shsce750

The swells are actually coming from our port aft. There is a strong storm in the Atlantic north of us. I pulled up some North Atlantic forecast charts and the wind is supposed to die down a little tomorrow but the swells are predicted to be higher, 20-21 ft. Also heard the same forecast for tomorrow from a crew member. Sunday looks to be very nice though. We will see.

 

We are booked in an Explorer Suite on the 2019 Panama Canal cruise - Suite 918 which has a nice wide balcony or at least it looks as though it does. If you have an idea as to how large this is compared to an Oceania Suite would you care to comment?? Thanks, Gerry

We are currently next door in 920, a former SS1 upgraded to an Explorer. I can't compare it to an Oceania Suite but I'm sure you will pleased with 918's balcony. Our balcony is the same size with the exception of the aft portion where it tapers down to the narrower width of the balconies aft of ours.

On another note, some folks have asked about soot problems. I was out on the walking/jogging track on deck 12 last night after an excellent dinner in Pacific Rim and noticed a pretty good bit of soot on the starboard side of the track adjacent to (and downwind of) the stacks. Could possibly have blown over onto some balconies below as well.

If Norwegian is indeed one of the approved lines, I'm surprised Regent doesn't offer at least one Glacier Bay itinerary. The Tracey Arm Fjord visit is always a bit of a shell game, in that conditions, I believe, can frequently prevent passage...requiring a reroute to Endicott Glacier. Of course it's all amazing, but still...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Note that in the link I provided that individual cruise lines, not parent ownership corporations, are who the approvals are given to.

I wonder what the reasoning is behind the National Park Service's

restrictions.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/management/cruise-ships.htm

I was wrong. There are actually 5 cruise lines approved (but only 3 corporations, as Princess, HAL, Carnival are under the same corporate ownership). Of the 5, Princess and HAL are probably the 2 most active in Alaska. The link above has more info.

As far as I know, Regent never does Glacier Bay, but the itineraries are still wonderful. I'd definitely like to see Glacier Bay though.

That is correct. Princess and, I believe, Holland America, are the only 2 cruise lines approved by the National Park Service to actually enter and cruise in Glacier Bay.

We are scheduled to leave Copenhagen on 8/8/16 for our 11-day Scandinavia and Russia cruise however I'm totally confused with the exact port where Princess Regal is supposed to be docking. We got 3 different answers from Princess and no one at Princess seems to know for sure. One says Freeport, another says some thing else and a 3rd rep mentioned another port. In our cruise summary, it lists two different ports (the Oceankaj and Malmo)

 

Also, does anyone know roughly how far the Copenhagen airport is from the ship port? Any recommendations to hotel for pre-cruise? The two hotels recommended by Princess in Copenhagen are totally sold out.

 

Thanks.

Just did this cruise last month. The Regal docks at Oceankaj. We stayed at the Hilton by the airport (was free for us using points). Taxi fare from there each way for the 4 of us was about 500 DKK ($76 or so) and took about 30-40 minutes. There has been discussion elsewhere on the boards wondering if taxis are available there upon disembarkation. There were plenty.

There are 2 tunnels between Skagway and the summit. You'll go through each twice.

I only have a land experience. I used Verizon's travel pass in Europe. It worked as advertised. You get a notification every 24 hours that your current day is about to end. Other than having to add a +1 to the U.S. phone numbers everything was just like at home. It's $10 per day per country, so be aware if you are crossing borders. I have not used it at sea.

Not quite. Just used this on the Regal 11-day Baltic cruise last month. It's $10/day even if you cross borders among eligible countries. It is $10/day per device however if you have more than 1 device on your account.

From the Verizon website: You are only charged one daily fee per 24 hours for TravelPass, even if you travel within multiple covered countries.

Getting ready to book a suite on the Regal for a March 2017 sailing. My wife and I are looking at a Forward Premium Suite. Available suites are C101, D121 and D122. Can anyone shed any light on whether one of theses suites is better than the others? Or, would we be better to consider a Mid-Aft Penthouse suite? We're primarily cabin-and-balcony people (to us, the journey is the destination), so creature comforts in those places are more important than shows and facilities on the ship. It appears that balconies on all cabins are equally tiny, so I presume there is not much chance of an Ultimate Balcony Dining experience on the Regal. I greatly appreciate whatever help anyone can provide.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

My wife and I were on the May 12th Baltic cruise on the Regal in C102 and my parents were in C101. We've had the mid-aft suites before on other ships and weren't sure if we would like the forward suites but wanted to try them out. The bedrooms had lots of space and I really liked having the forward facing window. I could lay in the bed and see out the front of the ship. The balcony did not seem to be any windier than any other location when the ship was underway. Sabatini's was a relatively short walk in the mornings to the forward elevators and down to deck 5.

I'd book a forward suite again.

The only real issue we had was getting from our suite to my parents' and I haven't mentioned this in any other threads yet...

We booked C102 and then a few weeks later my parents decided to join us and booked C101. The Princess deck diagrams show a hallway running across the ship between the 2 suites and we thought it would be simple to go back and forth between our suites. There is, in fact, a hallway there but it is closed off and marked as a crew area (there are forward facing officers cabins there). Even the deck diagrams by each elevator show a hallway there. We spoke to the concierge about it and she agreed the diagrams are deceptive. Turns out we had to walk aft to the forward elevators to cross over to the other side and then forward again. I estimate the distance was 450-500 feet, not the 40-50 feet we expected.

