crash course needed on regal and october canadian cruise please.

[luckyinpa]

i do love to do my own research and will do so after posting this, but i have to decide within 2 weeks to take the october 5 nite cruise to canada or seek something else. I'd appreciate whatever info you think would be important regarding the ship and ports. I've only ever been on NCL breakaway before.

 

final payment on my november cruise is in 2 weeks. and i very likely have to cancel and i'm looking for an alternate 5 nite or less cruise and princess is one option. this is a milestone birthday to me and the cruise is my gift to myself :) though this will cost at least 400 more than the other 7 nite i had planned.

 

I had looked at youtube vids of the regal in the past and it looked very impressive to me. i'm not one to hang out by the pool 8 hours a day so the cooler october temps arent the end of the world. but i would like a frank discussion of the temps you have experienced in october. 60s to 70s is what i gather from weather sites. i'm assuming just a light jacket would be ok on deck and in the ports. 70 is what i consider perfect weather. i hate the 90s and was dying on great stirrup cay last december.

 

I do realize the ship doesnt have all the outdoor activities that something like breakaway has. but my girlfriend has a bum knee so this will be more about relaxing than doing a ropes course. and we arent beach bums so perhaps it's a twist of fate that this canada cruise may happen for us vs going to the bahamas.

 

i know vacation is vacation and its not possible to be sad about it but i normally research something like this for months before booking and now i have 2 weeks. i'm looking for your opinion on things like the best part of the ship to be in for a balcony or mini suite cabin (is club class worth the money?). quiet is important and i dont want to be above a bar with smoke etc. i do spent time in my cabin. we arent out and about 23 hours a day and an afternoon nap is not unheard of.

 

obviously as i start to research threads on here i will come back for more questions so just id appreciate please your 'i wish i knew' and other tips for this ship and itinerary. also 'what i love about this ship' would be appreciated as well. also it says the ship leaves from manhattan or brooklyn. so when is that decided? i know the breakaway embarking situation was a nightmare. hoping princess is better :)

 

thanks for all your help!

Edited August 3, 2017 by luckyinpa

[cruzrbachoua]

We have been on the Regal in the Caribbean and she is gorgeous different then other princess ships more tech. But still nice and relaxing. We have also done a NY r/t Canada/NE cruise in October 2012. At night DH and I had on sweaters and jackets when we were up on deck too long like when we watched MUTS. The ports same way we had layers, long sleeve T, light cotton jacket and a heavier wind resistant and water resistant jacket along with scarf and gloves. It rained in at least 2 ports we were in and I would guess the weather was more lower 60s to possible 50s in am and night. I do tend to get cold easily but DH is always warm and he was cold with his long sleeve T, heavy jacket (not parka) scarf and gloves. Especially if you plan to be out in it all day which we were. But with that said that trip was amazing.

 

Princess will be a bit more calmer than NCL as it does not have all the on board activities I hear NCL has like rock walls and such. We like princess as it offers us things to do and if we feel like just lounging and reading or napping or partaking in the events we can without feeling like we paid for all these toys and never used them. We are going on Crown princess this October for the 1st 2 weeks from Quebec down to NY and the average temp based on last year was low to mid 60s during the day...to me that is cold, but to some that may be perfect. But it is mother nature and she can change her mind and give them a warm season...bring layers is the best I can say. I hope you enjoy your cruise....ask me anything and I will try to answer...;p

[Pmorton3360]

Princess leaves from Brooklyn. The Regal is a beautiful ship. Keep track in the Patters. There will be events and shows in the atrium that you may want to see. I'm taking a similar cruise on the Crown in September.

 

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[luckyinpa]

thanks for the detailed weather report. I also forgot to ask how the regal rates on cold weather days and activities or spaces to just relax inside. the breakaway was a tad miserable on bad weather days. i actually felt there was nowhere to go. i did specifically pick anthem for cold weather cruising as the videos i saw showed many places inside to hide.

 

that being said, i was in shorts 98% of the time even on my december trip on breakaway so i have to admit the chill of a northern october would be something different. not the end of the world. i just want my expectations to be known before hand.

 

lower 50s arent the end of the world. ill just live in my fleece and jeans. i wear the same shirts year round at home anyway as i do run hot normally.

