Allure vs Vista a cruise filled year

mousefanmichelle

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Hi there! My daughter and I just got off the Allure of the Seas yesterday in Ft. Lauderdale on and easter caribbean cruise. Earlier this year my dh and I cruised on the Carnival Vista on the 8 day southern caribbean cruise. I wanted to kind of talk and compare both ships.

They are both equally impressive sized ships.

They are both choppy and you cannot take certain floors all the way across the ships. Boarding on both was quick as was disembarking. I think the Carnival line went a bit quicker but not too much. At the ports getting on and off was a breeze on both ships.

The Allure is a gorgeous ship. The Vista is alright. Our room on the Vista seemed bigger - both were balcony rooms on starboard side, deck 7 for both cruises. The storage space (think closets) were better on the Vista as there was a huge cupboad door vs sliding doors on the Allure where you could only get to half of the closet at a time. The bathroom counter on the Vista was bigger than the Allure. The shower on the Allure had a glass shower doors, much better than a curtain on the Vista. The balcony on the Allure appeared bigger and you got a nice sized table with your 2 chairs. The beds are the same. The couch on the Allure seemed really worn and stained as was the carpet. The room was not the cleanest when we arrived either. The Vista stateroom was clean, and not worn.

For the win on the stateroom, I am going Carnival.

Lots of pools on the Allure - 5 in total I think. Less spas though. I did not like the kiddie area by the pool, I think it should have been seperated like on the Vista. I liked the water slides on the Vista as well that Allure did not have. Allure had the Flow Rider which my daughter had fun at. The Solarium, or adult only area could have used a bigger pool on the Allure. Vista does not have that but they do have the Havana pool which after 7pm anyone can use and no one was there during that time so Score!!

I felt like I was just being asked for money on the Allure for everything. Every time I turned around they were asking about specialty dining, i mean getting popcorn for a show was $2.50 and they charged a service fee on top of that too!!!!! That is crazy!

I loved Guys burgers, Pig and Anchor and the Blue Iguana on Carnival. Nice that you had those options. There were options on Allure too but nothing that I wanted. I thought Carnival offered more variety than Allure - at least when it comes to the free food options and I prefer their buffet as well.

The common areas like the Boardwalk and Central park on the Allure were fun and pretty. I wouldn't want a room balcony that faced those areas though. Just personal perference. If i am getting a balcony it's looking out at the ocean not people lol!

I felt the atmosphere on the Allure was very subdued. The cruise director was nearly non-existent. I feel the cruise director sets the tone and the Vista had a great one. I feel the cruisers on the Allure were more mature in age and things shut down early except for the pizza joint and some bars on the promanade deck.

Vista just more lively and the cruise director, Matt Mitchum, I believe was very energetic.

The shows on the Allure were def. better than the Vista. The performers were way more talented and professional than the Vista.

Overall both cruises were good but I realized I prefer Carnival over Royal. I just like the atmosphere better on Carnival and I already paid a fair amount for my trip, I don't want to be nickled and dimed especially for popcorn like they do on Royal. Can't go wrong with either and this is just one womans opinion so take it for what its worth.
 
I have to agree that the CD on Allure was very low key. But the upside to that was there were no “Carnival suxlol” jokes, which I hate - no real need to belittle the competition when you’re both clearly doing alright.

Vista is (I believe) a newer ship so I do expect things to look and feel cleaner. They should have tackled this during Allures last dry dock but I think they focused on converting Rita’s to Sabor and changing the Aft balcony areas to staterooms. All about the Benjamins.

Funny you should mention the kids area. I love the fact that it’s all in one area and you don’t have to move somewhere separate to watch the kids.

(FYI Harmony redid the whole area to make a giant splash pad including slides and one of those giant water bucket thingies.)
 
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Never been on Carnival but the Vista looks very nice. Loved the Allure. Great comparison. Too bad about Allure CD. We quite liked the one back in 2016 (Dru something). I personally love Royal shows, especially the Oasis class. How are activities on Carnival? Do they have good day to.e a d night time stuff? E.g.love and marriage, scavenger hunts, dances, trivia, etc
 


That was a very interesting review! Thank you! I've sailed with DCL and Carnival and I booked our first RCCL cruise for the Fall 2019. Can't wait to see how they compare to what I have experienced on DCL and Carnival! :)

Never been on Carnival but the Vista looks very nice. Loved the Allure. Great comparison. Too bad about Allure CD. We quite liked the one back in 2016 (Dru something). I personally love Royal shows, especially the Oasis class. How are activities on Carnival? Do they have good day to.e a d night time stuff? E.g.love and marriage, scavenger hunts, dances, trivia, etc

I really want to comment because I'm obsessed with the Carnival "fun". :rotfl2:

DH and I love activities on Carnival and it's really what brought us back for more. I don't know if there is a scavenger hunt, but the Love and Marriage show is awesome, they have great comedy shows (DH and I are definitely fans!) and trivia. They usually do dance parties. Bingo is pricey but a lot of fun (never thought Bingo could be that entertaining but on Carnival ships, it is!) and there are contests and activities around the pool.
 
