Today is my last day at sea, so my plan today is to enjoy the ship and take it all in.

I woke up a little late, so I decided to pass on breakfast and just sit on my balcony a bit. I’ve realized I didn’t use my balcony this cruise much at all, but I’m going to say it’s because I was in a group. I did decide to pack my room up before I headed out today, just wanted it out of the way.

I noticed the ship felt very crowded today, it seems as everyone was out and about.

They had all kinds of sales on the Promenade deck; if you want something I’d recommend waiting until the last day. I saw the Michael Kors shop have some big sale and people were lined up waiting for them to open. 

Lunch at Johnny Rockets 

Today I had lunch at Johnny Rockets right when they opened at 11:30am.

Johnny Rockets has a cover charge of $6.95, but everything is included (minus the milkshakes) and comes with a soft drink also. When you sit down they bring a plate of fries and onion rings to the table while you look over the menu.

I ordered the smoke house burger, which is a double on the menu, but I asked for just one patty to save room for desert.

For dessert I had their apple pie and ice cream, which might be the best desert all week. Within about 20 minuets of opening every seat was taken and they had a line to get a table.

I thought in years past they would give you a pager, but everyone was just standing in the heat on the boardwalk deck. Overall it was a great lunch and fun times at Johnny Rockets.

When I left the boardwalk I saw a passenger band playing by the carousel, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Many of the guest were taking pictures and sticking around to listen to them. 

Afternoon on board 

For my last afternoon on board I wanted to spend as much time as possible by the pool.

I went to the Solarium first to let all my lunch settle.

I noticed so many opened chairs today; many were in the sun but no troubles finding a pool chair. After an hour or so in the solarium I moved over to the beach pool.

The beach pool is my favorite pool on board; they have the umbrellas for shade, which is nice.

The pool also has water running off to the first row of chairs, so pick up those pool bags. The beach pool water was so warm today, I’ve never been hot in the pool before but it was. 

Dinner 

Well friends, I think I have a problem; dinner tonight was back at Sabor.

This is my 4th time eating here this week, and couldn’t be more excited to be back. In my previous visits here it’s always been very busy, but tonight the restaurant was empty.

Our table ordered four guacamoles to get us started with some starts. We tried this Jalapeño stuffed chicken starter and it was absolutely amazing, we then ordered two more!

For my main course I went with chicken taco’s just to try some thing different.

The taco’s were great, but I was so full from all the appetizers I could only eat one. It was a fun way to end the cruse as a group, we said goodbye to our friends and toasted farewell. 

Wrap –Up 

After dinner I headed down to the pub again for one beer before bed.

Again, the pub was packed for the singer, he did such a great job. When I headed back to the room I saw all the bags in the hallways, this always makes me so sad to see, unless I’m on a back-to-back of course. 

The Allure of the Seas is a great ship, she still looks brand new and I never saw any signs of wear.

The ship felt a lot more crowded than I remember Oasis class ships feeling, we were a completely full ship. There are so many options for every type of cruiser, entertainment is great, so many pools, bars of all options. T

The Allure is also great for children they made this ship with the largest kids pool in their fleet, called H2O.

As far as the Internet goes, they have two types of Voom now, I did the voom + stream package. I was able to FaceTime and Periscope on my balcony so it really works everywhere. Only twice did the voom go down, but was back up within 15 minutes. 

Occasionally, I had to remind myself I was on a cruise because there are very few locations with views of the Ocean. Also, the ship never rocked because the ocean was so calm. 

Disembarkation 

I opted to do the express walk off option leaving the ship. They put luggage tags in the cabin but if you want to do the express just ignore them.

The express departure started at 6:30AM, and I go in line around 6:20am. Getting off the ship was very organized and customs line was a breeze. I was at the airport by 7:00am for my 10:30am flight; next time I might book earlier flight on Oasis class ships. 

Well friends my cruise has come to an end, I’ve really enjoyed taking you along with me. My passion for cruising is so strong but so is sharing it with others, I think it helps building the excitement for your next cruise. Until next time, I’ll see you at sea!

Our blogger, Michael Poole, is on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas this week and is LIVE blogging every day. Follow along for daily updates.

Morning on board 

Today was our first port stop in the beautiful St. Maarten.

Honestly, I was a little ready for our first stop; I’ve never started a cruise on two sea days before.

