What’s better than spending 7 days in the middle of the sea on a floating city with unlimited food and alcohol! Well…I’m not sure, but I sure can tell you about the amazing time I had on the Royal Caribbean’s Allure of The Seas cruise ship last month. Just recently, I packed up my vintage suitcase and swimming trunks and made my way to Miami’s cruise port. 

I was setting sail on one of the biggest cruise ships to hit the sea—Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. Now, this was my first time sailing on this massive monument of a ship, so you can only imagine how overwhelmed I was to discover that this particular cruise ship had practically every activity a man could think of. From multiple casinos, movie theaters, tons of restaurants, night clubs and even an ice skating rink—yes, an ice skating rink! How on Earth did they manage to fit that in there.

Anyway, Allure of The Seas is just one of the many cruise ships the Royal Caribbean chain owns. The cruise ship is the ultimate one-stop-shop for everything needed on a Caribbean vacation. During our trip, we stopped at 3 beautiful islands. The first island was St Maarten—a small but beautiful island with friendly locals and gorgeous beaches. The water was basically see-through and sported a mystical blue glow throughout the entire island. I decided to sport an all white cotton top and bottom combo in order to give off the Living My Best Life vibe. 

The next stop was Puerto Rico, home to Mofongo, Coquito and Pasteles!  Puerto Rico was everything I imagined it to be—colorful and cultured. From the food to the people, there was culture in practically every street corner. I decided to wear a colorful stripped shirt and khaki shorts. In my personal opinion, I thought the outfit fit the whole Puerto Rican vibe perfectly.

The last stop was Labadee Haiti, which is actually a private island owned by the cruise line. And though we weren’t able to really explore to true depths of Haiti, the beaches and scenery in Labadee Haiti is absolutely breathtaking. I decided to wear a very afro-centric and colorful shirt to go with Haiti’s rich culture.

And while we weren’t island hopping, we were stuffing our faces at the many restaurants and cafes the cruise ship had to offer. I even spent an exceptional amount of time in the casino—and yes, I left with more coins then I went in with. If you’re looking for a relaxing and royal vacation, make sure to check out the Royal Caribbean—and specifically their Allure of the Seas cruise ship. – David Plowden, David’s Manor.