Starting second week on Regal Dec 23-Jan 6

[tillys mom]

Really enjoying your revue; we sail on the 13th!  Can you tell us what movies Princess is showing? We don’t get to many movies at home so I enjoy catching up on the ship.

[Host CJSKIDS]

46 minutes ago, h-sar said:

So far, over the course of the last couple of years, we have tested three Curtis stone dishes. This beef pot pie, the pork belly last week, and the chicken pot pie a couple of years ago. We've not really enjoyed any of them.

 

The  chicken pot pie was pretty much like anything I’ve ever had in a middle level diner and was incredibly salty on the night we had it. The pork belly last week, which the kids had, just looked, to me, like a big hunk of fat, Which I guess it’s really pretty much what it’s supppaed to look like. The kids said that’s what it tasted like as well. They only took a few bites. I’m sure it’s more that they are simply just not used to eating pork in a form other than ham or bacon LOL.  However, they are both foodies and have very adventurous palates. They love trying new things, but this just did not do it for them. My son had pork belly in the summer at a very high-end restaurant in downtown Vancouver on a visit and raves about it to this day. He was really disappointed that the Stone dish was not even close. Maybe we have just had three off meals. Don’t let my observations prevent you from trying his menu. 

 

Inside of the Stone beef dish. 

 

Pork belly is very fatty and has to be cooked properly.  It also depends on the grade of meat that Princess uses.

 

I have had food from Curtis Stone and enjoy it greatly, a lot of it has to do with quality of the ingredients and the people that are cooking it.

 

A prime example is my friend Leo is well known as a cocktail mixologist.  So much so that NCL had him design many of the cocktails for the Tobacco Road bar on one of their ships. (Which they have brought to other ships now.) They had him come and teach them how to make them all.  Fast forward a short time later and I'm on the ship excited to have one of his drinks and text him that I ordered it.  Well, instead of being hand made following his instructions, they pre-make them ahead of time and don't use all natural ingredients.  I couldn't even finish the drink it was that bad.  I texted him while drinking it and he was so disappointed.  So here is name is on the menu saying these are his cocktail creations and they suck because they don't follow his recipe. 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the Curtis Stone pies, I'll make sure that it's not one of the things I order as really sounds unappealing.  

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and please continue to post pictures, they are so enjoyable to see!

[h-sar]

1 hour ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

Pork belly is very fatty and has to be cooked properly.  It also depends on the grade of meat that Princess uses.

 

I have had food from Curtis Stone and enjoy it greatly, a lot of it has to do with quality of the ingredients and the people that are cooking it.

 

A prime example is my friend Leo is well known as a cocktail mixologist.  So much so that NCL had him design many of the cocktails for the Tobacco Road bar on one of their ships. (Which they have brought to other ships now.) They had him come and teach them how to make them all.  Fast forward a short time later and I'm on the ship excited to have one of his drinks and text him that I ordered it.  Well, instead of being hand made following his instructions, they pre-make them ahead of time and don't use all natural ingredients.  I couldn't even finish the drink it was that bad.  I texted him while drinking it and he was so disappointed.  So here is name is on the menu saying these are his cocktail creations and they suck because they don't follow his recipe. 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the Curtis Stone pies, I'll make sure that it's not one of the things I order as really sounds unappealing.  

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and please continue to post pictures, they are so enjoyable to see!

 

Your friend Leo’s experience makes me wonder what Curtis himself would say if he sat down to one of his meals, as replicated by the Princess chefs, in the MDR! I really do enjoy Curtis Stone on tv (what’s not to enjoy? 😉😉). 

[h-sar]

The kids and my friend went off on a stringray and snorkeling excursion through the ship this morning at 7 AM.  We avoid ship excursions like the plague, preferring to book things privately, but had OBC that we needed to use.

 

My husband and I are not even close to being strong swimmers, so we did not join then and instead took the public bus from the port, after tendering, to 7 Mile Beach, specifically Jack calico’s. I’m taking a break from the lovely water of 7 Mile Beach to sit in calicos. their Wi-Fi is not bad once one is able to connect. I’m actually sending this post in real time. It’s 12:04 here.

 

The last couple of times in Grand Cayman, we have taken the public bus for 2.50 per person one way from the port down to the beach. Truly is easier even that hunting around for a cabdriver and waiting for him or her to fill up their van. When we got out of the port, we took a left and started walking on the sidewalk. The water was to our left. We kept an eye out for the larger mini vans coming from behind us that had Public Bus very prominently displayed in the windshield. We saw one about half a minute later. flagged it down, and he stopped immediately. If they do not have enough room for your party, they will keep going. Busses run very frequently and we’ve never had to wait more than two or three minutes for one.

