Allure of the Seas

The Oasis Class is a fan favorite when it comes to Royal Caribbean, and when we look at what each ship offers, it’s easy to see why. They provide a ton of activities at reasonable prices. A trip on an Icon Class ship often starts at $1,000, while an Oasis Class ship usually costs about 40% less. 

You still get a wide variety of entertainment options, including Broadway musicals, massive waterslides, and even an escape room. Oasis of the Seas, the ship that started it all in 2009, is still awesome today, while Allure of the Seas proudly carries the baton and faces the tough challenge of earning rave reviews everywhere. Does it succeed? Oh, yes. In fact, Allure improves upon Oasis of the Seas in almost every aspect we can think of.

What we like about Allure of the Seas

The first thing you will easily notice is the amount of new stuff to do onboard. Funny enough, a lot of it was added just a few months ago during a massive amplification project in 2025, which put Allure of the Seas head to head with the newest Oasis Class ships when it comes to amenities. You can ride the Ultimate Abyss dry slide, try an escape room based on Apollo 18, zip across the ship, hop on the free FlowRider or carousel, and so much more.

The 2025 project cost more than 100 million dollars and also added the Perfect Storm slides, the Supercell bowl-style slide, the Splashaway Bay waterpark for kids with a mini slide and dump bucket, the fan favorite Playmakers Sports Bar that gets really fun during football season, a tiki bar called Pesky Parrot, the Mason Jar restaurant serving Southern cuisine with live music, El Loco Fresh which is a free Mexican spot perfect for tacos, and the brand new Aqua80Too show. Aqua80 was already one of the best aqua shows on any cruise line, and Aqua80Too takes it further with new stunts and 80s music. 

Aaaaand… we are still not done! This multimillion dollar project also went heavy on Caribbean décor, added new cabins, a small nonsmoking casino, expanded the Kids Club with multiple new areas, and introduced extra bars on the pool deck. As you can see, it is a lot. You might ask, “Hey, do not most Oasis Class ships already have all that?” And yes, some of them do. Even Oasis of the Seas already had the Ultimate Abyss slide. But let us not forget that a few of these venues are exclusive to Allure and, more importantly, all of this was added in 2025. That means everything has a brand new coat of paint, feels fresh and welcoming, and that is especially important for the hundreds of new cabins.

Entertainment is also pretty good onboard when it comes to shows and parties. Everywhere you go on Allure of the Seas, there always seems to be a themed party or event happening. You can join dance classes, with Latin dances and salsa getting special highlights, enjoy silent disco nights, regular disco nights, and parties celebrating the 70s and 80s. The shows onboard are also solid, with Mamma Mia! as the big showstopper celebrating ABBA, along with ice shows and smaller performances designed for kids.

What we don’t like about Allure of the Seas

There is actually not much to dislike about this ship. Not every update was a hit, though, as it did lose some fan favorite venues like the library and card room, as well as the Vitality Café. That is understandable since the ship does not have infinite space and some things had to go.

One of the very few misses from the update is the addition of the Rising Tide Bar. This bar floats between decks 5 and 8 and gives guests the chance to sit down and enjoy a drink. It is… meh. The idea feels like a gimmick that is years behind what Celebrity Cruises offers with the Magic Carpet, especially since it is indoors and gets very loud due to the fountain underneath that plays music once the bar starts moving. It is so loud, in fact, that it sometimes has to shut down when there is a game happening in the nearby Schooner Bar.

Conclusion

Allure of the Seas is a great and safe choice for a family trip. It offers a ton of activities, brand new restaurants and slides, and the 2025 update made it feel almost like a brand new ship. If you have sailed on it before, try it again to see how much has changed. You will not be disappointed.