Posted 13 April 2015
By Travel Counsellors Product Manager, Simon Jeffries
Last month I was selected to accompany a large group of our Travel Counsellors on board Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for the prize winner’s trip of our latest international team challenge! Each year we launch a new team challenge and it’s always great to see our agents come together to get those all-important sales whilst having fun and creating a strong sense of camaraderie. As a novice cruiser, my eyes were opened to the world of cruising, in particular Royal Caribbean. Although our trip was educational there was only a small amount of classroom time as the best way to learn is to experience first-hand all that Allure has to offer.
Each day a ‘cruise compass’ was delivered to our cabins to provide a full run-down of the following day’s activities. This consisted of a 6 page newspaper giving times and venues for everything down to art auctions and watch sales. It literally covered an activity to suit everyone!
Whilst on board we were encouraged to sample as many of the restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues as possible but even with a whole week on board that didn’t provide enough time to do all that! The variety of activities on board was amazing – Broadway shows like Chicago to ice show spectaculars; the outdoor Aqua Theatre show which combines of Cirque du Soleil skills with diving into tiny pools from great heights! Something for the whole family to enjoy.
For those who just wanted to sit back and relax, the sun deck with its pools, loungers, solarium, restaurant and bars is the perfect place to catch a few rays. Elsewhere you can stroll through Central Park on Deck 8 - an outdoor tree-lined (real trees!) promenade with bars, cafes and shops! Or for younger guests the Boardwalk with its burger joints and fairground rides proved very popular!
Also not to be forgotten is Flow Rider – your chance to ‘surf the waves’ or the famous Zip Wire across the Boardwalk for the more adventurous!
Apart from the spectacular shows in the evening the casino is a big draw, as are the signature restaurants, several of which we were fortunate enough to sample. Chops steakhouse in particular is excellent with only a small $30 supplement to pay. Adagio is the main dining room where the choice varied every night and the service was always with a smile.
As a VIP travel agent group we were also privileged to get a tour of the kitchens – to give you an idea of the size of this ship it carries 5,000 passengers as well as 2,500 crew with 80,000 eggs a day cooked on board!! We also were privileged to go onto the Bridge where the Captain directs the whole operation from. Captain Jonny found some time to talk to us during one of our seminar sessions - it was fascinating to hear what his daily routine consists of. Jerome the Cruise Director (head of entertainment) also presented to us before going off to host one of his infamous game shows.
Words can’t do justice the scale of this ship and what it has to offer and I’ve not even mentioned the shore days at Labadee (Haiti), Cozumel, and Jamaica! It’s safe to say that I had an incredible time learning about this fabulous ship in company of some brilliant and friendly Travel Counsellors from across the globe.
