Just off the Regal 3/13 - 3/20

[debbie35]

Just off the Regal yesterday and while it's fresh in my mind I thought I would share some highs and lows, mostly highs. This was our 15th cruise on Princess (finally elite) and first time on the Regal. The ship is simply stunning. One of the reasons we cruise on Princess is the warm feeling of the ship. We cruised twice on Celebrity Equinox and to us it felt more like an office building then a cruise ship. We had an aft deluxe balcony cabin and the shower seemed a bit larger. We've heard all the stories of the tiny balconys and yes they are smaller but for enjoying your morning coffee or a late afternoon read it was fine. We've also read on prior reviews that there is a soot problem. This is also true as each morning the balcony floor was covered with a fine layer of soot. My wife and I loved the beds. Can't comment on the TV as we never turned it on but the new Princess App is wonderful. Internet connections were great some days and so so on others. The weather throughout the cruise could not have been better. We stayed on the ship at Princess Cay, love having the ship to ourselves, went to Magen's Bay in St. Thomas (get there early) and signed up for a bicycle ride in St. Martin. The bike ride was not a ship excursion. I found this on line and ended up touring the island with 2 couples from RC Allure. If you enjoy bike riding and want to see the island at 14 mph this is a great excursion. Our guide did a wonderful job with the history of the island and it was a great 4 hours. Just be aware that you will climb some major hills. The bikes were all new, Trek, helmets were provided, and we were back at the ship at 2:30p.

 

We ate in the dining room on 3 nights, crown grill twice. sabitinis once and missed dinner one night and instead watched the movie Joy on MUTS. We grabbed bowls of infderful man and cheese after the movie and my wife had he nightly bowls of warm bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Didn't want you to think we starved that night. I've never seen the Crowne Grill so crowded in all our years of cruising but we made reservations as soon as we boarded so no issues. A word about Alfredo's.......they could charge for this and I wouldn't have a problem. It's that good. We ate their twice and the pizza, Val's pockets w/creamy sauce and rolled eggplant were our favorites. The service was delightful. We were hoping for a German night but it never happened. Interesting note about that is each afternoon I'd ask one of the chefs in the horizon what the specialty dinner was for that evening. There seemed to be some confusion as no one seemed to know.

 

There is tons of room on the decks for sunning and yes, plenty of chairs were taken by 7a, but there is plenty of room for all. My favorite spot was on deck 19. It overlooks the adult retreat area and I loved that pool. There are also padded deck chairs on the promenade deck, aft, and I used that for afternoon reading time. Lots of shade on the way back to Ft. lauderdale.

 

I signed up for spinning classes and I think I was able to lose a few calories which helped me justify my afternoon root beer float addiction. I brought my own A & W on board along with a tall plastic cup. Added a double portion of vanilla ice cream from swirls and I was in float heaven. We brought 2 bottles of champagne on board and there was no inspection of any bottles at embarkation. At disembarkation, which took all of 15 minutes, there were dogs sniffing around.

 

Highlight of our cruise was the International Cafe. My wife loved the black eyes, coffee and 2 shots of expresso, I loved the lattes. And we both loved the chocolate Danish. On Saturday morning they had the chocolate breakfast at the horizon and it was wonderful. Plenty of strawberrys and dipping chocolate, wonderful hot chocolate. And everything else chocolate. Speaking of strawberrys, I miss the old days when they were available every morning and not just on special occasions.

 

We made a deposit for our next cruise which will be sometime next year and look forward to enjoying elite and using the free dry cleaning. If anyone would like information on the company that ran the bike tour in St. Martin let me know.

[Clarea]

Thank-you for the report.

[Amtrack Springfield]

Thanks for the review. We love the layout of the Regal Princess.

[Justprettynpink]

Did the bread pudding come from the food court?

[debbie35]

It's available in the Horizan, in the bakery section. You can choose either canilla or chocolate sauce

[debbie35]

Meant vanilla, not canilla.

[fishin' musician]

FWIW, I do not believe the laundry provided for Elites is "dry cleaning", but your stuff will returned pressed and hung on hangers. I love sending out my billboard T shirts!

[idahospud]

FWIW' date=' I do not believe the laundry provided for Elites is "dry cleaning", but your stuff will returned pressed and hung on hangers. I love sending out my billboard T shirts![/quote']

 

You can choose regular wash, dry cleaning, or press only.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for the report.

 

Keith

[jason3695]

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I'm looking forward to regal and my first princess cruise.

[Mom33]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise on the Regal. Thanks for sharing your experience.:D

[sunsetbeachgal]

Loved your review! Welcome to Elite status, hurry and take another cruise so you can use the benefits!

[WISH84]

Thanks for the report. We love the Regal. We are also in an Aft Balcony in December.

[cadburysmom]

Great review! :D

 

Looking forward to my upcoming transatlantic on Regal. Have enjoyed previous transatlantics on Celebrity and am very excited about my first on Princess.

Edited March 22, 2016 by cadburysmom

[mrsgoggins]

We also loved the Regal when we sailed her in January, and agree with you totally about Alfredo's - it was wonderful and with great food. We ate there 3 times :). Thanks for posting.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[riclop]

Did the bread pudding come from the food court?

 

Yes in the pastry section.

[kfsinc]

Thanks for the review! We leave on Sunday and will take much of your advice. Please do tell me about the bike tour on St. Martin? We are considering scooters, ATV's and bikes, but do want to see much of the island -- on our own. I've not been there -- is bicycling a good choice, or will I wish I had a motor mid day?

[SenorBruce]

Thx for your review and comments. We will be on the Regal in October for the repo out of NYC. Love the design and layout.

[Lucky TGO]

Thanks for the review. And Welcome to the Princess Elite Club :D

Tony

[debbie35]

Thanks for the review! We leave on Sunday and will take much of your advice. Please do tell me about the bike tour on St. Martin? We are considering scooters, ATV's and bikes, but do want to see much of the island -- on our own. I've not been there -- is bicycling a good choice, or will I wish I had a motor mid day?

 

Tri-sports was the name of the company and you can check them out on Trip Advisor. They do not have any motorized bikes or scooters. The tour I took was called crossed the boarder and it has 3 - 4 steep climbs. The bikes they use are Trek hybrids and the lower gears will get you up the hills. No one gets dropped and the views make it all worth while. Enjoy!

[Pmorton3360]

Cruised Regal March 6. Really loved it. I was able to get strawberries each morning in Concerto.

[debbie35]

Cruised Regal March 6. Really loved it. I was able to get strawberries each morning in Concerto.

 

Good to know for next time. My wife is addicted to the Horizon for breakfast as she needs her bagel and lox fix.

[blueseas4me2]

Thanks for sharing! We are boarding in a couple days. :D:D:D:D:D