I woke up early this morning and went for my first run on the cruise. After that meal last night the run was much needed. I decided to run on the track since we were docking in St. Maarten. On Oasis class ships they have a track on deck 5, and 2.3 laps is 1 mile.

After my run I decided to grab breakfast at the Solarium Bistro, this is also a free breakfast option. If you are looking for a lite breakfast, or fast I’d recommend this venue. 

St. Marrten 

We docked at 8am, but since we did not have an excursion booked, we waiting until 9:15am to get off the ship. Unless you have something booked, try to wait just an hour to get off; it can be a little busy in the gangway.

Once you walk off, they have a water taxi what will take you over boardwalk for $7 round-trip. The cruise compass had a $1 off the water taxi ride coupon, but for some reason they didn’t take it.

The ride over is around 5 minutes but it’s very pretty.

Once we arrived to the boardwalk, we just explored and did some shopping.

Around 11am we decided to have lunch at The Blue Bitch restaurant.

I’ve been eating at this restaurant for many years now, and it’s become my little tradition. 

Afternoon in St. Maarten 

This afternoon, all we wanted to do is enjoy some beach time. They have people selling beach chairs, umbrellas, and a bucket of beers for $20. This also comes with free Wi-Fi, but you just have to walk up to the restaurant to use it since the signal is too weak on the beach.

At 4:30pm was all on board, and I stayed at the beach until 4:15pm, really took full advantage of my day here.

Once I was back on board, we all decided to keep the fun going and head up to the beach pool for an hour.

I usually like to get in the pool once I’m back on board anyway because it’s so hot. 

Dinner – Costal Kitchen 

Tonight for dinner, I was invited to the new suite restaurant – Coastal Kitchen.

The restaurant is located where the Viking Crown Lounge used to be before her dry dock a year ago.

Once I arrived they have a locked door and you must enter your SeaPass card.  The process of getting in is very similar to the Diamond Lounge.

If you are staying in a suite, they don’t mind you taking a few friends with you to dinner, and it’s also complimentary.

For starters we had some flat breads and mushroom soup. The soup was by far the best soup I think I’ve ever had, nothing like the soups you get in the main dining room.

For the main course we all went with the steak, which was also good, but I think it was just the filet of beef they serve in the main dining room.

Overall it was a great dining experience, but for me, I’ll stick with Sabor! 

Evening on board 

Tonight was the 70’s party on the Royal Promenade at 10pm.

I noticed they were selling seats on the Rising Tide bar for the duration of the 70's Party. The cost for the VIP sections was $40 per person, and included all drinks during the party.

The show was really fun, I watched from the Schooner Bar, but I didn’t see a lot of dancing happening.

Since we were all in the dancing mood we headed to dazzles where they also had a 70’s themed music, with a live band. 

Today as a fun filled day, very action packed. Around midnight is where I called it an evening.

Tomorrow is San Juan!

Michael Poole is live blogging from Allure of the Seas this week. Follow along to see his journey!

Over the years I've started to enjoy the ship just as much, if not more than the actual destinations so any time I have a sea day, I’m in paradise.

Today I woke up and grabbed a coffee at Café Promenade. They have free coffee or you can order one for an up charge. If you have a drink package that includes coffee this is where you us it on Oasis class ships, as the true Starbucks is excluded.

After my coffee I decided to go on the outside track, but sadly not to run! I wanted to enjoy my coffee while taking in the views of the aft of the ships. 

Lunch at Park Café & Sabor 

Lunch today was back at Park Café, there was no line so the first day rush appears to be over. I did not take a picture of my lunch because I got the very same thing as yesterday, roast beef sandwich and a salad.

We were just enjoying each other at Park Café and I made the suggestion to move over to Sabor for a drink.

I actually starting laughing when I got there because, we left one lunch walked straight to the next, I think I know somebody that does that too…

I ordered a spicy margarita and boy was it spicy. I took around three sips and just started to get very and sweating, so I asked the bartender if there was any way to bring the spice down. However, she just suggested making me another drink at no charge.

If you have the premium drink package the margarita’s are included here. We enjoyed most of the afternoon at Sabor 

Formal Night 

Tonight was formal night with the Captain’s reception on the promenade.