 

i'm also assuming things are casual on princess. i dont do tank tops and flip flops but i would never bring a suit or dress clothing on a cruise. just not why i'm there. jeans and polo shirts are much better :)

[luckyinpa]

Princess leaves from Brooklyn. The Regal is a beautiful ship. Keep track in the Patters. There will be events and shows in the atrium that you may want to see. I'm taking a similar cruise on the Crown in September.

 

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TY for the info. is it as bad as Manhattan for craziness inside. there was no traffic on a sunday morning to there but looks like brooklyn shouldnt be much worse from my PA location for a saturday departure.

[PghCruiseGrrrl]

If your girlfriend has a bad knee then she probably wants to keep it elevated while she is relaxing. The balconies on the Regal are notoriously small. I would recommend a balcony on the bump out section of the ship where they are a little bigger. If she is okay with walking a little you may want to look at cabins E101-E110, L101-108, and M101-108. These are obstructed view cabins right at the front of the ship. The only obstruction is the balcony is metal not glass. The balconies are much larger then the standard ones on the ship. You could also look at the rear facing balconies as well. Most of them also appear to be bigger then usual.

[luckyinpa]

wow i know we are close to sailing but i swear were 5 club minis available this morning now just one!!!!

[lstone19]

If you go to my website, http://www.stonejongleux.com/, you will find the Patters from last year's 5-night (10/22/16).

 

 

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[2BeOnaBoat]

If you are looking at New England, it has a lot of ports. There is only 1 sea day so the ship becomes an after thought. I did that cruise last year in October and wore shorts with a light sweatshirt in every port. I liked it so much, I am going back in a few weeks.

[skynight]

i do love to do my own research and will do so after posting this, but i have to decide within 2 weeks to take the october 5 nite cruise to canada or seek something else. I'd appreciate whatever info you think would be important regarding the ship and ports. I've only ever been on NCL breakaway before.

You will find the Princess on board experience different than NCL. On Princess Main DR food is good. You do not have to pay for a specialty restaurant if you don't want to. You can select a fixed traditional dining time, same waiter, same table or anytime dining. The buffet on the Regal is very large and extensive. It is open continuously from 5am until late evening. Never closes during that time. In addition you can dine in Alfredo's, open 11am until late evening. Alfredo's serves individual pizza, calzone, antipasto, and some other menu items. It is walk in waiter served and no charge. The International Cafe is open 24/7 and there is no charge. There is also a grill, pizza by the slice, and soft ice cream by the pool. These are also no charge. Shows are all walk in, but realize that the early shows require that you arrive maybe 30 mins early. There can be shows in both the theater and the Vista Lounge. Princess has a dress standard which is shown in the Princess FAQ's on their web site. On a 5 night cruise there is one formal night and 4 smart casual nights. For women it means nice outfits. You will not see many in gowns. For men formal means jacket and tie, not too many in tux. The dress is for DR's only. The rest of the ship is casual all the time.

If you want to try specialty dining you can book the Crown Grill ($29/pp) or Sabatini's (either $25/pp or $29/pp depends on which menu the ship is offering).

final payment on my november cruise is in 2 weeks. and i very likely have to cancel and i'm looking for an alternate 5 nite or less cruise and princess is one option. this is a milestone birthday to me and the cruise is my gift to myself :) though this will cost at least 400 more than the other 7 nite i had planned.

 

I had looked at youtube vids of the regal in the past and it looked very impressive to me. i'm not one to hang out by the pool 8 hours a day so the cooler october temps arent the end of the world. but i would like a frank discussion of the temps you have experienced in october. 60s to 70s is what i gather from weather sites. i'm assuming just a light jacket would be ok on deck and in the ports. 70 is what i consider perfect weather. i hate the 90s and was dying on great stirrup cay last december.

There will not be much lounging around the pool at the end of October. But, there are nice chairs in back of the pool where you can sit. The Horizon Terrace is also very nice.

 

I do realize the ship doesnt have all the outdoor activities that something like breakaway has. but my girlfriend has a bum knee so this will be more about relaxing than doing a ropes course. and we arent beach bums so perhaps it's a twist of fate that this canada cruise may happen for us vs going to the bahamas.

There should be Zumba (free) each sea day. Watch the Princess Patter for times and locations.

 

i know vacation is vacation and its not possible to be sad about it but i normally research something like this for months before booking and now i have 2 weeks. i'm looking for your opinion on things like the best part of the ship to be in for a balcony or mini suite cabin (is club class worth the money?). quiet is important and i dont want to be above a bar with smoke etc. i do spent time in my cabin. we arent out and about 23 hours a day and an afternoon nap is not unheard of.