Thanks for sharing. We are super low key and low maintenance. Out of all our cruises the only CD I even remember is Clayton from DCL. CDs are just not important to us and traveling with a child, neither are some of the adult activities/adult areas.

We love the Oasis class ships for the number of pools(that's a biggie for us!), the food options (Allure's specialty restaurants were the best cruise food ever), and the entertainment, which is ALL family friendly.

Odd about the other cruisers - possibly when you cruised because when we go in August or holiday week there are plenty of kids/families.

We never felt nickeled and dimed - we actually got a great deal on the specialty dining (we wouldn't have done it otherwise). As far as popcorn...heck even Disney charges for popcorn!
 
We never felt nickeled and dimed - we actually got a great deal on the specialty dining (we wouldn't have done it otherwise). As far as popcorn...heck even Disney charges for popcorn!
I have a theory that upsells are more prevalent or noticeable the first one or two times you're aboard with a moderately priced cruise line*. After that you sort of learn to avoid or filter them out, which of course makes for a better experience. I definitely saw the tables pushing drink packages last month at the start of the cruise, but I always blew right by them without a second thought. I'm sure that if I went on Carnival (having never been) I'd notice whatever things they're trying to upsell you on.

*By moderately priced I mean cruise lines like Royal, Carnival, NCL, Princess et al. DCL has experiences similar to Royal and Carnival, but is generally priced more upper tier like Celebrity, Viking etc.
 


Never been on Carnival but the Vista looks very nice. Loved the Allure. Great comparison. Too bad about Allure CD. We quite liked the one back in 2016 (Dru something). I personally love Royal shows, especially the Oasis class. How are activities on Carnival? Do they have good day to.e a d night time stuff? E.g.love and marriage, scavenger hunts, dances, trivia, etc

Our first cruise on Carnival Liberty there was a kids club photo scavenger hunt. it was the last sea day, we were both sick that morning (it was rough waters!) but feeling better by the time it rolled around. We were one of two families who competed because everyone else was stuck in their cabins (seriously, it was a bad day at sea lol, they had the bags out everywhere!). We ended up winning and got a "ship on a stick" which was pretty fun. They had one on our last cruise as well but kiddo is "too old" for such things now and didn't want to participate. We had a lot of fun though, and they do have a lot of stuff to do. We prefer Carnival though we have more days on RCL. Carnival is just more fun. Not sure why! We enjoyed the RCL cruises as well of course.
 
I have a theory that upsells are more prevalent or noticeable the first one or two times you're aboard with a moderately priced cruise line*. After that you sort of learn to avoid or filter them out, which of course makes for a better experience. I definitely saw the tables pushing drink packages last month at the start of the cruise, but I always blew right by them without a second thought. I'm sure that if I went on Carnival (having never been) I'd notice whatever things they're trying to upsell you on.

*By moderately priced I mean cruise lines like Royal, Carnival, NCL, Princess et al. DCL has experiences similar to Royal and Carnival, but is generally priced more upper tier like Celebrity, Viking etc.

I remember a Magic cruise from NYC. They were actually in Cabanas walking around with water bottles selling the water packages.
 
If i am getting a balcony it's looking out at the ocean not people l

On some itineraries I would agree with this but on a caribbean itinerary, not so much. I know thats an unpopular opinion but give me a central park balcony over ocean view on any caribbean cruise....love em!!

Allure's specialty restaurants were the best cruise food ever

I'd put them at the top too...right below DCLs for me but certainly, right there at the top.

Oases class ships are a bit too big/choppy for me and I prefer the Freedom Class but Allure is a fun ship for sure. Sailing her last in June 2018 we didnt have any issues at all finding upbeat and lively entertainment options but I'll be completely honest, I can't tell you the name of one cruise director on any cruise I've ever been on. I just don't pay that much attention to it. The night clubs on Allure were hit & miss...some nights they wre very lively but at times were packed with a much younger demographic. But the dance party on whit night was fun, The Quest was out of control, every show we saw was great (including both ice shows) and I don't remember too many times wanting to do something upbeat and struggling to find anything to do.

If anyone reading this in the future is looking for info on Allure, feel free to check out our video (Allure - June 2018) for things the ship may offer

 
On some itineraries I would agree with this but on a caribbean itinerary, not so much. I know thats an unpopular opinion but give me a central park balcony over ocean view on any caribbean cruise....love em!!



I'd put them at the top too...right below DCLs for me but certainly, right there at the top.

Oases class ships are a bit too big/choppy for me and I prefer the Freedom Class but Allure is a fun ship for sure. Sailing her last in June 2018 we didnt have any issues at all finding upbeat and lively entertainment options but I'll be completely honest, I can't tell you the name of one cruise director on any cruise I've ever been on. I just don't pay that much attention to it. The night clubs on Allure were hit & miss...some nights they wre very lively but at times were packed with a much younger demographic. But the dance party on whit night was fun, The Quest was out of control, every show we saw was great (including both ice shows) and I don't remember too many times wanting to do something upbeat and struggling to find anything to do.

