Regal Princess Feb 15-22 review

[genmasjoy]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on Regal on March 1, so I appreciate the current information about the meal schedules and shows.

[homeinboca]

Great review, thanks for sharing your experiences. It's bringing back great memories of our time on the Regal in January. She's a wonderful ship and everything for us on board went perfectly!

 

We also went with Bernard's on St Martin, and had the Mailman - he's quite a character! Can you imagine he has over 20 siblings! As he said, his father was a true rolling stone!

Edited February 26, 2015 by homeinboca

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review.

[cruisergal 1]

Embarkation day is usually called day 1.

 

There is never a formal evening on embarkation day.

 

You are right, there is never a formal dinner on embarkation day. I thought that by formal dinner she meant dining in the Allegro dining room that has the 2 seatings 6:15 and 8:15.

[cruisergal 1]

Great review, thanks for sharing your experiences. It's bringing back great memories of our time on the Regal in January. She's a wonderful ship and everything for us on board went perfectly!

 

We also went with Bernard's on St Martin, and had the Mailman - he's quite a character! Can you imagine he has over 20 siblings! As he said, his father was a true rolling stone!

 

Yes Mailman is a character, he told us he has 25 siblings, from different mothers. He was going to go with the name Milkman, but since his father had all these children with a few wives, he figured that Mailman was a better choice!

[cruisergal 1]

Day 6 - Sea Day

 

We slept in a bit today, due to having a late night last night. We went up to the Horizon Court again to have our regular brekkie, and then went out to sit on the deck, it was a little cloudy, but you could feel the sun penetrating the clouds. We watched Mrs. Doubtfire on MUTS, and it was still funny like it was the first time we saw it. We saw a tornado forming on the water from afar, looking like a cone, twisting and turning. Darryl took a whole bunch of pictures, and people were lining up on the side of the deck to watch it as we went by it. What a spectacular sight!

 

They had a contest on deck mens sexy legs contest. I convinced Darryl to enter, so he and 2 others did, but it started to drizzle, and they cancelled the contest, but gave the contestants Princess Water Bottles. For lunch we ate at the grill, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza. All were tasty and filling, and a nice change. Then we went back to the cabin for some R & R before going for dinner.

 

For dinner I had the escargot, which was absolutely delicious. The salad with the balsamic dressing was excellent, and I had the Lobster tail and prawns, which were perfect. What a difference from the awful chicken dinner we had a couple of days ago. For dessert there was a chocolate pistachio mousse, which was absolutely decadent. To balance it off, I had the cheese and fruit plate.

 

After dinner we went to the Lounge to hear Daniel - a piano player/singer. He was fantastic and had a real mellow voice, that was easy to listen to. We were so relaxed, we went back to the cabin, and hit the pillows immediately and we were both out like a light!

 

Day 7 - Sea Day

 

 

We got up early so we could eat breakfast at the Horizon court and get a chair on the deck. There were chairs available as the weather was a bit overcast and coolish. We laid on the chairs, wrapped up in beach towels, like everyone else. There was a bit of a wind and it started to drizzle more, and so I decided it was time to get up and go to plan B, which was going to do some shopping. They had a 3 hour sale on and it was mostly things they couldn't sell, clothing, watches, shawls, hats, nic nacs! I managed to buy a few things. We also bought some liquor, which we do everytime we cruise, as it is so cheap.

 

We hit the casino for a short time before going for lunch to the Bistro, and dropped a few dollars. It was finally sunny outside, so I went back out to enhance my tan. Darryl in the mean time went to play volleyball and do some target shooting. When he came back, we sun bathed a bit more, then went back to the cabin to pack our stuff for our disembarkation tomorrow morning.

 

It was a challenge packing all the things we had bought on our trip, and we were worried about our luggage being over weight. We managed to get everything squished into the luggage. We place our bags outside the door before we headed out for dinner.

 

We had a nice dinner with our dinner mates, and exchanged email addresses and facebook details. Service tonight was slow, but we didn't care, because there was no shows to go to. Darryl and I went to the casino, and I won another $100, for a total of $350 to put forth for our next cruise in August.

