You could call this my last day and first day. Why, because this post is about transitioning between consecutive (or back to back) cruises. Frankly, I have no idea what time we arrived in Fort Lauderdale other than pre-dawn. MrsMJonTravel and I had elected the evening before to just get our butts out of bed and pack the next morning. All we needed to do was empty the storage drawers, safe, and bathroom. Cruise line personnel would move our hanging clothes to our new stateroom (14325) on Allure’s Boardwalk. We wanted to sample both neighborhoods so we started with a Central Park balcony for the first week, and moved to the Boardwalk balcony for week two. However, MrsMJonTravel and I are in agreement that this is our last back to back that will involve a stateroom change if at all possible. The hassle of packing up our belongings only to unpack again on the same ship just isn’t worth it. Frankly, if we were on any other ship, we wouldn’t, but the uniqueness of Allure’s neighborhood concept proved to “alluring” to pass up. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself)

We were instructed to leave our belongings in our original stateroom, so that’s what we did. And with that, we headed down to the lounge where we were told all back to back cruisers should meet at 9:45am. There were are large number of B2B cruisers…I’d imagine around 150, if not more, and I’m certain more challenging to manage than the 6 B2B cruisers participating in my last experience with this. That said, (and with full recognition that local customs policies may require a different process) this is the only wrinkle with Royal Caribbean in an otherwise impressive 8 days of managing large groups of people. My previous experience was that our room keys for the next cruise were delivered the evening prior to “transition day.” We were told to meet at a certain point, walked off the ship, presented our passports to customs, and walked back on the ship.

In this case, we were gathered, marched off the ship and seated together in a large holding area where our room keys were presented for the next cruise. Trouble was, they were in envelopes marked by stateroom number, and the room was so large, it was hard to hear the gentleman calling out numbers. Not to mention, I can’t fathom that 100 percent of our fellow cruisers had any idea what their next stateroom number even was. Then, one person received an envelope with someone else’s keys and it went down from there.

Call me lucky…I can hear pretty well, and there was no mix up with our keys, but to just watch someone go from sedate to irate in 3 seconds over a stupid plastic card that can easily be fixed boggles my mind. We finally got almost everyone’s keys passed out and were then marched to customs for presentation of our passports and “in transit” cards that were in the envelopes with our keys. Then we queued back up to get on the ship. There were 2 groups, one with room keys, and one without. Thankfully, they let the folks (including us) that had our keys proceed back on board. Ship personnel took our pictures as we entered and we were free. Thank goodness, because I don’t think I could’ve taken another minute of high key card drama. We were back on just before 11am. The whole thing from when we were finally led off the ship to getting back on was about 50 minutes….and that’s at least 35 minutes too long considering how easy getting through customs was. Note to RCL: Get the right keys in the right hands before you leave the ship, preferably, the night before. I know you can do it right, because you have before.

With that behind us, we could begin our next cruise. For that, we proceeded directly to Solarium Bistro for lunch, which started serving at 11:30am. We had about 30 minutes to spare so I used the time to get caught up on emails with my Verizon Mi-Fi instead of the ship’s pricey wi-fi service. For this cruise, we were expecting company, my in-laws as well as my best friend and his wife from North Carolina. Both arrived within minutes of each other and both reported only a 20 minute curb to cocktail process. Seriously, I think that’s phenomenal! My father in law did have his good cigar lighter confiscated by port security. He reported that they said only a “Bic” style lighter was allowed as his was a “torch.” Nice. I don’t think he would’ve minded had he not taken it on every other cruise he’s sailed on….so be warned if you have a fancy lighter. They will return it after the cruise.

After lunch, we toured around the ship a bit. The pool area, where we made fast friends with the bartenders, the Central Park and the Boardwalk. By then, it was 1pm, and our staterooms were available.  We made our way down one deck and found our luggage along with a personal note of thanks from our previous stateroom attendant, Evelyn. After unpacking, we made our way back up top for sail away.

The weather in Fort Lauderdale was not exactly fabulous for sail away, but we watched with interest as our big ship backed away from the pier, spun around and sailed out to sea. It was interesting to see people on shore waving as we departed Port Everglades for some fairly choppy seas. Our 220,000 ton ship was rockin’ a little bit as we headed out to open ocean….noticeably so.

