Allure of the Seas Review: 8 Nights in the Southern Caribbean
Quick Verdict: Is Allure of the Seas Worth It?
Yes, with eyes open. Allure of the Seas is still a beautiful Oasis Class ship with the best public spaces at sea, but the staterooms were left behind in her makeover. We sailed 8 nights in the Southern Caribbean with a group of four families in balcony cabins, and our honest take is that you book Allure for the neighborhoods, dining, and CocoCay, not for the cabin.
Best for:
- Cruisers who prioritize public spaces, Central Park, the Royal Promenade, and the pool deck shine after Royal Amplified
- Families and groups, the kids’ programming is best-in-class and there is room for everyone
- Foodies, the Ultimate Dining Package is worth it on a ship with this many restaurants
- Travelers excited for Perfect Day at CocoCay
Not ideal for:
- Guests who want a modern, updated cabin, the staterooms feel dated and outlets are limited
- Anyone counting on Cabo Rojo as a highlight port, it was a manufactured miss for us
- Cruisers who want the newest hardware (Icon Class cabins are a clear step up)
The honest take: we loved the ship and would sail her again, but we would size up to a Junior Suite if the budget allows and go in knowing the cabins are dated. The full review, the balcony cabin verdict, dining wins, the ports, and what we would skip, is below.
We just got home from 8 nights on Allure of the Seas, May 16 to 24, sailing the Southern Caribbean out to Aruba, Curaçao, Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic, and Perfect Day at CocoCay. This one was special because we sailed as part of a bigger group, three other families joined us, and everyone booked balcony cabins.
After years of sailing Oasis- and Icon-class ships, here’s our honest, unfiltered take: what we loved, what we’d do differently, and the one port that was a real miss for us.
A quick note: this review includes a couple of affiliate links to the Viator excursions we actually booked. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and we only link to tours we did ourselves. See our affiliate disclosure.
The ship: amplified, but the cabins were left behind
Allure is still a beautiful Oasis-class ship, and her 100-million-dollar-plus Royal Amplified makeover gave the public spaces real life. The neighborhoods that make this class special, the open-air Central Park, the buzzing Royal Promenade, and the redesigned pool deck, all feel modern and alive.
But here’s the honest part: the staterooms were not part of that update, and you feel it. Our cabin looked and felt dated, and the outlets were limited, which gets old fast when you’re charging phones, watches, and camera batteries for a whole family. If you’ve sailed the newer Icon-class ships, the contrast in the rooms is obvious. The bones of the ship are great and the public spaces shine. The cabins are simply due.
Our balcony cabin: doable, but we’d size up
We booked a standard balcony stateroom that happened to have a larger, bumped-out balcony, which was a nice bonus outside. Honestly, we hadn’t sailed in a balcony cabin in years, so this was a good reset on what that category actually feels like day to day.
Our verdict: for three or four people, a balcony is doable, but if you have the ability, we’d recommend a minimum of a Junior Suite. The extra square footage genuinely matters once you’re living in the space for over a week with a family. Storage fills up fast, the bathroom is tight with more than two people, and that little bit of breathing room changes the whole week. All four of our families were in balconies for this sailing, and the consensus was the same: space is the thing you notice.
If a suite feels out of reach, it’s often closer than you think. Our guide on how to afford a cruise suite without breaking the bank breaks down exactly how.
Dining: the Ultimate Dining Package is non-negotiable for us
We had the Ultimate Dining Package, and at this point we will not cruise without it, especially on an Oasis-class ship with this many restaurants. The value and the flexibility are unmatched when you want to eat your way through the ship, you can bounce from steakhouse to sushi to a sit-down Italian dinner without watching a bill climb every night.
The standout, still, after all these years and all these ships: 150 Central Park. Tucked into the Central Park neighborhood, it remains our favorite meal at sea. But honestly, we didn’t have a single bad meal at any restaurant this sailing.