We got back to our cabin at 1:00 am, and went right to sleep, as we had to get up early tomorrow to leave.

 

 

Disembarkation Day

 

Woke up at 7:00 am, went for our last brekkie of the cruise at the Horizon Court, went back to the cabin to collect our remaining belongings, and headed to the Vista Lounge to wait for our colour to be called to disembark. We only had to wait about 5 minutes and then were on our way off the ship, through immigration, and then to get our luggage. We hired a porter to collect our luggage and within 15 minutes were in a cab, driving to get our car rental for 1 1/2 days to tour Miami, before heading back to Calgary.

 

 

Final Comments:

 

All in all the Regal Princess is a beautiful, magnificent ship. The missing centre stairs did not make a difference to us. The elevators were efficient and we never had to wait really long to get one. The placement of the toilet paper, in the bathroom, is not that uncomfortable. The size of the balcony, while a bit smaller than the other Princess ships, were still useable, and we sat outside every night for a night cap, and still enjoyed it, without being too cramped like people complained about.

 

The service around the ship was wonderful. Staff were friendly, always greeting us with a smile on their faces. The Horizon Bistro servers were on the ball, and brought refills constantly, and cleaning up as soon as someone left the table.

 

The food in the buffet was exceptional, the layout of the buffet was wonderful, never any line ups, or long waits for food. The presentation of the food was appetising and very efficient.

 

We had 1 dinner fiasco, but I like to think that it was the exception, and would rather concentrate on the positive points of the Regal Princess. The shows and theatre productions were top notch, better than on their other ships. There were numerous activities during the sea days, and one could not get bored unless they wanted to.

 

I would definitely recommend the Regal Princess to everyone. I know Darryl and I would go on it again. It made our trip a memorable one!

 

If anyone has any specific questions about the Regal Princess, please ask, and I will try to answer as best I can. Until our next cruise in August.....Bye

[samhalkev]

Thanks for the great review! Did the Regal have the Bogo Happy Hour each day from 3-4pm and 11-12 each evening? We were on the Royal in December and enjoyed it and wanted to know if they will have it on our upcoming cruise.

[LoriPhil]

The target shooting sounds like something new - were there many people using it? How did it work?

 

Thank you for your excellent reviews!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks for the great review! Did the Regal have the Bogo Happy Hour each day from 3-4pm and 11-12 each evening? We were on the Royal in December and enjoyed it and wanted to know if they will have it on our upcoming cruise.

 

They had it in January on the Regal. The afternoon one was in Crooners and it looked like it was packed!

[Colo Cruiser]

We found the lamb on our Emerald cruise earlier this month was way overcooked a fatty. Waiter said they were now using a different cut..

Edited February 27, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[caribill]

The target shooting sounds like something new - were there many people using it? How did it work?

 

 

It is a simulation inside on deck 18 using a digital screen. One person at a time using a laser rifle. No fee to participate.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2015 by caribill

[cruisergal 1]

Thanks for the great review! Did the Regal have the Bogo Happy Hour each day from 3-4pm and 11-12 each evening? We were on the Royal in December and enjoyed it and wanted to know if they will have it on our upcoming cruise.

 

Yes they did have Bogo Happy Hour from 3-4 and 11-12 in the evening. We however did not take advantage of it, as we are not big drinkers, and only had the occasional one, and were always busy doing something else during those times! Enjoy your upcoming cruise.

[cruisergal 1]

The target shooting sounds like something new - were there many people using it? How did it work?

 

Thank you for your excellent reviews!

 

I, myself did not use the target shooting, but DH said there were quite a number of people in line using it, especially once they found out about it, they continued to come back for more!

[cruisergal 1]

We found the lamb on our Emerald cruise earlier this month was way overcooked a fatty. Waiter said they were now using a different cut..

 

The obviously are not using a different cut. It was so tough, I couldn't even chew it, and I was afraid to swallow it and get it stuck in my throat. The moral of this story is stay away from the lamb!

