Allure of the Seas April 8-15 in Star Class

[WAAAYTOOO]

I am making no promises.  I have only my iPad so not really equipped to create a full cruise blog but I will do what I can without interrupting the groove of the cruise.  I’m not much of a picture-taker and I don’t even know how to post a pic so probably won’t have photos unless I can figure that out.

Today was travel day.  Left DC at 5:30 AM.  Wow.  That is early !  ...but had an uneventful flight down.  The air was very unsettled so it was a bumpy and turbulent ride but we made it. Since we are both status members with American Airlines, we always fly American.  From DC, American does not fly nonstop to Fort Lauderdale so your choices are, nonstop to Miami or go through Charlotte.  We chose to go through Charlotte this trip so we had 2 segments, but the flights were so close together that we basically got off the first leg and hustled to the gate for #2 with no time to spare.

We are staying at the Residence Inn Airport and Cruiseport.  While the hotel is very nice, there is absolutely nothing nearby unless you want Wendy’s or Dunkin Donuts and even with those, you would have to cross a busy highway to get over there.  They do have a shuttle bus that picked us up from the airport and will take you to a couple of nearby restaurants or Publix market at no cost but that got old quickly.  I don’t think I will stay here again.  Dan used points for this room so at least the price was right. They only have a complimentary happy hour Mon-Wed so nothing for us there.  There is a complimentary breakfast which we will check out tomorrow morning.  There is shuttle service ($8 pp) from the hotel to the port so we are scheduled to leave here at 10 AM.  The Genie is expecting us at 10:30 so we may be a bit early. 

We’re in for the night at this point. Very excited about boarding Allure in the morning !  We were on Allure over Thanksgiving last year but not in Star Class.  This will be our first time in Star Class on any ship other than Harmony.  It will be interesting to compare the service on the different ships.  They’re calling for rain tomorrow so it might be a wet start.

Our friend Jim flew in much later this afternoon and is staying elsewhere so we will not see him until after we board tomorrow. It’s always an adventure when you vacation with one or more of the Jim twins.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Yipee!! ? You decided to try blogging! Following for sure, with or without pics. We'll be in that room on Harmony next March so really interested to see how you think it compares to the the ATS that you are use to. We passed on the ATS for the WOW factor of the loft so hopefully that was the right move. 

Glad to hear that you got to FLL safely and without weather issues. Enjoy yourself! Excited for you ?

[twangster]

Following along!

[ellcee]

Enjoy!!!

[JohnK6404]

Have an amazing time!!!

My wife and I were booked on Allure for the 4/22/18 cruise (Western itinerary), but had to cancel due to happy reasons. This would have been our first experience on an Oasis class ship.

We just booked Allure again for 5/19/19 (same Western) and this time will be going with good friends! They cruised on Oasis last year and had a great time. Can't wait!!!

[Boston Babe]

Following!  Looking forward to hearing from you! Just relax and enjoy!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Following along!

Eh-oh....tough act to follow...

[Floski]

23 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 

Our friend Jim flew in much later this afternoon and is staying elsewhere so we will not see him until after we board tomorrow. It’s always an adventure when you vacation with one or more of the Jim twins.

 

Siiiigh....I wish I was the third Jim twin.

 

[mworkman]

Oh come on now...we know that your blog will blow Twangsters away ? Will be following as I won't be able to sleep awaiting tomorrow blog and pic's ?.

[RamblingRandie]

Have a wonderful cruise.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Hey, everybody!  What a great day we had yesterday.  Too much champagne and fireball so I am having fireball’s revenge today but it was awesome while it was happening!  We had lunch at Chops and dinner at Izumi. We went to the Aqua Theater show and the Genie kindly reserved Jim’s place right with us.  I really like Charlie.  Great Genie.

Our suite is incredible.  This SLS is a tiny bit smaller than its companion next door and the balcony is definitely smaller but when you’re talking about “small” it’s all about relativity. The suite is beautiful and the balcony is huge.  I’m going to try and post some pix but since I have no f’n idea what I’m doing I may lose the entire post, which would ruin my entire day !

