12/20 – 12/27 Regal Princess Eastern Caribbean Christmas cruise

[baronessk]

Back from our 12/20 – 12/27 Regal Princess Eastern Caribbean Christmas cruise and wanted to express a few of MY opinions.

 

 

This was my first Princess cruise as a Platinum member, and a friend who is an RC cruiser decided to join us with her 2 teenagers. I was afraid she would be disappointed and she Loved Princess! Obviously, the teens still prefer RC with all of their activities.

 

 

My favorite ship is Ruby and as I take 84 y/o DM on a Christmas cruise every year I was concerned that Regal might be too big for her to handle. That concern proved to be unfounded and I personally noticed no difference walking from one end of the ship to the other. For this cruise, we had Mini-Suite fwd. M-211, our first time away from "mid-ship" and our first time this high up.

 

 

We asked my DB to drop us instead of parking at the port, not to save the parking fees, but due to the fact we were leaving from one terminal and arriving at another. We learned that lesson the HARD way last year!!! We breezed thru check-in, other than the fact they refused the health questionnaire forms I'd pre-printed from CC , and were aboard prior to 11:30, after a quick 10 minute wait in the terminal. It was upon boarding that we were told that our cabins were NOT ready and would NOT BE ready until 1:00 pm. Not wanting to drag our carry on bags (including 6 bottles of wine) to the buffet, we settled into the Piazza, listened to the period Christmas carolers and grabbed a sandwich at the IC. I asked THREE different crew members why the cabins were not ready and when I mentioned that one of Princess's selling points is the cabins are always ready when you board, they looked at me like I was making it up.

 

 

 

I finally left my party sitting, went up to the buffet and found an 'unguarded' elevator. I walked forward to M-211 and our cabin was finished and ready. By the time I made my way back to my group, it was not worth trying to repeat my travels and we waited until it was apparent they were allowing new boarding passengers to go straight to their cabins. NO announcement made to those of us who had been waiting 90 minutes! If Princess is going to stop allowing us to go directly to our cabins, there is no point of getting to the terminal early! We were never told in the terminal that the cabins wouldn’t be ready until 1:00PM; on-board personnel advised us of this with NO reason and were just sending EVERYONE to the buffet.

 

Our cabin steward, Richie, was absolutely one of the best we’ve ever had. In addition to keeping our cabin perfect he kept my small styro-foam cooler, which I brought along to use as an ice bucket, filled with ice. He also asked if he could have it at the end of the cruise so he could have a "frig" in his cabin. It became a count-down as to when he would have "his" frig and I was very happy to leave it with him on our last day. I also tip when I board , and Richie also received a tip in a Christmas card, and a tip when we left. We proceeded to decorate our cabin and door with lots of Christmas decorations and during the week, he would bring the other stews to see all of the decorations!

 

 

As I've said in my previous CC reviews, I am not a foody, so there is no Ultimate Balcony Dinner/Crown Grill etc. for me. We've always found plenty to select from in the MDR and the buffet, and with the additions of the IC and of Alfredo's on the Regal, I see no reason to pay extra for food. The buffet on Regal is HUGE and if you can't find something to your liking there, cruising may not be for you! We also do ATD and I believe the most we waited for a table for 6 one night was 15 mins. with our pager. Not being a foody does not mean I don't have any comments about the new menus. Many of the old standards have been replaced by some new dishes by Princess’ new celebrity chef, Curtis Stone. None of those dishes appealed to me and after the first couple of nights I barely glanced at his "Caribbean selections". They are not to my liking and I missed the old stand-bys...salmon, etc. Thankfully they kept the Fettucine Alfredo and vanilla bean creme brulee! Also for the first time, escargot appeared early and there was no need to request it. It was served the same night as the lobster. Much to DM's disappointment, no French Onion soup ever appeared on the menu. One of these cruises I will eat dinner in the Horizon Terrace, but to me part of what makes cruising special is getting dressed up and being waited on properly.

 

DM did go to a couple of shows but I find MOST cruise shows sub-par and the theatre always crowded and freezing. The one night I did go I had to leave early as I was just too cold, and that was with a pashmina over my shoulders. I was so cold I can't even remember what show I saw the beginning of. I did enjoy the entertainment in the Piazza, however thought there to be less of a variety of entertainers in this venue than on previous cruises.

 

I know others have written about the Piazza and its use as an entertainment venue. We did two separate wine tastings at Vines, (my 3rd and 4th...which I highly recommend over the wine tastings offered in the MDR), and had no interference at all. I only found the location of Crooners to be an odd choice and layout of the space. The piano player seems to need to share the space with what is taking place in the Piazza. I usually head there later, but on this cruise, only did so one night.