[markarmel]

Thanks for your review, it was really good to read. We are hoping to be on Regal Princess next year if she is doing the northern Europe cruises like this year. She looks to be an amazing ship, we're doing our first princess cruise this year on Diamond Princess in October so it's going to be interesting to compare Princess against Holland America and Royal Carribean ships we have been on. We are looking forward to Princess cruises 2016 trips being released and hopefully booking Regal Princess

[susancruzs]

The Regal Princess will be sailing from Copenhagen in 2016. The bookings open up with Princess on March 19th. I'm doing the Grand Adventure which is the Baltic 12 day plus a Copenhagen to Tampa, leaving Copenhagen August 30th.

 

Sometimes booking onboard is beneficial but waiting until this Oct. for 2016 would depend on what type of cabin you like to book. I book early because I sail as a single and interested in certain cabins. Waiting until later for popular itineraries would not help me in terms of pricing, not much bargaining power as a single.

Edited March 1, 2015 by susancruzs

[ckrcjr]

Day 3 - Sea Day

 

Up at 9:00, headed off to the Horizon Court for my bagels, lox and cream cheese, what a treat, I sure was a happy camper. Darryl went to get his assortment, and we sat with an interesting couple from Utah. Half the fun of the trip is meeting and talking with people from all over the country. Everyone is so friendly and talkative, and of course Darryl (I call him Chatty Kathy), encourages everyone to talk, and he loves telling stories and has people in awe all the time!

 

After bkfst, it was time to park my pale skinned body in the sun to get bronzed. The only seats available was on the 17th deck, one deck over the pool. It was very windy, and things were flying every which way, but nevertheless very sunny and relaxing. D went galavanting around the ship with his camera, he usually takes over 3,000 pictures on our trips, whatever, at least he's happy doing it, and it costs nothing with the digital camera's.

 

He picked me up for lunch and we ate at the Horizon Court again, chicken fingers, that were crispy and delicious with a tangy sauce, a grilled vegie burrito, and a shrimp salad. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Best cruise food I have eaten so far.

 

We went to the casino to meet up with the CC roll call group for our slot pull that I organized. 27 people showed up and we played for over an hour on the $3.00 slot machine, we didn't win anything, and it only ended up costing us $5/each to play 8 pulls each. It was a lot of fun, try to get someone to organize one for your cruise. We made so much noise, people from around us were joining us to see what was happening. After it was over we went to Club 6 where we held our formal M & G. Only around 20 people attended out of over 50 to were signed up to come, that was disappointing. Martyn Moss the cruise director came to talk with us and had a Q & A. He was very personable and upfront about anything we asked him.

 

On the way back to our cabin, we dropped off at the INternational Café for a grilled meat sandwich, after all it had been at least 3 hours since we last ate. Darryl went to pick up some scones and cookies at the Bistro to have back at our cabin, in case we got hungry again. I must say, we never eat like this at home, thank goodness.

 

Tonight was formal night, after our drink out on the balcony we got dressed in our finery and headed out to the Allegro Dining Room to eat again! Had a lighter meal, fish, which was cooked to perfection and just the right touch!

Couldn't refuse the desserts again, they were decadent and absolutely fantastic, it was a chocolate mocha, thingy. Don't remember what it was called.

 

Went to see Michael Minor, a comedian ventrilloquest. He was absolutely amazing and put on a great, entertaining show. After the show we were zonked, all that eating got us tired out, and tomorrow is St. Thomas, a big tour day to St. John, and hopefully time for jewellery shopping.

 

Could you tell me if you contacted the casino manager before your slot pull? I am in charge of ours on our upcoming cruise on the Coral Princess and have never done this before - any hints you can give me will be greatly appreciated. So far we have 35 signed up.

 

Thanks!

Cindy

[cruisergal 1]

Could you tell me if you contacted the casino manager before your slot pull? I am in charge of ours on our upcoming cruise on the Coral Princess and have never done this before - any hints you can give me will be greatly appreciated. So far we have 35 signed up.

 

Thanks!

