Regal/royal princess questions

[Cruisegirl6]

Hello,

 

Its been awhile since our last Princess cruise, we are thinking of canceling our NCL Getaway cruise next year and booking the Regal Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean, we have a few questions if anybody can help us we truly appreciate it.

 

1- We want a balcony deck, which deck do you prefer, we don't want obstructed views of any type, no aft or very forward cabins.

 

2- What is there to eat past 11pm, besides room service? Do they offer salads, sandwiches and such 24 hours like RC offers?

 

3- I recall years ago on the Grand Princess of being kicked out of the casino at 1am due to them not meeting quota, will this happen to us, does the casino close before 2am?

 

4- We love listening to a live band at night, generally rock n roll music, not jazz or blues does Regal Princess offer this and how late do they play till we hoping at least till midnight?

 

5- Please tell me why you would recommend the Regal Princess or not recommend?

 

6- How is the drink package, what is the cost and what does it include? Would it also be included in the specialty dining?

 

7- We love to go to specialty restaurants, which do you prefer and not recommend if any?

 

8- Late in the evening my other half likes to keep his collared shirt on but change to a dockers shorts will this be allowed?

 

Any other information you think we should know before we book the Regal Princess?

 

Thank you.

[geocruiser]

For question #2 here is one answer for that.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2149919&highlight=ic

 

See post #6

 

All so check this. the "stick" on the top of the Princess forum. About half way down the page you will see food in glass cases, that is part of the café. It beats any quick food on RCCL that I have ever had.

 

http://gallery.cruisecritic.com/ships/regal-princess-679/more-dining-and-bars-100420/

Edited May 21, 2015 by geocruiser

[skynight]

Hello,

 

Its been awhile since our last Princess cruise, we are thinking of canceling our NCL Getaway cruise next year and booking the Regal Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean, we have a few questions if anybody can help us we truly appreciate it.

 

1- We want a balcony deck, which deck do you prefer, we don't want obstructed views of any type, no aft or very forward cabins. Any deck with cabins above and below. Most balconies on the Regal are 9'x4', but there are a few extended balconies. Look at the deck plans. I would not take a cabin on the upper 3 decks mid-ship starboard side, under the Sea Walk.

 

2- What is there to eat past 11pm, besides room service? Do they offer salads, sandwiches and such 24 hours like RC offers? The International Cafe is open 24/7. You may have to request sandwiches as they have the snacks out at 11pm.

 

3- I recall years ago on the Grand Princess of being kicked out of the casino at 1am due to them not meeting quota, will this happen to us, does the casino close before 2am? Can't answer

 

4- We love listening to a live band at night, generally rock n roll music, not jazz or blues does Regal Princess offer this and how late do they play till we hoping at least till midnight? Crooner's will probably have a Piano Player/Singer until midnight, but not rock. There may also be live music in the Vista Lounge some evenings until midnight, probably rock, and maybe in the Wheelhouse Bar area, various types of music. Club 6 will have a late night DJ.

 

5- Please tell me why you would recommend the Regal Princess or not recommend?

 

6- How is the drink package, what is the cost and what does it include?

The All Inclusive Beverage Package includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages priced under $10, It is $56.35/pp/day can only be purchased for the entier voyage. Look here for details. http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-gifts-celebrations/gifts-and-services/culinary-delights-wine/ Note: most drinks on Princess are under $10.

Would it also be included in the specialty dining? Yes, the AIBP is good at any bar or restaurant on the ship.

 

7- We love to go to specialty restaurants, which do you prefer and not recommend if any? There are 4 selections, Crown Grill, steak, chops, seafood; Sabatini's Italian both are $25/pp. There is also a Crab Shack at $20pp and Fondue at $20/pp The Crab Shack are buckets of seafood and is popular. The Crown Grill and Sabatini's are separate restaurants. The Crab Shack and Fondues is held in a section of the buffet seating area. It's your choice. They are all good.

 

8- Late in the evening my other half likes to keep his collared shirt on but change to a dockers shorts will this be allowed? Yes. Dress codes are only for the main dining rooms.

 

Any other information you think we should know before we book the Regal Princess?

Don't forget to try Alfredo's Pizza & more restaurant (free), open 11am until 11pm. Also free is the trident grill and and the prego pizza on the Lido deck open 11am until 11pm. One or more sections of the buffet are open from 5am until 11pm or midnight.

 

Thank you.

