Atlantis Allure of the Seas 02/06/11
This won’t be a long review or rundown of the cruise, but a few observations from someone older than 65 who only dances a few seconds at the t-dances and only drops by the all-night dances to see a few costumes before going to bed, to sleep. And on this cruise I only entered the Solarium once during the dance because it was waaaaayyyy TOO LOUD for me to stand to be in the area. (On other ships, out on the pool deck, you can avoid being blasted by those huge speakers.)
The entertainment was outstanding. Cheyenne Jackson was phenomenal and it was a shame he was limited to only a 55 minute show. He has only gotten better since I saw him on the Eurodam a couple of years ago. I did not like Andy Bell, but others loved his show. I walked out because it was too loud and his voice sounded nearly gone. (I heard later he was fighting a cold.) But he was putting on a show, not just standing and singing. Pam Ann and Miss Richfield are always great fun and both had their time on the main stage. The RCCL’s Chicago and Blue Planet were both wonderful, though again Blue Planet was so loud that the music was distorted. The sound man must be deaf already and wants others to join him.
There was so much going on I never got to see all the cabaret acts, but Pamela Stanley and Rick & Emily were both excellent. Sherry Vine was only OK. Jim David and Shawn Palofsky were both great. Brad Leokle did a fun session too, though he wasn’t as funny as Jim and Shawn. And the OceanAria show at the Aqua Theater was amazing. Even the show for children with Dreamworks characters was great fun. And no children there.
And the ship! The ship is just amazing and wonderful and beautiful and…. It is big and it takes a while to figure out which way to go. And there are so many places to see and things to do that it is almost, but not quite, overwhelming. It is too bad the food quality in the main dining room doesn’t match the beautiful space. Presentation was good, service was mostly good, but the food was mostly mediocre to poor. (And on the top floor of the dining room that have bright video displays art that are so very out of place and very annoying if you happen to be facing one while trying to eat. )
It was a great week. Worth every penny. But now I have done the Allure and I won’t be booking next year’s Atlantis cruise on the same ship.