I’m no Twang-bot or Sabrina so please don’t judge by those standards !  

I will post over on Tony’s Club Royale thread, too, but just wanted to mention that I believe that Tony’s horrific experience on Enchantment was a one-off and unfortunate mishap.  We were given all of the CR privileges that we expected, including free drinks and no 5% fee. We were also promised that by the end of the cruise we would be given our tear level in the new program.  

On another issue of recent contention, our D+ list of amenities include 2 free days of Voom or a dollars off discount (can’t find the paper at the moment) so it seems that the panic over maybe losing those free days is either premature or unwarranted -at least, here on Allure.

i have run out of time (blackjack tournament) so I’m going to have to make the brave attempt to insert a photo later on in the day. The thought of wiping out this post (so much pecking !) has brought a bead of sweat to my brow so I’m going to “submit” before anything can go wrong !

[Traveler]

6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 I’m going to try and post some pix but since I have no f’n idea what I’m doing I may lose the entire post, which would ruin my entire day !

Few option to reduce such risk of deleting all the post :-)   , 

What you can do is or first save the post without the picture and when you are ready just do edit to the post and add the picture , in the worse case scenario just do not save so the original post is always there ... 

Second option is just to put the pictures in a separate replay.

Regarding the Casino , first , excellent news about the privileges,  hope they are not calculating the tier just base on this cruise ..  

Enjoy the cruise ,  always nice to read the posts. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Our suite is incredible.  This SLS is a tiny bit smaller than its companion next door and the balcony is definitely smaller but when you’re talking about “small” it’s all about relativity. The suite is beautiful and the balcony is huge.  

Funny conversation I had with my daughter yesterday.  We were talking about that balcony while reading @twangster blog (looking at the pic he posted coming across Harmony).  Anyway, she did that math and that balcony is about 5 times the size of what we are use to in a standard balcony.  So definitely relative lol. 

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I’m no Twang-bot or Sabrina so please don’t judge by those standards !  

Haha, thanks but no way that I can compete with the bot either lol.

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

i have run out of time (blackjack tournament) so I’m going to have to make the brave attempt to insert a photo later on in the day. 

Remember what I showed you before, just find the paper clip thing at the bottom left hand side of your post and click on "choose files".  What @Traveler suggested is a great idea too.

It's good to hear that you are having fun and that Charlie turned out to be a good fit for you.  Enjoy yourself!

[CGTLH]

@WAAAYTOOO Written words and no pictures is still better than nothing at all. Way I look at it, pictures are a bonus at times.

[Boston Babe]

@WAAAYTOOO, so happy  your are having a great time! Good luck with the BJ Tourney!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Ok here goes.  I will do a trial posting and then go crazy !

someone mentioned not having a cooler for their beer so just wanted to show that you CAN get a cooler if you have a good attendant.

Somehow got the captions reversed.  Sorry.  This pic was from yesterday  today there are twice as many bottles and can in this space.  Yikes !  Stop bringing new stuff !

[WAAAYTOOO]

Yippee !  I did it !  I will have to practice with the captions. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I’m afraid to get too many pix at once. Matt is going to block me from this site !

[WAAAYTOOO]

One more set.  Then I have to start getting ready for formal night.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Oops. I though I deleted that last one. Meant to, anyway.

[Lovetocruise2002]

@WAAAYTOOO love the suite!  Actually, the placement of the bed seems better in this configuration than the one next door.  Seems like there is more space upstairs even if the lower level seems a bit more narrow.  I am proud of you!  You got the pics posted they look great!

[twangster]

Great pictures!  Nice suite!

[Sweety]

Loving your pictures.

[melski94]

Love the pictures...you are doing great on your blog. I love reading about different experiences. 

[mworkman]

Sweet..nice crib! 