One of my favorite spots on formal night is the Schooner Bar by the glass looking over. I arrived here at 6pm to start building our section of seats.

I like sitting here so you are not packed on the promenade. The captain’s reception is a great option if you don’t have the drink package because they hand out free champagne from 8pm.

The captain made talked about how many passengers were on board, where everyone was from, and a little history about the ship. 

Dinner 

Tonight we headed back to the main dining room for dinner.

One of my second favorite meals in the dining room is tonight for the lobster bisque soup and filet of beef. I went with the two orders of soup and double meat on filet of beef.

Tonight’s dinner was going at a much faster pace than last night. I noticed the table beside us tell the waiter they had a show in 30 minutes so their dinner was rushed out to the table. After dinner we went to dazzles where they had a game going to sing the song when they cut the music off. At first I did not think I would like the game, but I stayed and thought it was really fun.

After the game was over the had a live band playing 80’s music, which I loved. 

Tomorrow is another sea day, but it’s action packed with a bar hop, Mama Mia, and Giovanni’s Table!

Royal Caribbean Blog writer Michael Poole is going to be LIVE blogging from Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas later this week. Follow along here for all the fun he will be sharing!

Well friends, I am back for another live blog from Allure of the Seas.

As many of you likely recall, the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise was on Allure of the Seas this past February. I am going to try and take you on a different journey, but still copy some of Matt’s daily trips to Sabor. This will be my second time cruising on the Allure of the Seas and it has been some years since I was last on her. She was just 3 months old the last time, so I’m excited to see how she has matured.

I am sailing on this cruise with my brother; Jason Poole and his husband, Caleb. But also joining us is 23 other friends! We met most of our group on other cruises over the years and have stayed in touched. There are a few people in the group - friends of friends - that will be new friends to me. However, sailing in a large group is going to be a lot of fun and I will share many group photos.

Itinerary

This cruise is sailing to the Eastern Caribbean, but has a unique itinerary because it is stopping in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It has been a few years since I last sailed to San Juan, so I am excited to explore and take endless photos of old San Juan. I’ll also be stopping in St. Maarten and ending the cruise in Labadee, Haiti.

The reason I booked the cruise on this date, was because of the stop in San Juan, as they usually stop in St. Thomas. I booked this cruise a year ago while on board Freedom of the Seas, using their next cruise-booking perk.

Cabin Type

When I originally booked this cruise, I booked into a Central Park Balcony. I know many people have fallen in love with these balconies and I understand why.

However, they just are not my favorite, but I booked this cabin because they were the best value at the time. Over the course of a few months, I noticed the boardwalk balcony dropped in price to what I was paying, so I jumped cabins.

Well believe it not; as time went on, I was able to switch to an ocean balcony for the very same price. So over the course of a year, I’ve been in three different cabin types.

I will be sailing in ocean balcony cabin D8 – 6688. I know almost everyone likes their balcony to be on the higher decks, but trust me on this one… Try a balcony on a lower deck on Oasis Class ships. Here are my reasons: Promenade one deck down, Boardwalk is right down the hall, Central Park is two decks up, Schooner Bar for my balcony beer just a few feet away.

Pre – Cruise

Friday I’ll be flying down to Ft. Lauderdale late, so I won’t have any plans other than heading to my hotel. However, Saturday will be a full day in South Florida to kick start our vacation.

We plan to explore around the city and experience eating at some new places. In the afternoon hours, I’ll be heading over to the beach to watch The Oasis of the Seas sail away. If you are interested in watching, I’ll be sharing the sail away live on Periscope app, @mpoole3.

Well friends, the next post will be from the Allure of the Seas! I am really excited to share my experiences with you virtually.

Please comment below if you have any questions about the ship.

It’s my ninth and final day on board the Brilliance of the Seas, and these days just fly by. 

Today, we were at sea all day traveling back to Tampa, Florida. 

I started the morning off with room service to the cabin.  I’ll be honest; it’s not the best option if you are looking for great food.  But I really enjoy just eating on the balcony and taking in all the views. 

I’ll also mention, in my past cruises, the coffee they deliver was less than drinkable.  However, on this cruise I actually enjoyed the coffee, so looks like they have made a change. 

I sat on my balcony for over an hour this morning just enjoying my coffee and reflecting on my past 9 days. 

