Does anyone know what changes are happening on Allure during dry dock?

[ian91]

We are sailing next week and would love to know what to expect. :)

[WAAAYTOOO]

Making an assumption here that the Allure will undergo the same drydock renovations that Oasis did. If that isn't the case then ignore this posting. Since the deck plans for Allure show these changes I assume that means that they WERE completed.

 

They did the big "restaurant subdivision" turning the old 3-level MDR into 3 separate static menu restaurants. This was, of course, in preparation for the whole rollout of Dynamic Dining that never happened. If they follow through the same way on Allure as they did on Oasis then you will just have 3 separate Main Dining Rooms. Since we were on MTD we dined on deck 5 in what is now Silk but of course, the menus were the same as they have always been - changing dialy and were not the menus that would have been specifically for Silk (a Pan Asian menu if I'm not mistaken).

 

They added 6 new Grand suites (decks 11, 12 and 14) where the old "secret balconies" used to be, aft, near the Aqua Theater. These new GS rooms are larger, both in cabin and balcony square footage. The biggest ones are on Deck 11 (11330 and 11730) which have rooms of 466 ft sq and balconies of 470 ft sq. The rooms and balconies become progressively smaller as you move from deck 11 up to 12 and 14 but they are still much larger GS than the traditional "outside" GS that are 371 ft sq room and 114 ft sq balcony. They also added additional staterooms in various places around the ship, the specifics of which I do not recall.

 

Another change is the addition of the Suites Only restaurant (Coastal Kitchen), and Suites lounge on Deck 17. With the addition of that lounge, they have eliminated the old Concierge lounge and relegated the D+ C&A members DOWN to the Diamond Lounge on Deck 11 and 12. This particular change was one that I was LIVID about when we were on the Oasis in Jan. As if the Diamond Club wasn't crowded enough already, NOW the D+ members are stuck there too. Only Suites guests and Pinnacle can use the Suites lounge. The Harmony is going to have the same configuration re: Diamond/Suites lounges which is why I am in a GS on the Harmony in October '16.

 

There may be a few changes to shopping venues and I think they stuck a hot dog shack in there somewhere. The old Ritas Cantina is now Sabor (HUGE improvement !). Rita's Cantina was dreadful.

 

They had made quite a few changes to the casino (something I notice more than others, perhaps). The old electronic blackjack multi-person machine has been removed. Unfortunately the electronic poker machines are still there but there are now 2 instead of 3 and they have been moved into a new location. There were other changes too but they were fairly esoteric so I won't go on about them. Overall, on the Oasis at least, the casino staff was much improved, which was a good thing.

 

For the most part, except for the dining room changes, the changes aren't particularly noticeable unless you're a D+ and enjoyed using the Concierge club.

 

Have a GREAT cruise. I love the Allure and can't wait for Feb '16 !

[ian91]

Thanks for the reply.

We also remember when Diamond had concierge access.

This explains the 3 free drinks in any bar on ship on your cruise card.

 

We are both D+ and reach 350 on Allure. 

We will keep you updated on our return. Again we will be one of the first on an an Oasis class ship out of dry dock.    

 

There have been many great occasions on RCCL and hope that this continues as we love the new ships.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Wow ! You're halfway there (to Pinnacle) ! I don't expect to ever make Pinnacle unless I plan to live in a ship somewhere, which isn't too likely.

[FloatMe]

Curious about the new Coastal Kitchen. I heard that JS guests were included for this venue, is that correct? That seems odd to me. Also what type of fare is offered?

[WAAAYTOOO]

From all that I have read, only GS and above and Pinnacles can use the CK and Suite Lounges....BUT I had a Customer Service person from RCCL (on the phone) tell me recently that JS could use them so I'm not sure which is true. If they are allowing JS to use the Suite lounges and CK I will be surprised. All of the literature online said GS and above but these things seem to change without notice so I just don't know for sure.

 

I haven't been on an Oasis ship as a suite guest since they added the suites amenities upstairs and I've never been on a Quantum class so I guess I will just have to wait until the Group cruise to find out !

[FloatMe]

From all that I have read, only GS and above and Pinnacles can use the CK and Suite Lounges....BUT I had a Customer Service person from RCCL (on the phone) tell me recently that JS could use them so I'm not sure which is true. If they are allowing JS to use the Suite lounges and CK I will be surprised. All of the literature online said GS and above but these things seem to change without notice so I just don't know for sure.I haven't been on an Oasis ship as a suite guest since they added the suites amenities upstairs and I've never been on a Quantum class so I guess I will just have to wait until the Group cruise to find out !

Thanks, I know JS guests don't have access to the lounges, that is why I suprised that I had heard they were permitted to coastal kitchen? Guess I'll find out in 16 months. (Gosh that's a long time)