Regal! Feb 3-10 Trip Report & Review

[MaryBethV]

1 hour ago, seagypsea said:

Just caught up on your review and LOVE it.  I may "steal" your idea and try this instead of writing my normal review next time.  It's almost like a "Live From" and we all love those!   Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for the rest of us!!!

 

A couple of things to share:

 

The cookbook is available in your cruise personalizer under the Culinary options for $28.  So maybe you can pre-order for yourself next cruise.  Also, usually it's available after the galley tour in the dining room that you exit through and the chef is signing copies.

 

The Shrimp Danielle picture you took on the ship didn't look like it had red wine in the sauce.  It looked totally like a white creamy sauce.  Maybe the recipe used White Burgundy... not that it would have tasted any different.  🙂  Definitely one of the things I will try next cruise.

 

Thanks to your dinner pictures and comments I'm going to try some things I never have and also continue to skip some things that I have skipped in the past. 

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.  The Regal is our favorite ship. 

 

I'm not the first to do a trip report this way - so steal away. I'll look forward to reading yours!!! 

 

And I think you may be on to something about the White Burgundy... also I'm thinking that there is some whipping of the egg yolks (the French like to whip something in almost every recipe I think 😂) involved before adding to the sauce - which would also lighten the color.

[figmentdj]

Your report is great. Thanks so much for the pics, patters and plates of food.

 

I can't believe you missed the British Pub Lunch in the Crown Grill. Would've loved your take on it. 

Edited February 25, 2019 by figmentdj

[MaryBethV]

1 hour ago, figmentdj said:

Your report is great. Thanks so much for the pics, patters and plates of food.

 

I can't believe you missed the British Pub Lunch in the Crown Grill. Would've loved your take on it. 

 

I know! I have a whole list of things for next time and that is one of them. Seven days is just not enough to do it all! We didn't do an afternoon TEA either. 🙁

[Paula_MacFan]

Thanks for your wonderful trip report!  Really enjoyed it!

[MaryBethV]

Sunday, February 10th | Debarkation Day 

 

Well, all good things must come to an end. I was up before dawn. We were already docked in Ft. Lauderdale and a few ships were still coming into port.

 

 

 

 

 

We woke the kids up, did a little final packing, and had a quick bite to eat in the buffet.

 

 

Time to say our goodbye's...

 

Goodbye pretty cabin photo that makes me want to go to Bora Bora.

 

Goodbye long, double balcony with fabulous views.

 

 

Goodbye crazy 'free massage chairs' in front of Gelato. 🤣

 

Getting an elevator with 6 luggage bags was a bit crazy. We split up and took the "ride up to go down" strategy when necessary. All-in-all though, debarkation was a breeze. We had one last cappuccino from the International Cafe coffee bar - and then walked right off the ship with all of our luggage - right through customs - straight to the white tent right outside the cruise port where we were promptly picked up by our pre-arranged All Star Tours transport back to the airport. Easy peasy.

 

FYI: Ft. Lauderdale airport was only allowing people to check luggage and into the main part of the airport 3 hours prior to their flight. Which meant we were stuck in the holding area for a good FOUR HOURS. This airport is too small for the demand (obviously) and poorly designed (one big Delta holding room with the gates lumped into one corner). We did notice they had areas under construction - so hopefully this is not the norm. If it IS the norm, and we have to take a late flight out of here next time, I am going to have to figure out a better plan - a short post-cruise excursion or SOMETHING. Any ideas?

 

In the holding area - bored teenagers who would like to still be in bed...

 

Thanks so much for following along! I'll be back soon with some final thoughts and a few comparisons to the cruises we took last year on Norwegian.

Edited February 25, 2019 by MaryBethV

[bmc alabama]

Mary Beth,

 

Thanks for the report!  We'll be on the Regal in a few weeks time and have loved your review!

 

Saw you were looking at Alaska.  We've been twice (Disney Wonder & Emerald Princess) and would be happy to answer any questions!

[MaryBethV]

14 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Mary Beth,

 

Thanks for the report!  We'll be on the Regal in a few weeks time and have loved your review.

 

Saw you were looking at Alaska. We've been twice (Disney Wonder & Emerald Princess) and would be happy to answer any questions!

 

Thank you! We would really love to go to Alaska - though we might bump it to 2021 since we really want to also take my husband's parents on a cruise next year for their 50th. Cost-wise, we could do two separate Caribbean cruises for the cost of one Alaskan cruise! Decisions, decisions...

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by MaryBethV

[Jilliebean28]

31 minutes ago, MaryBethV said:

Thanks so much for following along! I'll be back soon with some final thoughts and a few comparisons to the cruises we took last year on Norwegian.

Nooooo....I don't want your review to end!!  Thanks so much for taking the time to do this trip report!  It was awesome!

[bmc alabama]

2 minutes ago, MaryBethV said:

We would really love to go to Alaska - though we might bump it to 2021 since we really want to also take my husband's parents on a cruise next year for their 50th. Cost-wise, we could do two separate Caribbean cruises for the cost of one Alaskan cruise! Decisions, decisions...