Smoking is very limited on the Regal and all Princess ships. You really don't have to worry about it. The only balconies where you may smell some smoke are on deck 8 aft, starboard side. There is a small smoking area on deck 7 just below. Also on deck 8 aft you could hear some noise from the Vista Lounge below. Just select a cabin that has cabins above and below. Check out the deck plans on the Princess site. Club Class is up to you. It is a nice dining experience, but I don't really think it is cost effective.

 

obviously as i start to research threads on here i will come back for more questions so just id appreciate please your 'i wish i knew' and other tips for this ship and itinerary. also 'what i love about this ship' would be appreciated as well. also it says the ship leaves from manhattan or brooklyn. so when is that decided? i know the breakaway embarking situation was a nightmare. hoping princess is better :)

In the past Princess has sailed from Brooklyn, Red Hook Terminal.

There are only two ports, Halifax and St. John, NB. You can research these easily. The roll call may have some private tours set up.

thanks for all your help!

See above.

[JF - retired RRT]

Since you don't want to "dress up", you'll be most comfortable eating dinner in the buffet. Reviews say it's the best buffet out there (and definitely the best on a Princess ship).

If you can force yourself to bring a nice, slightly dressy shirt, you could eat in the MDR every night except formal night. Some ignore the dress code, but most follow it.

[lstone19]

If you are looking at New England, it has a lot of ports. There is only 1 sea day so the ship becomes an after thought. I did that cruise last year in October and wore shorts with a light sweatshirt in every port. I liked it so much, I am going back in a few weeks.

 

I believe the OP is talking about the season-ending 5 night cruise - two sea days and two port days (St. John and Halifax).

 

Reagarding is Club Class worth it, certainly not if you don't plan to bring clothes appropriate for the MDR. A good portion of the Club Class benefits are the Club Class section of the MDR.

[luckyinpa]

I believe the OP is talking about the season-ending 5 night cruise - two sea days and two port days (St. John and Halifax).

 

Reagarding is Club Class worth it, certainly not if you don't plan to bring clothes appropriate for the MDR. A good portion of the Club Class benefits are the Club Class section of the MDR.[/quote

 

correct about 2 sea days

 

is the priority embark 'worth something' ? i know for the breakaway the priority embark makes it so much easier but how is brooklyn? i do value not waiting in lines.

 

do you need dress pants and polo for MDR or are just jeans the dress code? also do you really get immediate seating and a few better food items. i would def wear dress pants if you could give me some details on the benefits of club class.

 

thanks again. with rooms booking up fast i have to learn as much as i can today

[luckyinpa]

sknight thanks for the info. my TA has same prices as princess does. 1918 for a mini and 2448 for a club class.

 

so 500 is not chump change. ugh! the stress lol. also now i just found out i can do anthem to bermuda for same price as my current november cruise so that adds additional choices.

 

so who here thinks 500 for club perks is worth it

 

 

also is it worth it for 100 bucks each to go balcony deluxe vs regular? i dont need 10 SQ feet and a sofabed if i'm reading that correctly

[luckyinpa]

other than gratuities are there any other 'hidden' charges i'm dont see at checkout?

 

i see now they have the free beverage package going on but to be honest id value free gratuities more :) not much of a drinker. i found the internet prices and i appreciate the specialty dining pricing mentioned above. i do want at least one special dinner.

 

for all specialty dining (not on formal nites) are jeans ok? it just says pants in the faq. and certainly dont have jeans with holes in and they did cost me 100 bucks and the faq alludes to jeans with holes not being permitted. i know dress codes are a sore subject in every forum . just trying to figure this out on the fly what to wear in MDR and specialties

 

Guest attire should be in keeping with what they would wear to a nice restaurant at home.

• Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
  
• Pants and open-neck shirts for men
  
• casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not permitted in the dining rooms
  

[DrivesLikeMario]

Princess now allows nice jeans for specialty dining and in the main dining room on all nights except formal nights. That said, you won't see many of them. Most men wear dress pants and a polo shirt, Tommy Bahama-type shirt, or a dress shirt for casual nights.

[mamasu]

i do love to do my own research and will do so after posting this, but i have to decide within 2 weeks to take the october 5 nite cruise to canada or seek something else. I'd appreciate whatever info you think would be important regarding the ship and ports. I've only ever been on NCL breakaway before.

