Allure of the Seas

TRAVELS
Written By Czech In With The Gskis .

OUR FIRST FAMILY CRUISE

Our family is officially old enough to start taking our adventures to a whole new level.

We have been planning this family cruise for about six months and have been keeping the trip a secret from the kids in hopes of creating a major surprise that they will always remember.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BOARD!

When check-in opens on the app, which is usually midnight on the indicated date on the Royal Caribbean App, make sure you select the earliest boarding time. I personally stayed up until midnight to do just that — and I have to say, it was totally worth it. We arrived on time and there was little-to-no crowd. Getting on the ship was a breeze and we didn’t have to fight crowds exploring the ship.

DAY 01 - EMBARKATION | Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gMDDI1Gm5jA

We woke the kids up that morning, they had no clue we were about to go on a trip of a lifetime. We started off our vlog by celebrating our 100th episode and follow-up by asking the kids what they want to do to celebrate. Iyla and Aria both want to have a party and have pizza, Mom wants to eat dinner by the water and Dad wants to see the new Mario movie (according to the cruise itinerary they will show the movie on Day 6). We inform the kids there is only one place we can do all those things and that is to Go on a Cruise! The kids were shocked, and you could tell they were trying to process it all. Their reactions were priceless.

THE NEW ROYAL CARIBBEAN TERMINAL IN GALVESTON

Arriving at the new terminal in Galveston, you immediately know you are at Royal Caribbean’s new home in Galveston. The branding of the terminal is on point and has clear direction on where to park, be dropped off or be picked up. Fortunately for us, we don’t live too far from Galveston and my parents love cruising as much as us, so they volunteered to drop us off at the terminal so we didn’t have to worry about parking.

The drop-off process was seamless with little-to-no traffic. It’s worthwhile to mention we had an early boarding time of 11:30am (one of the earliest times) so I think that benefited in the low head count in the drop-off area at that time. You get dropped off right by the luggage area which was really nice and convenient not having to drag your luggage long distances. After dropping off our luggage, we headed directly into the main lobby of the terminal. The lobby was really nice but certainly not large enough for large crowds to hang out in for a long period of time. It was clear the terminal was designed to move people and move people quickly to get them on the ship to start their vacation.

EXPLORING ALLURE OF THE SEAS

Once we boarded the ship, entering at the main promenade, it felt like we were transported to another world. The ship was spectacular with its modern design, retail shops, and numerous activities. It was truly hard to decide what to do first. Like most people, we wondered around the ship trying to get our bearings and see what it all had to offer.

  • Windjammer

    • This is one of the most popular places to find food in the morning and lunch. The Windjammer is a buffet-style dining option that is opened in the mornings for breakfast, mid-day for lunch, and in the evening for dinner. The food options change everyday, but I noticed they do have Chicken Tenders, Burgers and Fries available at lunch and dinner everyday for those who have little ones who are picky eaters.

    • We did our best to avoid the Windjammer once we got on the ship, knowing it would be extremely busy around that time. We did notice the crowd lightened up around 2:00pm on embarkation day. Finding a table can be challenging on any cruise ship and my best advice for you is don’t be afraid to ask the staff/crew of the Windjammer for help. When you have younger kids, finding a table is especially hard. You will likely be carrying your littles through the spaces just to avoid them being trampled on and so the first step is to find a table.

    • Eating dinner in the Windjammer was much less crowded which created a pleasant dining experience with kids.

  • Central Park

    • As the name implies, Central Park is an open-air park in the middle of the ship, with lush plant life, areas to sit and relax, spaces for bands to play, Chops Grill (additional cost), retail shopping, and Park Cafe (great place for fruit and light snacks/sandwich). Overall, the space was beautifully designed and whenever we needed to cross the ship we chose to cross through Central Park. If you are a cruiser who bought the picture package, you can certainly find photographers here in the evening, and, yes, you can get some spectacular shots. We also found a lot of Cruise Ducks and hid a lot of our own Cruise Ducks throughout Central Park.

  • The Boardwalk

    • This was the kids’ favorite space on the ship (outside of Adventure Ocean) for one reason: and that was, of course, the carousel. The carousel is free and you can ride as many times as you want. Surrounding the carousel are Souvenir Shops, Dog House (hotdogs), Johnny Rockets (additional cost outside of breakfast) and Ice Cream shop (additional cost). The space certainly had a carnival feel and was a great place for the kids to hang out.

  • Aqua Theatre

    • The Aqua Theatre is located in the Boardwalk area and is where all the amazing Aqua Shows are held. The Aqua Shows are some of the best shows Royal Carribean has to offer in my opinion. The show can typically be seen twice a day for four days on the cruise and I would recommend seeing the later showing in the evening, only because the lights can be seen better and really take the show to the next level. If you want to see the show without worrying about getting a reservation or dealing with crowds… you have to get the best balcony room on the ship. See below section “Best Balcony”.

  • Sorrento’s Pizza

    • If you are a late night snacker, which I think a lot of us are, there is only one free option to choose from and that is Sorrento’s Pizza. With this being the only free food option open after 9pm, the line is ridiculously long pretty much from 9pm - 11pm. This is one thing I think Royal can change, have more snack options late at night or have the Windjammer open up later. So, the tip here is either go before the crowd starts to form, which was generally after one of the shows ends (around 9pm) or grab a snack and take it to your room from the Windjammer before they close for the night.