[DC_Cruiser]

As someone who is less than two weeks away from being on the Allure, and someone who is also from DC, I am definitely following along. Can't wait to hear how the week ends up, although I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

I know you mentioned you were eating at chops and Izumi, but if you also indulge in Gio's during this trip, I would love to hear about your experience.

Enjoy!

[mirrorkat]

Thanks for sharing.  Beautiful suite and great photos!

[Boston Babe]

GREAT JOB!! Beautiful Suite and that Balcony!! I'd never leave it, just keep bringing room service!! So happy you are enjoying your cruise!! 

[accio7]

Following! Have fun on your cruise, @WAAAYTOOO, and I love your suite :) 

[Lindsay]

17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@WAAAYTOOO love the suite!  Actually, the placement of the bed seems better in this configuration than the one next door.  Seems like there is more space upstairs even if the lower level seems a bit more narrow.  I am proud of you!  You got the pics posted they look great!

It's SOOOOO nice!!!!!!!  Enjoy!!!!!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

14 hours ago, DC_Cruiser said:

As someone who is less than two weeks away from being on the Allure, and someone who is also from DC, I am definitely following along. Can't wait to hear how the week ends up, although I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

I know you mentioned you were eating at chops and Izumi, but if you also indulge in Gio's during this trip, I would love to hear about your experience.

Enjoy!

We went to Giovanni's for dinner last night.  We had reservations to go to Chops but Charlie the Genie called us yesterday afternoon to tell us that he had changed the Rez to Gio’s  b/c Chops was going to be very busy (formal night) and Charlie was afraid that our service would  be slow.  I thought that was extremely proactive on his part and we had a wonderful meal at Giovanni’s.  Dan had the Oslobucco and I had the filet.  We are rescheduled to go to Chops tonite. I’m sure it will be great.

We did not have lunch in a specialty restaurant yesterday. If we had, we would not have been able to enjoy our dinner.  I just cannot eat 3 big meals a day anymore.

We have enjoyed breakfast in our suite every morning so far. It’s a great solution for us as we like to sleep in.  In the past, we’ve always waited until the last minute and then scurried around trying to find somewhere to eat breakfast.  No such worries this trip !  I could really get used to this !

[WAAAYTOOO]

More pix

[WAAAYTOOO]

[WAAAYTOOO]

If there is ANY negative about this suite, it would be the loud music coming from the sports/Flowrider area.  The noise certainly is not unique to this particular suite but rather a general problem with the loft area suites in general.  It was very loud out on the balcony yesterday but once you come inside there is no noise from the outside at all.

I think I prefer this suite to the one that looks out over the sports area even though this one it a bit smaller.  The view of the ocean is a giant plus, IMO.

I love being up on 17.  While we really, really enjoyed being back in the Aqua Theater Suites (there’s just nothing like that view and those GINORMOUS balconies), the convenience of being just an elevator ride up to 17 away from most activities is so nice.  I can walk to get my cappuccino in the Suites Lounge in 2 minutes while back in the ATS it’s a LONG walk to get anywhere and then a long walk back.  I’m glad we did the ATS but I think I’m done with them.  It’s going to be deck 17 for me from now on.

[twangster]

5 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

If there is ANY negative about this suite, it would be the loud music coming from the sports/Flowrider area.  The noise certainly is not unique to this particular suite but rather a general problem with the loft area suites in general.  It was very loud out on the balcony yesterday but once you come inside there is no noise from the outside at all.

I think I prefer this suite to the one that looks out over the sports area even though this one it a bit smaller.  The view of the ocean is a giant plus, IMO.

I love being up on 17.  While we really, really enjoyed being back in the Aqua Theater Suites (there’s just nothing like that view and those GINORMOUS balconies), the convenience of being just an elevator ride up to 17 away from most activities is so nice.  I can walk to get my cappuccino in the Suites Lounge in 2 minutes while back in the ATS it’s a LONG walk to get anywhere and then a long walk back.  I’m glad we did the ATS but I think I’m done with them.  It’s going to be deck 17 for me from now on.