 

See above

[Astro Flyer]

Here's a link to some info on the $40/pp Winemakers Dinner which currently is only available in the Royal's & Regal's "Wine Cellar". We've enjoyed it very much during each of our 3 Royal-class cruises and will do it again.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1939851

 

 

In response to your question #5, like any ship there are pros & cons with the Royal-class ships which have been frequently debated on CC & a search will provide a lot of opinions & experiences on both sides. I've sailed 6 weeks during 3 cruises on this class of ship so obviously the pros far outweigh any cons for us but that's just based on our preferences.

 

I agree with Princess when they describe it as "evolutionary" & not "revolutionary". We've sailed on other Princess ships so it still feels like returning to a comfortable home for us. We found the larger Piazza to be amazing & when returning to a ship with a smaller Piazza missed so much on the Royal-class ships.

 

Some of the cons mentioned have not greatly affected our cruise experience. A lack of a covered wraparound Promenade deck (we walk the uncovered 1/7 mile Sun deck track or a treadmill in the gym), no midship stairs for passenger use above deck 7 (wasn't an issue for us), a lack of enough pool space (we don't use them) and smaller balconies (about one foot less depth than standard Grand-class balconies & wasn't a major issue for us including during an Ultimate Balcony Dinner).

 

Everything else to us was much better...the buffet's selection & seating were great, Alfredo's Pizzeria & Gelato's were wonderful, the deluxe balcony's small couch was great and in general we found that nearly everything else was improved. We enjoyed the 2 new 45 minute shows...Fiera! And Bravo...very much.

 

Although that's merely based on what we enjoy during a cruise and there isn't a ship afloat that is perfect for everyone. However I would never tell anyone what is their best option & only try to as objectively as possible share our experiences & thoughts about our cruise.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you for all that info I am excited and MUST go back to Princess! The cons aren't an issue to us either. It sure sounds like she will offer us everything we looking for. :p

[Goldenpaw]

We cruised on the Regal in December 2014. The lack of stairs midship above Deck 7 was an issue after the muster when we couldn't get on an elevator. A group of us located a 'crew only' staircase that wasn't guarded and returned to Deck 9 that way. Otherwise it is an amazing ship. A nice touch is the hooks behind the door in our cabin. Nice to hang a hat, jacket, etc.

[Astro Flyer]

We cruised on the Regal in December 2014. The lack of stairs midship above Deck 7 was an issue after the muster when we couldn't get on an elevator. A group of us located a 'crew only' staircase that wasn't guarded and returned to Deck 9 that way. Otherwise it is an amazing ship. A nice touch is the hooks behind the door in our cabin. Nice to hang a hat, jacket, etc.

 

On the Royal the doors to the crew stairs were open for the muster drill. Hopefully during the Royal-class ships' drydocks they'll spend money to carpet & panel those stairs for passenger use.

 

It'll be interesting to see if they are finished for passenger use on the 3rd Royal-class ship which is going directly to Asia. The Diamond received a major overhaul before going to the Asian market so wondering if the 3rd ship will be modified for the new market they're trying to tap.

 

My wife really liked the small step in the shower & the larger deep rectangular shaped sink which made it easier to clean hand washables.

[Mom33]

We cruised on the Regal in December 2014. The lack of stairs midship above Deck 7 was an issue after the muster when we couldn't get on an elevator. A group of us located a 'crew only' staircase that wasn't guarded and returned to Deck 9 that way. Otherwise it is an amazing ship. A nice touch is the hooks behind the door in our cabin. Nice to hang a hat, jacket, etc.

 

The crew stairs on the Royal and the Regal are always open during the muster drill. The doors to them are left open for returning to your cabin until all passengers have dispersed. :)

[Goldenpaw]

We encountered crew members who refused to allow us to utilize the crew stairs to return to our cabin. We were directed down the stairs to attend the muster and then told we couldn't use them to go back up.

[Colo Cruiser]

We encountered crew members who refused to allow us to utilize the crew stairs to return to our cabin. We were directed down the stairs to attend the muster and then told we couldn't use them to go back up.

 

This happened on the Regal, open coming down to muster and closed going back up.

[Mom33]

We encountered crew members who refused to allow us to utilize the crew stairs to return to our cabin. We were directed down the stairs to attend the muster and then told we couldn't use them to go back up.

 

We have been on both Regal and Royal and went to muster on the crew stairs because our cabins were mid ship. On both cruises, we went back up to our cabins using the crew stairs along with a crowd of other mid ship cruisers.

Surprised to hear you were turned away. I thought you said you used the stairs to go up to deck 9.

[caribill]

It'll be interesting to see if they are finished for passenger use on the 3rd Royal-class ship which is going directly to Asia.