Hey Mary Beth,

 

Our Disney Wonder cruise to Alaska was BY FAR our favorite cruise that we have ever taken (Full Disclosure:  That cruise was a DVC Member Cruise, so there were a number of extras on there), however, we also had a great cruise on Emerald Princess.

 

One note for Disney.  They seem to be one of the only roundtrip lines that goes up and back the EAST side of Vancouver island.  That route is spectacular!

[mississauga]

Thank you MaryBeth for this fantastic review. Very detailed and love all your pics. You are an amazing photographer!

[MaryBethV]

14 hours ago, bmc alabama said:

Hey Mary Beth,

 

Our Disney Wonder cruise to Alaska was BY FAR our favorite cruise that we have ever taken (Full Disclosure:  That cruise was a DVC Member Cruise, so there were a number of extras on there), however, we also had a great cruise on Emerald Princess.

 

One note for Disney.  They seem to be one of the only roundtrip lines that goes up and back the EAST side of Vancouver island.  That route is spectacular!

 

Great information - thank you! Taking notes...

[MaryBethV]

THINGS TO DO NEXT TIME

An afternoon in The Sanctuary

Afternoon tea

Pub lunch

See a show

Swim in a pool

Crown Grill on the last night?

Try the food options by the pool

Schedule a planned excursion or two in ports

 

Is there anything else you just LOVE and think my list is missing?

 

[TupeloHoney]

Sounds like you had an amazing trip.  Thanks for doing such a detailed review!  It got me quite excited for our cruise on the Regal on 10th!  

 

Your wish list for next time sounds good to me!  Though I usually prefer private excursions over the ship ones, but it kind of depends.  We're doing a mix in two weeks.  

 

And we did Princess to Alaska, and it was amazing.  But it was also super expensive!  I think Alaska is just the most beautiful place.  Just that gorgeous, vast wilderness....  Ah, I want to go back!  

[WisCruiser2]

Great review - it was fun re-living our week from your perspective! And yes, the Ft Lauderdale airport is a zoo on the weekends! Too many people coming and going...

By the way, this was one of the smoothest cruises we've been on 🙂

[Doug R.]

Mary Beth- Your review made me sad, especially all the pictures. We were on her in January and your review made me sad that it is over a year until we sail again.

 

Actually very much an excellent review. By the way, did you happen to listen to the Irish singer, Ella Ryan, her performances were a highlight of our cruise

.

Happy Sailing in the future!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Doug R.

[bmc alabama]

2 hours ago, TupeloHoney said:

Sounds like you had an amazing trip.  Thanks for doing such a detailed review!  It got me quite excited for our cruise on the Regal on 10th!  

 

Your wish list for next time sounds good to me!  Though I usually prefer private excursions over the ship ones, but it kind of depends.  We're doing a mix in two weeks.  

 

And we did Princess to Alaska, and it was amazing.  But it was also super expensive!  I think Alaska is just the most beautiful place.  Just that gorgeous, vast wilderness....  Ah, I want to go back!  

I believe we may be on the same cruise 🙂

[MaryBethV]

2 hours ago, Doug R. said:

 

Actually very much an excellent review. By the way, did you happen to listen to the Irish singer, Ella Ryan, her performances were a highlight of our cruise

 

We did catch a few songs at the end of her time in Crooners on the very last night. She was very sweet and very talented! I'm not a big fan of Country Western music in general (at least not modern CW music), but the songs she sang were beautiful and we would have listened to her again if we had found her earlier in the week!

[figmentdj]

2 hours ago, MaryBethV said:

THINGS TO DO NEXT TIME

An afternoon in The Sanctuary

Afternoon tea

Pub lunch

See a show

Swim in a pool

Crown Grill on the last night?

Try the food options by the pool

Schedule a planned excursion or two in ports

 

Is there anything else you just LOVE and think my list is missing?

 

I think your family might enjoy the Magic Escape Room if its offered. We did and had fun. Although we didn't escape. According to your Patter, looked like your sign-up time was Day 1 at 7:30. Of course times changed based on cruise. Maybe check it out next time.

[MaryBethV]

1 hour ago, figmentdj said:

I think your family might enjoy the Magic Escape Room if its offered. We did and had fun. Although we didn't escape. According to your Patter, looked like your sign-up time was Day 1 at 7:30. Of course times changed based on cruise. Maybe check it out next time.

 

Thank you - I don't even remember seeing that. They cram so much in those Patters!!! I will watch for it next time if the kids think it sounds fun. 🙂

 

[MaryBethV]

OK, my comparison thoughts for those that are interested. I'll list which line I thought was better under each item.

 

PRINCESS (Regal) vs. Norwegian/NCL (Escape & Getaway)

 

CABIN

Room at the End of the Bed

• PRINCESS - Princess has almost double the walking space! We had a standard balcony cabin.

Balcony

• PRINCESS - The chairs were more comfortable to sit in - they had a higher back and were adjustable.

Bathroom

• NCL - More spacious. You could easily change in the bathroom without feeling like you needed to step into the shower to do so. There was also more counter space.

