Allure of the Seas Review: What I Found On Board, and What Changed After the Amplification
I sailed Allure of the Seas before her big refit, back when she was one of the original Oasis-class ships running without a single water slide. Since then, Royal Caribbean has spent about $100 million amplifying her, so the ship sailing today is meaningfully different from the one I was on. I think that actually makes this a useful review, because I can tell you what she was really like to sail, and then walk you through everything the 2025 amplification added. If you are booked on Allure or still deciding, here is the full picture: my firsthand take, what is new, the deck plan and best cabins, the dining, and the tips that save the most time and money on a ship this size.
Quick Take: Is Allure of the Seas Worth It?
Yes, and more so now than when I sailed her. When I was on board she was a great but dated Oasis-class ship, with fantastic neighborhoods and energy but no water slides and an aging dining lineup. The 2025 amplification fixed exactly those gaps, so she now competes head to head with her newer sisters while usually sailing for less than Wonder or Icon. She is best for families and first-time Oasis cruisers who want big-ship activities at a lower price. The honest caveat has not changed: she carries close to 6,700 guests at full capacity, so without a plan the lines and the show reservations will eat your week. Pre-book and she is excellent value.
Watch My Full Allure of the Seas Walkthrough
I toured the ship top to bottom on the channel. Here is the full walkthrough if you would rather watch than read.
Key Facts on Allure of the Seas
Cruise line | Royal Caribbean International |
Ship class | Oasis class |
Maiden voyage | 2010 (amplified 2025, about $100 million) |
Gross tonnage | Approx. 225,000 GT |
Guest capacity | Approx. 5,500 at double occupancy, near 6,700 full |
Decks | 16 guest decks, 7 neighborhoods |
Staterooms | About 2,745 (100-plus added in the 2025 refit) |
2026 homeport | Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), with a short Galveston run in spring |
What She Was Like When I Sailed Her
I want to be clear about the timeline, because it shapes everything in this review. My sailing was before the amplification. At that point Allure had not been renovated in years, and the thing that surprised me most was that she had no water slides at all, which felt strange on a ship this big. She still had the things that make an Oasis-class ship special: the seven neighborhoods, Central Park with real plants in the middle of the ship, the Boardwalk with the carousel and the AquaTheater, the Royal Promenade, the FlowRider, the zip line, and the rock walls. The bones were excellent. She just needed a refresh, and you could feel it in the dining and the missing slides. Right around my sailing, Royal Caribbean confirmed she was finally getting the money.
What Changed After My Sailing: The 2025 Amplification
In spring 2025, after I had been on board, Allure went into a 42-day drydock at Navantia in Cadiz, Spain for a full Royal Amplified refit. She came out a different ship, and this is the part of the review that did not exist on my sailing. I am describing these additions from Royal's plans and the coverage, not from personal experience on board, so I will update this once I sail the amplified version.
The headline additions: the Perfect Storm waterslide trio (the Cyclone and the twin Typhoon racing slides) plus the champagne-bowl SuperCell, which finally solves the no-slides problem. Splashaway Bay arrived too, the kids' aqua park with fountains, water cannons, and drench buckets. The Ultimate Abyss, the 10-story dry slide, was added. The dining got a real overhaul with Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Playmakers Sports Bar, El Loco Fresh for free Mexican, and the Sugar Beach candy shop. Over 100 new cabins were built, including Ultimate Panoramic Suites above the bridge with floor-to-ceiling windows. The AquaTheater show is now Aqua80Too, set to 1980s hits, and the Wi-Fi was upgraded to Starlink. So if you read an older Allure review (including parts of my own experience below) that says she has no slides, that is the pre-2025 ship.
The 7 Neighborhoods and What To Do
Like every Oasis-class ship, Allure is built as seven neighborhoods rather than one big block, and that is genuinely how the crowds get spread out once you are aboard. This was true on my sailing and it is still the layout today. Central Park is the open-air garden in the middle of the ship with real plants and the upscale restaurants. The Boardwalk has the hand-carved carousel, the rock walls, and the AquaTheater at the back, and it now adds Playmakers from the refit. The Royal Promenade is the indoor main street with shops and bars. The Pool and Sports Zone held the FlowRider, the zip line, and the adults-only Solarium when I sailed, and the amplification added the Perfect Storm slides to it. Add the Vitality Spa, Entertainment Place, and the Youth Zone and you have a full resort. My tip from being on board: walk the whole ship on day one so you have a mental map, because a wrong turn on a vessel this long costs real time.
Tip #1: Download the App and Pre-Book Everything
Same first tip as every Royal Caribbean cruise, and it was true on my sailing: download the app, link your reservation, and you can check in, book excursions and onboard activities at a discount (they run a lot of sales before your cruise), and make your entertainment reservations. That last one matters because Allure is gigantic. The AquaTheater show is incredibly popular, the comedians sell out instantly, and there is the ice-skating show and the production shows to book. These typically go live on the app and website about two months before your cruise, it is not always exactly 60 days lately, so start looking around then and lock things in so you do not miss out.
Tip #2: Consider the Unlimited Dining Package
On ships with this many specialty restaurants, consider the unlimited dining package. Royal does a lot of nickel-and-diming, and the specialty spots run up to $60 per person per meal. The included options are solid: the main dining room, the Windjammer buffet, Park Cafe, Sorrento's pizza, and Cafe Promenade, with El Loco Fresh added in the refit. The specialty lineup now includes Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Izumi for sushi and hibachi, Playmakers, and Johnny Rockets. If you want a nice steak dinner, maybe every single night, the package pays off, it covers a la carte spots like Izumi too, you get a credit at each when you dine, and you even get lunch on sea days.
