Just off Regal Princess- Our 1st Princess cruise- honest thoughts and opinions.

[divaofdisney]

We are just off the Regal princess this morning and I wanted to take some time and give my thoughts and opinions while the memories are still fresh in my mind. I will break this up into parts and I pray that this information will help someone else. First off...we have always been intrigued by Princess and heard so many great things about this line, namely the food - which I will get to shortly and overall I have to say we were pleased. We have been very loyal to Royal Caribbean and just love their ships so alot of this review will be in comparison to our time on those ships.

 

The Ship/Embarkation Process:

The Regal is a very impressive and elegant ship with beautiful details all around. The main area piazza has many quiet spots and main atrium that is absolutely gorgeous and the decor is extremely elegant. We were in club class so we were lucky enough to have priority embarkation and it was AMAZING!!!! The area where we waited (and trust me it was very short) was so nice and had continental type fair for us while we waited to board. It has had several stations where you could charge your phones ipads etc. We got to preferred lounge around 10:45 AM and we boarded right at 11 AM. Top notch goes to Princess on this one- although RCCL also does a very nice job as well.

 

The Sanctuary:

We wanted to head straight up to the sanctuary to book 2 loungers for 2 of the sea days and knew we had to get up there straight away because we heard this fills up quickly and it did. I hurried up there and was 2nd in line. They take you in 1 at a time and you can pick your loungers. It was a very nice extra for us and we really enjoyed the peace and quiet- I did have my music on my phone playing at one point (and not loud at all) and was told by 2 different people I had to be quiet and turn it off. OK I get it but once was plenty. I felt like a little kid being scolded. Anyway, having done this once I would not spend the extra money to do it again. Rating goes to RCCL on this one- they have a beautiful adult only area with a pool and it is free- this is not.

 

The Room/Cabin- R428

As I said before....we chose a club class mini suite on the hump of the ship- it comes with an angled balcony. I had heard people say that the balconies on Princess were very tight and is one of the main reasons we wanted one of these- I must say the balcony was bigger than the ones we/ve had on RCCL- I give top notch here to Princess hands down on the cabin rooms- our room was very spacious, came with a tub and shower in bathroom and just more upgraded and luxurios feel- the luxury beds...OMG was absolutely the best sleep my husband and I have ever had- we never felt so rested. Side note: We did not have the medallion on this cruise but for those who are interested, we spoke with quite a few that have and they seem to have gotten it working quite well with opening rooms and charges on ship...we spoke with people installing them and they are sticking with the 110 rooms for now to ensure they are going to work full speed before they add any more. At least this is what we were told. Our cabin attendent Millan was awesome and our room was always well kept.

 

Specialty Dining/Club Class Dining:

We had club class dining and ate here 4 nights out of 7- We never waited for a table and we ended up with same servers who were absolutely fantastic. The table side preparations were esp. great this past week and we did 2 of them. We did ultimate balcony dinner which I highly recommend it was just fantastic they come with a separate table set up a beautiful table with flowers and the dinner was to die for!! We also did Sabatini's which I liked better than the Crown Grill although that was excellent as well- There is a new menu for Sabatini's and a new chef from Italy who makes the pasta fresh each and every day- it was just fantastic. The service and attention to detail were just beyond amazing. All in all- I give this area a tie for both RCCL and Princess- as we felt the food as just as good in their specialty dining venues. As far as food expereince goes- we felt it was very good but not anything especially greater than RCCL. Again- this is just our own personal opinion.

Activities/Onbaord Experiences:

Although there are lots of activities that Princess offers I much prefer Royal Caribbean here. We did the movies under the stars which was really a nice thing that RCCL does not have and a few other things- but we found ourselves bored much of the time. You can only walk around a ship so many times before the novelty wears off. It draws an older type cliental as well There is so much more to do on RCCL and we never felt bored not even once. I said to my hubby- it all you want to do is go and relax and unwind, have people cater to you and do an excursion to 2 then Princess is absolutlely the right cruise to take- we just like to do more its that simple. Not a knock on Princess at all- we absolutly loved our time here and we did relax but its all in what you are looking for on a cruise. We were so happy we had the opportunity to try this and we would go again for sure if the opportunity presents itself again- now that we know what to expect.

