Day 1 on Regal - early impressions and CC!

[ian441672]

As an addendum to my last message (it was late and I was tired!), I would say the beach was lovely in Grand Turk, warmer than the Bahamas and on par with St.Thomas. A bit seaweedy in places but sparking nevertheless. Good duty free shopping but I often wonder if the diamonds and Effy products etc that they frequently push, are as popular as they make out, as I rarely see anyone in these numerous port ships or even on board. There always seems to be an Amazing Sale or Spectacular Offers we cannot miss!

 

Our Chefs table was great, starting with a tour of the galley, Nicholas Felleuite (?) champagne, 4 big hors d'oeuvres, q&a's with the executive chef, then in the lovely $500k table area of the dining room, as the sparkling curtains come down, as people look on wondering what was going on, and we were soon draped in sparkling privacy. Conversation, drink and a 5 course meal soon flowed and even the Commodore popped in to say hello! A nice touch for a special evening, and a whole lot of amazing food. Highly recommended.

 

Chaos the other night in CC. We approached in horror seeing a long line in CC! What?! When we approached we saw there was in fact no CC line at all, rather the hostess trying to sort the MDR line into 2 sections, one no reservations and you had to wait, and the other with reservations. They were merging and little order and people were getting a bit fractious. We were greeted with a huge smile and warm and sincere words, which in my shoes, would clearly irritate others in the other lines. I can see how problems arise and we did feel a bit awkward.

 

Drinks package going well, had our first ever flight of wines in Vines, margarita on top deck, and wines generally flow for dinner. They did apparently run out if my red on day 2, but they had it in the bars but could not supply it to me for dinner. But if a nuisance but I found alternatives. We can't get through all our mini bars though, so the miniatures will be coming home with us!

 

Off for Sabatinnis now for breakfast, so day starts with another drink!!

[RedEarth]

A quick question for the OP (or anyone else that might know the answer) - how many tables for 2 are there in the CC dining area on the Regal? I was a bit concerned to read reports that there was only a very small number of them (6 IIRC) on one of the other ships.

[Candycrusher]

As I understand it, they will make sure you have what you want..meaning a table for 2...sure hope so..as this is our request too.

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

[Rstamper]

Thanks so much for your review. I will be on the Regal soon!

 

 

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[ian441672]

Not sure why, but some of my posts and replies have been deleted last week and from yesterday. I don't think I've been too contentious!

 

Briefly in CC there are around 12 tables for 2 at least in the main part and the same again in the second part of the CC dining area, and if not they will seat the two people on a table of 4 if not too busy. Never seen it too busy there, so they should be able to accommodate all seating requests.

 

Captains table is v popular so you will need to get in quick. This week they run 2 which happens from time to time if there is high demand.

 

Early start today as at Grand Cayman. 2 more lie ins after this though with Cozumel and a last day at sea. We got engaged here 20 years ago, so nice to be back, with a brief visit to Hell. No link to the two either!

[Mike_DeA]

I'm onboard now as well. In Grand Turk, bought a bus tour from folks hawking on the beach with large signs. I think the placard showed open air tram, but ours was a regular bus. Nearly two hour for $25 pp. Stopped at lighthouse, church and small retail area, saw salt ponds and beaches and covered most of the island. Well worth the price.

 

Worst part for some was that were picked up and dropped off outside port area, about a 2-3 minute walk from the beach. No problem for most though.

 

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[ian441672]

Well, back home now after a fabulous cruise and a far better experience than our Alaskan Star Princess experience.

 

I have to say the food from start to finish was excellent, far better than expectations and of good quality and presentation. Service was excellent too and despite staff in the majority swapping over after week 1 in CC dining, we got to know both sets well, great rapport, interaction and humour from all which really made the experience special. CC dining, however controversial, was, imho, a huge success and we would do it again like a shot. Relaxed, civilised, attentive, top service, a few specials we liked, no wait, we could more or less pick out table..... what's not to like? We had a great head waiter who let us in on some interesting corporate titbits, and it looks like CC is here to stay.

 

The suite concierge room was a nice little haven for a quick snack rather than going down 11 floors to the IC, and Michael there was superb. He couldn't do enough for us, nothing too much trouble and all our requests attended to, including swapping our disembarkation colour tickets over without a quibble! Every ship should have a Michael!

 

Other eateries were good to and the expanded Alfredos was a welcome retreat for lunch. Tasty good quality food in a decent location. Pub lunch was ok, we only went once. HCB and bistro which we normally avoid, was surprisingly good for the odd lunch or late post tour on board lunch. Better layout than on other ships, seemingly more choice and better quality. We are hard to please, but we're impressed by what we saw and tasted. Tasty treats and snacks, sweet and savoury were in abundance!