 

There is a bit of a bus depot station close to the port for these busses,  maybe a couple of blocks over, but we’ve always just started walking and flagged one right in the street, as they will stop anywhere . The busses drive straight down the main road from the port to 7 mile Beach and they will stop at whatever part of the beach you want to go to. Most of us got off at Calico’s. They might make the occasional stop to drop off locals who are on their way to work, but it truly takes not much more time than a taxi ride would.   The Calico’s area of 7 mile Beach has beautiful sand and gorgeous water, but it is wall-to-wall people and wall-to-wall umbrellas. We just wanted to be able to dip in the water for a couple of hours, but if we were doing something for longer, we would find a quieter area.

 

Last time we also went to Governor’s Beach which is about a 10 minute walk to the left from Calico’s when facing the water. There are no facilities , No bathrooms, no umbrellas, almost no people. Bring a towel to lay on. It is absolutely stunning, quiet, almost deserted. But close enough to the busy parts that one could easily walk over when facilities are required. 

 

The bus stops are about a two min walk though the back parking lot and easy to find. 

 

Seymours makes amazing jerk chicken, set up in the parking lot. 

[h-sar]

Pics at Calico’s area of 7 Mile beach 

 

Like I said, wall to wall bodies, but the water is gorgeous as you can see.

 

The Calico Jack’s bar.

 

A tree next to the bar housing all of the flip flops and sandals that have been left behind! 

 

A front and back view of the public bus. Make sure you don’t to take something called public transportation or public taxi. It has to say public bus. We took it on the return as well and honestly could not have been easier.

 

The most awesome traffic cop. He was in front of the port at the main intersection and his performance is not to be missed! 

 

Spent a whole $10 for the day between the two of us as we didn’t rent chairs and umbrellas as we usually do. (The kids will make up for our lack of spending today though!). We also opted out of buying food as we want to have a healthy appetite for the Lumiere Chef’s Table at 6:45. I seem to be eating nonstop on the ship, and really need to take a bit of a breather!! No tea time today either - the scones and little sandwiches are hard to resist! 

 

The bites I got in P Cays on Monday are still driving me crazy with itchiness. In case you’ve already forgotten my takeaway from this review (that you need to douse yourself in bug spray before setting foot on P Cays), here’s something that should remind you. An upside down look at the back of one leg. There are 11 bites on just that one part of my body (the 3 behind the knee might be hard to make out). 

[dickinson]

Bites look nasty.  Sorry.  I have been to P Cays 2x and both times I got a rash on my upper legs.  Not itchy at all and was gone by the next day.  Didn't use bug spray.  

[h-sar]

 It is shortly after 8 AM and we will be docking in Cozumel at 10. I was really looking forward to spending a relaxing beach day at Mr. Sancho’s, our usual haunt there. However, there are seven ships in total in Cozumel today including harmony of the sea‘s, carnival vista, and Norwegian breakaway. Unfortunately, four ships get in either one or two hours before we do and one gets in at the same time.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that not too many of them will be heading to Mr. Sanchos. We have not been there in three years and it is one of our favourite places for a beach day and would be the perfect last port. 

 

Harmony in with us yesterday in Falmouth

 

These were the special desserts from the Sabatini‘s restaurant that our head waiter Zaza brought for us due to our disappointment of not having had the Norman Love coconut mousse in two years of sailings. It was a lovely, unexpected, and much appreciated gesture. We had never complained about not having the mousse, but had asked when it might appear during the week as we had not seen it last week either. Here is where being in set dining really gives you a higher lavel of service. This would never have happened in the anytime dining room, because we would never have been able to develop the rapport with her that we had been able to in Allegro. 

 

Zaza brought over nine of these little mini desserts for the five of us: 3 of the tiramisu, 3 Rocher, and 3 zabaglione. The glass bowls are incredibly tiny, and the desserts were about four bites each. This, to me, is the perfect size for a dessert. Each one was exquisite. I have had the Rochér one in Sabatini’s on previous sailings and it comes in a huge fish bowl and I can never eat more than a quarter of it; the full-size one has way too many elements going on for me to really fully enjoy it. This mini one did not incorporate all of the elements and was, for me, a better rendition. I wonder if this is the mini sampler from the Sabatini‘s dessert menu. Anyone know? 