 

Debarkation Process:

The debarkation process was very nice and smoothe. We had had a medical emergency our last sea day and our ship was diverted to Turks and Caicos- so when we got back on track it pushed our arrival back in port by hour and half- but depsite that, the process was about as good if not better that what we have had in past. Princess does a great job here and kudos to them for making up all that time we lost. The captain was so nice and made himself so available. We had 2 bottles of liquor that were delivered to our room by mistake and we looked for our attendant only to find the captain coming right down our hall- he was gracious and took time to talk with us for few minutes and then took liquor and delivered it to the nearby room himself. How nice is that??

 

Overall Impression and final thoughts:

We are so glad we branched out and gave Princess a go. We loved the service, food and the ship itself- absolutely beautiful and elegant. It was especially nice all decorated for Christmas just amazing. We slept well we ate well and we enjoyed our time on the Regal very much. But for us...I think Royal just fits our needs a little more at this point in time. If I have the chance to sail Princess again I would now knowing what to expect.

 

Hope this helps others and gives a overall favorable and positive review. :)

[CI66774]

Thanks for your balanced review! Glad you had a good time.

[Gus2013]

Thank you for the review. We go on it next month...it's been a couple of years and I can't quite recall everything about it. We're in a mini-suite with the angled balcony so it's great to hear your review!

[easyboy]

Glad you enjoyed your Princess experience! We have also enjoyed always sailing on the Regal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Host CJSKIDS]

Thanks for your fantastic review! Glad you had a great time and relaxed!

 

So glad to hear that you were able to get your Sanctuary seats.

If you do another Princess cruise ever, they do have pools and areas for 18 and over on many of their ships that are free, the retreat pool area is for adults and is free!

 

Very interesting to hear the differences between both cruise lines. After being on the NCL Getaway this past, we did notice how quiet Princess was at night this last cruise. We may have to try a longer cruise on RCL in the future.

[divaofdisney]

Yeah we did like the retreat pool very much. I just prefer the solarium on Royal better. That’s all. But it was an amazing experience and I’m happy we did it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[nvjerry]

Very good review, and glad you enjoyed the Regal. We are booked on an future Regal cruise in Mini R429, so the cabin and balcony review was exactly what I wanted to hear.

[satxdiver]

Nice review of the Regal. PE terminal #2 has been renovated so we are anxious to see the results having been there several times in the past. Princess does a really good job with boarding and deboarding plus they allow pax to go to their cabins as soon as they board. CCL also does not charge for use of their adult sanctuary use but does not have a pool. Nearby is the retreat pool for adults.

 

We just left the Ruby and had the new beds. They are so nice indeed. All the minis are the same in decoration and layout. We will be in a club class room in a few months for the first time but always book a minisuite. We were offered a fantastic deal to upgrade.

 

We like Sabatini's over the CG but then we don't care much for steak. I had heard that Sabatini's has a new menu and hope to experience it soon. Sounds delicious.

 

We are more into just relaxing on a cruise. The climbing walls, ice skating, flow riders are in our past. I do agree that the Princess cruisers are a little older than what we saw on RCI. It is all who each cruise line markets to. If you want old try a HAL cruise sometime. :D

 

Thanks for posting.

[voljeep]

solid, solid review - and that's why we like to cruise Princess when we can - we're pretty laid back and on the shorter cruises we are/have taken, we can be fine lounging by the pool during the day and doing a Vines/Crooners type of night:cool:

[divaofdisney]

Very good review, and glad you enjoyed the Regal. We are booked on an future Regal cruise in Mini R429, so the cabin and balcony review was exactly what I wanted to hear.

 

 

 

You’ll absolutely LOVE it!!! It was incredible

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Host CJSKIDS]

Yeah we did like the retreat pool very much. I just prefer the solarium on Royal better. That’s all. But it was an amazing experience and I’m happy we did it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

I’ll have to check it out one of these times!!

[CA_Cruzing]

Thank you for your review.

 

DW and I just booked our first Princess cruise and you speak to some of our concerns. We have been loyal Carnival cruisers which is both good and bad.

 

We’ve read that Princess skews more to an “older” crowd. Older is subjective so may I ask your age group and how old would you say your fellow passengers were in comparison?

 

Also, how many days was your cruise? Again we’ve read that the longer the cruise, the older the passengers.

 

We chose our Princess cruise for its length, 10 days, and itinerary, S Carib.

 

We’re seeking a cruise that has activities and some relaxation. At our cruise date, we’ll just be entering our 50’s.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[divaofdisney]

Thank you for your review.

 

DW and I just booked our first Princess cruise and you speak to some of our concerns. We have been loyal Carnival cruisers which is both good and bad.

