I Try Out Royal Caribbeanās Allure of the Sea, One the First Oasis Class Ships
This is my experience on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
Royal Caribbeanās Oasis Class ships are my favorite because they are like full-service resorts at sea. But Allure of the Seas is a first-generation Oasis Class Ship built in 2010. She is missing some of the features of the newer ships. So, Is Allure of the Seas too outdated?
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If youāre new to my channel, welcome! Iām Darren from OrlandoParksGuy.com. One of the most frequently asked questions I get about Royal Caribbeanās Allure of the Seas is whether or not I think sheās too old.
Royal Caribbean is now up to the third generation in the Oasis Class with Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas which have a lot of improvements and offerings.
But having just sailed on Allure from Orlandoās Port Canaveral, I know firsthand what to expect and Iām sharing my standout moments with you.
When I walked onboard from the gangway, I was in the heart of the Royal Promenade, one of 7 neighborhoods on Allure. Neighborhoods are themed areas - similar to a theme park.
Royal Promenade
The Royal Promenade is the heart of Allure of the Seas with numerous shops, lounges, and entertainment. There are many pros and cons here. First, this is one of the areas of the ship where I got the sense that Allure was dated. The cobblestone and brick motif and earth-tone color pallet immediately jumped out at me making the ship feel old. Itās hard to imagine that weāre saying a ship from 2010 is already outdated but the newer ships have a modern and upscale decor - you donāt see the fake brickwork and cobblestone look.
As Iāve shared with you in other videos, Sorrentos is one of my favorite pizza restaurants and a staple on Royal Caribbean. Pizza in theme parks and tourist areas is usually unremarkable but this is great pizza. This is a thin-crust, New York-style pizza and you can have as much as you want - itās included in your cruise fare. I went in for a slice every time I walked by.
Guest Services is located here which was extremely busy on the first day and last night of the cruise. This is typical for any cruise ship that Iāve been on.
There were a lot of sidewalk sales throughout my cruise where I found elaborate displays of alcohol, jewelry, and watches at seemingly discounted prices. You really need to know your prices here. In most cases, these items cost the same no matter where you go. The watches appear to be at a savings of 30% off, but I found the same prices online. It seems the only real benefit was that I didnāt have to pay sales tax. But itās fun to look at nice watches and the salespeople were not there to high-pressure me.
One shop that I liked was the logo store. It has tons of Royal Caribbean and Allure of the Seas merchandise, much more than I have seen on ships. I usually buy a t-shirt from every ship Iāve been on and Allure had one of the largest selections Iāve ever seen, even more than newer ships.
I noticed right away that the Bionic Bar doesnāt exist on Allureās Royal Promenade. If youāre not familiar with the Bionic Bar itās a lounge where industrial robots make drinks to order. Cool to watch, but no one thinks of it as an actual bar. Allureās champagne and martini bar predates the Bionic Bar concept and I think itās much better. Itās a classy lounge and a place where people actually want to socialize. But this is about to change, Iāll reveal why at the end.
Cafe Promenade on Allure felt larger to me than other ships, and I think there was a lot more seating. This is one of my favorite places to go for coffee - this and the Park Cafe in the Central Park Neighborhood. Iām a morning person and tend to get up very early before the restaurants open. The Cafe is open 24 hrs so was able to get coffee early.
The Royal Promenade has other staples like an English pub that is one of the most popular bars on the ship. Itās very similar to the pubs on other Oasis ships. The same is true with Boleros, the Latin-inspired bar and dance club. Thereās the Next Cruise office where you can get a discount by booking your next cruise while onboard. The excursion desk and photo center are also available here. I think itās interesting that Allure still has the old photo binders even though they are no longer used. See, kids, in the old days you had to visit the photo center and flip through your binder of photos to select the ones you wanted to purchase. Today of course, this is done digitally on a touch screen.
The Rising Tide Bar travels from the Royal Promenade up to Central Park like a giant elevator. But this was the first time I saw the water feature actually working! This bar is located on all Oasis Class ships, but for some reason, the water was always turned off.
Central Park on Allure of the Seas
Oasis Class ships bring the outdoors in with Central Park, a revolutionary design in which the center of the ship opens to the sky and features lush, tropical grounds and dining.
I love the Central Park idea and Iām glad itās even on Icon of the Seas. There isnāt much going on here and thatās kind of the point. Itās a great escape from the cruise ship atmosphere.
I love the serene pathways, gardens, and canopy trees. I checked every plant and yes they are all real in case you are wondering.
A few days into my cruise, I realized there was a Coach store in Central Park.
Itās a little easy to miss because itās tucked away into a corner. I like this because it doesnāt make this area feel like a retail center, thatās what the Royal Promenade is for.
But Coach is an elegant store store with products for men and women and hereās a secret, they have a few Royal Caribbean exclusive items here, if you know where to look.
