
Full size onboard parade.
My fondest memories of cruising date back to a port-a-day in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea aboard a small ship, the “Cunard Princess.” It was not luxurious, but there was lots of teak wood and shiny polished brass of the old sailing days. Upon arriving for the third time with escorting a group to board the “Cunard Princess” in Athens, the purser greeted us outside the terminal with a “Welcome back, Mr. de Vries” and since most of the crew worked for years on the same ship, it was like returning home. Then there was the “Oceanbreeze” from Dolphin Cruise Lines where the captain turned his ship around to allow for a good photo of our group without the ladies’ hair being blown by the wind. Today only some of the deluxe cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Yachts of Seabourn and Crystal offer such service and one certainly pays for it.
So what was I, a fan of small ship cruising, doing on the world’s largest cruise liner in the world? The “Allure of the Seas” is the 2nd such mammoth ship that officially began sailing

Allure offers two climbing walls. PHOTOS BY EWOUT RIJK DE VRIES
When we received an invitation for a 2 day inaugural cruise just before the ship began its regular Caribbean program, we accepted mainly out of curiosity and because our travel

6300 people can be entertained aboard the Allure of the Seas.
From parking our car, to arriving in our stateroom did not take more than 15 minutes. Our room was an “inside” cabin. But we had a balcony overlooking Boardwalk, with a real carousel right below us as well as the Aqua Theater. Kathy Lee, Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes had just left the ship and there were “only” 4,500 guests on this sailing.
During our two days of cruising on this floating city the only crowd we encountered was at the parade when 80 actors & crew presented the “Dreamworks” movie characters on the “Royal Promenade.” With an ale in hand we had prime view seats at the “Bow & Stern” pub.
It was impossible to experience everything on the “Allure of the Seas” in two days, but it is amazingly easy

Rising Tide Bar moves between three entertainment decks.
We did not come anywhere close to trying all 26 restaurants and eateries, from Johnny Rockets hamburger diner to the Brazilian Steakhouse, Rita’s Mexican Cantina, Chops Grill, 150 Central Park, Vintages, or Giovanni’s Table. There is even the “Rising Tide Bar” moving between decks starting at the Royal Promenade. For sports enthusiasts there are many venues including two climbing walls, the opportunity to try surfing at one of two “Flowriders” and zip lining across the ship, in addition to all the usual sports offered on board cruise ships nowadays. From our balcony we watched as performers soared from frightening heights down into the 17.9 feet deep water of the largest pool

Cafe in Central Park.
For my wife, Jill and I, the most amazing feature of the ship was that once onboard, it didn’t feel anywhere near as enormous as it looked from the outside. One can enjoy an almost private sunset from one of many Jacuzzis, have a quiet dinner for two, or just watch people from the terrace of a café.

View from the stern.
We were very impressed with Royal Caribbean’s newest addition. “Allure of the Seas” is undoubtedly a cruise ship for families and groups of friends. The itinerary is unimportant, for this amazing floating resort is your destination.
Ewout Rijk de Vries and his wife Jill have been on Marco Island for 26 years and own America Travel Arrangements, Inc. They offer full service at the same price or better one will be able to find on the internet. Ewout also has a background as a journalist. His photography and articles have been published in a wide array of newspapers and magazines. His company, Ewout Rijk de Vries Photography offers wedding & commercial photography.www.americatravelarrangements.com and www.photodevries.com
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