Regal Princess report from Dec 13-21, 2021 cruise

[Pirateskigirl]

I just returned from an 8 day sailing on the Regal Princess.

I thought, I would just write down some observations from the trip. I''m happy to answer any questions.  

 

Embarkation was very smooth.  I arrived at the port at 11:30am, dropped off luggage and proceeded to check in.

First stop was security.  Princess has many people to greet you and direct you where you need to go. They are very happy to have you back. 

I had to present my passport, Negative COVID test and vaccination card.  i was checked in, cabin confirmed.  I needed to pick up my medallion.

I was directed to the Medallion pick desk.  Gave them my cabin number and soon I had my Ruby Medallion. I was directed to the boarding area.

Photo was taken, medallion scanned and boarding began.  Everyone was welcomed with an ovation and a hardy welcome aboard and welcome back.

 

Dropped off things at my cabin and proceeded up to the Sanctuary (Deck 17 forward)to see availability.  I do not think I have been on a ship this early.  I got my lounger for the Sea days in the Sanctuary.  $40 a day for single days.  They have 1/2 day rates too.  $30 a day if you book the whole week.  Cabanas available for the week or daily.  I believe the price is $250 a day, includes robes, a mini fridge and covering if you want shade or cover from a tropical shower. I did enjoy the daily tea time at 4pmish. 

 

Next stop for me is the spa. Deck 5 forward.  Not great specials, you could get 3 treatments for 30% off.  They did offer 20 extra minutes on treatments booked on embarkation day & first sea day.  They did have the spa raffle at 5pm, so possible OBC at the spa.  I did enjoy my 2 massages, they put me in vacation mode and I needed them. They don't seem to do the robes and lockers etc like in the past.  Not sure if it's because of Enclave or my appointments being at 8am?

 

This sailing had 1370 passengers

Elites-285

Platinum-380

Ruby-160

Gold-280

Blue-335

 

No issues ever getting a lounger, seating at dinner, seating at any shows.  The ship definitely did not feel crowded.  

You had to wear a mask inside venues and restaurants.  The theater, vista lounge and Princess live were sip & cover venues. I would say 99% followed the rules.

Outside bars & pool areas no masks required.

I really enjoyed the Adult Ocean retreat 17 Forward area.  Options for shade or sun both pool & hot tubs and of course a bar.  The only drawback was it was quite windy especially on the 2nd Sea day.

The Outrigger bar & pool area Aft deck 16 & 17 is really nice.  The perfect place for port sail aways.  The only bad thing about it is it is the ship smoking area on Deck 16.  But, when it's windy, you don't notice.

 

My favorite place to eat was the International Cafe.  Always the perfect light meal and my pre-bedtime hot chocolate fix.  The Gelato place on Deck 5 midship across from Int'l Cafe is so good.  You can get a 3 scoop banana split for $3.50.  Glad, I didn't find that out until mid cruise. LOL.  Good Spirits is a nice bar on Deck 5 next to the international Cafe.  Try all 12 of their speciality cocktails if you dare.  

 

I did Dine a few evenings in the Concerto Dining room.  I did not find the menu to be too exciting IMO. Everything, I had was delicious and the dining service was quick and efficient.  My Princess cruise was complete because I got my escargot, surf & turf and my Princess Love dessert.  The last night had Baked Alaska but not the ceremony usually associated with it.  COVID but the kibosh on that fun.

I never did the Horizon Court buffet, so i can't report on that.  i did have the pizza.  it was OK.  The Chicken tacos & the burgers at the Trident Grill were delicious. 

 

This trip had two formal nights.  Most folks seemed to dress up for the nights.  They are still doing the photos nightly.      

 

Our ports were Tortola, BVI, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico and Grand Turk. 

I did all Princess excursions because i booked this trip late and the ever changing island guidelines.  As of Dec 21, all of those islands allow you to book private tours, if you so desire.  Believe the locals are ready for you to book tours with them.