Our dinner plans for the evening included something called “Rita’s Fiesta” at the ship’s Mexican style restaurant, Rita’s Cantina on the Boardwalk. Sail away day just happened to coincide with MrsMJonTravel’s birthday so we invited our guests to join us for the Fiesta. Offered on certain nights, for a price of $20 dollars, you get 3 cocktails and a multi-course Mexican dinner. It turned out to be an ideal spot to celebrate a birthday. The staff and the crowd were a lot of fun, and we had a really good time. I won’t talk about the dancing!

We had originally booked the aqua show, Oceanaria, for 9pm. But the lousy weather resulted in postponement of the show until Day 4 of our cruise. Seriously, with all the acrobatics involved, not to mention the fact that the show is outside in the Aqua Theater, you need seriously smooth seas and a stable ship. That simply wasn’t going to happen with the weather we had. Oh well….soon.

We wrapped our evening up with cocktails in The Rising Tide and exploration of the ship’s “Entertainment Place” which houses the casino, comedy club, jazz club, and dance club called Blaze. It was a great night and a great start to our cruise!

Well, the saddest day has arrived. Day 7 (Saturday), and the last day of our wonderful 7-night Western Caribbean cruise aboard Allure of the Seas. Oh wait! We’re on a back to back, so I’m not that sad! We’ve got another great cruise to go! OK, I’ll stop rubbing it in now.

Allure is at sea today as we make our way very slowly from Nassau to Port Everglades. Originally, this sea day was to be spent cruising from Cozumel to Port Everglades, but Hurricane Rina got in the way. As I think Nassau is only 90 miles or so from Fort Lauderdale, you might imagine we are not sailing very fast today at all. Anyways…here’s my favorite photo from our day in Nassau:

Allure's Crown and Anchor Blots Out Carnival - Sorry, I Couln't Help Myself!

Mrs MJonTravel slept in this morning and I went down to Allure’s very nicely equipped gym for a good workout. Lord knows I need it! Seven days of this does things to a man, ya’ know. After that, a quick trip to the first Starbucks at sea for my morning coffee and a bottle of water. I cannot understate the importance of staying hydrated on a cruise. All the food, booze and salt….. drink water!

I missed the Captain’s Corner at 10:30am, but did catch a little of it on TV. For those unfamiliar, Royal Caribbean usually hosts a Captain’s Corner on each cruise where the Captain and top officers are present. The Captain usually makes a gee-whiz presentation about the ship and then answers any questions. The most popular question for Captain Zini seems to be his age….which is 44 for those who are curious. The other is “Who’s driving the ship?” I learned the answer to that question on the bridge tour Thursday. The answer is: 2 very young people. I don’t know the total number, but there are several bridge officers on board who basically handle the navigating between ports while the Captain and Staff Captain (second in command) are on the bridge for navigating the ship in and out of port….and any other time when conditions warrant. In any event, the Captain’s Corner is a very interesting article for a wannabe sailor like myself and anyone else the least bit interested in engineering of the ship.

Mrs MJonTravel and I enjoyed lunch in Izumi, Allure’s Asian restaurant. We ordered 3 rolls, Salmon Lover’s, Rainbow, and Spicy Tuna. I would say that the Spicy Tuna was our favorite. The Rainbow was good, and Salmon Lover’s would have been were it not slightly over-sauced with some kind of mayonnaise based stuff that neither of us really cared for. Service, as usual, was impeccable.

After exploring the Royal Promenade shops, the Boardwalk, and the photo purchase adventure, we made our way to the Concierge Club where we are enjoying relative peace and quiet while I get this blog post started! Now I’ll finish the blog post at Solarium Bistro where MrsMJonTravel and I immediately ran for after rebounding the ship for the second half of our B2B (I’ll post about that separately).