Afternoon onboard

We wanted to relax in the Solarium and just take it easy. 

The ship was starting to rock a little, as we were in the middle of The Gulf of Mexico.  The water in the pool was splashing around a lot and it was like a mini wave pool. 

I really enjoyed my time in this pool; heated water is always a pleasant experience. 

Since it was my final day on board, I had to enjoy one more roast beef sandwich.  Look at all this meat they put on my sandwich! 

I had to take one of them off and eat with a fork, but I didn’t mind.  They also serve salad’s here and have a wide variety of toppings. 

Evening on board

Tonight we got ready early, so we could take full advance of the ship on last evening. 

I went to the photo lounge, to get my free diamond 8x10 photo.  After which, it was time to get a pre dinner cocktail. 

I went down to the R Bar since they were playing live music at 5pm.  It was a band playing beautiful music with violins; it almost felt like formal night again. 

I went with the classic old fashion and Hillary had the champagne cocktail. 

Dinner at Giovanni’s Table

We loved our dinner last night at Giovanni’s Table so much; we decided to go back again. 

I had did met a couple on the Enchantment of the Seas two years ago, and we dined with them this evening to celebrate their birthday. 

They are Pinnacle members, and I’ll say, we received a little extra service at dinner. 

Since it was a special occasion we were celebrating the chef made us lasagna.  If you have dined here before you know they only serve this dish at lunch.  However, if you request it in advance they will prepare some for you. 

For our starters, our waiter just brought out a few to try family style.  I enjoyed dining here with more people, because we got to try more options. 

For the main course, I had the filet and lasagna, I know two dishes!  Again the filet was absolutely amazing, so tender just like at Chops Grill. 

The whole staff came out to sing our friend happy birthday, and made her a large birthday cake. 

I must mention the beautiful sunset we saw this evening.  Our reservations were at 7pm, and we were able to watch the full sunset at dinner. 

I highly recommend eat there at this time, so you are able to watch the sunset while you are eating.  Also, the restaurant is not very large, so no matter where you sit, you will be able to see outside. 

Evening Activities

We decided to end our trip in the pub, this is always were mine started.  They had some live music playing, which I might add seems to be the case all the bars. 

If you are a beer lover like myself, you will love their options here.  They have beers from all around the world, and with the exception of 1 or 2 beers they are included in the drink packages.  I loved being able to try different beers all week, and relaxing in the pub. 

The only downside of the pub is the location itself.  They added this pub during the dry dock, so it’s beside the casino on deck 6.  After a few pints, we called it an evening and headed back to our cabin, this was a sad moment because the cruise was over. 

Thank you for following along with me over the past nine days.  I truly enjoyed sharing my experiences with you from the Brilliance of the Seas. 

If you have any questions about the ship, feel free to comment them below and I’ll respond. 

See you again in two months for another live blog from the Allure of the Seas!  

Michael Poole is live blogging from Brilliance of the Seas. Enjoy!

Well friends, we are back in Cozumel, Mexico again. 

We docked promptly at 8am and the Independence of the Seas was docked beside us again. 

This morning, I ordered room service to be delivered to the cabin.  The rooms have cards behind the door, and you can simply fill out what you would like, and the time block you want it delivered.   

We selected the 8:00-8:30am window and it arrived around 8:10am.  The options for room service are eggs, fruit, cereal, coffee and tea.   You can get mimosas delivered to the cabin, but these are not included in the drink package, since they came from room service. 

We enjoyed our breakfast on the balcony and both of us, how happy we were to have it.  Now the question is, can I go back to a standard inside cabin? 

Nachi Cocom

As you know from my day 4 live blog post, I was also at Nachi Cocom. 

Most of my experiences were very similar to the first time; in fact I sat in the very same seat.  The only thing different is I arrived a little later and they greeted us with a welcome glass of champagne. 

I’m a little picky when it comes to champagne, and I found this very pleasant to drink, and they also put strawberries in the glass. 

We did have a beautiful sand creation that said, Cozumel.  It was at the end of my chair and thought it was very beautiful. 

I did ask where it came from and they said a family was sitting in those seats yesterday, and their children made it.  The service this time was much faster than my first trip, but there were also about half the people here today.  I enjoyed some time in the swim up hot tub today, and loved having the bartender just had me a drink over. 

