Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas Cruise Ship 2026 | Our Honest Full Review | The Good, Bad & Ugly

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas — Review Summary

Overview

The hosts spent seven nights aboard Allure of the Seas on a Mediterranean itinerary round-trip from Barcelona, visiting Palma de Mallorca, La Spezia, and Naples.

The ship is about 226,000 gross tons, can accommodate roughly 6,800 guests, and recently underwent a reported $150 million amplification. The hosts said the upgrades added more activities and venues, and they would sail on the ship again.

Highlights

• Balcony stateroom: Their standard ocean-view balcony cabin had good storage, a comfortable bed, and a pleasant balcony. They especially liked the roomy shower, which avoided the cramped feel of a shower curtain.
• Activities: The Oasis-class layout offers plenty to do, including laser tag, ice skating, zip lining, pools and hot tubs, mini golf, and a sports court for activities such as pickleball and basketball. The amplification added water slides, including the Ultimate Abyss.
• Solarium: This adults-only area has a pool, hot tubs, a bar, and an open deck at the front of the ship with ocean views. The hosts found it a relaxing retreat from the busier family areas.
• Central Park: The living plants have had years to grow, making this one of the lushest Central Parks the hosts have seen across the Royal Caribbean fleet. They also enjoyed its outdoor dining and nightly live music, including violinists, singers, and guitarists.
• Boardwalk and neighborhoods: The renovated Boardwalk includes Playmakers, Johnny Rockets, and the Ultimate Abyss. The hosts were glad Johnny Rockets remained after the renovation.
• Shows and entertainment:
  • Mamma Mia was their favorite version they had seen on Royal Caribbean. They praised the performers, including talent from Broadway and the West End, and recommended booking early because tickets can be hard to get.
  • Aqua 80s Too, brought over from Utopia of the Seas, was another favorite, featuring diving, dance, and acrobatics in the pool.
  • The ice show features high-level skaters, including performers with Olympic experience.
  • The Anchors Away promenade parade is a family-friendly attraction that the hosts loosely compared with entertainment on Disney ships.
• Dining: They enjoyed Chops Grille enough to return for a second visit and had a filling Southern-style meal at the new Mason Jar. The main dining room offered good food and impressively quick service despite the ship’s size. They also liked Giovanni’s Table.
• Outdoor dining: Central Park’s shaded al fresco tables at Chops and Giovanni’s were a particular favorite, especially with live music nearby.
• Bars: The Mason Jar bar has a lively atmosphere and frequent live music. The new Pesky Parrot offers tropical cocktails in a fun setting.
• Crown Lounge: The renovated lounge for eligible loyalty members retains natural light and a sense of space, which the hosts appreciated.
• Service: They described the crew’s service as exceptional throughout the ship.

Downsides and Practical Cautions

• Cabin TV: It is small, was not replaced during the amplification, and is positioned across from the bed. Its limited swivel makes it inconvenient to watch from bed.
• Noisy cabin doors: Doors in their hallway slammed easily. This did not prevent the hosts from sleeping, but could disturb light sleepers or wake a baby.
• Casino smoke: The casino was very smoky, with the smell reaching the elevator bank and dining-room entrance and lingering on clothing. A non-smoking casino is available, but the hosts felt Royal Caribbean should better contain smoke from the smoking casino. They noted that newer ships use sliding doors to help separate casino smoke from public areas.
• Mediterranean ingredient substitutions: Some items were unavailable or replaced with alternatives—for example, fried red tomatoes instead of fried green tomatoes, hazelnut pie instead of pecan pie, and buffalo mozzarella instead of burrata. The hosts found some substitutions less acceptable than others. They said they had not encountered the same issue on Mediterranean cruises with Celebrity or Princess, where they could get the same items they would in the Caribbean.
• Weather-related show disruptions: Bad weather can cancel or delay the Aqua and ice shows. The hosts recommended reserving shows as early as possible. Canceled bookings are rebooked when possible, but late-cruise cancellations may leave no opportunity to see a show.
• Crown Lounge visibility: Its location near the sports court and glass doors makes it highly visible to passersby. During the hosts’ visit, people repeatedly tried to enter and had to be told it was restricted, which could make guests feel excluded.
• Pesky Parrot and unsupervised children: The hosts’ most controversial complaint was that the bar’s loud animatronic parrot attracted children who climbed on nearby boxes and tried to touch it while their parents were not visible. They said the setup felt like a children’s play area rather than a bar. They had not noticed this issue on Utopia of the Seas, where there were fewer children on their sailing and the parrot was not operating on the first sailing.

Verdict

The hosts recommend Allure of the Seas and say they would sail on it again. They consider the amplification a substantial improvement, adding more venues and activities alongside the ship’s established Oasis-class strengths. Their main cautions are the smoky casino, noisy cabin doors, occasional Mediterranean menu substitutions, and show disruptions in bad weather.

Ratings: No numerical ratings or scores were given.

Different Speaker Perspectives

Both hosts contributed to the positive and negative assessment. One particularly emphasized the spacious shower, Central Park’s live music and outdoor dining, and concerns about children around the Pesky Parrot. The other highlighted the ship’s broad range of activities, entertainment, dining, and bar options, as well as the need to book shows early in case of weather-related cancellations.