Allure passes her first sea trials

Sailing from Tallinn to Copenhagen over the last couple of days, Olav Sovdnes, master of Balmoral, told us a couple of times during his twice-daily broadcasts over the ship’s Tannoy that he had altered the planned course to avoid heavy swells and the worst of the weather in the Baltic, seeking shelter in the lee of the Swedish island of Gotland.
What a shame we weren’t there a day or two earlier, for we might have been fortunate enough to see Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, undergoing her first sea trials.
Royal Caribbean chairman and CEO Richard Fain has been itching to tell the world how well the tests were going, but in deference to design boss Harri Kulovaara, who was on board during the tests, waited until the ship returned to the yard at Turku, Finland, before reporting on his blog.
Even now he has allowed Harri to tell the story in his own words, commenting only: “I couldn’t help but notice that he uses uncharacteristically flowery language; he must be happy.”
Harri writes: “When Allure reached the ‘box,’ an area designated for the majority of the tests and her ‘playground’ for the coming few days, the wind started picking up creating swells of about 12 feet. Fortunately this remarkably vessel handles the seas extremely well.
“This week the team has been testing everything from propulsion and manoeuvrability to the Rising Tides bar and Aqua Theatre show equipment.
“For the 500 people that have sailed onboard Allure life has been somewhat more spartan than usual. Treats like a hot shower, hot meals and a newly replenished coffee and cookies tray have been much appreciated. Nothing can be taken for granted under these circumstances. If you are lucky you also get a night of peaceful sleep uninterrupted by fire alarms, the public address system or vibration tests.”
The ship attracted attention from a number of European Navy vessels on exercise in the area, and in particular a submarine with a female captain. There was an unexpected visitor during the trials as well – a Search and Rescue helicopter which used Allure’s helipad to carry out a series of landing drills.
Back in the shipyard for the final construction work to be completed, Allure will be handed over on October 28, and will then sail to Florida for a series of inaugural cruises and ceremonies at the end of November.