I will note there were about 20 women from a different ship at Nachi that started to get out of hand.  I thought the staff would jump in and ask them to tone it down some, but they never did.  But, this was only on our last hour of the day, and it was almost time to leave. 

We ended up leaving Nachi at 3:45pm, and back on board by 4:15 (last call at 5:00), never been within an hour before.  Once back on board, we napped for two hours. 

Evening Time

For a pre-dinner cocktail we decided to head over to the Schooner Bar, since Giovanni’s Table is right there. 

We have met a really great bartender named, Julie here and she was making better old fashions, than the R Bar.  She would also surprise Hillary every time with a new champagne cocktail. 

They have live music in here each evening, singing on the piano.  I must say, this 4-day sailing the bars are much more crowded than on the 5-day.  If you are happening to sail on the Brilliance anytime soon, stop in and see Julie. 

Dinner – Giovanni’s Table

I had made reservations online prior to my cruise for Giovanni’s Table tonight at 8:30pm.  The cost for the meal is $25 per person and that includes tips for the server. 

The restaurant called our cabin at 5:00pm to confirm our reservation, and that we are welcome to come sooner than our time, if we wanted.  We were seated by the window in a table for two. 

Our server was outstanding; I could just tell he was one of the best, so informative and knowledgeable.  We started out with some sea scallops and mozzarella.  The scallops have so many flavors in them; only problem is we wanted more! 

For the main course, I order the filet and Hillary ordered the shrimp. 

The filet was just as good as chops, maybe even better.  If you are a steak lover and want to save $10 per person in cover charges, just go to Giovanni’s Table.  

They also role a desert cart over table side and all I can say, is save room, because this is the best part. 

Dancing under the Stars

Tonight was the dancing under the stars party again, and I just could not miss that.  Ricky Mathews was the host for the party and it was a fun time. 

There were so many people out on the deck dancing, he decided to extend the party and close the nightclub for the evening. A few times Ricky brought the microphone over for me to sign a few lines of the songs.  

We stayed out on the deck until 11:30pm and then called it a night. 

Stay tuned for one more day, tomorrow we are enjoying our last sea day.  

Well, here we are again for another sea day on board Brilliance of the Seas.

Today, I decided to not set an alarm and just wake up naturally. I’m not going to lie; it was really nice sleeping in past 8am.

The first thing I did was to blog a little on my balcony; I sure did enjoy having this to wake up with. Sadly, my internet connection was too weak to send pictures from out here.

Breakfast onboard

This morning I decided to make my first trip into the main dining room for breakfast.

Hard to believe I’ve been on board for six days now, and this is my first trip in here. For breakfast, they had had a few tables in the center to grab some fresh fruit and granola. We started off with some morning mimosas, which were included with our Premium drink package.

I decided to order an omelet, which is made to order.

The breakfast in the dining room is a great option for those looking for an alterative option than the windjammer. The breakfast is a much slower pace, and we were dining in there for an hour.

Pool Deck

At this point in the day 10:00am, I knew our luck for finding a pool chair was most likely not going to happen. And I was correct; there were zero open pool chairs so we sat on the edge of the main pool.

After about five minutes of the wind, it was time move to the Solarium. In all my cruises I’ve never spent anytime in the Solarium and I absolutely loved it.

The water in the pool was heated salt water, which I really enjoyed. For those who are not familiar with this pool, it’s the adult only pool, so no kids here.

They also have the Park Café inside the solarium for fresh made to order salads and sandwiches. I could see me enjoying another day here again for my last sea day, I truly enjoyed this pool.

Afternoon onboard

This afternoon we were just taking things at a much slow pace and relaxing.

We decided to take our lunch to go from the Windjammer and eat on the balcony. I’m also enjoying having the balcony and just watching the ocean go by with a beer, so relaxing. Who knows, maybe I enjoy having the balcony even more than I thought I did.

We had some grilled fish, white rice, and two Guinness’. The fish tasted so fresh, some of the best I’ve had, and well the Guinness, you know that was amazing.

Dinner

Tonight, we had dinner in the main dining room, which was also my first meal in the dining room.

I had previous emailed Royal Caribbean requesting a table for two, however I was placed at a large table of eight. If I planned on eating here the next two nights, I’d request to be moved.