 

final payment on my november cruise is in 2 weeks. and i very likely have to cancel and i'm looking for an alternate 5 nite or less cruise and princess is one option. this is a milestone birthday to me and the cruise is my gift to myself :) though this will cost at least 400 more than the other 7 nite i had planned.

 

I had looked at youtube vids of the regal in the past and it looked very impressive to me. i'm not one to hang out by the pool 8 hours a day so the cooler october temps arent the end of the world. but i would like a frank discussion of the temps you have experienced in october. 60s to 70s is what i gather from weather sites. i'm assuming just a light jacket would be ok on deck and in the ports. 70 is what i consider perfect weather. i hate the 90s and was dying on great stirrup cay last december.

 

I do realize the ship doesnt have all the outdoor activities that something like breakaway has. but my girlfriend has a bum knee so this will be more about relaxing than doing a ropes course. and we arent beach bums so perhaps it's a twist of fate that this canada cruise may happen for us vs going to the bahamas.

 

i know vacation is vacation and its not possible to be sad about it but i normally research something like this for months before booking and now i have 2 weeks. i'm looking for your opinion on things like the best part of the ship to be in for a balcony or mini suite cabin (is club class worth the money?). quiet is important and i dont want to be above a bar with smoke etc. i do spent time in my cabin. we arent out and about 23 hours a day and an afternoon nap is not unheard of.

 

obviously as i start to research threads on here i will come back for more questions so just id appreciate please your 'i wish i knew' and other tips for this ship and itinerary. also 'what i love about this ship' would be appreciated as well. also it says the ship leaves from manhattan or brooklyn. so when is that decided? i know the breakaway embarking situation was a nightmare. hoping princess is better :)

 

thanks for all your help!

 

I did my first cruise to Canada on the Regal last October and I absolutely loved everything about it. Sailing north in October gave us an opportunity to enjoy the inside of the ship. The weather on deck was in the 60's during the day while the sun was out, but a bit windy.

The order of our itinerary was switched around due to wind conditions docking in Saint John, so we went to Halifax first. Both ports were beautiful and I will do that cruise again in 2018. We actually had better weather heading up to Canada than we had sailing down to the Caribbean on the repo cruise that followed.

[lstone19]

 

is the priority embark 'worth something' ? i know for the breakaway the priority embark makes it so much easier but how is brooklyn? i do value not waiting in lines.

 

do you need dress pants and polo for MDR or are just jeans the dress code? also do you really get immediate seating and a few better food items. i would def wear dress pants if you could give me some details on the benefits of club class.

 

thanks again. with rooms booking up fast i have to learn as much as i can today

 

 

 

I'm hesitant to get involved in a dress code discussion but IMHO, nice jeans are at the bottom end of acceptable for the MDR. Khakis are fine (and what I usually wear on non-formal nights) but that's what I wore in recent years to work.

 

They value of priority embarkation depends on when you get there. It may be valuable, it may be worthless.

 

Club Class dining is a dedicated area of the MDR with a slight menu upgrade (same menu plus an additional item as I understand it). Essentially Anytime Dining with guaranteed no wait.

 

 

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[floridalover5623]

Jeans and either a Polo shirt will be OK on casual nights in the dining room.

For the formal evenings a pair of dress pants & a dress shirt or guayabera shirt will be tolerated without a suit jacket.

If you care to get dressier then by all means do since many will bring their tuxes & gowns.

[luckyinpa]

i finally dug and found the mini benefits

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/ships/staterooms/club-class/

 

so as stated above i guess it depends when i get to the dock if priority means anything. i can tell you with certainty it mattered in manhattan. does brooklyn have the same deal where when you disembark you can pay a porter to bypass the customs long line?

 

another line of thinking would be take the few hundred extra for the club class and eat in some specialties lol. i'm assuming there's usually no waiting for them?

 

now i have to evaluate balcony vs mini. i'm sure there are threads on it here.

Edited August 3, 2017 by luckyinpa

[luckyinpa]

ive just found some lido deck mini suites. they are cheaper than other minis, why is that? (noise from pool or sanctuary?)

 

theres an allure of the good location but would i feel much more rocking vs a mini at midship cabin even up on deck 15? i likely would do a 15 mini if not under the pool as well.

 

ive been at the most forward part of a ship on deck 16 during high waves and it is so not fun.

