Living Large on Allure of the Seas

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Photo by: Allure of the Seas

There’s a moment I look forward to every time I take a cruise, one that occurs even before I step aboard. As we near the port, I crane my head this way and that, looking for that first glimpse of the ships at anchor. Like watching a plane fly overhead or hearing a train’s whistle in the distance, it whets my appetite to pick up and just go — or in this case, to get to the ship already.

So I’m doubly excited for the moment tomorrow when the massive Allure of the Seas — Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, and along with sister Oasis of the Seas, the largest in the world — looms into view. I’ll be hopping onboard for a preview sailing this weekend, where I’ll be tweeting my impressions of the ship and its myriad offerings, provided (a) the ship has cell service, and (b) I can learn how to Twitter sometime before embarkation.

I’m prepared to be a little overwhelmed, but invigorated too. There’s a wonderful sense of anticipation when seeing a ship for the first time, especially one so big and chockfull of things ships have never had: seven individual neighborhoods, hot tubs cantilevered over the water, a Starbucks.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite moment of a cruise? Are you planning to sail on the Allure of the Seas? What do you most want to see/hear/taste/touch/experience onboard?

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Oprah named this cruise on her Favorite Things 2010 list.