Thanksgiving on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

In 2023, I hosted Thanksgiving at my home and cooked for sixteen people. While I love to host parties and entertain, that was a huge undertaking! For the next year, I decided that we would go out of town for Thanksgiving and go on a family cruise. We opted for a 4-night roundtrip cruise from Miami to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. I was a little apprehensive because I knew the cruise would be sold out (and super crowded) so here’s my honest review of the ship, the food, and the experience.

The Ship. Allure of the Seas was launched  in 2009 and is part of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class of ships. Allure’s capacity is 5,484 people (double capacity) and a max capacity of 6,780 people. It was supposed to be “amplified” in 2020, but that was rescheduled due to COVID-19. Allure is now scheduled for it’s amplification in the spring of 2025. This will include the addition of a waterpark, laser tag, and additional passenger rooms. 

Even though the ship is due for its refurbishment, it is a gorgeous ship! Oasis class ships have different neighborhoods and I loved the feel of each one. Central Park was, by far, my favorite neighborhood, with the lush greenery (they have gardeners on the ship) and general ambiance. My kids loved the Boardwalk for the rock climbing walls, the hot dog stand, and the carousel. For an older ship, it is kept in very good shape: my husband could not believe it was the oldest ship we’ve been on!

We stayed in an interior cabin with a window facing Central Park. We booked adjoining rooms with our girls, so they were directly next door. This was the first time we tried something like this, but the girls are getting older and we thought they had outgrown being in the same cabin as us. It worked out great! They loved having their own space, and so did we! I was also a little concerned about the noise from the window facing Central Park: this was my first time staying in an interior room with a window facing a neighborhood and was worried about the noise. I would not have known there was an entire neighborhood, complete with live bands, right outside of our cabin; we never heard a thing!  

The Food. Oasis class ships have so many dining venues to choose from and Allure is no different! Here are some of the highlights:

Main Dining. We ate at the main dining room each night for dinner, except for one night where we opted for a specialty dining experience. The food in the main dining room was good, but being a super-packed cruise, the experience wasn’t quite as relaxing as usual. Despite having a reservation each night, we had to wait for tables, but the service staff was exceptionally kind and accommodating. 

Windjammer Cafe. The buffet is usually my favorite part of the cruise. I’ve had some awesome meals at the buffets over the years. The buffet here was clean and well organized, but, again, the crowds made it hard to find a table and get to the food stations.

Park Cafe. My husband and I discovered the Park Cafe on the first morning on the ship, after taking one look at all of the people in the buffet area and promptly turning around. I’m so glad that happened! The Park Cafe had a great selection of specialty coffees, pastries, fruits, and cereals. It was the perfect way to start our day each morning.

Sorrento’s. The pizza place on Allure always had a line, and for good reason. The pizza is tasty and I think my kids constantly ate pizza for the duration of the voyage. 

El Loco Fresh is the Mexican food buffet located near the pool. We were able to make our own tacos or nachos and enjoy a quick snack in between going to the pool and another activity.

150 Central Park. This was my favorite meal on the ship. I’ve been lucky enough to eat at some fabulous restaurants and this one was excellent. Everything from the bread, to the dishes, to the service was impeccable. If you are on a Royal Caribbean ship with a 150 Central Park, you MUST go. It is worth the extra money for this specialty dining restaurant and you will not be disappointed with your experience. 

Sabor. Located on the Boardwalk, Sabor is the Mexican food specialty restaurant on board. The freshly prepared guacamole was delicious and refreshing on a warm day and the margaritas were the best we had on the ship. I’m not sure I would go back for a full meal, but definitely loved that guac and marg! 

Vintages Wine Bar. We can’t help ourselves, we are suckers for a good wine bar. We loved Vintages! The wine selection was excellent and the ambiance (in Central Park) was spectacular. Most evenings, there was live music in Central Park so my husband and I enjoyed having a few glasses of wine and relaxing a little more while on the ship. 

Johnny Rockets. This is technically a specialty restaurant with a cover charge, but it’s free for breakfast. While I’m not a huge breakfast-eater, my kids enjoyed going to Johnny Rockets for the french toast in the mornings, rather than fight off the crowds in the Windjammer! 

The Experience. This was a completely sold out cruise on a huge ship so the crowds were unbelievable. We did our best (and so did the staff) to make the most of the lines and the crowds (which we expected). For example, I looked ahead at our port day in Nassau and noticed that several other ships were going to be in port along with us. We opted to stay on board, and had the ship to ourselves. It was awesome! No trouble getting a pool lounger, or a table at any restaurant! No lines for the rock climbing wall! Likewise, we opted to go to Royal Caribbean’s private beach club at Perfect Day at CocoCay and it was an incredible experience (I'll have a separate post about that)! Hardly any crowds and wonderful service. I would absolutely go back! However, I will do a few things differently for my next Thanksgiving cruise. While I thought I was prepared for the huge crowd (we did go on a cruise over spring break, after all, which was sold out and totally fine), this was so busy! The Kids Club told us that there were 1,800 children on the ship alone. However, if crowds don’t bother you, or you really want to avoid cooking on Thanksgiving (no judgment!) this is a perfect way to do it. For me, I think I’m going to pick a smaller ship for our next Thanksgiving cruise.  Now I know what to do (and not to do): use my experience to make your trip exactly what you're looking for! Contact me today for options for a holiday cruise based on your wishlist!