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!

Catch ‘Em While You Can

Once you’ve been on a cruise or two or three, you start looking for the little treats you’ve come to expect onboard that you don’t often find on shore. Some are well advertised but for others, you need a keen eye to find. Here are a few that fall in both camps:
 
The daily drink. The ships usually have one tropical drink a day at a reduced price. You can find it in the ship’s newsletter, or sometimes on display at bars or tables at the buffet. Some recent ones from Allure of the Seas, all $6.75 and you can keep the glass: Bahama Mama; Paradise Punch; Red, White & Blue; Pirate’s Hurricane; and Caribbean Tea.
 
Dress better, eat better. If you have any meal in the main dining room, let it be on formal night. Because that’s when you’ll find filet mignon, lobster and the MDR’s best meals. On a seven-day trip, they’re typically the second and fifth night. Check the newsletter to make sure.
 

Dazzle by the inch. The chains-by-the-inch vendor seems to be a staple on many ships. I bought a bracelet on Celebrity’s Constellation and had its clasp changed on the Caribbean Princess. The gold- and silver-plated chains come in many styles, are pretty and durable, the prices are reasonable (starts at $1 an inch) and of course, the best part is you can have them sized exactly the way you want.
 
Unfortunately, where and when the vendor shows up is not often advertised. He or she will pop up once or twice a cruise for about an hour in a common area, such as a hallway or outside the buffet. You can try asking Guest Relations, but if that fails, you’ll just need to luck out and stumble on it.
 

The $10 crush. What does $10 buy you these days? A lot, when you catch these floating sales. They tend to be advertised in the ship newsletter, but only last an hour or two, so you’ll need to plan around them. Few warnings: they’re popular and can get crowded. If the ship hosts it in a small area, be prepared to compete with your fellow passengers. (Any Bostonians? Think Filenes’ “Running of the Brides.”)

Also, as you would imagine, you get what you pay for. The jewelry, scarves, purses and such are not the highest quality. But can fill a quick need or serve as a souvenir.
 

Sidewalk sales. The ship stores have regular sales outside the shops, with the best ones occurring toward the end of the trip. Again, the newsletter will let you know when and where they are. Some examples from the Allure: up to 75 percent off sale of Citizen, Bulova, Gucci, Movado and Fossil watches; 40 percent off Sophia Fiori and Effy  jewelry; Tag Heuer watch sale; and Royal Caribbean logo items.
 
Hook it and book it now. One of the best deals are the ones for future cruises. Many of the ships let you book the next one while you’re still onboard and entice you to do so with lower deposits and shipboard credits. They also give you the option of applying the low deposit and cruise credits toward some trip you plan in the future. 

The one or two sales folks on the ship have scheduled hours and as you might guess, as the cruise winds down, they get that much busier, so plan accordingly. It’ll be worth your while—what better way to end a cruise than knowing you’ve got another already lined up?