We booked Blue Planet’s 5PM show on the last day of the cruise. Let me tell you now, if you are sailing on this ship, do NOT miss Blue Planet. It was phenomenal….and certainly the best show I’ve seen at sea (Chicago is in a class by itself). The choreography, the acrobatics, the music…it was just awesome! Here’s a teaser photo:

Waiting for Blue Planet to Begin

Last night, we elected to skip dinner in the main dining room and opt for the fantastic Tapas at Vintages instead. I did, however, drop by the dining room to deliver our gratuity envelopes and let our servers know we’d see them again in a day or 2. After that, it was off to Vintages. I don’t think I’ve mentioned just how great the Vintages on board Allure is. Seriously, the Tapas are wonderful!!! In my wrap up post on dining, I’ll mention some specifics.

I can’t say enough about how great this ship is. Here are a few pictures with more to come later. Heck…I’ve got another whole week of cruising to go!

Nighttime on the Boardwalk

The Last Towelie

The Boardwalk by Day

Day 6 (Friday) aboard Allure of the Seas arrived way too fast. Our cruise is officially winding down. But wait! We are on a back to back, so there’s another cruise yet to be savored! This week, it’s good to be Mr and Mrs MJonTravel!!!

Allure arrived Nassau at 10am, and for a brief moment, we considered getting off the ship to walk around Nassau. However, a brief stroll up to the pool deck put the kibosh on that option as we counted 3 other ships in port. By my public school educated math, Nassau’s population had just increased by roughly 15,000 people; all headed to the area between the dock and Senor Frogs. No thanks!

After an early lunch in the Windjammer, we made our way up to the pool deck where we found few crowds and plenty of chairs by the Beach Pool. Mrs MJonTravel read her book and I worked through several magazines that I’d collected in the last month but lacked the time to read. (Fortune, Money, Conde Nast Traveler, and Travel and Leisure just in case you’re curious. Now you know my primary interests in life!! J )

After several hours at the pool, we made our way to our stateroom to get ready for dinner in Samba Grill, Allure’s Brazilian steakhouse. By day, the space operates as the Solarium Bistro, one of our favorite ways of avoiding the Windjammer. By night, however, the Solarium Bistro is transformed into a Brazilian Churrascaria at sea.

My favorite thing about Samba Grill (aside from the wonderful service we received) was the salad bar. Very nicely done, and my favorite part of the meal actually. As I said, the service was great, but I found the quality of the meats served to be lacking. Please know that the meal wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to the expectations that had built up over the week in the other specialty dining venues. My favorite cut of meat was the filet, but even that didn’t seem great….merely good. I did not bring it up to the servers as I doubt there’s a lot they can do about it, but I will say it here. Samba Grill just didn’t measure up for meal quality, specifically, the quality of the meats served. I will say the chocolate dessert I enjoyed was excellent!

After our meal, we walked around a bit to let our food settle before winding up our evening at one of our favorite spots, Vintages Wine Bar, for a nightcap. A fitting end to another wonderful day aboard a ship that I am certain is about to be promoted to “MJonTravel most favored ship status,” Allure of the Seas.

Blogger’s Note: This post covers day 6 of 14 days aboard Allure of the Seas. At the completion of our back to back cruising adventure, I will summarize my thoughts in a final post, which will include links to each day’s blog, as well as many more photos and videos from the trip.

Day 5 (Thursday) aboard Allure of the Seas was spent at sea, cruising towards Nassau, Bahamas. Nassau was substituted for Cozumel due to the path of Hurricane Rina. I would have preferred Cozumel over Nassau, but this amazing ship offers so much to do, I didn’t really care.

We spent a little time by the pool, and I enjoyed a hot shave in the spa. Life is good. The highlight of the day was no doubt our tour of the navigational bridge. We had received an invite for our choice of behind the scenes tours earlier in the cruise, and I jumped at the chance to see the bridge. These tours are offered to suite guests as well as Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor program Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members, which is how we scored our invite.

The day before the tour, the official invite appeared in our stateroom instructing us to appear near the forward elevator lobby on the bridge deck at 3pm. We arrived 10 minutes early and there were already people waiting, including Royal Caribbean staff members who checked off our names and security scanned us for contraband. With that, we were off to the bridge.