I agree about deck 17 - love the quick access to the lounge and CK.  

The L1 on the side of deck 17 have very little deck noise and I tend to gravitate to those (although only Sky Class).  

Great job on the blog and photos!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Just now, twangster said:

I agree about deck 17 - love the quick access to the lounge and CK.  

The L1 on the side of deck 17 have very little deck noise and I tend to gravitate to those (although only Sky Class).  

Great job on the blog and photos!

Thanks, Twang-bot.  High praise coming from you.

[tiny260]

Looks great, I will be in the same room January of 2019, can't wait. Great job on the Pictures and the blog.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think I prefer this suite to the one that looks out over the sports area even though this one it a bit smaller.  The view of the ocean is a giant plus, IMO.

I love being up on 17.  While we really, really enjoyed being back in the Aqua Theater Suites (there’s just nothing like that view and those GINORMOUS balconies), the convenience of being just an elevator ride up to 17 away from most activities is so nice.  I can walk to get my cappuccino in the Suites Lounge in 2 minutes while back in the ATS it’s a LONG walk to get anywhere and then a long walk back.  I’m glad we did the ATS but I think I’m done with them.  It’s going to be deck 17 for me from now on.

I can't wait!!!  Sounds amazing!  I am never going to leave Deck 17!

Two questions:  How are you and Dan communicating with Charlie while on board?  Did he give you a phone, do you use LOOP, email?  And how late will they deliver CK room service breakfast to you.  We like to sleep in too and most times by 10am the only option is the WJ.  Will they deliver CK breakfast to you even if CK is done with breakfast?

[WAAAYTOOO]

Loop is absolutely useless.  It’s not a true messaging service.  The Genie must be at his/ her computer to get message so you might as well be using email.  All of our Genies simply gave us their phone number and have us call their phones if we need anything.  So far, on this cruise, we have not called Charlie even once.  We simply have not needed anything. Pre-cruise you can either email or use Loop.

We have our breakfast delivered every morning at 9:00 but I’m sure you can have it delivered up until the CK stops serving breakfast. For us, on this cruise, 10 AM would definitely be within those hours. The nice part about it is, as long as someone can answer the door, you’re good !  Nobody has to be dressed to go out...just able to get to the door and let them in.  Usually, they call to let you know they’re on their way. This morning we got no such call and Dan had to answer the door in his robe.  He had just gotten out of the shower when they showed up.  But all was well.  Yesterday morning we ate out on the balcony. This morning we ate at the table inside. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

We have preordered breakfast for every morning but by doing that, we are getting basically the same thing every morning.  I was trying to keep the ordering overhead down for Charlie by keeping it simple but honestly, I may have to change it up a bit. There is a trade off between convenience (not having to preorder every day) and monotony. I absolutely love their French toast but I don’t want it every day. Whatever we decide to do, I will not bother Charlie with it. I will just go down to the CK and take care of it myself.

Charlie is so nice. He’s an American from upstate NY. Rather unusual for an American to work on a cruise ship.  He couldn’t be nicer and he has even taken a small shine to the utterly obnoxious Jim.  We have met 1 of the other Genies, Phillip and he’s a very gregarious and fun guy too.  I do not know who the third Genie on Allure is.  On an interesting side note (regarding Royal Genies) nobody seems to know what has become of Alexandra, who was the lovely Genie on Harmony when we were on there with the Jim twins. Consensus seems to be that she is no longer a Royal Genie.  I can’t help but worry that the Jim twins drove her to seek another line of work.  I hope she found a wonderful, rich husband and decided to retire and have a big family in Transylvania, which is where she is from. I would hate to think the the Jim twins ran her off.  ???

[Lovetocruise2002]

@WAAAYTOOO, I can't remember where I read it from but I did read that she left Royal. I wouldn't worry about the Jim twins running her off, she was still on in March 2017 (there was a review with her) and left for vacation following that.  Then she was reportedly going back to Harmony after that. It was recently that I read she was gone.