 

Entertainment was ok. We've had better and indeed had worse! The production shows were repeated twice on our 2 week cruise and were of decent quality. Fiera was good though some lead singer voices let the side down. Comedian act suited the American audience but we found it just ok. The comedy magician was fine too, as I said it was all 'ok' though no stand outs as we previously have had, such as the Elton John impressionist or the amazing electric violinist player lady playing the modern rock/pop tunes, or the guest vocalists who usually stun.

 

Speaking of stunning, the ship was. We loved the new bars and the bellinis were great! The larger Crooners was popular and vibrant (though prices went up mid cruise, luckily we were on a package it didn't effect us, prices now vary up to $10). The piazza was lovely and the new tea section teased our uk pallets. Club 6 and the new studio and vista lounge were all welcome additions to give more options for entertainment and space. No Explorers lounge and a far smaller Wheelhouse bar just outside CG restaurant, but plenty of other stuff to try.

 

Our Roma suite, R604 was nice though with a 3 foot less depth balcony and no recliner chairs, we certainly noticed that, and that was a small disappointment. Other than that and with a slightly different layout to other suites we have had, it was a nice room.

 

All in all, we had a superb time, initially punctuated by the tragic FLL incident which was referred to on occasion on board, but it didn't dent anyone's experience. Good ports, improving weather, top ship, great service and very good food all made for one of our top 3 cruises (to include our full Panama Canal trip and our very first Med cruise on the Ruby!). Would do it all again!!

 

Thanks all.

 

Ian.

[spleenstomper]

As an addendum to my last message (it was late and I was tired!), I would say the beach was lovely in Grand Turk, warmer than the Bahamas and on par with St.Thomas. A bit seaweedy in places but sparking nevertheless. Good duty free shopping but I often wonder if the diamonds and Effy products etc that they frequently push, are as popular as they make out, as I rarely see anyone in these numerous port ships or even on board. There always seems to be an Amazing Sale or Spectacular Offers we cannot miss!

 

Our Chefs table was great, starting with a tour of the galley, Nicholas Felleuite (?) champagne, 4 big hors d'oeuvres, q&a's with the executive chef, then in the lovely $500k table area of the dining room, as the sparkling curtains come down, as people look on wondering what was going on, and we were soon draped in sparkling privacy. Conversation, drink and a 5 course meal soon flowed and even the Commodore popped in to say hello! A nice touch for a special evening, and a whole lot of amazing food. Highly recommended.

 

Chaos the other night in CC. We approached in horror seeing a long line in CC! What?! When we approached we saw there was in fact no CC line at all, rather the hostess trying to sort the MDR line into 2 sections, one no reservations and you had to wait, and the other with reservations. They were merging and little order and people were getting a bit fractious. We were greeted with a huge smile and warm and sincere words, which in my shoes, would clearly irritate others in the other lines. I can see how problems arise and we did feel a bit awkward.

 

Drinks package going well, had our first ever flight of wines in Vines, margarita on top deck, and wines generally flow for dinner. They did apparently run out if my red on day 2, but they had it in the bars but could not supply it to me for dinner. But if a nuisance but I found alternatives. We can't get through all our mini bars though, so the miniatures will be coming home with us!

 

Off for Sabatinnis now for breakfast, so day starts with another drink!!

 

2010 article about Effy adding lead glass to their stones: http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2010-07/macys-sells-rubies-filled-with-glass

[MJSailors]

Hello Ian-

Good to read that you and your wife enjoyed your cruise vacation and that you have returned home safely with good memories.

I think I may have some input regarding your missing posts.

After you posted about the Chef's Table, I posted a question to you as the OP(original poster ) or anyone who experienced that dining experience. I wanted some information regarding the cost and arranging for the Chef's Table.

I was surprised to see my post appear as a new thread ,under the title Questions About Chef's Table.

I did not enter my question as a new thread, I simply responded to your thread with a reply to your existing thread.

That thread - Questions About Chef's Table -continues to appear on the Princess Forum with my CC name, MJSailors. Now, I found it at the bottom of page 1,but I am certain that it will soon appear on page 2 or 3 soon as newer threads appear on the Forum.

If you would like,you could check out that thread ,perhaps you will find some of your missing posts there.

[easyboy]

Well, back home now after a fabulous cruise and a far better experience than our Alaskan Star Princess experience.

 

All in all, we had a superb time, initially punctuated by the tragic FLL incident which was referred to on occasion on board, but it didn't dent anyone's experience. Good ports, improving weather, top ship, great service and very good food all made for one of our top 3 cruises (to include our full Panama Canal trip and our very first Med cruise on the Ruby!). Would do it all again!!

 

Thanks all.

 

Ian.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[ronrick1943]

Very nice report, thanks for taking the time.