Tortola -booked the Virgin Gorda Baths excursion: Ferry ride over to Virgin Gorda, open air bus ride to the National Park, hike down to Devil's beach for a swim before making the walk to the baths cave.  A very interesting place that Pirates use to party in between plundering.  Now the locals party there when the tourists leave.  We ended up at another prettier beach at the end of the hike through the caves.  A small pub-Poor Man's pub and some vendors are there for your pleasure.  it's a hike back up to the parking lot for the ride back to the ferry. A very nice tour, more time at the beach would have been nice.

St. Kitts-Opted for the Nevis snorkeling and Pinney Beach.  We took a catamaran over to the snorkel site off St. Kitts.  45 mins in the water, saw a lot of wildlife including a sea turtle & octopus.  We had a delicious lunch on the catamaran and the rum punch was flowing.  Sailed over to Nevis and Pinney Beach.  We had over an hour on the beach and the rum punch continued to flow.  A lovely beach and a pleasant afternoon.  The party really got started on the trip back to St. Kitts.  Drinks & dancing while enjoying the sun & surf.  A great excursion.  My only complaint would be more of a tour of Nevis but really fun.    

Puerto Rico-they have signs everywhere saying it's a $100 fine if you are not wearing a mask.  Of course, I saw many people without masks.  Elected the San Juan walking tour with a food tasting.  We walked 2 miles along the Passeo del Morro waterfront (which had their Christmas Market setup all the promenade) to the Paseo de la Princesa foundation, past the Governor's residence up to Fort Felipe del Moro.  Dodging 5 min showers along the way.  We walked through Old San Juan to our lunch destination.  We enjoyed mojitos and munfungo for lunch and homemade pastries.  Our guide was excellent and she was passionate about her island. Post lunch, everyone was free to explore on their own because we were very need the cruise port. Many people buying Don Q & other things at CVS & Walgreens.

Grand Turk-This island is currently only letting one ship in port a day.  This was the prettiest of the islands.  White sand and turquoise waters.  You only have to walk the length of the pier to get to the beaches for a day on the beach.  Opted for the island tour & beach tour.  We had an hour tour of this 7 mile long island, which is famous for being the spot where John Glenn & Scott Carpenter landed after going into space and being one corner of the Bermuda Triangle. Reminded me of Bonaire. After our tour and flamingo sights, we were taken to Governor's Beach.  Beautiful.  If you like shells, sea glass & sand dollars this is the beach for you.  The perfect way to spend the afternoon.

 

Natalie Costa is the cruise director but she is leaving in January to go to the Majestic.

They do have Pickleball open play daily 10am-2pm on the sport court.

They did play bingo twice daily on the 3 sea days.

They have a sushi bar on deck 7 midships next to Crooners. 

The library is on Deck 7 and still has books, puzzles & games you can borrow. plus, they still have the daily sukodu sheets & Princess mind puzzles.

I played a lot of trivia and was on the winning team a lot.  Sorry about that if you were on this voyage. I have a lot of fun facts on file and my teammates

were serious about winning.

 

That's pretty much it. 

Happy to answer any questions, you may have.

It was good to be back cruising.  looking forward to the next one.

Cheers

Stacy  

 

[MWcruiser]

Thanks for your review.  We board Regal right after the holidays and it’s great to hear about your recent experience.

[caribill]

Thanks for a very thorough and interesting report.

[Honolulu Blue]

Thanks for sharing.  I was on the sailing of the Regal about two weeks before yours.  The passenger count I heard was between 900 and 1000.  Unlucky me found a few crowded spots at times in the buffet, the casino, and around the shops.  For the shows I went to, the theater was between 1/4 and 1/3 full, I estimate.  I found Natalie to be a lot of fun and am happy to hear that she will be (probably) on the Majestic when I sail on her in April.

[Pirateskigirl]

I forgot.