The service was a little slow, but our waiter said he was sorry for the delay. I order the filet of beef, which I think is the best dish served in the dining room.

I decided to pass on desert, because I think the drink calories from today was enough.

70’s Disco Party

Tonight was the 70’s disco party in the Centrum at 10:30pm.

It was already 10pm when we left dinner, so quickly changed out of formal attire and off went. The Centrum was packed, shoulder-to-shoulder. 

Cruise Director, Ricky Mathews certain surprised me again, with an amazing time. He has so much energy and really brings the guest into the dancing mode.

In all my cruises on the smaller ships, with a Centrum, I can’t recall a disco party this packed. This party last until 11:15pm, and then off to bed we went. I would recommend getting to this party around 10pm if you want a good seat.   

Michael Poole is on Brilliance of the Seas and live blogging for us!

Well, my first cruise leg has already come to an end, but that just means the next adventure is right around the counter.

I woke up this morning at 5:30am (I know, way too early), but I just happen to wake up, so I decided to head out to the pool deck to watch us dock in Tampa, Florida.

The first thing I noticed was the weather was much cooler than I was used to in the Gulf of Mexico.

It was a fun experience watching us dock in Tampa, and only once have I done that before.

After we docked around 6:45AM, I decided to have my first breakfast in the Windjammer. They had the usual breakfast options, but I decided to go for the made-to-order omelet.

On the larger ships, like Matt’s live blog on the Allure of the Seas, you won’t find the fresh omelets due to the number of guest.

Disembarkation

At 7:00 am, they started the disembarkation process for the guest doing express departure.

This lasted for an hour, but I noticed there were not long lines like you might find on the Enchantment of the Seas, due to so many families.

I received a letter to meet in the conference center at 9:00am for sailing again. I arrived a few minutes after, and there were about 20 other guests in the room, with a few others after me.

Around 9:30am, we were escorted off the ship, just like all the same passengers just did. We were held in the United States customs area for 10-15 minutes until they fully cleared the ship.

At 10:05am, we were headed back on board to start our next cruise. The process was fairly easy, but it was a little longer than my previous back-to-back cruise.

Morning onboard

I was a little excited to have an hour on board without any new passengers because I really enjoy taking some pictures without guests in the shot.

But, I didn’t have long, the new guests started coming on board at 10:20AM. I’ve never boarded a ship that early, but I’ve heard they like to flip this ship pretty fast. I then decided to purchase the Premium drink package for $49 per day + 18% cover charge.

I wanted this package since my friend was coming on board, and I new I’d be drinking a little more on this sailing.

Once my friend was onboard, I went up to the helicopter pad and those views just never get old. If you want to go up there, head out to deck 5, where you stand for the muster drill, and walk forward. You will come across two sets of steps, and then you will be standing on the helicopter pad.

Afternoon onboard

I decided to finally enjoy some pool time before the kids over took it again.

The weather was perfect around 85 degrees outside and I got some sun.

So I thought I would report a pretty scary story that happen today on the pool deck. A child got into the water without her mother seeing; the child could not swim at all. Within seconds the child had gone under the water and the mother notice her son was missing.

At this point I noticed the child in the pool and started to make a move to grab him. There was someone else closer than I was, who was able to safely put his head above water. Needless to say, these types of accidents can happen within seconds, and I’m grateful for the outcome.

A few months ago, Royal Caribbean added life jackets for children on every ship.The pool staff then required this child to wear a jacket going forward to get into the pool.

Dinner at Izumi

Tonight’s dinner was in Izumi, and I was really excited about it. I haven’t been to Izumi since Oasis of the Seas in 2012, so I was long over due.

I tried to order saki with the premium drink package, but they trying to force me to purchase a bottle. I went with a few of their cocktails and let’s just say that’s not their specialty.

However, their sushi rolls are their specialty, and I must say I was truly wowed.

The service was very fast, but the restaurant was pretty empty.

We ordered a tuna roll that was so good; I had them bring me another order.

However, this is where I ran into an issue with my SeaPass card. My SeaPass card was actually declined at dinner, boo!

Long story short, they did not link my credit card to leg two of the cruise, and a type of payment was not linked to my account.

It did take about 15-20 minutes for guest services to resolve the issue, but they were able to.

Tomorrow is our first sea day as we head back to Cozumel, Mexico!