A cadet officer showed us around the bridge and patiently explained the various instrument panels, levers, etc. Most notable to me was an absolute lack of switches, knobs, instruments, etc. Instead, the instrumentation followed a very “clean” concept I thought. Seriously, there are more buttons in the cockpit of a Saab 340 than there are on the bridge of the Allure of the Seas! Not taking away, just saying. It’s amazing how much technology is up there keeping the ship and me safe! No, I didn’t ask if I could drive! This was certainly a very impressive experience for me, and no doubt the highlight of Day 5!

Other than the bridge tour, Day 5 was spent relaxing. Following dinner in the dining room, we visited Boleros and one of my favorite spots, The Rising Tide Bar! Here are a couple of highlights of the day.

A Scene From Allure's Bridge

Another Scene From Allure's Bridge

Day 4 aboard the Allure of the Seas can be described as a day of firsts for me. It was my first visit to the new cruise port in Falmouth, Jamaica, and my first visit to the Good Hope Plantation. MrsMJonTravel and I booked a tour through Royal Caribbean called Good Hope on Your Own. We were provided transportation to and from the plantation, but allowed to tour at our own pace.

Our tour began at 11am, so we had a bit of leisure time in the morning so we had a light breakfast in the concierge lounge before heading ashore. There was a bit of a crowd getting off the ship, something we had not experienced the previous day in Labadee. I’m not certain what the issue was though I expect many more people had tours booked which departed at approximately the same time as opposed to just being able to stroll to the beach on your own time in Labadee. Nonetheless, we were off the ship soon enough. The port area in Falmouth has improved markedly over initial reports. Frankly, I was impressed with the construction of the shopping areas and expect that Falmouth very well could become a desirable stop. This was an impression that was even further developed as the day went on and we enjoyed our tour.

We arrived at the Good Hope welcome center in 20 to 30 minutes and were greeted by tour staff. Those that had guided tours were handled, and those of us like MrsMJonTravel and me were handed our maps and sent on our way. The plantation was quite beautiful, as you will see in my photos below. An added benefit of the self-guided walking tour was that it allowed us to get a good workout in for the day as some of the hills were enough to make you break a sweat!

After a few hours of touring we headed back to the welcome center for some refreshments (translation = Red Stripe Beer) before catching the bus back to the ship.

We had some time to stroll around the pier area, and check out the shopping. I was quite pleased with the pier area as I had heard many complaints on some of the cruising related internet boards that the port of Falmouth did not measure up. There is still ongoing construction to be sure, but I found the area nicely done, and staffed with helpful people who seemed to care that we were enjoying ourselves. MrsMJonTravel was also successful in getting a new band and battery for her Phillip Stein watch at the Phillip Stein store. I enjoyed another Red Stripe while we waited.

After returning to the ship we enjoyed a late lunch of Tappas at Vintages, which was phenomenal!

We capped our evening off with a delicious meal at the ship’s signature restaurant, 150 Central Park. 150 CP is meant to be a dining experience and it was. We enjoyed a 6 course meal culminating with the most wonderful venison of tasted. ($40 dollar per person seating fee)

One item of note. Our original itinerary called for spending Thursday at sea and arriving in Cozumel, Mexico, on Friday. Captain Zini announced on Wednesday that we would be unable to make Cozumel due to Hurricane Rita. So we will be spending Thursday at sea and calling on Nassau, Bahamas, Friday morning. Other than that, no wrinkles in what has been a wonderful cruise experience! And on Thursday, I get to tour the bridge! No, I’m not excited at all. HA!

A Water Wheel Along the Martha Brae

Trying Out the iPhone 4S Camera

View of the Jamaican Countryside from the Main House

Allure of the Seas Docked in Falmouth, Jamaica

Day 3 aboard Allure of the Seas includes our first port of call, Royal Caribbean’s private island paradise, Labadee, Haiti. This was our 3rd or 4th visit to Labadee, but our first since Royal Caribbean constructed a pier for the island. This is a huge improvement of the experience as tendering to shore can sometimes challenge one’s patience. Further, there is no way RCL could hope to tender 6,000 passengers on an Allure sized ship, so it only makes sense that they would build a pier here.

Labadee is mainly a beach visit with various activities such as snorkeling, parasailing, and jet skis available for cruisers to enjoy. There’s of course, the world famous Labadoozee to drink and no lack of beach chairs and floatee mats for lounging on the beach or in the water.