If anyone reading this in the future is looking for info on Allure, feel free to check out our video (Allure - June 2018) for things the ship may offer



Thanks. I'll definitely watch the video. We're on Allure in November. We have a Boardwalk balcony all the way at the back of deck 9. I'm looking forward to watching the aqua show from the balcony.
 
I'd put them at the top too...right below DCLs for me but certainly, right there at the top.

I haven't eaten at the DCL specialty restaurants because my daughter is not welcome there. As far as regular dining on DCL, the only thing that ever wowed me is a Mickey Bar. :sunny:
 
DCL MDR(s) food is fine, basically the same level as RCI. I found the food I had on Princess to be better than both, but it's been almost 12 years since I've sailed Princess, and as we know things have changed a lot since then, so I might suffer from nostalgia bias.

I think I'm missing something because I'm not sure what you guys mean by choppy? I thought you were talking about the water but I guess it's something else?

On some itineraries I would agree with this but on a caribbean itinerary, not so much. I know thats an unpopular opinion but give me a central park balcony over ocean view on any caribbean cruise....love em!!
I've found that with a CP balcony we simply don't use it as much as a oceanview or boardwalk. Quiet, yes, and nice to look at the park but I don't get enough breeze there.
 
I have to agree that the CD on Allure was very low key. But the upside to that was there were no “Carnival suxlol” jokes, which I hate - no real need to belittle the competition when you’re both clearly doing alright.

Vista is (I believe) a newer ship so I do expect things to look and feel cleaner. They should have tackled this during Allures last dry dock but I think they focused on converting Rita’s to Sabor and changing the Aft balcony areas to staterooms. All about the Benjamins.

Funny you should mention the kids area. I love the fact that it’s all in one area and you don’t have to move somewhere separate to watch the kids.

(FYI Harmony redid the whole area to make a giant splash pad including slides and one of those giant water bucket thingies.)

The comedians belittled Carnival calling it the Walmart of the Sea and said that one of Carnivals excursions was to see the Allure LOL.

I can see the advantage to having the kids area where it was for parents. My kids are adults now so my perspective has changed now that they aren't under foot.
 
Never been on Carnival but the Vista looks very nice. Loved the Allure. Great comparison. Too bad about Allure CD. We quite liked the one back in 2016 (Dru something). I personally love Royal shows, especially the Oasis class. How are activities on Carnival? Do they have good day to.e a d night time stuff? E.g.love and marriage, scavenger hunts, dances, trivia, etc

Its not like the CD wasn't nice or anything its just you rarely heard from him except when he came into the Love and Marriage Show or the Quest show AFTER the cruise main entertainer (who would have made a much better CD than the actual CD) introduced the show and whatnot then the CD showed up. I thought it was strange but I am used to the way Carnival does it.
 
Thanks for sharing. We are super low key and low maintenance. Out of all our cruises the only CD I even remember is Clayton from DCL. CDs are just not important to us and traveling with a child, neither are some of the adult activities/adult areas.

We love the Oasis class ships for the number of pools(that's a biggie for us!), the food options (Allure's specialty restaurants were the best cruise food ever), and the entertainment, which is ALL family friendly.

Odd about the other cruisers - possibly when you cruised because when we go in August or holiday week there are plenty of kids/families.

We never felt nickeled and dimed - we actually got a great deal on the specialty dining (we wouldn't have done it otherwise). As far as popcorn...heck even Disney charges for popcorn!

I guess I feel that I already paid a lot for the cruise, the excursions, the 10 drink card - what is wrong with expecting some free popcorn???!!! It's not like it costs a lot of money to make it know what I mean?
 
Our first cruise on Carnival Liberty there was a kids club photo scavenger hunt. it was the last sea day, we were both sick that morning (it was rough waters!) but feeling better by the time it rolled around. We were one of two families who competed because everyone else was stuck in their cabins (seriously, it was a bad day at sea lol, they had the bags out everywhere!). We ended up winning and got a "ship on a stick" which was pretty fun. They had one on our last cruise as well but kiddo is "too old" for such things now and didn't want to participate. We had a lot of fun though, and they do have a lot of stuff to do. We prefer Carnival though we have more days on RCL. Carnival is just more fun. Not sure why! We enjoyed the RCL cruises as well of course.

I think that is me in a nut shell. I just prefer Carnival. Nothing wrong with RCL at all. Its all personal preference.
 
I've found that with a CP balcony we simply don't use it as much as a oceanview or boardwalk. Quiet, yes, and nice to look at the park but I don't get enough breeze there.

We've done a Boardwalk once and never again...wayyy too loud for me with shows starting at 10pm.
 
Definite truth to that at night. But during the day it's nice and you get a bit of a view of the water. Plus the aqua show.
 
Its not like the CD wasn't nice or anything its just you rarely heard from him except when he came into the Love and Marriage Show or the Quest show AFTER the cruise main entertainer (who would have made a much better CD than the actual CD) introduced the show and whatnot then the CD showed up. I thought it was strange but I am used to the way Carnival does it.

That is strange. We were on Mariner in AufAug and the CD came introduced the main theatre show each night and at things like belly flop contest. I also saw him around a few times.

In Allure a few years ago, same thing with the CD at the time. You must have just had bad luck with a bad one.
 

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