Formal Night aboard Allure of the Seas 15 Jan 2013

Описание: This is to thank all by fb friends, although belatedly, who wished me a Happy Birthday on 17 January. I could not respond earlier as I was on the High Seas on the biggest Cruise Liner in the world -- the Royal Caribbean's, Allure of the Seas. According to its Captain it out-nosed its sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas by a mere 2 ½ inch.
The Allure of the Seas was built in 2010 hence incorporating all the modern technology, needless to say, it is the most magnificent ship ever built. I am a fan of the Carnival, Princess and Cunard lines but was completely blown away by the beautiful design of the ship. With its concept of neighbourhood communities, it was hard to imagine that you were on the ocean. Any time of the day or night, you can stroll along Central Park, complete with its trees and other flora, side walk cafés, upscale restaurants and of course its high-class stores. Or you can lime on the boardwalk, ride the carousel, buy your popcorn and ice-creams or have your fortune told, for a small fee, by the ever present (electronic) gypsy. At the end of the boardwalk is the Aqua Theatre where daring and dazzling feats of acrobatics and high diving are performed for public amazement. Of course, the boardwalk is replete with high class, high priced shops and bars designed to deplete your pockets if you are intoxicated with the splendour.
The Royal Promenade is a street reminiscent of Broadway lined with cafés, bars, restaurants, electronic display signage and of course brand-name stores selling jewelry and other high priced items at discounted prices. I visited Diamonds International and asked for the most expensive watch. I was told it was $192,000 so I asked to see it. The attendant said, "It is locked in the safe but this one is $112,000, would you like to see it, Sir." I replied, "No, Sir, I saw already and it does not suit my taste."
There are numerous pools -- swimming, whirl, wading and hot tubs on the sport deck. Some for adults only where you can relax in fine comfort with a drink form the nearby bar. Casino Royale, one of the biggest casinos on any cruise ship, offered very generous opening hours and was certainly a big hit with many of the patrons. However, I was limited to observing the Texas Hold'Em and the Black Jack tournaments.
The highlights of the cruise however were the entertainment mainly in the 1500 Seat Ambi Theatre where I watched a stellar performance of the musical Chicago and an incredible production of The Planet Earth. I also was fascinated by the plethora of the live high performance skaters in the Ice Skating Show and laugh uncontrollably at the jokes told by the comedian picked for this cruise as they performed in the Comedy Club.
The Dining experience was fantastic as there were a number of restaurants to choose from. Not all restaurants were free but the additional fees for the specialty restaurants were well worth it. All the services provided were excellent and the vines were of good vintage.
The reason why I am so detailed in this posting is because some of my friends asked me how it was so I told them to see my fb page for complete details. I will post some photos shortly.
Last but not least, were the tours -- we visited Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico. The tour we chose in Jamaica was very exciting from Falmouth (birthplace of Bolt) to Montego Bay where we dined on ackee and salt fish. The trip around Cozumel in Mexico was also great especially the tasting of several brands of tequila and also learning about the Mayan people and seeing some ruins of the Mayan temples.
I would highly recommend this cruise but to ensure that you do not miss a lot of the free entertainment on board, you must plan carefully and always carry your event calendar or else you would miss some of the more exciting events. You must also be careful that you do not overspend which could leave your credit card leaning by the time the cruise finish. Anyway, you can always check your on board ship account anytime through the inter-active TV system.
Once again, thank you for all your birthday wishes.