Tip #3: Get On Board Early
The water activities are a get-on-board-early situation, because they open on embarkation day before the sea-day lines form. When I sailed, that meant the pools and the FlowRider. Now it also means the Perfect Storm slides from the amplification, so there is even more reason to be early. Get an early boarding time by logging in right when check-in opens, or get The Key, an extra charge per day that I have seen on sale and actually used on my Allure sailing for about $35 a day. It includes internet plus a lot of perks, a nice onboard lunch on embarkation day, and a goodbye breakfast in the main dining room. It is a great option if you want to do less pre-planning and just get some extra perks and early boarding.
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Allure of the Seas Deck Plan and Best Cabins
There are a number of cabin types on board, and on Allure there is not even one strictly normal balcony, there are several balcony styles, so study the Allure of the Seas deck plan before you book. Some are interior-facing balconies overlooking Central Park or the Boardwalk, which do not have a traditional ocean view. Depending on your family you may want to avoid those, and the Boardwalk-facing ones in particular face the AquaTheater and stay loud well into the evening. When I sailed I was in a stateroom that technically counted as an interior but overlooked the Boardwalk and got some natural light, which I liked, so just know exactly what you are booking.
For the best cabins, the consensus and my own preference line up. A true ocean-view balcony is the safe pick. If you want quiet, the Central Park balconies on the higher decks (around Deck 12) are calmer than the Boardwalk side, since Central Park is the read-a-book part of the ship. Midship on Decks 9 and 10 is the smoothest, most central location. Cabins to avoid: anything within a few doors of the elevator banks for corridor noise, the Boardwalk balconies if you want peace, and cabins directly under the pool deck or above a nightclub. The refit also added the Ultimate Panoramic Suites above the bridge if you want the splurge view. It is a big ship, so locate yourself near your main hangout, the pool deck up high if you live by the water, a lower deck if you want your steps in.
Tip #4: The Drink and Dining Details
You can bring one bottle of wine on board per stateroom, which might save your family a little if you are a wine drinker. They have the drink package, book it early if you want it, but my full Royal Caribbean drink package guide runs the numbers, and know they add 18% gratuity on top of the advertised price, and think about how much you will actually drink. You might get the value on day one or two and then peter out, so it is worth considering skipping it. If you are just going for the free food, no problem, the main dining room has early, late, and My Time Dining. Early seating has more kids and families. Late seating can make you miss some of the evening entertainment, so I prefer early. If you do My Time, book your time as soon as you connect to the ship's Wi-Fi.
Tip #5: Save on Wi-Fi
If you need to stay connected, the internet is now Starlink after the refit, which is a real upgrade from the slower connection I had when I sailed. The package is per device, but you can switch between devices as many times as you like. So if I am traveling with my wife, I switch the internet to her when she needs it and back to me, which saves about $30 a day versus buying two.
Allure of the Seas Itinerary and Booking Tips
For 2026, Allure is based mostly in Fort Lauderdale at Port Everglades, sailing 6- and 8-night Eastern and Western Caribbean weeks, with a short Galveston, Texas season in the spring. Most sailings stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal's private island, which is worth pre-booking activities for since they sell out, and my Perfect Day at CocoCay guide covers what is free and what is worth paying for. On price: book as early as you can, the schedules come out years ahead and that is traditionally when the best fares are. If the price drops after you pay, you can usually cancel and rebook your activities for a full refund, so lock in when it looks right. Because Allure is an older Oasis ship, she often undercuts Wonder and Icon on fare for a nearly identical experience now that she is amplified, which is the real value play here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Allure of the Seas have water slides? Now she does. The 2025 amplification added the Perfect Storm slide trio plus Splashaway Bay for little kids. When I sailed her before the refit she had none, so any older review saying she has no slides is describing the pre-2025 ship.
Was Allure of the Seas amplified? Yes, in spring 2025, after my sailing, in a roughly $100 million, 42-day drydock that added slides, the Ultimate Abyss, new restaurants like Giovanni's and El Loco Fresh, over 100 new cabins, and Starlink Wi-Fi.
Is The Key worth it on Allure of the Seas? I used it for about $35 a day on my sailing and liked it. It includes internet, early boarding, an embarkation-day lunch, and a main-dining-room breakfast, good if you would rather not pre-plan everything.
What are the best cabins on Allure of the Seas? Study the deck plan, there are several balcony types. A true ocean-view balcony is the classic pick. Central Park balconies up high are the quietest, the Boardwalk balconies are cheaper but loud, and even some interiors over the Boardwalk get natural light, which is where I stayed.
Is the drink package worth it on Allure of the Seas? Maybe not. They add 18% gratuity on top of the price, and most people slow down after the first day or two. Run the math, and remember you can bring one bottle of wine per stateroom.
Final Thoughts
Allure of the Seas was already a fantastic Oasis-class ship when I sailed her, she just had two clear gaps: no slides and dated dining. The 2025 amplification fixed both after my trip, adding the Perfect Storm slides, the Ultimate Abyss, the new restaurants, and Starlink, usually at a lower fare than her newest sisters. Pre-book your shows, weigh the dining package and The Key, study the deck plan before picking a cabin, and run the drink-package math. Do that and she is one of the best big-ship values in the fleet. I will update this review with my firsthand take once I sail the amplified version.
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More cruise reads: Royal Caribbean Drink Package Guide · Oasis of the Seas Review · Symphony of the Seas Review