[mamasu]

i finally dug and found the mini benefits

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/ships/staterooms/club-class/

 

so as stated above i guess it depends when i get to the dock if priority means anything. i can tell you with certainty it mattered in manhattan. does brooklyn have the same deal where when you disembark you can pay a porter to bypass the customs long line?

 

another line of thinking would be take the few hundred extra for the club class and eat in some specialties lol. i'm assuming there's usually no waiting for them?

 

now i have to evaluate balcony vs mini. i'm sure there are threads on it here.

 

If you use a porter in Brooklyn you go to a much shorter line for porters only.

 

As for dining, I've never done club class. If you want to do specialty dining, you need to book online and pay in advance or book as soon as you board. The reservations fill up fast. We book the Crown Grill for the whole cruise @ $30 each per night. They treat you very well. They will bring you anything you want from the regular menu. They offered to prepare for us anything special we wanted, we just had to let them know the day before. They brought us one of my favorite pasta dishes from the old Sabatinis menu. As long as you are respectful to them, they will be very accommodating. We factor the cost of specialty dinner into our cruise.

If you sail south, I also recommend the Sanctuary. We do the 10 day repo out of NY to FL every year. We factor in $600 for dinner and $600 for the Sanctuary. Some people would argue that it's a waste of money. I think it's worth every penny.

[luckyinpa]

i had no idea sanctuary cost money. ugh. maybe i dont have enough time to learn everything. they sure dont say it cost money on the official ship page.

 

crown grille sounds like the place ill be celebrating my birthday

 

i havent even looked at the 2 ports to see if there's anything fun to do for dinner before getting back on board or just going back for dinner.

[JoRoy218]

We did the 7 day last October on the Regal. Embarkation took forever for the 3000+ passengers. We arrived around 1100 and were on board by 1300. Had planned to do lunch in the MDR but too late. As mentioned above, the Buffet on the Regal was the best we've seen at sea. Our favorite area (while buffet dining) was the

covered deck area just outside the buffet, by the pool, great place to relax, eat and drink. The buffet and seating areas were large enough to accommodate the crowds and seemed to flow well. Service was excellent, rarely waited for regular drinks and items from the bar.

We had a minisuite on our favorite deck (Caribe); cabin was nicely done but balcony was miniscule. Yes, the two of us could sit out there, but leg room was non-existent. The other slight disappointment was the lack of a true promenade deck -- there is a nice aft area with loungers and some chairs at midship, but you cannot do a 360 around the deck. There are also some very narrow areas where you can barely pass two at a time. The Piazza is huge and gorgeous and almost constant activity going on. It's quite the gathering place.

Our itinerary included Halifax and Saint John. The ship had to skip Saint John due to high winds and heavy rain but we didn't complain about another sea day. Halifax was a pretty town -- we took a private tour (four of us in a van) and enjoyed the tour.

Also, the usual caveat to arrive in the theater at least 30 min prior to shows, fills up very quickly. Enjoy your cruise and New England!

[luckyinpa]

thanks for the tips and id appreciate any other details about the ports. i have to start researching them.

 

nothing is smaller than balconies on NCL so no worries there lol. i'm sure this will be a step up. knees against the rail etc.

 

i have yet to study embarkation for this ship but i would typically get in NYC around 930 so maybe that would help if i got there then for the Regal as well. i'm assuming parking is the same 40 a day i paid in manhattan.

 

it's funny you mention drinks. being new to princess it took me watching a review on youtube to realize they serve you drinks at your table in the buffet. a nice treat indeed!

 

i hope the narrow passages you describe are few and far between. it really was annoying on my other ship to have to turn sideways sometimes. I'm also very interested in all the indoor seating areas because i always plan for bad weather but hope for good. piazza sure does look like a good place to be and i love the look of that open space in the video i saw. there's nothing like it on the Breakaway and i felt closed in on the rainy sea days. seems impossible on a ship with 4000 but i did. i felt trapped lol.

 

my current stress of the day is continuing my research about lido deck mini noise from the retreat pool above. i know its a risk being under a pool and id never do it normally but with gfs knee the steps will never be an option for us so being on 16 seems worth the gamble. i also just became aware of some parties at nite at the retreat from other posters so that could be an issue too as we are early to bed people by 10 or 11.

 

keep the info coming, NO detail is too small. ive already gathered forward elevators are less crowded so that is good :)