Not an expert, so others will hopefully answer your questions.

I'm not sure this applies to you but you should look into additional add ons that can be costly.

My SIL just cancelled a cruise that seemed like a fantastic deal. Then, as they were figuring out the itinerary, added to the expense of flying to the boarding dock, it became too costly for her budget.

I've never been on the Allure, but when I went on a cruise I found cruisecritic.com to be full of info, especially the forum for the particular line I was going on. As far as cabins go, generally the higher decks are better. Also, see the following link for a review of the Allure. From this page follow on to "Deck Plans". There you can look at the deck plans for each deck and there are individual reviews of particular cabins.

Here is a link that might be useful: Allure link

Thank you so much, peacamp. I have looked at those sites, tripadvispr and yelp, too. I was hoping for first hand info on this ship, and large ships in general.

Never been on this ship. I have been on other large ships. In hindsight, I did not enjoy the cruise as much due to the large number of people. When in port, it is a large crowd all trying to do the same thing at the same time. That is just me.

If you have never cruised, the choice of cabins can be overwhelming. I don't know where you are going or when it will happen, but you need to keep in mind some physics.

Imagine a playground teeter thing...the closer to the center the less movement, right? You get to the ends, and there is a lot of up and down. The same on a ship. As close as possible to the center will get less movement during the time you want to be sleeping. The higher up you are, the more movement will be felt. Thus, the point with the least motion is low and toward the center.

I have cruised 28 times. I don't really spend a lot of time in my cabin. Thus, the size is not as important as location. I am there to change clothes and sleep. Claustrophobia can be managed by having a cabin with a window. Skip the inside unless you want to sleep a lot, no daylight has you losing a sense of time.

For a 7-day cruise, the up-charge to have a balcony is not a significant advantage. Save your money for some time when you will really enjoy the experience of a balcony (Alaska and Panama Canal). You will be able to see lots from the open decks.

This ship will have a huge shopping mall. Personally, I believe that the prices on the ship are way too high, I would prefer to buy souvenirs on shore. There will also be many venues for entertainment, try something and see if it is to your liking. No real obligation to see a show that isn't really your thing. Lots of bars and lounges to goof off and spend some time.

One of the appeals of being on Cruise Critic is that there is a roll call that will have all the other folks on your cruise getting to be friendly prior to sail away. Often there will be a get together on the first sea day to put faces with names. I have a cruise scheduled for next fall (October, 2015) and our roll call has more than 1500 messages. We are friends before we have met those folks.

I am old-fashioned and use a travel agent. Some folks prefer to book directly with the cruise line. The advantage of working with a travel agent is that you can ask questions and get un-biased answers. If you speak with a cruise line employee, they might not be as honest and forthright with their answers. Besides, using a travel agent gets a working person a small commission.

Ask more questions, I'll answer as promptly as possible.

Jim

Jim, thank you!
We will be traveling as an extended family, and this Caribbean
Big Ship cruise was chosen with the kids in mind...which is great, but I 'm put off by reviewers accounts of the wall of people. It sounds like Disneyland in July. We take the grands there, but never during school vacations. I despise huge crowds. Please give me reasons to get excited. We may have no choice .

I will guess that you will be sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on a weekend. I don't know where you will be coming from; if the west coast, don't do the red eye. It will cost a bit more, but arrive one day early and spent the night getting excited in a local hotel. Lots of good ones and some that are expensive.

Arrival shouldn't be too much of a problem. You have two choices to leave the airport. We prefer a taxi as there are just the two of us. You can get between the airport and pier for about $20 (including tip). That is the best way to get back to the airport when the cruise is completed. Alternately, the cruise line will offer to sell you a transfer on one of their big charter buses. You gotta wait until all seats are filled and they charge way too much (compared to the convenience and cost of a taxi). The mess at the airport after the cruise can be awful. Generally there will be several ships all changing passengers and most will want to get to the airport early. The lines at Ft. Lauderdale and Miami can be horrible. If you have an option fly out after 1:00.

If you work it right, you will see the kids early in the day and then dinner or later. There will be many organized activities created by the staff - all wonderful.

Your mission - should you decide to accept it - is to relax. That can be accomplished easily. If you are a knitter, take your stuff with you. You'll find a spot and get a lot done. If you are a reader, there generally a decent assortment of books on board. Or, take your own and leave them when you disembark.

If you want to soak up some rays, there are situations that you need to consider. Most ships of this size will have lots and lots of people who want to just park themselves outside and that is that. However, there are 'chair hogs', the folks who put a towel on a chair at 7 a.m. and then come back after 10. Then they eat lunch about noon and then return about 2! They expect that 'their' chair will be waiting for them! And yet they will be using it for only a few hours.

A similar situation will develop in the show lounge in the evening. Someone from a family will 'reserve' the chairs and no one will be able to sit there. Many times the chairs that have been 'saved' are not used because the folks are having too much fun somewhere else on the ship. Both of these situations are rotten and they happen more on the larger ships. (Since we retired last year, we have been on the smaller ships - about 1200 passengers and that saving situation is not an issue.)