 

We’ve read that Princess skews more to an “older” crowd. Older is subjective so may I ask your age group and how old would you say your fellow passengers were in comparison?

 

Also, how many days was your cruise? Again we’ve read that the longer the cruise, the older the passengers.

 

We chose our Princess cruise for its length, 10 days, and itinerary, S Carib.

 

We’re seeking a cruise that has activities and some relaxation. At our cruise date, we’ll just be entering our 50’s.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

There were about 1/3 + older population say over 65 and rest younger. Very few kids I saw. Our cruise was 7 days.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[geocruiser]

We just got off Regal too. In my own opinion (in comparing only this cruise to my other 8 Regal cruises over the past years, since Regal join the fleet). We felt that the food was no way as good as it was before in the main dinning room and the buffet. I have NEVER complained before about the food on Regal. This is just my opinion for my 9th cruise on her.

[antmaril]

Thanks for your great review!

 

I will be on the Regal in an angled balcony mini-suite three weeks from today. Cannot wait!

[azbirdmom]

There were about 1/3 + older population say over 65 and rest younger. Very few kids I saw. Our cruise was 7 days.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

 

Having been on 20+ cruises with Princess I can honestly say that the crowd was the oldest on the Regal last week than I have ever seen. It didn’t make a difference in the activities offered though. It was a wonderful cruise and I’m already missing the Regal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[caribbeanboy]

We just got off Regal too. In my own opinion (in comparing only this cruise to my other 8 Regal cruises over the past years, since Regal join the fleet). We felt that the food was no way as good as it was before in the main dinning room and the buffet. I have NEVER complained before about the food on Regal. This is just my opinion for my 9th cruise on her.

 

I just wrote a short a review about the Royal Princess yesterday, and yes food was much better, and more choices in the past!

[metairiegal]

Thanks for posting. I enjoyed reading your review. :)

[golfb4cruzing]

You are correct. We choose Princess to go and relax and unwind. Life is in the fast lane and we like getting away from it all. Not sure what you need for entertainment but there is always something happening in the Piazza, shows, afternoon tea. We've always been busy if we chose to. But my main goal is Aft Pool or Sanctuary pool and a beverage. Glad you enjoy Princess overall.

[cruiseintoheaven]

The perception of an older crowd is interesting to me. DH and I are both in our 50's (me on the lower side, him on the higher). We have friends of a similar age that tried Princess after 3 or 4 RC cruises and commented about feeling they were the youngest folks on the ship - just wasn't a good fit for them. Personally Princess is a good fit for us.....not sure what RC offers entertainment wise that Princess doesn't - other than obvious things like flo-riders which would be a known thing going in....maybe it's just a "vibe" thing that's less tangible (?).....we have never been bored on Princess, but then again we cruise to relax mainly. I am sorry to hear the food isn't as good as it was - as it's always been very good to excellent on our combined 4 weeks on her.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[geocruiser]

I just wrote a short a review about the Royal Princess yesterday, and yes food was much better, and more choices in the past!

Same with Regal. I only compared my previous 8 Regal cruises to this one. The first eight were wonderful where the food was concerned. This one, well , below par. some of the same food that I all ways eat on Regal, I could not eat.

Our service was wonderful.

[maggieq]

Thank you for the review. We have been docked by the royal and regal princess ships a couple of times. I would like to try princess again. The regal and royal ships look great

[Clarea]

Well organized report, thank-you.

[Wishing on a star]

We are looking forward to being on the Regal soon!

I am glad to see your review.

Can I ask more about what dishes you ordered and enjoyed at Sabatini's.

Very mixed reviews on the new menu, and we would be leaning towards Crown Grill. (We do enjoy a good steak occasionally... I enjoy Italian, but not my husband's favorite)

 

Glad to hear you had a Club level mini, and the new bed!

Ohhh how I wish our Deluxe balcony would have the new bed.

If anybody knows about new beds being brought on the Regal, that would be welcomed news!

 

We also really want to do the Sanctuary! And plan to board as early as possible and head up there right away.

But, I do have to agree... along with some other's, that the 'spa', pin drop silence can get, well, maybe a bit boring???

I do think the experience will def. be something that I will really enjoy doing, at least once!

[Shadow9612]

Thank you for such a well balanced, comparative, review!

 

I'll be on the Regal next year, comparing her to the S class ships I've been on with celebrity.

 

Other than the disappointment with the ***** roll-out (or lack thereof), I'm reading so many positive reviews/comments about Princess and the Regal, so I'm very excited!