Allure of the Seas has recently been looked at as the “red-headed stepchild” of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class due to the lack of new Oasis Class features onboard such as Playmakers Sports Bar, Waterslides, and much more, but the truth is that this ship offered remarkable value to the Florida market prior to her recent dry dock which is currently underway as of March 2025.
I recently won a “free cruise” (Casino Royale participants know these aren’t exactly free) and decided to invite some friends for a 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day at CocoCay sailing this past January. As a massive fan of the Oasis Class, with over 10 cruises under my belt — including a previous sailing on Allure in 2018 — I was excited to revisit this ship.
Embarkation
After an early morning adventure to capture some drone shots of Allure, we called an Uber to the port and boarded the ship within 30 minutes. Our first stop was the pub, where we grabbed our first drink (Stout Espresso Martinis) and then we quickly began exploring the ship.
With drinks in hand, our first stop was Central Park. If you haven’t been on the Oasis Class, Central Park features over 10,000 plants and trees and is one of the most serene spots you’ll find on a cruise ship. Since we skipped breakfast, we were ready to eat and there was no way we were passing up the famous Kummelweck Roast Beef Sandwiches from Park Cafe (a complimentary dining venue in Central Park).
After lunch, we continued touring the ship until it was time to drop our bags off and check out our stateroom.
Room Review
After lunch, we continued touring the ship until it was time to drop our bags off and check out our stateroom. Because the free casino offer was for an Interior stateroom, we upgraded our room to a Boardwalk Balcony stateroom to accommodate our group of three.
I’ve always stayed clear of booking interior balcony rooms on the Oasis Class because I was afraid the balcony would lack privacy or the room would be loud from overlooking public areas, but I can honestly say that this room was perfect for what we needed. Because this was prior to the dry dock, we had a clear view of the ocean behind the Aqua Theatre, and below us we had the boardwalk for some great people watching!
In terms of the room overall, we were shocked at the amount of storage available for the 3 of us, and were super pleased with the layout having a third guest on the couch rather than a pullman bed.
Nassau (Friday)
The next day we arrived at Nassau, and to be honest we truly didn’t have much planned for this day. All of us have been to Nassau before, and none of the excursions intrigued us, so we ultimately decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the onboard activities while in port.
After a delicious breakfast at Johnny Rockets (included in the cruise fare), we spent most of the day playing ping pong, corn hole, surfing on the flowrider, and laying out in the Solarium. We did a late lunch in the Windjammer buffet, which was great because most guests had already finished lunch and we almost had the place to ourselves!
Hideaway Beach Club – CocoCay (Saturday)
Sunday was our “Perfect Day at Cococay” and its true – this day was pretty tough to beat. We started out the day with a quick breakfast at Johnny Rockets again, before heading off the ship around 10:30am.
Given that there were two Oasis Class ships docked at Cococay, we probably should have gotten off earlier, but regardless, we did end up finding seats for our group of 5 at Hideaway Beach (Royal Caribbean’s Adults Only Beach Club) and immediately headed to the On the Rocks bar for some drinks, shuffleboard, and live music! If you aren’t careful, you could easily spend the whole day at Hideaway and completely miss the On the Rocks bar, so make sure you carve out an hour next time you’re there to check it out!
The food at CocoCay is always one of the highlights – whether you go for the classic chicken sandwich, a burger, or a salad, you will definitely not be disappointed. It is worth mentioning that Hideaway is an extra charge, while most of the other beaches at CocoCay are completely free to enjoy, so take a look at our other blog here to hear more about Hideaway, and whether it’s worth it for your next visit to CocoCay.
Sea Day (Sunday)
While the photo above is what everyone wishes for in a Sea Day (blue skies, lounge chairs under an umbrella, etc.), our day did NOT start out like this, and we totally made a “rookie cruiser” mistake.
