A Much Needed Vacation

This photo isn't from vacation.  It is from my book club three days before we left for our trip.  I thought my giant charcuterie and cheese board was so pretty I just had to share the photo.

Admittedly the Green family has a had a really tough year.  I don't like to complain (publicly at least) so suffice it to say we were ready for a vacation.  I don’t know what other families do…but we sort of vote on vacations.  I want the kids to have a say and be happy with where we go and what we do.  And the kids unanimously voted for a cruise.  But there was a caveat.  They didn’t want to cruise again until they were both old enough for the teens club. And while I’m not exactly a cruise enthusiast, I decided to give it another try.  I picked the Allure of the Seas because it is huge and has tons of activities I thought the kids would enjoy.  And I’ll have to admit.  This is an impressive ship.  I’m still marveling at the engineering behind creating this floating resort.  And even though our original itinerary was changed (two weeks before we left) because of the hurricanes in the Caribbean, overall the trip was a success.

The Allure has "neighborhoods" or different areas of the ship with distinct vibes.  There is a promenade with shops and restaurants.  Central Park in the middle of the ship with gardens and live music.  The Boardwalk in the rear of the ship with a Coney Island theme.  I still can't get over the scope of the ship.  It's really amazing.

A small section of the Promenade

 

 Here they are in Central Park

It was truly a relaxing oasis.

It was even prettier at night.

On the Board Walk

The Boardwalk at night.

At the end of the ship is an outdoor theater.  They have all sorts of shows from a Cirque Du Soliel-esque diving show to a belly flop competition.

This was very silly. 

There is even a show for kids...of all ages.

 Also on the boardwalk....

Up a few decks are all sorts of fun activities.

Here is my daughter playing volleyball with a bunch of men.  She rocked it of course.

 The teen club.  It looked pretty cool but adults aren't allowed inside.

 The ship also had two surfing simulators.

It was hard to get the entire ship in a photo