Edited January 4, 2019 by h-sar

[SandraH]

Thanks for the review.  It's been lovely following along!

[h-sar]

When we docked, there were already 4 ships in port, including Harmony of the Seas and Carnival Vista. Carnival Dream came in just a few minutes after we did. While we were waiting for the all clear, we heard an announcement for two couples to report to Symphony with their luggage and passports to complete their immigration process. I’m assuming they were getting off here, possibly to continue on a land holiday in Mexico. 

 

We were some of the first to get off the ship around 10 o’clock, and quickly grabbed a taxi to Mr. Sancho’s. I had checked the night before on their website, and there was no indication that we needed to make a reservation. They suggested reservations for the all inclusive side, but stated that it was not mandatory. As far as I knew, reservations were not taken for the pay as you go side nor was there any such indication on their website. My fears about all the ships with us in port came to fruition, as we were turned away at Mr. Sanchos, because they were almost at capacity and were now only allowing in people who were doing the all inclusive side. Being non drinkers, an all inclusive is wasted on us. I guess with this many ships in port, they can pick and choose who they want to let in. At Mr. Sanchos, there’s no entry fee and the chairs and umbrellas are free. You just have to buy $10 worth of food. The taxi fare to Mr. S was $23 for the taxi and we were five passengers. When we asked the driver to take us to Paradise beach, which was about a minute back from where we had come on the highway, he told us he would now be charging us $30 even though it was right on his way back. Oh well. 

 

Paradise has a three dollar per person entry fee which includes spotty wifi, chairs and umbrellas and they also ask that you buy about $10 worth of food. As we all love Mexican, that won’t be a problem at all! Paradise has a lot of water toys that one can get a wristband for, for an additional $18 per person. Lots of inflatables. There is also a company renting motorized water toys. We have a waiter Fernando who has been awesome. It is hot, but there is a gentle breeze. I think it is going to be gorgeous day in paradise - literally! I am currently enjoying some hammock time under the shade of a palapa. 

 

...and 5 hrs after we got there, we took a taxi back to the ship. Took about twice as long to return as it did to get there because there was so much traffic with everyone returning back to the port from their various destinations. It was $25 for the return trip for the five of us. We spent a few minutes in the port, buying some pure vanilla, and then headed back to the ship. We are in Cozumel quite late today, until 10 PM, so we might take  a trip back into town a little bit later this evening. 

 

We had some pretty amazing chicken tacos from the beach taco truck, and nachos, shrimp tacos, and fajitas from their kitchen.. Glad we got there when we did as we had our pick of loungers and an hr later, it got incredibly busy. It really was a perfect day in paradise! Fernando was our phenomenal every busy waiter and all of the waiters there would have no problem working on a cruise ship! Shout out to Paradise for a great day!

 

[h-sar]

[Colo Cruiser]

Awesome!!  

[tartan cruiser]

Again, thanks so much for the awesome information. An explanation of the internet really helps. I didn 't know about the 25% off for platinum so I'll wait until the 1st day to buy the pkg. Those bug bites look nasty, so I made sure I have bug spray along. You saved me some itiching! We also usually go to Mr. Sanchos but had already decided to go to Paradise Beach this time. I'll have to check how many ships are in port with us. I assume the same ones. Good to know to get there early. Those tocos look delicious. Approximately what to they cost? Is the food reasonable priced too? Love your pictures! Have a great rest of your cruise and I love reading about each day's experience.

[sinned19]

On 12/31/2018 at 7:09 AM, h-sar said:

13. The Mongolian grill in the buffet - one of the best things in the best buffet at sea. Made to order fresh; choose from tons of veggies; two different kinds of noodles, rice; mussels, chicken, beef, calamari, tofu; 4 sauces. My husband goes vegetarian on Tues/Sun for religious reasons and heads to the buffet on those days rather than the MDR with us. Between the Mongolian grill and the buffet’s daily 3-4 Indian veg dishes, he eats far better than he would off the MDR veg menu. 

 

Most nights (maybe all nights?) they’re also doing a fresh pasta station in the buffet. Last night had the most delicious creamy rose sauce with cheese tortellini. I had only one course in the MDR last night (Basa fillet), so was able to indulge in small tastes of both the Mongolian and pasta stations later at night. Both were still operating when we walked through at 9:20 pm.

