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Boardwalk. Located on Deck 6, contains the major activity area at the stern of the ship. Included in this area are eateries including Boardwalk Donuts, Johnny Rockets, Boardwalk Doghouse, Ice Cream Parlor, and Rita's Cantina. The Carousel, rock climbing wall, and Aqua Theater are the major entertainment areas. Central Park. A quiet and tranquil area on Deck 8, has Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Park Cafe, Giovanni's Table, and Vintages. Also here you will find a Coach store and Britto Gallery. This area also has the upper boarding area for the Raising Tide Bar. There are also literally thousands of live plants in this area, including a live plant wall. A staff horticulturist maintains the health of the plants. The area is quiet almost all the time, and you can relax on a park bench and read a book if you wish. It is a real departure from the glitzy Las Vegas mood in other areas of the ship, and great for those that do not like that atmosphere. This ship has a bit of everything for everyone. An electronic cricket and bird chirps can be heard throughout the park. Royal Promenade. Similar to the Freedom and Voyager class ships, the Allure includes a Royal Promenade on Deck 5. However this promenade has skylights to bring in bright sunlight into the area, which gives it an extra appeal. Here you will find Starbuck's Coffee, Sorrento's Pizza, Cafe Promenade, and the Cupcake Cupboard, where you can get a gourmet cupcake. Other areas on the Promenade include shops typical of the Freedom and Voyager class ships. Forward of the Promenade is the 3rd level of the Amber Theater. Rising Tide Bar. A unique feature on the Oasis class ships (Oasis and Allure) is the Rising Tide Bar. It is a football-shaped capsule containing a bar that is essentially an elevator that rises and lowers once every 15 minutes or so... long enough to order your favorite beverage. The actual time it takes to tranverse from the Royal Promenade to Central Park is only a couple of minutes, but it stays at each location for around 15 minutes. Aqua Theater. An outdoor-amphitheater style space has both water shows and other kinds of entertainment. The stage of the amphitheater can raise or lower depending on whether a water or non-water show is being performed. During the water shows, high-diver performers sometimes plunge some 50ft from a high dive tower into the water. Belly Flop contests and scuba classes are usually also done here. Sports Deck. With two FlowRiders, a minature golf range, two enclosed table tennis areas, basketball court, and a zip-line, there is almost no end to the fun you can have during sea days. Pools and Hot Tubs. Pools consist of a kid's pool area called H2O Zone, a Sports Pool, the Main Pool, a Beach Pool, and the Solarium Pool. If you count the Aqua Theater, that marks 6 pools. Since pool activities such as the Belly Flop contest are conducted at the Aqua Pool, there is no interruption of your use of the other pools as there are on other ships. Some of the pools are fresh water, and some are salt water. One of the pools we liked the best was the Beach Pool, where one side of the pool sloped into the water, so with the rocking of the ship, it gave the effect of waves coming ashore. You could get your feet wet while sitting in a deck chair. Solarium. As is typical of other Royal Caribbean ships, the Solarium is an adult's only area, and has a fresh water pool, two hot tubs, and seating areas. Unique to the Oasis class ships is the layout of the Solarium; it is two decks high, and also features the Soliarium Bistro, which becomes the Samba Grill at night. Entertainment Deck. Located on Deck 4, includes the Comedy Club, Jazz on 4 (jazz club), Studio B (Ice Rink), and Casino Royale. The ship is so huge that the Casino has both smoking and non-smoking areas. Youth Activities. This ship has extensive areas just for kids. Including the H2O Zone water park, a Video Arcade, "The Living Room", and Adventure Ocean, there is many activities geared just for children. And with DreamWorks characters running all over the ship (Shrek, Fionia, Penguins, and other characters), it would seem to me that children would be quite well entertained. As my children are grown adults, I cannot provide a lot of detail here, but the venues seemed quite extensive. Technology. Computer technology abounds on this ship, from the info centers to WiFi hotspots. One item that I was interested in is how they handle the photos from the photo shop. On other ships, when you get photographed, you have to find your photo from the literally thousands of photographs on display in the photo area. With the Allure (and presumably the Oasis), portfolio binders contain all of your photos. So how do they know what binder to put your photos in? Face recognition software!
What I didn't like. Although this ship is incredible, there is one item I disliked, and that is the forward view. The Solarium offers the best forward view, but it is completely enclosed. You can access a Sun Deck below the Solarium, but you have to enter through the port side stateroom hallway on Deck 14. It took us a few days to find that entrance. There is also a Sun deck on Deck 17 that gives you a forward view, but it is only available to passengers that have booked Suites. I am a bit disappointed that some areas of the ship are blocked off for Suite guests only, but I suppose for the amount of money a Suite costs, there has to be some advantage. Unfortunately, the Suite-Only area is one of the best areas for viewing the ocean on the forward part of the ship. Overall Experience. This was certainly a memorable cruise, and the ship was magnificant. It is literally hard to see or do everything on board in a week. If this ship doesn't hook you on cruising, I don't know what will.
Allure of the Seas WebCam
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