Allure of the Seas Secrets

After you’ve sailed on the Allure a few times, you begin to uncover its secrets. You know—those places hardly anyone knows or those things hardly anyone does. Here are a few of what I’ve discovered:

Want something? Ask your room steward. We don’t like the liquid soap in the shower, so we asked our steward for soaps. But the very first thing we ask for is a thin blanket. Really, a duvet for the Caribbean?

Quiet on the breakfast menu. One too many loud and crowded breakfasts in Windjammer sent us looking for something better, and we found it in the Solarium. It’s the same food as the buffet, but scaled back. That’s a small price to pay for a nicer way to wake up in the morning. And, surprisingly, it serves until 11 am.

Leisurely lunch at sea. Sea days always find me in the main dining room for lunch. There’s an impressive “tutti” salad bar, where the crew assemble your greenery as you select from dozens of ingredients.

Think salad is for rabbits? There’s an extensive hot and cold buffet, and a mega dessert array. Or order from the menu. It’s not crowded or noisy and is a peaceful way to do a sea day. But note that it’s only in one dining room and only from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check your Cruise Compass for details.

Walk it off. A few hours later, we’ll be trying desperately to work it off on the walking/jogging track on Deck 5. It extends the full length of the ship; 2.4 laps make a mile. This has to be one of the least used areas of the ship—mostly you see the crew using it as a quick way to get from point A to B. An extra bonus of the track is that it takes you past the ship’s wake at the stern.

Look now, buy later. Don’t rush to buy gifts and souvenirs when you first get on the ship. If you wait a few days, much of it will go on sale. And speaking of sale…

Ten bucks buys a heck of a lot. Keep your eye out for the $10 sale. You won’t find Ming Dynasty vases or Cartier jewelry, but it’s fun picking through the junky jewelry, and colorful shawls and scarves just the same.

Looking for what $10 will get them

Then there’s Inches of Gold. This one is hard to spot—it’s a pop-up stall that shows up from time to time in the Promenade. You can buy gold and silver veneer (it’s over jeweler’s metal) necklaces and bracelets by the inch in a wide variety of designs. I have six or seven of them—they’re very durable. And if something does happen to one when you’re at home, bring it to the stand on your next cruise and they’ll fix it for you.

My time dining works. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a table—even on formal nights. And one secret we learned from a thread in the cruisecritic.com forums—we pick up a glass of wine during our Diamond happy hour (Crown and Anchor loyalty club) and bring it into the dining room or specialty restaurant. Wine with dinner without paying a cent!

What Allure secrets have you found? Drop us a line!