 

14.  We have done anytime dining exclusively up to this cruise simple because I found the early dining time too early and the late one too late. We prefer to eat round 7:00. Imagine my delight when I saw that Princess was changing the dining times and 7:15 was now the late seating. I signed us up right away. Imagine my disappointment when I got on board and discovered that the 7:15 time I selected online was actually 7:45. I had read on CC that this was the experience for others, but was hopeful for this sailing. Why is Princess advertising one thing and delivering another? We stuck with 7:45 and have lovely waitstaff. Zsa-Zsa is the head waiter in our section of Allegro and is an absolute delight.She’s been taking good care of my gluten free friend.

 

15.  Not sure if this is a cost cutting measure, but Princess seems to be doing less Norman Love in the MDR. Last week, we had only the pistachio dome and no Norman Love cake pops at the Captain’s champagne waterfall as I’ve seen in the past. Perhaps they’ll have the cake pops tonight for New Yrs. My all time favourite dessert on land and at sea is the Norman Love coconut mousse with the crunchy cookie. Am hoping it shows up this week.

Do you know if they have the Mongolian grill at lunch time?

[CaliforniaDon]

Wow h-sar!

 

 

What a great write-up of this trip. On our trip this coming Spring, I will sound like a 5-timer with all that inside info you are sharing. Although there is about NOTHING to match your great insights - if you send me a mailing address, eh? I will send you a spare of a gift I got in the Christmas exchange a year ago.  There were 3 in the pack, and they are 3 inch square LED lights that run on 3 AAA batteries and they are way brighter than night lights, AND they are motion activated, and stay on for a minute or so. They  have a magnet on the back, so even that is a help. With luck, it will not turn on for bathroom stops, but when it is on, you can see fine.

 

This might be a good thing for the hallway beyond the bathroom - as long as you keep moving, it should stay on. Send an email to D D a v i s F L A at A o L dot com.  No spaces, of course (I am fooling the spammers)  I will send it to you as a thanks for all the cool info and you can try it or pitch it, as you see fit.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Great Review!   

 

For others, the label says URPOWER Motion Sensor LED Night LIght  -- 

[h-sar]

2 hours ago, sinned19 said:

Do you know if they have the Mongolian grill at lunch time?

 

Happened only at dinnertime - once during this week, but possibly twice. Two nights ago, it became the soup station. The same noodles/rice/veggie/protein/condiment selections. Once you selected your items, you would hand the bowl over to the cooks and they would put it into a small individual pot of the boiling broth you had selected (chicken, beef, miso). The chicken and beef meat strips were already pre cooked. This would all cook in the broth for about 3 min (you’d get a number on a chit) and then they would pour it into a humongous bowl. Looked very cool, but I’m not an Oriental soup person (haven’t even bought into the pho craze 😁), so can't comment on taste.

 

At least 2-3 other times during the week, the area becomes a fresh pasta station. One night it was spaghetti bolognese, another night it was spaghetti olio (my favourite, that I sadly missed), and another might have been penne or bowtie in a delicious marinara sauce. Fresh garlic, fresh basil, condiments like great quality Parmesan, chili flakes, etc., pasta made right in front of you (they cook up a few servings at a time)...why would you possibly walk by that to throw some pasta, that was made hrs ago, onto your plate from a warming tray? 

 

Here’s my Mongolian grill dish, made with veggies and the translucent noodles. Make sure you’re very specific about your spice level; remember that most of the cooks are coming from a part of the world where low spicy doesn’t exist and they immediately start at medium 😀.

 

 

Look for the fresh pasta station in the MDR on Italian night as well. Tonight, Zaza was cooking up some penne and shrimp in a marinara sauce in the MDR. I asked for an appy sized portion - without the shrimp, of course! I don’t have allergies (just an aversion!) so wasn’t worried that the shrimp was cross contaminating the pasta. I just can’t have it on my plate when it’s served to me. If I can’t see it, it was never there 😁. Fortunately, the shrimp was not chopped up, so was easy for them to remove.

[h-sar]

Tomorrow, last sea day, last day 😢😢, but I’ll make it count! 

[Host CJSKIDS]

1 minute ago, h-sar said:

Tomorrow, last sea day, last day 😢😢, but I’ll make it count! 

 

I hate that last sea day!  

 

Enjoy tomorrow. It’s really been fun to follow along on your vacation. 

[h-sar]

Here’s a teaser of our Chef’s Table last night...more to follow tomorrow.

