in the safe and it wasn't there......but all my money was. Turns out i dropped it in the Crown Lounge and the concierge got it💜🥳😱.

Crisis averted I went to the Aqua show. I was late-ish so I sat in the D+ reserved seating. So FYI the new seapass cards print your status under your name. So lots of crew members are confused and looking in the wrong area. They changed the show or the show we saw at the restart was something else. This one was boring and impossible to follow. Also it rained. I wear glasses and that made it hard to enjoy.

Dinner was Chops and the service was great but the food was lackluster......minus the mac and cheese. That mac was creamy heaven. The new vintage was of course flirting with our waiter John......the blind gentleman was making fun of her.

Stray observation(s)

Chops did not enforce the one entree rule, I don't know if applies just to steak. But the blind gentleman got the spicy shrimp and salmon.

I have not been charged whatsoever for soda in any of the specialty restaurants. I was planning to use vouchers from dinner drinks and all three nights so far, no charge.

I have been to guest services more on this trip than all my cruises.

Chops steak is the weakest.

I saw a lady change her baby while waiting for the elevator.

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6 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

@WAAAYTOOO and @SweetPeaThere is a large group of 900 people. They rented out Blaze tonight and there was so much commotion. I mean technically it's day 3 so people should know better.

I mean, do you know what the group is? They don't sound business related, like a group of accountants. I think we've established they're not a sewing group.  Maybe Tupperware  or Amway?

We were stuck on a Holland America cruise once with a ballroom dancing group.  Every night they would close off the dance floor in the Crow's Nest and no one else could dance. I made a point to go every night just to watch the ensuing drama as interlopers attempted to dance and they'd be promptly escorted off the floor, often aggressively, by the group leader, who looked like Big Bird if Big Bird had fire engine red hair. When people would protest, her catch phrase was, " i bid you good night!" It was hours of entertainment on an otherwise boring ship.  We were doing a B2B which was also billed as a 14 night, and the amount of people at guest services complaining and asking if they were on the 2nd leg was also highly amusing. I was sorta bummed they only booked the 7 night.  🥳

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I saw a lady change her baby while waiting for the elevator.

Ewwwwwwwwwww. 🤢

But, that goat cheese salad .... yum!

And I'm glad you found your card! 

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8 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

There is a large group of 900 people.

 

2 hours ago, SweetPea said:

I mean, do you know what the group is?

This got me wondering last night and I tried to look up if there was a partial charter on Allure this week. No luck. But I am curious too what kind of group this is.

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14 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I am sipping Champs in the Crown Lounge

ah yes. the best of times. 🥂🍾

14 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

There have been all sorts of shenanigans with that large group. They have rented various venues throughout the ship and on different days, people are acting brand new. Yelling at crew and going to guest services asking for compensation. Also side note the ship has been funky, I mean like butt funky. Particularly on deck 8. It also rained earlier and there was a ton of fog. The rain made everything smell worse.

the worst of times. 

the smell is giving grandeur. ugh. 

8 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

FYI the new seapass cards print your status under your name

this is… interesting. 

i love all aspects of your liveblog but the stray observations get me every time 😂

glad your credit card was found!! that was scary. 

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Day 4 Honduras

It's pouring.....like pouring.

The group is apparently a travel agent that specializes in black travel. The agency travels to destinations and approves them for black people. I didn't know this was a thing but I guess it's pretty cool. The internet is super bad. I am trying to upload this post and photos.

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