Overall this did not detract from our enjoyment of the cruise but was just way less convenient than we expected.

I believe that there are 2 - the first being on the sea day between Oslo and Berlin. The second I think is the night we leave Helsinki.

This was not the case on the May 12th sailing. It was widely thought beforehand that the first formal night would be the first sea day but it was actually the 2nd sea day, between Warnemunde and Tallinn. The 2nd formal night was, in fact, the day we were in Helsinki.

The most likely "complications" are as follows: (1) something happens to your ship or a passenger on board, throwing off the schedule-- most likely you will lose the cost of your private tour; and (2) something happens during your privately arranged shore excursion causing you to miss a return time cutoff, at which point you will be on your own scrambling to catch the ship in the next port. Neither of these are extremely likely, but they are something to keep in mind when booking.

My wife and I and my parents just did a 2-day private tour for the 4 of us in St. Petersburg last week with TJ Travel. All of the tour companies I am aware of do not require any payment until you are there, not even a deposit. In fact with TJ we did not pay until the 2nd morning. Very pleased with our tour.

Thank you Jasperdo for those pics.

 

I have two questions that I just can not find answers to. And I am hoping that finally somebody will come forward and help.

 

1. In that third photo, the top level of the Sanctuary, It appears that there are people up there, above, looking right down over guest who are paying for a more peaceful and private area. What level is this, and how did they get there? I don't know if I would be comfortable paying for the sanctuary with other random guests up there just looking down and perusing over us.

The aft end of Deck 16, the sports area, overlooks the Santuary and is open to anyone. The basketball area is there so you could have some noise from that but in May you shouldn't have many, if any, kids.

For most cruises the Regal is now able to dock in Stockholm but my understanding is that some of the cruises she will still tender at Nynashamn. Not sure why. The Regal is now in the midst of her first Baltic cruise of the season during which I believe she will tender at Nynashamn. We embark next Thursday, the 12th, and were originally scheduled for tendering at Nynashamn but it has changed to docking in Stockholm.

Place on the ship to read the book in peace?

Decks 8-11 have door at the sterm of the ship that lead out to a lounge area, that is unless things have changed since we were on the Coral a couple of years ago. Also unless there is a event gong on in Wheelhouse it is a quiet comfy place to read, also the Library

I agree the aft decks are good places to sit and read. Almost always deserted. Spent several hours out there on my last 2 Coral cruises.

No Sabatini's does not open before 0730. You can always order a full breakfast from room service and it will arrive at the time specified.

 

Mike:)

Been in suites twice on the Coral in the last 18 months. Sabatini's opened at 7:30 on sea days, 7:00 on port days. Hope the Regal does this next month.

Op - I see now. You showed up when the previous paxs were still disembarking and the ship was being cleaned. What time did Princess tell you to board? I suspect it was somewhat later than 1000. No one really cares about your perceived "status" at Celebrity. To be truthful, you come across as someone who is a forever grump. If you're so put out, get off as I suspect you're one of those paxs who make everyone around them miserable. I know that's how I feel from reading your posts!!!!

Exactly!

The title of the OP's post says it all. He has given us all a first impression of himself...and it's not favorable!

 

Beth, could you wear nice shorts to Sabatini's on sea days when it was acting as Alfredo's?

 

Shorts may be worn at any dining venue for lunch, even the MDR.

Some of the Coral's Panama Canal itineraries include Ocho Rios, some include Grand Cayman instead. Been this way for at least a couple years.

For pizza try Alfredo's (in Sabatini's), available most days for lunch. Individual cooked to order personal pizzas. Much better than the pizza available by the pool.

Yes, the Lido deck above extends out farther than the balconies of most Aloha deck cabins, so it's covered and then some in that area.

I agree with you also. The service is what makes it special.

I agree. Wife and I have been in a suite on the Coral twice in the last 16 months. We were usually at Sabatini's as soon as they opened each morning. Most days we were the only 2 people in there with 2 waiters looking after us. Some days there were 1 or maybe 2 other tables occupied (they told us most suite guests came later in the morning). Very nice way to start the day.

I agree with the previous responses regarding the filet. The jambalaya and seafood gumbo are also excellent.

Glad you hear you enjoyed D704. We booked D701 for our upcoming Panama Canal partial transit. This will be our first time on the Coral. Is the deck furniture teak or do the suites have canvas-type chairs and metal table?

The deck furniture for the suites is teak.

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Coral partial Panama in April and appreciate all the info . did you hear of any comments about the Embera excursion in the canal? Also ,did you think your balcony could hold 8 for the ultimate balcony dinner?

I think you will have plenty of room for that on the balcony, but they will need to bring in some more tables and chairs from somewhere.

Didn't hear any comments about that excursion.

Did you like cabin C704, that's the one I'm thinking of booking, is it covered? After booking this cabin, do you feel you made the right choice or next time would you save money and book a minisuite - sorry, just trying to figure out quickly what I want to do and get it set in stone :)

Yes we liked C704. And yes we would do it again and, in fact, did. 7 months later we were back on the Coral in June for Alaska in suite D631. The balcony on C704 is not fully covered. The suites below on Dolphin deck are fully covered though. Otherwise they are identical.

We enjoy the suite amenities and are booked in a suite again on a Baltic cruise in May on the Regal.