 

The Christmas cruise was sold out and I was expecting the ship to feel crowded. I have felt more crowded on the Caribbean Princess at Christmas than I did on the Regal. I was also expecting elevator challenges due to the lack of the mid-ship stairs. I never felt the wait for the elevators to be long, (other than right after the life-boat drill). Since we were forward, we usually walked all the way forward to get an elevator to reach our cabin and maybe not having a mid-ship cabin for the first time ever worked to our benefit. Our cabin was VERY convenient to the Lido deck and the fwd. adult only Retreat pool as well!!!

 

 

One of my "selling" points to my friend was Christmas caroling, Santa's arrival and "snow in the Piazza", so it was disappointing that the Regal does not feature the snow the same as the Ruby and the Caribbean. I heard they did snow in the theatre, but as I've stated, I really do not go there.

 

 

 

I have heard / read complaints about the promenade deck not going all the way around the ship. As this is one of my favorite places to enjoy the quiet and the water, I found it very peaceful NOT having to be disturbed by loud talkers passing by again and again and again as well as squeaky sneakers! I LIKE this design!!! Let me repeat...I LIKE this design!!!! If you enjoy lying in a deck chair and reading until you nod off, you finally have a quiet place to do it without interruption.

 

 

 

Our week was VERY windy, so not inviting to watch MUTTS and even the "fountain shows", which I understand are only 10 mins. long, were cancelled each time we tried to catch them.

 

 

My friend did a few Spa treatments and she was pleased with those. We did the Gingerbread house building contest and failed miserably, but it was good fun. I swear the winners had blueprints with them!!! lol

 

 

I stayed onboard in the Bahamas and spent the morning at the Retreat pool. We did a private taxi on St. Thomas to Sapphire Beach to meet up with a Northern friend of mine who rents there in the winter as she works there for 5 months each year. It was a great beach day out. We rented chairs and my friend rented a Kayak for her kids and we did some snorkeling. The beach service was ok, about what you would expect. The bathrooms and changing rooms were average. My friend who lives there part time says it's a better call than Magen's which would be super crowded.

 

 

 

On St. Martin, none of us had ever seen the whole island, including the French side, so we did a tour with Bernard's tours. I found it to be very fairly priced, lots of topical information from our driver "Mailman", but a bit rushed. Since we had just been at the beach on St. Thomas the previous day, I would have preferred more time to shop around, but when we were dropped at the Orient beach area, we were "warned" not to eat there, not to shop there, too expensive, etc. Our next stop was Marigot, and by then everyone was starving and every "bakery" was packed and we had just enough time to eat and no time to shop. Our last stop was to watch the planes, and there is NOTHING there other than a beach bar. On my next stop to St. Martin, I would opt to just walk to the beach near the port and shop a bit downtown. Probably take the water taxi. The tour around the island was a nice one time thing, but I found the island, BOTH sides, to be very crowded and too much traffic. Maybe this was due to it being Christmas Eve day, but I cannot imagine wanting to visit that island for an extended period of time, whereas I could see myself in St. Thomas/St. John.

 

 

DM and friend contributed to casino / bingo etc., but I do not gamble, so I would go to the Elite Platinum lounge before dinner most evenings. I also DID the Royal Tea WITH Champagne, and found it to be well worth it. I would advise you to skip lunch that day, as we left most of the food on the 3 tier tray. NOT the scones and clotted cream though!!! We also enjoyed the fish and chips as we do each year, but a word of caution. Word is OUT about this and the line was already 40 people long 30 minutes prior to starting at 11:30.

 

 

Overall, I found the Regal to be a beautiful ship, with a very warm and welcoming crew. The Captain was very visible and did many of the announcements. There were lots of spaces with comfortable seating. The ship never seemed crowded, no matter if you wanted a seat in the buffet, or the Piazza, OTHER than the theater. I usually prefer the aft pool however on the Regal it is too near the smoking section, so if that is where you usually hang and you don't smoke, keep that in mind.

 

Debarkation was probably the best ever. We left our cabin before 7:00AM and had a leisurely breakfast in the MDR. We spent far less time in the Platinum lounge before our color was called as they were running about an hour ahead of schedule. We walked off the ship, grabbed a porter and our luggage, were cleared by Customs and were on our way to the outside area designated for private pick-up all without any delay. This is where we encountered our only real challenge. When my DM went to sit on an empty seat on a bench (the ONLY empty seat), she was told by the older woman already sitting there that she was "saving" the seat for her grand-son. As we were way ahead of schedule, I knew we had a good 45-60 min. wait for my brother to arrive. I walked my Mother back over and TOLD the woman that my Mother was 84 and she WOULD be sitting in the empty spot! As I waited at the curb for the next hour, it was just unbelievable how many young people sat on those benches next to their parents playing on their phones while older people searched for a place to sit!!! SERIOUSLY...... What happened to respect for elders???

