After undergoing a refurbishment at the Navantia Cadiz shipyards, the second Oasis-class ship returns to service in the Mediterranean with new facilities and restaurants.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 72 – March 2025
Inaugurated in December 2010, this should be the third time it spends the summer season in the Mediterranean, following Royal Caribbean of having an Oasis-class ship spend the summer in the Mediterranean every 5 years before or after going to the shipyard for the maintenance required by regulations.
But obviously, he couldn't do the 2020 season, nor the planned renovation at the Cadiz shipyards that year, due to the pandemic.
So on February 24, it entered dock four of the Navantia Cádiz shipyards to undergo 14,000 works worth 100 million dollars.
These projects include the installation of the Perfect Storm duo of water slides and the iconic ten-deck Ultimate Abyss dry slide, the conversion of the Spice H2O children's water area into the more modern Splashaway Bay, and the Sabor Mexican restaurant in Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, among others.
Successful and established concepts from the fleet will be incorporated, such as the semi-outdoor, complimentary Mexican taco stand El Loco Fresh, the Southern American restaurant Mason Jar, and the tropical bars Pesky Parrot and Lime & Coconut. On the entertainment front, a fun inflatable laser tag arena will be added, installed on the ice rink, along with the “Royal Escape Room.” Another new feature will be the two Ultimate Panoramic Suites on the bridge, offering 200-degree panoramic views.
The Mediterranean season will begin on April 11 with a 4-night cruise starting and ending in Barcelona with stops in Palma and Marseille.
A colossus with seven neighborhoods.
The Allure of the Seas is an Oasis-class ship, which reigned as the largest ships in the world until the arrival of the Icon of the Seas. This means it has a gross tonnage of 225,282, a length of 361 meters, and a beam of 65 meters. Such size has allowed for the creation of two large open-air parks in the center of the ship: Central Park, a very natural space with approximately 12,000 plants, and Boardwalk, inspired by the seaside promenades of the English coast.
These two places make up two of the seven neighborhoods into which the ship is organized to make it easier to find your way around depending on what you want to do.
Royal Promenade:
One of the most distinctive features of most Royal Caribbean ships is the famous interior shopping street that runs through them, the Royal Promenade, inspired by the shopping arcades of London and Paris. This area offers various general services such as reception, excursion booking, and photography services, as well as numerous shops selling merchandise and fashion items, essential goods, duty-free products, bars, and restaurants.
There are several particularly popular places here, the free Sorrento's pizzeria, which is open until the early hours, and the Café Promenade coffee shop, with American coffee or tea always available free of charge along with sweets, or espresso for a fee.
The Boleros bar is also very popular among the Spanish and Latin public, where you can dance to Latin music every night.
Central Park.
This incredible open-air park sits directly above the Royal Promenade and features two large skylights that flood the interior street with natural light. One of them houses a bar elevator that goes up and down while customers enjoy a drink. Pure bliss.
In Central Park there are 12,000 carefully cared-for natural plants and trees, you can hear birds and crickets through hidden speakers, but it's not unusual to see real birds that have made the ship their home.
It is fascinating to walk around here both day and night, when the carefully designed lighting makes this place a magical space.
Central Park is mostly comprised of restaurants that charge a cover charge: Central Park 150, the most upscale; Chops Grille, a steakhouse; Giovanni's Table, Italian; Izumi Ibachi & Sushi, Japanese; and Vintages, a wine bar. There are also boutiques featuring designer fashion and jewelry brands. But the most popular spot is Park Café, a free restaurant that offers breakfast and light meals all day: sandwiches, salads, soups, pastries, and more.
Entertainment Place:
Nighttime fun has its own dedicated space. Beneath the Royal Promenade, you'll find the Casino Royale, the stunning Studio B ice rink, a comedy club, and, of course, the main theater, which occupies several decks forward. During the day, Studio B hosts an inflatable laser tag arena, and at night, it's transformed into a vibrant ice skating rink.
The main theater features shows brought directly from Broadway, as well as original productions that are just as good, if not better. From performers flying above the audience to drones, Royal Caribbean's entertainment is on another level.
The Boardwalk,
the ship's second open-air park, is located at the stern, one deck above the Royal Promenade. It houses several dining options, but its most impressive feature is the AquaTheatre, an open-air auditorium where unique shows are performed nightly, combining various acrobatic disciplines with dance, synchronized swimming, and diving. It's truly captivating and well worth seeing.
Pool and Sports Area
: What would a cruise ship be without pools? Well, the Allure of the Seas has three main pools on the upper perimeter of Central Park, in addition to the aforementioned Splashaway Bay children's water park. The Perfect Storm water slides will be installed in this area. This is also where the main Windjammer buffet is located.
Towards the bow we find the Solarium, a quiet semi-outdoor area for adults only that has a small pool and several jacuzzis, as well as a Solarium Bistro buffet, ideal for breakfast or lunch.
Towards the stern are the more sporting facilities, such as the basketball court, mini-golf, FlowRider surf simulators, and the entrance to the Ultimate Abyss dry slide that descends to Boardwalk will be installed here.
It looks innocent, but it's not. The zip line that flies over Boardwalk may seem slow and short, but the truth is that when you see yourself about to jump down it with ten decks of drop, it's very impressive.
Vitality at Sea and Fitness Center
This area is located forward and comprises the Vitality spa facilities and the large Fitness Center gym.
Youth Area:
Oasis-class ships have the largest children's and youth area, with separate rooms for each age group, from a nursery for babies to a science lab, and various game rooms. The Youth Area is open every day and offers an overnight childcare service for when parents want to spend an evening on deck.
And also worth highlighting:
In addition to the neighborhoods, the magnificent main restaurant stands out, spanning three decks connected by a large atrium and several openings, in an elegant contemporary style that impresses.
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