Programming on the TV

• PRINCESS - Loved the free movies-on-demand and programming such as the Wake Show & travel documentaries.

General Cabin Areas

• TOSS UP - Princess has a much better layout for accessing the closet. NCL has a couch as part of their basic balcony cabin.

FOOD & DINING

Main Dining Room

• PRINCESS - Princess offered entrees with shrimp, prawns, scallops, filet, lobster. These were offerings you really had to go a specialty restaurant on NCL to get. The food we had on Princess also had well-developed flavors, whereas on NCL we had a number of dishes that lacked flavor/seasoning, but were still very salty.

Other Included Food Options

• PRINCESS - you have four options other than the buffet for food (and the International Cafe is fantastic!). While the pub-style restaurant on NCL (the only other included food option besides the buffet) had pretty good food, the location was loud and the service was spotty at best.

Desserts

• PRINCESS - Hands down. Princess had REAL cheesecake, and the other dessert offerings were very good. NCL desserts looked ok, but they all tasted a bit blah/gelatinous. (The desserts in the NCL specialty restaurants were very good, however.)

Anytime Dining

• NCL by a little - all they offer is anytime dining and they just seem to have it down to a science. We only had a couple of nights on Princess where we had a 15 minute-or-so wait time - so it wasn’t bad at all. I’ll gladly wait a few minutes for better food. 😉

MISC.

Embarkation

• PRINCESS - pre-registering with the app made check-in a breeze. We literally walked right on the ship - no lines, no holding rooms. 15 minutes or less from curb to ship.

Ship Layout

• NCL - It was very easy to find your way around their ships. Princess had layouts that seemed “choppy” and I think that made it very difficult to get your bearings. We also missed NCL’s distinctive patterns on the carpet in the cabin hallways that let you know which way was forward or aft.

Top Decks

• PRINCESS - There is just more lounge area & pool area when it isn’t taken up with rope courses, waterslides, climbing walls and the specialty suites-only area like on NCL. While the activities are fun, they do make the pool and deck areas much more limited.

Promenade

• NCL - they have a beautiful, spacious promenade deck with comfy outdoor seating areas all around. They even had seating for some of the restaurants and bars on the promenade. We did miss that on the Regal - while you can get outdoors on deck 7, the area is quite limited.

Internet

• PRINCESS - not only is their Medallion internet much more affordable than NCL, it is much faster!

On-Ship Technology

• PRINCESS - the ease of finding your shipmates was as easy as opening up the app on your phone (or going to an interactive screen in the elevator area) and locating them via their medallion. This was wonderful when locating our teenagers, and made everyone's experience more relaxing and safe.

Website

• NCL - Their website for managing your booking/reservations/planning was much easier to log into and navigate than the Princess equivalent.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask!

[4cats4me]

Loved your review. The picture of disembarkation day made me chuckle when I saw the expression on the one guy’s face. It is the look that most everyone has on their face on disembarkation day.  😂 

 

regarding FLL and check-in time, We always spend one more night in Ft Laud and then fly out early the next day to avoid all that airport hassle of not being able to check in  early.  I know not everyone has that option, but if you do, it is well worth it. 😀

[KreinKrunker]

7 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

 

 

regarding FLL and check-in time, We always spend one more night in Ft Laud and then fly out early the next day to avoid all that airport hassle of not being able to check in  early.  I know not everyone has that option, but if you do, it is well worth it. 😀

Plus, flights are usually much less on Monday, as compared to Sunday, when there are six or eight ships in.  We were on this cruise also.

Edited February 27, 2019 by KreinKrunker

[MaryBethV]

On 2/26/2019 at 2:22 PM, 4cats4me said:

Loved your review. The picture of disembarkation day made me chuckle when I saw the expression on the one guy’s face. It is the look that most everyone has on their face on disembarkation day.  😂 

 

regarding FLL and check-in time, We always spend one more night in Ft Laud and then fly out early the next day to avoid all that airport hassle of not being able to check in  early.  I know not everyone has that option, but if you do, it is well worth it. 😀

 

19 hours ago, KreinKrunker said:

Plus, flights are usually much less on Monday, as compared to Sunday, when there are six or eight ships in.  We were on this cruise also.

 

We are definitely looking at doing this when we take DH's parents next year! When we travel with our kids, we are usually rushing back to not miss an additional day of school. 

[Sweet Dreams]

17 hours ago, MaryBethV said:

 

 

We are definitely looking at doing this when we take DH's parents next year! When we travel with our kids, we are usually rushing back to not miss an additional day of school. 

Try the baggage handling service offered on most cruise lines. Baggage picked up evening before at cabin door and arrives at your home airport when you do. We have taken advantage of this service many times and worth the $. Nice to only deal with carry on luggage. Also cruise lines prints boarding passes and are placed in cabin evening before. No need to stop at counter in airport, go straight to security. I believe a much more pleasant way to end a cruise. 

[joseole555]

Thanks so much. This makes planning our trip so much easier! Great review!