One hack we cannot recommend enough: book the Mason Jar brunch on boarding day. While everyone else is fighting the Windjammer traffic jam during embarkation, you’re sitting down to a proper Southern brunch with table service. It sets the whole trip off right, and it’s the kind of small move that separates a smooth first day from a stressful one.
The pool deck and Solarium
The updated pool deck was fantastic, and there were plenty of chairs even on sea days, which is genuinely saying something on a ship this full. The Lime and Coconut is always a win for us, and the adults-only Solarium is as relaxing as ever, a quieter, glass-enclosed retreat for when the main pools get loud.
Now the honest gripe: not everything up there is perfect. Royal needs to do something about kids in the hot tubs. They let them get in, sometimes still holding ice cream, and the parents need to do better too. It’s a small thing, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that chips away at the relaxation a hot tub is supposed to deliver.
Adventure Ocean: still the clear leader for kids
Adventure Ocean, Royal Caribbean’s complimentary youth program, is split into age groups with their own spaces and counselors, and it remains the gold standard at sea. The kids club was a big win for our daughter, as it always is. She made friends almost instantly, the way she reliably does in that space, and that gave the adults real downtime too.
For families, this is still where Royal Caribbean clearly leads the industry. It buys the parents peace of mind, and it gives the kids a vacation of their own, which is the whole point of bringing them along.
Casino and entertainment
Casino Royale was great, with plenty of slot machines and table games to go around, and on a ship this size you’re never hunting for an open seat. It’s an easy, low-key way to spend an hour after dinner. One tip: if you’re a Crown and Anchor member, check your account for casino offers before you sail, they can turn into a nice perk.
The entertainment continues to be a real strong point. The comedians were genuinely funny and performed almost nightly with both early and late shows, so you can work them around dinner. The AquaShow was amazing, the theater production of Mamma Mia is excellent, and Crazy Quest is always a good time. We even saw some new quests this sailing, which is great to see, it means they’re still updating the show, so it stays a can’t-miss.
The ports
Aruba
We booked the UTV Off-Road Experience to the Natural Pool and Caves through Viator and saw so much of the island, followed by a quick beach stop, and still got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. As a family of three, having our own 4-person UTV was ideal, no sharing with strangers, and we could go at our own pace. Highly recommend this one.
Curaçao
Again we booked through Viator, this time the Introduction to Curaçao island tour, a guided bus tour followed by a couple of hours at Mambo Beach. An easy, all-around good day. In both Aruba and Curaçao, there were plenty of vendors right near the port for anyone who hadn’t booked a tour in advance, so you have options either way, but we still like locking in a Viator tour ahead of time for the peace of mind.
Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic
This one was a miss for us. We’ve been to Taino Bay (the other Dominican Republic port, near Puerto Plata) and we much prefer it for a more standard port stop, real things to do, a town nearby, and plenty of excursions.
Cabo Rojo felt like being at Six Flags. It’s very manufactured, carnival-style rides, a lazy river, pools, and restaurants. The beaches are quite far from the pier (there’s a shuttle), and they looked more like a bay than a beach. We spent about an hour floating the lazy river and then headed back onboard to enjoy the ship. If this port is on your itinerary, set expectations accordingly, it’s a relaxed in-the-bubble day, not a get-out-and-explore one.
Perfect Day at CocoCay
Perfect Day at CocoCay is still the best private island in the industry, full stop. They’ve updated the buffet menu with cheesesteaks, Cuban sandwiches, and a taco station alongside staples like burgers and hot dogs, and the Snack Shacks still turn out really good food. Everyone in our group loved it, and we can’t wait to get back.
One first for us: the Oasis Lagoon pool wasn’t cold this time, which was a genuinely nice change of pace. The one thing I missed was The Hideaway, the adults-only area, but since we were traveling with family, we skipped it this trip. (If you can swing it on a couples sailing, we wrote about why it’s worth it in our Freedom of the Seas review.)
A few honest nitpicks
We always tell clients the truth, so here are the small things:
- Photo pricing is absurd. Twenty dollars for a single photo, and it’s not even a print, is too much in my opinion. And the photos they take of you in the specialty restaurants should be included if you already have a photo package.
