Cajuntraveler

23 hours ago, hpeabody said:

I have recently noticed that Princess has discontinued providing EXACT size in sq ft information and only provides a generic AVERAGE size in sq ft which is of n

I recently booked a cruise on the Regal and used the deck plan on Princess to compare the size of the cabins.  At least for the Regal, if you click on the cabin, it gives you the square footage for that room.  If you just hover over the room, you get the generic/average size.  

Regal Princess usually leaves from pier 28, which is next door to pier 25.  We usually park in the Express lot which is adjacent to pier 28.  It is an easy, paved, walk to the terminal.  There are a few handicapped parking places that are right near the wall of the terminal.  I'm attaching a link that shows a calendar of the various cruise ships and terminals.  Enjoy your cruise!

2024-Monthly (portofgalveston.com)

On our last Princess cruise out of Galveston, we parked in the lot near the terminal, dropped off our luggage before the terminal opened and then walked to the Strand. (People were already waiting in line at the terminal.)  We took our time and returned to the terminal after the crowds thinned out.  Enjoy your cruise.

The bottle of wine will be in your cabin when you board.  Ours has always been a red -Merlot, Cabernet, etc.  I've never tried to exchange it.  (I bring my own bottle just in case I don't like what is in the room.) Your cabin attendant may be able to exchange it.  There will be a card in your cabin showing the canapes that are available.  If you want them, fill out the card and leave it for your attendant. I've never seen anything on the list that I find appealing.

Enjoy your cruise.

6 hours ago, suzyed said:

While on the Regal, I had my magnifying mirror stuck to the mirror in the room with the little half moon shaped shelf, turned on the room lights and the light right above the shelf and it gave me good enough light to put on my make-up.

I have noticed the light is better at the mirror near the entry way, but my mirror is on a short stand so didn't work for me.  I will try to find a makeup mirror with suction cups so I don't have to go out on the balcony.  Thanks for the tip!!

18 hours ago, HondaGirl05 said:

Should I plan to bring a travel mirror/light?

I've been on the Regal three times in the last year. Bring your own mirror. The desk in the mini suite is near the balcony door, but I still need more light.  I usually end up going out on the balcony to apply my make up.  The bathroom is the only place in the cabin with enough light.

If you reserved a Reserve Mini Suite - (not Premier), you will dine in the reserve dining room which is a section of the main dining room. No reservations are required - just show up.  You can have the same table and wait servicers each day. They are open for breakfast and evening meals.  Lunch is available in the Reserve dining room on sea days.  You mentioned that your room is on the "bump out".  I haven't been on the Coral Princess, but I don't see any bump out balconies on that class ship.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Bring a sweater, just in case.  On our two recent Regal cruises, I often found it cold in the Reserve dining section of the main dining room. Enjoy your cruise!

Welcome to cruise critic! I agree with Sea Hag.  I would avoid cabins under the buffet or any public area.

My DH and I have sailed in a reserve mini 3 times on the Regal out of Galveston.  We have also sailed several times on Celebrity and HAL.  The Reserve Mini Suite is not really a suite, but a larger balcony room. Plenty of room for 2 people.  We book the Reserve Mini for the dining room experience and the room location.  The free bottle of wine is nice, but we skip the daily canapes.  There is no exclusive concierge, lounge or sun deck. We have really enjoyed our Princess cruises. I hope you enjoy your cruise. 

Earlier today I looked at a cruise out of Galveston on the Regal for January 2025, both plus and premier packages showed at $80 per day.  I didn't go all the way through to booking.  I check other dates in early 2025 and they all showed $80 for each package. 

Our cruise last month left from term. 28 and returned to term. 25.  The terminals are next door to each other.  We were parked in the express lot next to terminal 28, so had a longer walk (with luggage) to our car.  Thankfully the weather was OK, but it would have been a problem in the rain because there is no covered walk between the two terminals.

4 minutes ago, jbcallender said:

Do I need to book a reservation time for that or is it just walk in?

We were in a Reserve mini suite on the Regal in January.  The "Reserve" dining section does not require reservations.  We just walked up and were seated at (or very near) the same table each time, with the same excellent wait staff.  We never waited for a table.  There is a hospitality area at the terminal in Galveston.  In my 4 cruises out of Galveston, the terminal did not open until the ship was ready for boarding, so there was no need to wait in the terminal before boarding.

For those interested in the Regal Princess out of Galveston, I'm attaching a link to the Galveston port web cam.  I just watched the Regal sail away.