They are doing Movies under the Stars.

They had the NFL football games on in the Vista Lounge & the Casino bar.

Or you could just watch it in your stateroom.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze too.  No issues getting to the FLL airport on time.  Longest wait was for TSA  airport security.  

[Pirateskigirl]

One more thing.  They did offer the Pub lunch once on the cruise in the Wheelhouse.  Unfortunately, it was on Grand Turk day and I was unable to enjoy it.  Why they didn't have it on a sea day is beyond me.

 

I enjoyed the Bravo show and the Soul tribute show in the theater..  

[Roberto256]

 

Stacy - thank you for taking the time to post your report.

 

On 12/22/2021 at 10:37 PM, Pirateskigirl said:

This sailing had 1370 passengers

 

Wow.  That's not sustainable.  But, I guess some revenue is better than no revenue.

 

How many dining rooms were open, and were there waits?

 

Thank you.

[marne-c]

@Pirateskigirl  MANY thanks for your detailed report!  My wife and I will be on the Regal in a couple of weeks.

 

A question:  Did you happen to hear or see what deck area was used for COVID quarantine?

 

 

--Marne

[Pirateskigirl]

11 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

 

Stacy - thank you for taking the time to post your report.

 

 

Wow.  That's not sustainable.  But, I guess some revenue is better than no revenue.

 

How many dining rooms were open, and were there waits?

 

Thank you.

All Dining Rooms were open.  No waiting.  They only had half the Horizon Court open for dining. 

[Pirateskigirl]

9 minutes ago, marne-c said:

@Pirateskigirl  MANY thanks for your detailed report!  My wife and I will be on the Regal in a couple of weeks.

 

A question:  Did you happen to hear or see what deck area was used for COVID quarantine?

 

 

--Marne

This is a guess on my part but I noticed that both Deck 8 & 9 cabins foward port side had the entrance doors closed during the cruise.  I believe that is where they were quarantining new crew members and any COVID cases.  I did not hear of any COVID cases on our sailing.  

[marne-c]

10 minutes ago, Pirateskigirl said:

This is a guess on my part but I noticed that both Deck 8 & 9 cabins foward port side had the entrance doors closed during the cruise.  I believe that is where they were quarantining new crew members and any COVID cases.  I did not hear of any COVID cases on our sailing.  

Great info, @Pirateskigirl!!!   Thanks again.  Our cabin is on the starboard-forward on Deck 9.

 

--Marne

[Scubadoc]

We cruise in Regal in January. Excited but sad for no Voice of Ocean. Have loved participating in that a few times. Such fun. 
 

What shows are in the theater on Regal?

[Arzeena]

Thank you for your report. Enjoyed reading it!

[Pirateskigirl]

9 hours ago, Scubadoc said:

We cruise in Regal in January. Excited but sad for no Voice of Ocean. Have loved participating in that a few times. Such fun. 
 

What shows are in the theater on Regal?

 

Sorry for the delay i wanted to consult my Platters for accuracy.  

1. Showtime with Tom Drake

2. Bravo Show

3 Showtime with Jason Love (a comedian )  I enjoyed this one

4. Showtime with Cheeza  She did a Whitney Houston Tribute Show

5. Showtime with Darren Dowler (use to sing with Paul Revere & the Raiders) Blues/Rock show  He was good.

6. Sweet Soul Music Show.  Excellent

7. Showtime with Cheeza.  Sang a variety of songs

8. Combo Darren Dowler & Jason Love show.

 

In Princess Live! they featured;

Mind Duel with Cruise Staff

Yes No Game Show

Strikeout Game Show

True or Moo Gameshow

Marriage Match Gameshow

 

They had various entertainment around the ship my favorites were:

Valieria and Varvara who played piano & violin 

Dan Austin who plays guitar. 

All excellent musicians and a pleasure to listen too. 

 

i hope this helps. 

[Scubadoc]

Thank u so much!