Central Park also has a collection of upscale dining like 150 Central Park, Chops Grille, and Vintages Wine Bar. You wonāt find Vintages on the newer ships so this is a step back in time for sure - and I thought that was pretty neat. Most evenings jazz trios and guitarists were playing in the garden to a small, intimate crowd.
The Central Park Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch.
They serve complimentary coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. Itās a great place to go for a light breakfast in particular and without all the crowds.
I just wish it was open in the evening because Central Park is a great place to hang out after dark when the gardens are all lit up.
The Boardwalk neighborhood is the family area on the Oasis Class fleet and Allures is fairly typical. One of my favorite things is that it still has Sabor Mexican Restaurant.
You wonāt find Sabor on the newer ships so again, itās like going back in time. It has an ala carte menu so itās easy to just grab a snack but this is not included in your cruise.
Enjoy this gem while you can because this space is about to change - again stay tuned to the end.
Boardwalk on Allure of the Seas
Other areas of the Boardwalk cater to family time so youāll see a carousel, which is free. But the ice cream shop and bakery called Cups and Scoops is not free.
They have cupcakes and several varieties of ice cream here, kids will love it. And speaking of kids, the Boardwalk also has Pinwheels a gift shop featuring toys and kids' clothes.
Pinwheels is connected to a whimsical candy store which is very popular with kids of all ages - including me.
Thereās a Rock Climbing Wall here for those ages 6+
I recommend that you check the cruise planner for operating times and that you arrive 15 minutes early.
A long line will form and youāll need time to fill out a waiver.
Remember to wear socks because the wall requires special rock climbing shoes.
The aqua theater is just like those on other Oasis Class ships.
Allureās show is similar to the others in that itās a Cirque-style show with acrobats and high dives.
I thought this was the best show on the ship and you can easily get your kids to watch without them complaining that itās boring.
For some reason, I wasnāt able to make a reservation for the show on the Royal Caribbean app prior to my cruise, but I stopped at the box office on Embarkation Day and was able to get my family tickets. Tickets are free.
Allure is a mega resort-style ship designed for families. And while itās great to have things to do as a family, thereās an adult-exclusive pool area known as the Solarium.
The Solarium
I got very spoiled with Wonder of the Seas because, on the newer ships, the Solarium is completely enclosed and climate-controlled. Allureās Solarium is shaded but open to the fresh air.
When this ship isnāt moving, it gets very hot in there.
But some passengers told me they prefer the fresh air solariums of the older ships because it feels like youāre outside rather than in a glass dome.
Inside the solarium is the Solarium Bistro.
This wasnāt for me but if youāre looking for a healthy, Mediterranean-style buffet, you might enjoy this one. Everything we tried here was very good - itās a lot of salads, yogurts, fresh fruit and that sort of thing.
I did notice that they do have a nice breakfast if you prefer healthy options and that there was hardly anyone here.
Kids must be age 16 or older to go in the pools but itās not to popular with teens.
There are pools and hot tubs here.
We would go in the late afternoon and have the entire solarium to ourselves. But during the day, the entire place was pretty crowded.
Pools on Allure of the Seas
If thereās one area where Allure of Seas is dated, itās the pool deck. Allure's three main pools are located on Deck 15, divided into several distinct pool areas: Main, Beach, and Sports, as well as an H2O Zone water play area for kids. I found that the majority of travelers without kids stick to the aft end of the ship in the Main Pool or the Solarium pool. Kids and families gravitate towards the Sports pool.
But I found it shocking that there are no water slides on Allure of the Seas. No one in 2010 had the foresight that people would want water slides on a mega resort-style cruise ship.
The pools were too crowded for me, there just wasnāt enough for a ship this size. By comparison, Symphony of the Seas has 4 pools, and that still wasnāt enough when I sailed on that ship. So you can imagine what the 3 pools were like.
Iām not a big fan of pools on cruise ships anyway. I Donāt know, I just feel like a bandaid is going to float to the top of the water and if that happens, there arenāt enough showers I could take just sayinā.
Sports Deck
The sports deck is behind the pools in the aft section of the ship.
Thereās a zip line where you fly over the Boardwalk neighborhood, a basketball court where young adults play all day, every day except for when pickleball classes are offered, and the Flow Rider surf simulator which is super popular with kids and young adults.
Flow Rider gets very busy and I had to sign a waiver for my son, so you should arrive early. Check the cruise planner for operating times.
As an Oasis Class ship, Allure is missing the Ultimate Abyss slide, which is a dry slide that runs from Deck 15 down to the boardwalk on Deck 6. So this could be a major disappointment to your kids if they have sailed on other Oasis ships before.
Entertainment Place
One area that I loved on Allure of the Seas was the Casino. Itās located in the Entertainment Place neighborhood. I love casinos on cruise ships and the casino on Allure of the Seas is one of the biggest and best.