GALVESTON.COM: Cruise Video Cam - Galveston, TX

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

f you have sailed on the Regal Princess lately would you please share some information with us. We are wondering what kind of shape the Regal Princess is in and really anything that you can share as far as food quality, room condition and entertainment. Thank you in advance. 

We were on the Regal last week and had a very good cruise (except for disembarkation which was a disaster).  We were in a reserve mini suite and didn't have any issues. The bed and pillows were very comfortable.  Except for 1 night we ate in the reserve dining room and found the food very good and the service excellent.  The ship is in good shape.  We occasionally noticed rust spots, but nothing to distract from the overall experience.  This was our 3rd Regal cruise. We found daytime activities lacking, but really enjoyed the evening entertainment, especially the comedians and the live music throughout the ship.  We booked another Regal cruise for November 2024.

On the new app when you click on "Reserve Dining" from the home page, it lists the various dining options (including those that cost extra).  Click on any Main dining room and at the bottom it says "You're always welcome and do not need to make a reservation when dining in Concerto Dining room."

21 minutes ago, 901CiCi said:

Can you tell me where is shows which dining room is RC in the app? 

Using the "old" princess app, from the home page, scroll down to "Ocean Now", click on Dine my way, click on View or book individual daily reservations. My app tells me to enjoy Reserve 

Collection experience, no reservations necessary and shows Concerto Dining. I haven't found the dining info on the new app yet.  Hope this helps.

17 minutes ago, 901CiCi said:

Thanks! Maybe will still be in the same in February

We were on the Regal in November and the Reserve dining was in the Concerto dining room. (Deck 6)

We will be on the Regal again next week in reserve class and my PCL app shows the Concerto dining room.

We have used the express parking lot for our two Princess cruises out of Galveston.  Sorry, I don't have pictures but Google maps has some.  The lot is right next to terminal 28.  There are handicap parking spaces next to the building.  My DH walks with a cane and has no trouble getting from the terminal to the car.  There is a sidewalk in front of the terminal that goes directly into the paved lot.  We have been able to park no more than 300 feet from the terminal entrance.   The entrance to the lot is just past the terminal so you can drop your luggage, park, and walk back.  You may want to check what terminal you will be departing and arriving at.  We are leaving 1/14/24 from terminal 28 and returning to Terminal 25.  The terminals are next door to each other, but it will be a longer walk back to our car.  Enjoy your cruise.

I don't know if there are any luggage storage options in Galveston, unless you can make arrangements with a nearby hotel for the day.  You may check into renting a car one way from Galveston to IAH.  It might not be much more expensive than other transportation and you will have the flexibility to explore Galveston and the surrounding area.  Webster, Tx. (25miles from Galveston) has the NASA space station.  Houston has a great Zoo.  Many more options if you have a vehicle. 

31 minutes ago, kruisin_kt said:

It’s gonna be a late one for us on the road, but luckily I am a) a natural night owl b) still on pacific time and c) just turned 25

so I am actually allowed to drive the rental. As I keep telling myself, things could be worse. 

Sending prayers for a safe trip.  Enjoy your cruise!

For us, upgrading to a Reserve Collection Mini suite is worth the extra costs.  We prefer mid ship cabins and enjoy the no hassle dining experience.  On our November cruise on the Regal we never had to wait for a table in the Reserve dining room.  We had the same table for 2 each day and the same excellent wait staff who quickly learned our preferences. We avoid the buffet, and prefer to the dining room whenever it is open.  For those people who prefer the buffet, the Reserve mini is probably not worth the extra expense. YMMV

We leave on Regal Princess on Jan. 14th, 2024 from terminal 28 and return on 1/21/24 to terminal 25.  Disney is in terminal 28 when we return.  The terminals are a short walk from each other.

23 hours ago, eclue said:

We are just off the Regal on Dec 10th and returning again on the 27th.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but we will be on the Regal in 4 weeks and are hoping that the embarkation and debarkation in Galveston has improved.  We were on the Nov. 12th to 19th cruise and it was complete chaos.  Did you encounter any problems returning on 12/10? 

12 hours ago, denims said:

I'm late in getting on to this thread.  Is there a composite of all staterooms so far that have been described?

At the bottom of the first entry in this thread there is a link to a spread sheet that can be sorted by ship, cabin #, etc. Here is a copy of the link:

"The responses from the reviews will be copied to a spreadsheet located at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iJDFCtotsFNUvSNFzZ3LXomW95WX7R0svO7JhGRBvpo/edit?usp=sharing. You will be able to filter the data to view it many different ways."