Food! It is there, but no one will force you to eat it. Take your time, think about what you are doing and you will come out OK. When my father began cruising in the 70s, he looked forward to adding a pound a day. Later, he backed off to a pound every third day; he figured he paid for it why not eat it!

Excitement? Anticipation? Both are part of the cruise experience. At the other end, is the feeling one often gets when the cruise is over. A big-time back to the routine mind set.

Going on a cruise with extended family often seems restricting. You feel that you have to spend all your time with the family. DON'T DO IT! Grab some 'me' time and enjoy the experience. You will see the family enough, you don't need to be with them 18 hours a day!

Plan some excursions, what you want to do, not what others want to do. The cruise lines are in the business of making money and they offer some nice excursions on shore; however they mark them up and do quite well that way. Do some detective work on your own and search out the what-to-do things at each port. Cruise Critic is a good resource for that as there are categories for ports of call and lots and lots of folks post questions and get good answers from others who have been there and done that. Cruise Critic is a good site, check it out. You will find a lot of good information about each port.

I learned a long time ago to take ratty clothes with me. I'll wear them and leave them. The space that they took up in the luggage is now available for souvenirs! Be sure to get something for the person who will be watching your house while you are gone. Nothing fancy, but it shows that you were thinking of them while your are out on a cruise!

If you really have a large group, have one person make the reservations. Many cruise lines will allow a significant price break when you book X number of cabins. You gotta ask for it, they won't offer it out of the kindness of their hearts.

Ask me more questions! I love to do this stuff.

Jim

How soon IS this cruise? I ask because you are saying you need to book very soon, so it makes me wonder why the rush????

A few important rules about a cruise....
Never pay anywhere NEAR brochure price.
The smaller the ship, the smaller the lines. And vice-versa.
Be on time for dinner. If told you eat at 6, be at your table at 6, not 6:15
Your bill at the end...or I should say, the RECEIPT they will give you, will be more than you figured.

Agree with all jim's advice except his recommendation to take ratty clothes, but then, he's a guy :-). Take only cute outfits you look good and feel comfortable in, and don't make the mistake so many do of buying all or mostly new clothing for the cruise....well, u less you need to go shopping anyway!

DH and I are not cruisers, although we have been on a couple for various reasonws other than our own choice. One was his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, when they and DH and sibs and their kids went on a cruise to Alaska. Our children were all in their summer camps (their preferred homes once school was out for the year) so DH and I were the only ones without kids and we had a fantastic time. We booked a larger cabin with a lovely balcony, slept in, read books, walked,the deck, and went on many fabulous shore excursions that I booked myself at a huge cost savings over booking through the ship----seaplanes and vespas and dogsleds and helicopters. Despite all that activity it was one of the most relaxing vacations ever....both of us put the patch on for seasickness before we even left the dock and were fine, even through a very rough night. So even though we weren't that keen on going initially we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Good luck and have fun, and do try to get an Rx for the patch before,you leave!

I have only been on one giant cruise ship-for my parent's 50th anniversary where they took all their kids and grands. I have been on other cruises on small ships, and will never go on another big one! Every cruise ship I have been on has been cold, so be sure to take layers and a nice sweater to wear on the ship. Have a great time!

I'll second the suggestion to visit www.cruisecritic.com
Great site loaded with useful information. We have taken 10 cruises, all but 3 I have booked myself. You can check prices on ncl.com or go to cruise.com, but as has been said, never pay full brochure price!

You all are...again...the bomb! :) Not confirmed we're going, but closer to a yes. I'll be sure to post again if we do. Regardless...thank you! So much!

I also highly recommend CruiseCritic.com. When we took our 7-day Caribbean cruise, this site saved me so much time, stress and money. I found out the best cabins on our particular ship; what to buy and where . . . and what was not worth the time or money. I found out the best times to eat, and where. The best shows and seats and the ones to skip. What to pack and what to leave home. I found out that we could save ourselves money and hassles by not booking one of the cruise 's island tours, but to hire a private (all licensed ) tour guide and car that can be found hailing folks as you disembark the ship on the various islands. No reservations needed. Great move! Instead of driving around with many more passengers on one of the open-air cruise cars, stopping where they wanted to stop, shopping where they wanted to shop, we had a private, air-conditioned minivan and driver that went where and when we wanted and stopped for however long we chose.
DH is still not a cruise-lover, but CruiseCritic made our trip so much more enjoyable.
BTW, I booked two adjoining (via their balconies) rooms for us and our two kids and we were very happy with them. I would have been claustrophobic in one without the large patio door wall and private balcony. DH spent a lot of time out there reading and watching the water, etc. As I mentioned, he was not enthralled with the crowds onboard, the crowded ship's pools or the midnight buffets. Neither was I, but I did enjoy the rest of it and especially, our private tours on each island. Next cruise for us will be a river cruise in Europe, though.
Lynn

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This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 20:17

Thanks so much, Lynne. It is a good site. I ve gained lots of info, but staying away now until we learn if we re going to go.
Looks like there wasn't an ASAP need after all. I'm still not overly enthused, but would love the Europe river cruise.