Royal Caribbean provides a barbeque lunch on the island for all guests. MrsMJonTravel and I elected to forgo the barbeque and just relax on the beach. A few beers and a Labadoozee later, we were ready to return to the ship in mid-Afternoon. We grabbed a quick snack in the Windjammer and headed to our room to rest and get ready for the evening of celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary.

Our evening began at Allure’s Champagne Bar with a bottle of Moet & Chandon and caviar, which the bar was providing to all guests who purchased a bottle of champagne. After that, it was off to a phenomenal dinner at Chop’s Grille.

We both ordered the 10oz filet mignon, accompanied by sides of broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes. The staff at Chops went out of their way to accommodate MrsMJonTravel’s aversion to gluten, dairy, and soy. In fact, they were aware of her food allergies before our arrival and the chef specially prepared sides for us. Our server, Charlon, was just simply awesome. In fact, I’m certain he has served us before on a different ship.

After a wonderful meal, we capped our evening with a couple glasses of wine at the Vintages Wine Bar on Central Park. Vintages is the one venue on board that we have visited each day of our cruise, and the wonderful staff just knows what we want without telling them. Three days on this marvelous ship and words still don’t do her justice. So here are a few images for you.

Allure of the Seas Docked in Labidee

A Beach Cove at Labadee

Allure of the Seas

Evening on the Royal Promenade

Evening in Central Park

Note: Posted on Day 3 due to internet issues.

Day 2 on Allure of the Seas can only be described as a day of exploration and getting to know this beautiful ship. I slept a little later than I’d planned. The curtains really block out the sunlight that’s already limited in our Central Park balcony stateroom. MrsMJonTravel and I started our day with breakfast in Allure’s nicely appointed Concierge Club. Continental options are available on a small buffet, and a hot breakfast can be ordered from the menu. I went with a ham and cheese omelet and a double espresso. I love espresso coffee! We also watched a very brave person zip line across the ship while we were enjoying breakfast.

Ziplining 9 Decks Above Allure's Boardwalk

After breakfast, we sauntered around the Boardwalk, and MrsMJonTravel took a spin on the carousel! There was a little shopping, a little trivia, and a big Venti Bold from Starbucks for yours truly! There was a Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle in Dazzles at 10:30am. I hadn’t even noticed, but the invitations left in our room listed Tuesday as the day for the event, and not Monday as originally announced by Royal Caribbean. I’m sure the incorrect date cut into attendance at the party as it was fairly lightly attended. After that, we were off to the Royal Promenade for the “Move It Move It” Dreamworks parade. Unfortunately, we were a little late and unable to snag a good viewing spot. Nonetheless, here’s my attempt at a photo. My apologies for the quality.

A Glimpse of the Dreamworks Parade

Around noon I headed over to the Vitality Spa for my (as MrsMJonTravel calls it) man facial. OK…it was a shave of both the face and my head. Yes, bald really is beautiful as long as I’m wearing it. Ha! There was some pool time by the Beach Pool followed by a late lunch at the Solarium Café, a very nice spot for lunch that had decent food and none of the craziness of the Windjammer. If you couldn’t tell, the crowds in Windjammer can get on my nerves. Ha!

Our late lunch was followed by a trip to Vintages for wine flights. Hey….we know how to get an evening started early! The crew at Vintages has been extremely friendly and helpful. It’s a very quiet spot on Central Park and is easily one of my favorite spots on the ship. (More on the Rising Tide Bar in another post!)

Central Park

Well, it will soon be time to get ready for dinner. Tonight is formal night, and much to my chagrin, I’m putting on a suit. I used to drag my tuxedo with me, and seriously considered bringing it this time. However, it’s just a tiny bit snug, and I insist on being comfortable on vacation so I’ll be strolling around tonight in a basic business suit. Maybe next time on the tux. Oh, who am I kidding. I’ve got 13 more nights of cruising to go! I might rent one on board!

