We booked this cruise to experience an Oasis class ship that included a stop at Coco Cay. Our time window was very tight and this Allure of the Seas cruise out of Fort Lauderdale fit the bill. It was a different in having to preplan every event but three months was adequate time to do that. But it was impossible without knowing which events on the ship we were missing. More on that later in this report!
I'll begin this report with our arrival in Fort Lauderdale on the evening before the cruise. The Wyndham Garden was a nice choice – clean; soft bed; and reasonably priced. The road noise from Route 1 was a problem. But the biggest problem was that the room contained only one queen bed! After 36 years of marriage, we have “out-grown” those long ago!
So, after a short night and hotel transportation, we arrived at Terminal 19 of Port Everglades Cruise Port. Embarkation was quick. We were selected out of line for a speedier process. In about 40 minutes after arriving, we were on the ship!
We did a Guarantee and it worked out well. Room 12153 had some noise as we docked (maybe a winch) but everything else was quiet. Our attendant, Arya, was the best we’ve ever had. We noticed a few welcome changes. The refrigerator was empty (no attempt to up-sell drinks). There was no coffee table (a waste of space). The mattress had curved corners. The shower had a step for washing feet. The illuminated artwork was perfect. The smaller sink worked. The low lighting in the bathroom was perfect as a nightlight. The lighted mirror was very nice.
But there were a very few misses also … There was no outlet in the bathroom. We learned that the top light switch turned off everything – including the AC.