Family Cruise aboard Allure of the Seas
Owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Allure of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship commissioned and built in Finland.After cruising her sister ship Oasis of the Seas that offered family friendly amenities we decided to spend a Thanksgiving vacation onboard.
What Makes It Family Worthy?
Traveling on cruise ships is an affordable and stress-free way to plan a family vacation. With the vast selection of activities available onboard the ship’s various neighborhoods, travelers are sure to stay entertained throughout the entire voyage.
Fellow Travelers
This ship mainly hosts families, but younger to middle-aged couples are also well represented.
Amenities
From the Windjammer Buffet, Johnny Rockets and Sorrento to specialty restaurants Chops, Izumi, Samba and 150 Central Park the dining possibilities onboard are close to endless. So, we felt we just had to try all the different venues and compare them. By far, our favorites were 150 Central Park (our kids still remember the salts) and Rita’s Cantina for the ambiance.
The activities on this ship are a vacationer’s dream. Both our sons couldn’t get enough of the FlowRider, ziplining, rock climbing and yes, that wooden carousel.
A second best were the cupcake classes which were a bit pricey at 224 a person and a daily stroll through the Britto store.
Moreover, we found the afternoon and nightly shows fun; the highlight was attending a performance of the musical Chicago.
And if all these activities were not enough, the Dreamworks character breakfast and parades totally charmed our son with autism.
In fact, he sought out all the Dreamworks activities on the daily planner and made sure he didn’t miss any of them!
Décor
Brightly hued, modern décor can be found throughout the Allure. The corridor we stayed on was decorated in yellow and had varicolored carpeting on the floors. Our cabins were done up in shades of blue and turquoise. The blue and yellow accents in our bathrooms did much to help enliven what typically are the blandest spaces in most cruise ship accommodations.
Our adjoining cabins
We stayed in connecting cabins 151 and 153 on deck ten. As is the case with most cruise ships, the safety practices for the vessel were prominently displayed on the back of the doors. There was a master light switch near both entryways which made it easy to turn the lights on and off as we either came into the room or departed from it.
Our beds had plentiful pillows and the usual white bedding, but the included blue throws which added a note of color. There were two small wooden nightstands at either side of the beds and round mirrors above the sitting areas. Both closets included the usual amenities, such as built-in wooden hangers, and a cabinet that also housed the in-room safe.
The sitting areas had large couches, coffee tables, and waste baskets. Directly across from the spaces, there were work desks and chairs. On top of each desk were a small clock and a large flat screen television with a storage rack above.
Underneath each desk was a well-stocked mini fridge. Travelers who wanted to use the fridge for their purposes, like storing leftovers or medicines, needed to ask the staff to remove the mini bar contents first to avoid additional charges.
Furthermore, both cabins had some readily available outlets that made charging our electronics a breeze.
There was also a full-length mirror in each room just outside the bathroom so that we could check our outfits before leaving the cabin.
The Bathroom
Our bathrooms contained a sizeable shower pod with a frosted enclosure door that slid closed. The shower area featured a shampoo dispenser, a shelf for the soap, and hooks to hang up towels or swimsuits. There was a large drain in the shower as well as another underneath the toilet that served to remove excess water and keep the bathroom floor dry.
For furniture, the bathroom boasted a large, open wooden cabinet capable of holding our personal supplies. Additional hooks for holding towels and wet clothes were present on both the bathroom wall and door. 
Overall the bathroom layout was suitable though I felt the bathroom could have used an additional lighting fixture in the shower area. Also, wider counters and extra shelving would have helped improve the bathrooms functionality.
Autism Travel Tips
- Travelers can use the showerhead as a handheld device if that proves necessary.
- Those who require bath mats for additional traction will need to bring their own
- Royal Caribbean is known for accommodating passengers with autism and other special needs. Therefore, we called ahead of time to let the cruise line know what our son needed and were not disappointed.
- We found the ship’s staff accommodating and helpful at all the venues. So we take the opportunity to mention to the cupcake class instructor who sat with our son and helped him get that puppy look that he was trying hard to create with the cream.
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