  • Best Balcony 9729

    • Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sI01Ym8CNlE

    • Why is this the best balcony on Allure of the Seas? Well, it’s because The Ultimate Abyss has not been installed yet on the Oasis Class Ship and because of that, your view is not obstructed to the Aqua Show. This was one of the reasons we booked this room, we were able to watch the Aqua Show every night and, yes, the show is that good! We loved being able to see the ocean, Boardwalk and Aqua Show all from our balcony. If this is the experience you are looking for, we highly recommend booking one of these rooms.

ROATAN, HONDURAS

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FJbi-NWTyiA

In Roatan we decided to book an excursion outside of Royal Caribbean, which we booked with a private company to take us to West Bay Beach where we stayed at Paradise Beach Resort. There are multiple resorts to choose from, all of which offer roughly the same experience. Paradise Beach Resort had a private pool that we could use, a dining area, bar and beach front setting with lounge chairs and umbrellas. We had an amazing time here and the water was absolutely beautiful. The best part of West Bay Beach was the snorkeling! There was a reef not too far from our resort and the reef was a maze of beautiful marine life. I could have spent hours exploring this area. The reef seemed like it was never ending, it was truly amazing, and you must make it part of your itinerary when you stop at this port. Now, the downside, there were a lot of people that were constantly trying to sell things walking along the beach, and, yes, we understand this is how they make their living, but it was relentless. Wave after wave of people offering the same souvenirs and the only way to get away from this was to not sit on the beach. Overall, though, I would say Roatan’s West Bay Beach is totally worth checking out especially if you love to see marine life!

COSTA MAYA, MEXICO

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1E1LyDSn9yY

This was our third time to visit Costa Maya and, in our opinion, unless you have an excursion planned outside the port area, it really isn't worth getting off the ship. There are a few things to do in port like watching the high-flying locals put on a show in the middle of the plaza, shopping at the numerous shops, and even enjoying the massive pool the port has to offer. With this being our third time here we decided to just get off quickly and let the kids shop for a souvenir and then head back to the ship. This is a great port to enjoy the ship to yourself, such as the pools, zip-line, Flow Rider, or play a round of putt-putt golf, all without lines.

COZUMEL, MEXICO

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OFySTLD21oo

This is by far one of our favorite ports we have ever been to. We are glad it is always a stop when sailing out of Galveston and we usually end up at a great private resort called Nachi Cocom. The is an all-inclusive resort that is relatively secluded and less crowded compared to other resorts you can find in Cozumel. The water is crystal clear, some areas to snorkel to find marine life, large pool with a swim-up bar and a covered dining area if you don’t want to eat on the beach. This is the ultimate place to relax and really make you feel like you are on vacation. As many of you know, I do own a drone and Mexico recently passed a new law that doesn’t allow you to fly a drone anywhere in Mexico unless you are a Mexican Citizen and have a license to do so, no matter the size of drone. I did take my drone off the ship and got some amazing video of Nachi Cocom and the surrounding area but getting back on the ship, going through security became problematic. You have to place all your belongings through an x-ray scanner, and it, of course, detected I had a drone and within seconds there were four Mexican authorities asking me if I had a drone and if I flew it. My response was that I did obviously take it off the ship, but I never flew it. They did end up allowing me to take my drone back, but I would caution anyone who is thinking of taking their drone of the ship here, as you may get fined or even lose your drone if you are not careful.

ALLURE OF THE SEAS RECAP

Overall, we had an amazing time on Allure of the Seas Sailing out of Galveston but I’m not sure I would go out of my way to book this particular ship, let me explain. We have been on numerous Royal Carribean ships and even though this was an Oasis Class Ship, the ship was the most out-of-date compared to its sister ships. When you compare Allure to Harmony of the Seas, Harmony has so much more to offer. An example, is Allure is missing the Ultimate Abyss, Splashaway Bay, The Perfect Storm Water Slides and updated Golf Course. For us, these are some of the things we enjoy the most when cruising and Allure was missing all of them. This of course didn’t ruin our trip in anyway but when you have been on ships that have these amenities and then go on one that doesn’t, it feels like a downgrade. It’s kind of like having a balcony room and then getting an interior room on your next cruise.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Here are some of our Tips and Tricks when sailing on Royal Carribean.

  • Royal Carribean App!

    • 45 Days before you sail you can begin and complete the check-in process.

    • Stay awake until midnight the day check-in opens so you can select the earliest boarding time! Start your vacation as soon as possible.

    • Roughly 30 days before you sail you can then start reserving shows such as, Aqua Show, Ice Show and Musicals. Do this through the Royal website on a desktop, not the app.

  • Dining

    • For stress-free dining, select Traditional Dining Option compared to My Time Dining. Many nights the line for the My Time Dining Guest was extremely long. Our traditional dining time was at 5:00pm and it was perfect for us.

    • Check out the Windjammer, it is usually less crowded.

    • If you have a craving for pizza, go to Sorrento’s before 9pm. (less crowded)

  • Room

  • Ship

    • Pick a port to stay on the ship and enjoy all the amazing amenities without the lines!

    • Try the Central Park Cafe for Breakfast or Lunch, they have great sandwiches and fruit cups!

  • Departure

    • When getting off the ship, especially if you are getting picked up, make sure your ride is 5 minutes away or less. Getting off the ship was a super smooth process and only took us about 10 minutes to get off the ship, go through security, and collect our bags. We ended up waiting for our ride for about an hour outside and it was extremely hot outside when we were waiting for our ride, all because we thought debarking was going to take a lot longer.

Czech In With The Gskis .