 

Before it was announced the ship would be homeported in China it was said (per posts from people on other ships) that the center staircase would be finished for passenger use on that third ship.

[Astro Flyer]

Before it was announced the ship would be homeported in China it was said (per posts from people on other ships) that the center staircase would be finished for passenger use on that third ship.

 

Thanks for sharing that info and apparently they learned from their mistake.

 

It's a shame that they responded to negative feedback about the Royal & added a small pool and side aisles in the theater but they did not finish the midship stairways for passenger use.

[skf]

Here's a link to some info on the $40/pp Winemakers Dinner which currently is only available in the Royal's & Regal's "Wine Cellar". We've enjoyed it very much during each of our 3 Royal-class cruises and will do it again.

 

ASTRO...do you know if the Winemaker's Dinner is available in the Caribbean? I could not find anything on it on Princess.com

Thanx, Steve

[caribill]

do you know if the Winemaker's Dinner is available in the Caribbean? I could not find anything on it on Princess.com

Thanx, Steve

 

On the Royal and Regal, yes.

[Astro Flyer]

ASTRO...do you know if the Winemaker's Dinner is available in the Caribbean? I could not find anything on it on Princess.com

Thanx, Steve

If it's a 7 day cruise it may not be available because my experience even on longer cruises is that it wasn't until later in the cruise. Mine were on transatlantic cruises & a 10 day cruise from NYC to FLL via the Caribbean.

 

Like the Chef's Table, the Winemakers Dinner is apparently the maître d' and head chef's decision on when they are held.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[dmwnc1959]

Hi Frank - it was offered when I was aboard in Dec. 2013. And my understanding is that it's offered several times during the cruise, and at both (Concerto MDR and Symphony MDR) of the Wine Makers tables. I guess it depends on how many people sign up, but we had no trouble filling an entire table with just a few members from our Roll Call.

 

:D

[Astro Flyer]

Hi Frank - it was offered when I was aboard in Dec. 2013. And my understanding is that it's offered several times during the cruise, and at both (Concerto MDR and Symphony MDR) of the Wine Makers tables. I guess it depends on how many people sign up, but we had no trouble filling an entire table with just a few members from our Roll Call.

 

:D

 

Thanks...good to know & we enjoy the wine cellar experience whenever we're on a Royal-class ship. :)

Edited June 7, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[jimmybean]

On the Royal the doors to the crew stairs were open for the muster drill. Hopefully during the Royal-class ships' drydocks they'll spend money to carpet & panel those stairs for passenger use.

 

It'll be interesting to see if they are finished for passenger use on the 3rd Royal-class ship which is going directly to Asia. The Diamond received a major overhaul before going to the Asian market so wondering if the 3rd ship will be modified for the new market they're trying to tap.

 

My wife really liked the small step in the shower & the larger deep rectangular shaped sink which made it easier to clean hand washables.

 

Good to know! Thank you for practical information, Astro Flyer.

[villager]

Does anyone know where the Regal docks in St. Thomas?

[dmwnc1959]

Does anyone know where the Regal docks in St. Thomas?

 

 

It'll depend on if an Oasis-class ship is in port that same day: when one is, the Royal/Regal will dock at Havensight; if one isn't, you'll most likely dock at Crown Bay.

 

What date is your departure from Fort Lauderdale? It'll help determine what date you'll be in St. Thomas.

 

:D

Edited June 8, 2015 by dmwnc1959

[AliceS]

This happened on the Regal, open coming down to muster and closed going back up.

 

I had the same experience.....stairs closed after muster....it really creates a bottle neck. Doesn't make much sense.

[caribill]

I had the same experience.....stairs closed after muster....it really creates a bottle neck. Doesn't make much sense.

 

But it does make sense to report this on the post-cruise survey.

 

If enough people complain, maybe it will be changed.

[dmwnc1959]

But it does make sense to report this on the post-cruise survey.

 

If enough people complain, maybe it will be changed.

 

 

The crew that man the amidships stairwell during the emergency drill may very well have sail-away duty stations that they're required to be at, therefore unable to spend 15-20 minutes there while passengers meander their way back up to whatever deck they need to return to.

 

:D

[caribill]

The crew that man the amidships stairwell during the emergency drill may very well have sail-away duty stations that they're required to be at, therefore unable to spend 15-20 minutes there while passengers meander their way back up to whatever deck they need to return to.

 

:D

 

Staff are at this stairway before the muster to help direct people to the muster.

 

Passengers can find their way up the stairs without the need for staff to be there after the muster.

 

Staff are also at the forward and aft stairways before the muster but not after it.