 

 

2016 Christmas cruise will most likely be back on the Caribbean, simply due to the dates and itinerary. My opinion is that you could put me on ANY Princess cruise, ANY time and I am happy. The reason I cruise is to unplug and spend time with DM, while she is still able. I used 17 internet minutes of my free 150 Platinum minutes, and that was to send Christmas wishes back to family, friends and the house/pet sitter. I find so MANY of the complaints to be what I call "first world" problems. So my mention of anything above should NOT be construed as complaints. May you ALL enjoy your up-coming cruises!!!

[Lisa3635]

Thanks for your review, we're going on the regal next Christmas.

[Mom33]

 

I have heard / read complaints about the promenade deck not going all the way around the ship. As this is one of my favorite places to enjoy the quiet and the water, I found it very peaceful NOT having to be disturbed by loud talkers passing by again and again and again as well as squeaky sneakers! I LIKE this design!!! Let me repeat...I LIKE this design!!!! If you enjoy lying in a deck chair and reading until you nod off, you finally have a quiet place to do it without interruption.

 

 

 

Thanks for your review.....I thoroughly agree with you. I like this design too!

[genmasjoy]

Enjoyed your review, thanks

[sunsetbeachgal]

We have sailed the Royal and the Regal, both times in cabins close to the forward elevators and stairs, and think it is a great location as we had no issues with the elevator! Seems as if your experience is the same.

 

Thanks for the review! Sounds like a great cruise.

Edited January 4, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[Paula_MacFan]

Thanks for posting your review -- I enjoyed reading it and it sounds like you had an overall wonderful time.

[litehouz70]

Great review..i was on the regal the week before and really enjoyed it...i would sail on her again in a heartbeat

[red919]

Thank you for your wonderful review and so happy you enjoyed the Regal. The tip about ship returning to a different terminal will save us much parking confusion.

 

Also, in the Elite lounge each evening, would they allow you to get any drink on the menu for $5 or only the drink of the day? As a Platinum member who sailed Regal in 2014, I only remember them allowing for drink of day only and read somewhere that was no longer the case.

Not wanting to drag our carry on bags (including 6 bottles of wine)...

I have a question about bringing wine aboard. Is it two bottles per cabin or one bottle per person? A friend advised just to bring two bottles even if I'm traveling solo but I don't want to get docked the $15 extra bottle fee. As there were only five in your party, were you questioned on this?

Thanks!

Edited January 27, 2016 by red919

[baronessk]

Thank you for your wonderful review and so happy you enjoyed the Regal. The tip about ship returning to a different terminal will save us much parking confusion.

 

Also, in the Elite lounge each evening, would they allow you to get any drink on the menu for $5 or only the drink of the day? As a Platinum member who sailed Regal in 2014, I only remember them allowing for drink of day only and read somewhere that was no longer the case.

 

I have a question about bringing wine aboard. Is it two bottles per cabin or one bottle per person? A friend advised just to bring two bottles even if I'm traveling solo but I don't want to get docked the $15 extra bottle fee. As there were only five in your party, were you questioned on this?

Thanks!

Thank-you. It is one bottle per adult over 21. I brought 6 (3 adults) and paid the $15 corkage fee on 3...all Vueve so it was well worth it! My friend traveling with 2 teens brought NINE and paid on eight. A good idea if no one is dropping you off is to drop your luggage at the departure pier, drive to the arrival pier and park and then take the shuttle or taxi back to check yourself in. That way you can avoid all the crowds trying to get to the other pier with all of their luggage upon returning. As for the drink of the day, I never got it, as none of them interested me. (Whiskey night, etc.) I want to remember my cruise! lol Not sure if you have seen the additional recent posts about cabins not being ready. If that is the case, arrive later OR go to Alfredo's. We went to the IC, and now I wish we had gone to Alfredo's.

[cazzi]

Thanks for the review

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

[long cruiser]

We were on the regal 4 times las year.Enjoyed every cruise.

long cruiser

[CruiseAdict218]

Very nice review.

[lindy sails]

I was also on the Regal for the 14 day Christmas and New Year's cruise and it was fabulous! Princess does an awesome job celebrating holidays. I have to agree the ship did not feel crowded and children were kept busy.

I am spoiled and it will be hard not to book the Regal or the Royal. In fact I have already booked next Christmas. Sorry we did not have the opportunity to meet you at the M & G.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review. :)

[smilz]

I agree about the cabins not being ready until 1. What's with that? We were able to go directly to our cabin on Royal. I always considered it a plus to be able to drop your carry ons before lunch! Thanks for letting us know. We are sailing on Regal in April. At least we have the heads up. BTW Last sailing as Platinum!! Elite here we come!

[red919]

Thank-you. It is one bottle per adult over 21. I brought 6 (3 adults) and paid the $15 corkage fee on 3...all Vueve so it was well worth it! ...

Agreed..well worth it!:D

 

Thank you for answering and again, glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[trystran72]

Great review - thanks for posting! I bet your steward was very excited about his cooler on the last day - that's so fun! :)

[arctickitty]

thanks so much for posting your review