- Park Café having a bar and coffee location is a win. Not every ship has this, so we were happy to see it here.
- The Vitality Spa had no dedicated juice bar. It was set up in Sorrento’s during the day instead, which felt like an afterthought.
- Book spa treatments onboard, not in advance. We had massages and they were great, and booking them once we were onboard actually saved us money, they were running deals on the Promenade.
- Diamond Plus drink vouchers go a long way. Our five-per-day Crown and Anchor vouchers were plenty, so we no longer need a drink package at all.
Embarkation and disembarkation
As efficient as always, Royal has this down. For the smoothest start, arrive within your assigned check-in window, and if priority matters to you, The Key add-on gets you earlier boarding and a few onboard extras. With a group our size, staggering everyone’s arrival times kept us all moving and nobody stuck waiting in a line.
Allure of the Seas: Quick Answers
Is Allure of the Seas a good ship?
Yes. Allure is a beautiful Oasis-class ship, and her Royal Amplified makeover gave the public spaces real life. The open-air Central Park, the buzzing Royal Promenade, and the redesigned pool deck all feel modern and alive. The one honest knock is the staterooms, which were not part of that update and feel dated, with limited outlets. The bones of the ship are great and the public spaces shine. The cabins are simply due.
What is the Southern Caribbean itinerary on Allure of the Seas?
On our 8-night sailing, May 16 to 24, Allure visited Aruba, Curaçao, Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic, and Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning home.
Is Allure of the Seas good for families?
Yes. Adventure Ocean, Royal Caribbean’s complimentary youth program, remains the gold standard at sea. It is split into age groups with their own spaces and counselors. Our daughter made friends almost instantly, the way she reliably does in that space, and that gave the adults real downtime too. For families, this is still where Royal Caribbean clearly leads the industry.
What cabin should I book on Allure of the Seas?
We sailed a standard balcony and found it doable for three or four people, but if you can swing it we recommend a minimum of a Junior Suite. The extra square footage genuinely matters once you are living in the space for over a week with a family. Storage fills up fast, and the bathroom is tight with more than two people. All four of our families were in balconies for this sailing, and the consensus was the same: space is the thing you notice.
Is the Ultimate Dining Package worth it on Allure of the Seas?
For us, yes. We will not cruise without it on an Oasis-class ship with this many restaurants. The value and flexibility let you bounce from steakhouse to sushi to a sit-down Italian dinner without watching a bill climb every night. Our favorite meal at sea is still 150 Central Park, and we did not have a single bad meal this sailing.
Is Cabo Rojo a good cruise port?
It was a miss for us. Cabo Rojo felt very manufactured, like being at Six Flags, with carnival-style rides, a lazy river, pools, and restaurants. The beaches are quite far from the pier (there is a shuttle) and looked more like a bay than a beach. We prefer Taino Bay, the other Dominican Republic port near Puerto Plata, for a more standard port stop. If Cabo Rojo is on your itinerary, treat it as a relaxed in-the-bubble day, not a get-out-and-explore one.
Final thoughts
Allure of the Seas delivered exactly what we hoped for, a fun, food-filled, entertainment-packed week with our daughter and three families we love, in some of the prettiest ports in the Caribbean. The ship’s public spaces shine after her amplification, the dining and kids’ program are still best-in-class, and CocoCay never disappoints. We’d just go in knowing the cabins are dated, sizing up to a Junior Suite if you can, and managing expectations for Cabo Rojo.
If you’re planning a Southern Caribbean sailing, or any Royal Caribbean cruise, this is exactly what we do. We’ll match you to the right ship, the right cabin, and the right dining setup for how your family actually travels, and you can keep the whole trip organized in the Travel by Trinidad app (App Store | Google Play).
First time cruising? Start with our first-time cruise guide. Sailing with a group like we did? See our group cruise planning tips. Ready to book? Email us at miguel@travelbytrinidad.com or visit travelbytrinidad.com.