I’ve tried just about every mileage program “aggregator” known to man, and a few more than that. Most of them offered one or two things I liked and several things I would have done differently. However, I’ve finally found one I really love, Award Wallet. Award Wallet offers a clean and simple presentation of your points balances, and elite status levels for your program and alliance. Award Wallet is free for the basic level, but I gladly donate money to get the expanded service which includes tracking of your expiration dates. Award Wallet is capable of tracking your travel plans, but I use TripIt Pro for that and focus solely on points tracking for myself and MrsMJonTravel. I added her programs to the account after we mistakenly let 10,000 US Dividend Miles evaporate from her account.

Award Wallet now offers a handy little service called OneCard. OneCard is the size of a credit card, and lists each of your program account numbers (up to 30) and contact phone numbers. I think that’s a pretty nifty thing to have in your travel wallet and will be ordering mine soon. Historically, I’ve maintained my program account numbers in my Outlook notepad, and will continue to keep that list. But having a OneCard in my travel wallet makes sense to me.

With so many good things to say about Award Wallet, I have to admit I was a little bothered when I read in The Wall Street Journal recently that American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are making an effort to disallow Award Wallet and other aggregator sites from displaying their content. I speak from experience when I say airlines can be control freaks, so I’m not surprised that they are a little touchy on this subject. That said, I hope they peek through the trees and the forest on this and see the light. Frequent fliers value the services that the folks at Award Wallet provide, and airlines could be stepping on it if they overdo it with their control issues on this subject.

Somehow, OMG just doesn’t seem emphatic enough. Seriously, I’ve never seen anything like this, and I have no doubt that 14 nights on Allure will not do her justice. Simply put, this ship is a marvel of engineering, and I can’t wait to sail. We arrived at Port Everglades Terminal 18 just after 11am, and Allure was already boarding. The terminal, built especially for Allure, is like the ship in that it’s big…expansive even. Obviously built to handle a crowd, we dropped our bags, and headed inside. There are multiple security lanes and multiple check in desks. Curbside to cocktail time this cruise: 25 minutes. Not half bad for a ship with 6,000 guests.

MrsMJonTravel and I lunched at Rita’s Cantina. The restaurant is an up charge dining option, but believe me, it was worth the price of not dealing with the nutty first day crowds at the Windjammer buffet. We both got fish tacos, which were excellent. MrsMJonTravel also got the black bean soup which she let me sample. The soup was phenomenal! I won’t talk about the pomegranate margarita we shared…..but will include a picture!

A Cocktail Built For Two!

I may update this post with more details after sail away or add my thoughts to tomorrow’s post. In the meantime, here are some photos from the day. I hope you enjoy. Each of these was taken with my iPhone 4S. Let me know what you think of the quality. I’ll have many more photos to share over the next 2 weeks.

Allure From the Highway

Allure's Royal Promenade

Looking Up From The Boardwalk

Another Royal Promenade Shot

Vitality Spa Cafe

Central Park Aboard Allure of the Seas

Allure's Golf Course With Crown Loft Suites in the Background

Good morning from the beautiful W Fort Lauderdale, where we arrived last night to find a thumping bar and lobby scene. We were upgraded to a “Mega Room” and the name fits the bill. While not a suite, the room is enormous. The bath area is larger than my first apartment! The first class snack basket on US Airways didn’t quite measure up for dinner, so we arrived famished. Whatever-Whenever hooked me up with a reservation at Steak 954 at 9:45pm last night. Dinner was excellent!

The car is picking us up at 10:45am for transportation to the beautiful Allure of the Seas, which I suppose is a “mega ship!” I’ll be blogging throughout our 2-week adventure aboard the world’s largest cruise ship.

The bags are packed, the upgrades have cleared (that’s 5 out of 8 or a 63 percent success rate since starting Trial Silver Preferred for those of you keeping score), and MrsMJonTravel and I are ready to fly to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow afternoon. We’ll be spending the evening at the W Fort Lauderdale before sailing away for 2 weeks worth of back to back (we’ll be doing the 7 night western Caribbean cruise followed by the 7 night eastern Caribbean) cruises aboard the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas!

If hanging out with 6,000 of your new best friends (and 2,500 crew) doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, be sure to read the blog and see how it goes for me. I’ll be sharing all the details right here, and maybe a quick review of the W Fort Lauderdale before I go too! I’ve had these cruises booked for about a year, and can’t wait to see the ship.