Cindy

 

I didn't contact the casino manager before the slot pull. We met at the casino on the first sea day at 2:00 pm, and with 27 people, it took us about 1 1/2 hours, and we each had 8 turns/pulls for $21/person. I had a spread sheet with everyones name on it, and space to record winnings for each pull. You have to be really organized, and keep tabs on the order, so that everyone gets their allotted turns. I had to call out the people as their turns came up, because people don't pay attention to whose up next. Good luck and have fun!

[ckrcjr]

I didn't contact the casino manager before the slot pull. We met at the casino on the first sea day at 2:00 pm, and with 27 people, it took us about 1 1/2 hours, and we each had 8 turns/pulls for $21/person. I had a spread sheet with everyones name on it, and space to record winnings for each pull. You have to be really organized, and keep tabs on the order, so that everyone gets their allotted turns. I had to call out the people as their turns came up, because people don't pay attention to whose up next. Good luck and have fun!

 

Thank you Ida. I am definitely on the right track. How did you distribute the winnings?

 

I appreciate your info. Looking forward to ours next week!

 

Cindy

[caribill]

Could you tell me if you contacted the casino manager before your slot pull?

 

On a cruise we were on, the casino manager was contacted and very involved. He helped select which machine should be used and was there during the slot pull. He gave out free bingo cards (one game only) to all the participants.

 

How did you distribute the winnings?

 

As far as how winnings were divided, since everyone put in the same amount of money the $$ at the end were divided by the number of participants and everyone received an equal share rounded down to the nearest dollar to avoid having to make change for every one. What was left over from the rounddown was given to the participant who had made the pull which won the most money.

 

Example:

20 players each putting in $10.

Money when it is over $245.00

Each player receives 245/20 rounded down ($12.25 rounded down to $12).

Player with the best pull also receives the remaining $5

Edited March 2, 2015 by caribill

[ckrcjr]

On a cruise we were on, the casino manager was contacted and very involved. He helped select which machine should be used and was there during the slot pull. He gave out free bingo cards (one game only) to all the participants.

 

 

 

As far as how winnings were divided, since everyone put in the same amount of money the $$ at the end were divided by the number of participants and everyone received an equal share rounded down to the nearest dollar to avoid having to make change for every one. What was left over from the rounddown was given to the participant who had made the pull which won the most money.

 

Example:

20 players each putting in $10.

Money when it is over $245.00

Each player receives 245/20 rounded down ($12.25 rounded down to $12).

Player with the best pull also receives the remaining $5

 

 

Thank you! That is exactly what I needed to know. Can't wait to do this!!

 

Cindy

[Topo Gigio]

Enjoying your review. Like you, we thought the food on the Regal was some of the best we've had on a cruise ship!

 

And the desserts too!

[greenie082756]

Thank you for taking the time to do your review. It sounds like it was an absolutely wonderful cruise (except that one night at dinner)..so not too shabby!

We did the same cruise on the Ruby and totally enjoyed it.

 

Again, thank you for your entertaining and informative review! :)

[cruisergal 1]

Thank you for taking the time to do your review. It sounds like it was an absolutely wonderful cruise (except that one night at dinner)..so not too shabby!

We did the same cruise on the Ruby and totally enjoyed it.

 

Again, thank you for your entertaining and informative review! :)

Yes it was absolutely wonderful, and 1 dinner meal our of 7 that was bad, is a good ratio. And as I have said before the food was the best food we have had out of all our cruises, and we have been on more than 15 cruises. The desserts were exceptional, and the Horizon Court Buffet, was definitely the best buffet ever!

[markarmel]

The Regal Princess will be sailing from Copenhagen in 2016. The bookings open up with Princess on March 19th. I'm doing the Grand Adventure which is the Baltic 12 day plus a Copenhagen to Tampa, leaving Copenhagen August 30th.

 

Sometimes booking onboard is beneficial but waiting until this Oct. for 2016 would depend on what type of cabin you like to book. I book early because I sail as a single and interested in certain cabins. Waiting until later for popular itineraries would not help me in terms of pricing, not much bargaining power as a single.

 

Hello. We tracked down dates for 2016 and August is looking pretty good. We may book after prices are released on the 19th March, get the room we want and hope that if we see a reduced fare on board Diamond in October that Princess will give us the reduced rate.