 

[h-sar]

2 hours ago, CaliforniaDon said:

 

This might be a good thing for the hallway beyond the bathroom - as long as you keep moving, it should stay on. Send an email to D D a v i s F L A at A o L dot com.  No spaces, of course (I am fooling the spammers)  I will send it to you as a thanks for all the cool info and you can try it or pitch it, as you see fit.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Great Review!   

 

For others, the label says URPOWER Motion Sensor LED Night LIght  -- 

 

Thank you so much for your kind words and generous offer, CaliforniaDon. That’s incredibly sweet of you. I have learned so much from others on CC and the entire community has made my trips more enriching with the information they’ve provided (and saved me money at times!), so I just want to pay it forward.

 

You’ve reminded me of something similar I have at home (and haven’t thought about in forever) that I’ll need to dig up for my next trip. I will definitely send you an email if I can’t locate it. 

[coconut cruiser]

We are doing a back to back on the Regal in February and really appreciate all the details you included especially, time ashore.  On turn around day in Ft Lauderdale did you find any places (reataurants, etc.) that offered free wifi?

[h-sar]

1 hour ago, coconut cruiser said:

We are doing a back to back on the Regal in February and really appreciate all the details you included especially, time ashore.  On turn around day in Ft Lauderdale did you find any places (reataurants, etc.) that offered free wifi?

 

Yes, the Princess terminal has free wifi. DH found some spots were better than others, but it was pretty good. There’s also a Starbucks across from the Harbor Shops (12 min walk) that had wifi. It’s pretty busy, though. However, you could stand outside and probably still catch wifi. Panera Breads is close by and they usually have open wifi. Lots of restaurants and cafes in that area. The most convenient would be inside the terminal. 

 

[h-sar]

14 hours ago, tartan cruiser said:

Those tocos look delicious. Approximately what to they cost? Is the food reasonable priced too? Love your pictures! Have a great rest of your cruise and I love reading about each day's experience.

 

Tacos were sooo good. Finding good, authentic Mexican in Canada is pretty much a lost cause, so anytime I go to the States, I head to a Mexican restaurant (I’m even willing to take Tex-Mex!)

 

The fish (the pic with the avocado and pickled onions) and chicken tacos were 3.99 from the food truck. Off the kitchen menu, they were 11.99 for 3, so the same price. If you’re hungry, you’d need 2-3 of them. The truck ones come with soft corn tortillas and the kitchen ones in a hard shell. I’d definitely go with the truck tacos! You can order a combination of kitchen and truck food from the waiters. The chicken nachos were good, too, with a Mexican cheese rather than  cheddar. They were about $12; the mocktail was very good and $6 (not a large glass though, on the smaller side); and the chicken fajitas were $15. All the food was fantastic and the service could not have been better. They did add an automatic 18% tip on our bill which is pooled amongst everyone and we gave an extra few dollars to Fernando. Given how hard they all work, I didn’t mind that the 18% was already added. Not sure if that’s always done, so you might want to check your bill. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by h-sar

[h-sar]

On 1/3/2019 at 10:27 AM, tillys mom said:

Really enjoying your revue; we sail on the 13th!  Can you tell us what movies Princess is showing? We don’t get to many movies at home so I enjoy catching up on the ship.

 

Lucky you! Enjoy your cruise.

 

This week in MUTS:

 

Jumanji

Mamma Mia

Mamma Mia Again (the prequel)

Crazy Rich Asians

Jurassic World

Freddy Mercury biopic, Bohemian Raphsody (how did I not know all these decades, until this movie, that Freddy Mercury’s parents were from India?!!)

Mission Impossible Fallout 

Ant Man and the Wasp

Eddie the Eagle 

hotel Transylvania 3

 

There were some football games being shown around New Yrs, so you might have more movies shown during your sailing. 

 

I actually watched more more movies this trip than ever before, usually the late afternoon ones as I sat in my lounger enjoying the sun.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by h-sar

[h-sar]

Last day and it’s slighly drizzly, overcast...maybe the weather gods are trying to reflect our moods as we return to Fort L! Oh, well, It’s good packing weather and not -20 Celsius as it will be on Monday at home. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by h-sar

[h-sar]

Some of the offerings at the Chocolate breakfast extravaganza today which will turn into the amazing lunchtime cake extravaganza. For reasons mentioned earlier, I stayed away from the chocolate fountain and just grabbed a small bowl of fresh strawberries from there instead (it’s one of the few times they put out strawberries!).