We started our sea day off with a remarkable breakfast in the Main Dining Room (shout out the breakfast burrito) and then returned to our favorite deck activities like ping pong and FlowRiding until about 12:30pm. (yikes)
We were so distracted with our favorite sea day activities that we completely forgot to grab our poolside spots, and by 12:30pm anyone would have been lucky to find an open seat, let alone seats for 5 near a pool. We spent around 30 minutes doing laps around the Solarium and both decks of the pool deck, until we stumbled upon a couple that were leaving their seats, and were happy to hand them over to us. While it wasn’t 5 seats, we were grateful for 2 at this point, so we took them.
The rest of the sea day was spent in or around the pool, with cocktail waiters bringing us our favorite drinks every 30-45 minutes. We were enjoying the pool so much that we actually had to convince ourselves that it was a “good idea” to dry off and grab lunch because we were too busy enjoying the pool and 80 degree weather in January. The tacos from El Loco Fresh did hit the spot, though.
Food Review
Before we talk about food, it’s important to highlight that we did not spend any extra money on food this trip. Typically when I sail Royal, I will purchase the Ultimate Dining Package because I am a “foodie” and to me (and my wife) the extra cost is worth it to have incredible dining experiences. Heck, one of our favorite dining experiences of all time was at Empire Supper Club on Icon of the Seas, and wow was that a splurge.
All that to say, I actually looked forward to getting back to the main dining room to give it another try after several cruises of doing specialty dining only. In terms of food quality in the dining room, I would give the overall 4 night experience about a 6 or 7 out of 10. Several nights we were shocked at how delicious some of the entrees and appetizers were (the Indian dishes never disappointed), but then there were other nights that our selection left us craving something else, perhaps a slice of pizza from Sorrentos.
The main dining room highlight was definitely our assistant waiter Jean. Jean took incredible care of us every night, and provided some of the best service I’ve ever had on a cruise. As an example, the last night one of my friends requested sorbet (which was not on the menu), and Jean actually had Sorbet delivered from one of the specialty dining restaurants 5 decks up, rather than just saying “No, we don’t have sorbet.”
Outside of the main dining room, the quality of the food at the Windjammer Buffet, El Loco Fresh, Sorrentos, Cafe Promenade, and Johnny Rockets was all on par with what you’d expect on a mega ship.
Entertainment
If you’ve been on an Oasis Class ship before, you know that the entertainment onboard is industry leading, and one of the major selling points. Allure of the Seas did not disappoint.
You may be surprised, but for the five 20-30 year old men in my group, the indisputable entertainment highlight was Mamma Mia. One of our guys even saw it twice!!
Allure of the Seas features the full, broadway style production of Mamma Mia, which runs about two and a half hours in total with a 15 minute intermission. The singers, dancers, and the live orchestra are all top notch, and it is remarkable that this is included in the cruise fare.
Besides Mamma Mia, Allure of the Seas features the OceanAria aqua show which is 45 minutes of jaw dropping dives, acrobatics, and more. I’m always astonished at how talented the aqua show performers are.
Outside of Mamma Mia and OceanAria, the honorable entertainment mentions are of course the Ice Show (BLADES), Comedy shows, Crazy Quest, Karaoke, and live music in the pub and schooner bar. There were nights that we wished the entertainment carried on past 12:30AM (outside of the casino or club), but this was something we definitely felt this trip as it was a “guys trip”.
Final Thoughts
While Allure of the Seas didn’t feature as many of the “bells and whistles” compared to her Oasis Class sister ships, I am so glad we chose to sail this ship over the other Freedom or Voyager Class options. For the price ($440 per person for an interior with taxes and fees) this ship was an incredible value for myself and my friends, especially given the quality of the entertainment and service onboard.
Of course, we are anxiously awaiting the photos of the renovated Allure of the Seas as she will feature the largest Mason Jar at sea, as well as the new Pesky Parrot bar which will only be found on Allure and Utopia. Allure of the Seas quickly went from being the “red-headed stepchild”, to now (post dry-dock) being one of the most sought after ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.