Itās larger than some casinos in Las Vegas Iām sure. Smoking is allowed but there is a smoke-free side as well.
Iāve been on ships where I canāt find a place to play because the casino is too small. I would like to see a better selection of slots. They didnāt have a lot of popular games like Wheel of Fortune and so on.
During the day Studio B, also located in Entertainment Place, was opened for ice skating.
All abilities are welcome. There is no cost to skate but you do need to wear pants. I recommend getting tickets for the ice skating show offered in the evenings.
This is an extremely popular show. You can reserve this through your cruise planner or by visiting the box office.
On other Oasis Class ships, Studio B is sometimes converted into a laser tag arena but that is not offered by Allure, unfortunately.
The entertainment place is also home to an adult comedy club and the shipās main theater where they usually have a Broadway show playing. On my cruise, the show was Mama Mia! Personally, Iām not a big fan of shows so I skipped it, I went to the casino, but everyone I talked to onboard said it was great.
Rooms on Allure of the Seas
I loved our rooms on Allure of the Seas. We had 2 rooms booked, an Ocean View Balcony and a Central Park View Balcony. Both rooms felt pretty modern and on par with the newer Oasis ships but lacked USB charging ports.
I thought it was funny to see the 2010 clock radio / iPhone charging station still being used which is utterly useless today.
If you have a lot of phones etc, be prepared for only a few outlets in your room.
One of them is behind the bed so itās not easy to get to.
I recommend bringing a USB charging hub with you - but do not bring a power strip. They are not allowed on cruise ships.
This was my first time booking a Central Park balcony room and I have to say it was terrific.
Being that this was our second room, we saved a ton of money on it compared to booking another ocean-view balcony. It had a great view, especially at night.
We loved being able to have access to the outdoors from our room even though it wasnāt looking at the ocean.
I would have no problems booking a Central Park balcony again.
Our stateroom attendants were beyond attentive, a trademark of Royal Caribbean.
You can tell they take guest satisfaction very seriously which is one of the reasons why I like this cruise line so much.
Dining on Allure of the Seas
Allure has over 25 restaurants onboard, about half of which are complimentary. I rarely do specialty dining, Iām perfectly fine with the free options that come with my cruise and I really like the main dining room on Royal Caribbean ships.
I live in Orlando so I am surrounded by touristy restaurants like hibachi grills etc.
I donāt feel the need to do these onboard the ship but I know that many people find them fun. For me, I donāt have any problems with the main dining room.
As with most Royal Caribbean ships, there are 2 seatings: early and late, plus My Time Dining - where you can just show up and take any available table.
But what Royal Caribbean doesnāt tell you is that you will be in a long line waiting for a table to become available.
So I donāt recommend My Time at all but this is another show.
The main dining room is also open for breakfast.
Most people head to the buffet in the morning but hereās a secret, thereās hardly anyone in the main dining room for breakfast.
Sometimes there are themed nights.
On my cruise, there was a Caribbean Night and a White Night, where guests were encouraged to wear all-white outfits.
I donāt like white clothes so I just didnāt participate.
That was perfectly fine. Many others skipped the theme as well.
These themed nights are optional, which is something I love about Royal Caribbean.
But if you are worried that you might feel out of place, you could always visit Windjammers Buffet.
Windjammers is just awesome, no matter which Royal Caribbean ship youāre on. And while itās super crowded for breakfast, there is usually no one here for dinner. I found that Windjammers usually offers the same dinner menu as the Main Dining Room plus more options.
Earlier in the show, I mentioned there would be a big announcement and I think youāre going to like it. Starting in February 2025, Allure of the Seas will be undergoing a $100 million dollar renovation.
She will be drydocked through April 2025 so that doesnāt leave much time to blow 100 million dollars but I assume they have everything lined up and will just get to it.
Most notably she will be outfitted with an Ultimate Abyss slide (finally!), and sheāll have a Pesky Parrot Bar going where the Champagne Bar is on the Royal Promenade.
The Pesky Parrot made its debut on Utopia of the Seas.
There will be several updated restaurants - so Sabor will go away and become Playmakers Sports Bar, and she will be getting the much-needed water slides! She will also be getting laser tag she will get several more updates on the bars and lounges, plus an all-new teen club.
Now I didnāt get into the kids and teens clubs on Allure here because I have an entire video dedicated to that topic.
It has everything you need to know about taking kids and teens with you on Allure of the Seas, itās a must-see if you have kids.
You can join me over there by clicking on this video here.
Video: Allure of the Seas with Kids
Have questions about planning your Orlando vacation? I have answers! Contact me now to get more out of your vacation.
Since 2010, Darren has been making Orlando vacations easy! As an Orlando resident, he is able to provide insider, expert advice on Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Florida-based cruises.
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