Live from the Regal - July 2-23 - Med Cruise - R/T Barcelona

[Ken the cruiser]

It's time to start getting excited about our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on the Regal, as the DW has already started packing.

 

We are taking our proctored eMed tests tomorrow morning in the comfort of our dining room, and if all goes well, our Delta flight is scheduled to leave at 1:42 pm on Friday, with a 2 hour stopover in Atlanta. Then it's on to Barcelona with a scheduled arrival time of 8:45 am the next morning, if all goes according to plan. Luckily, the ship isn't scheduled to leave until 10 pm, so we have some wiggle room just in case. 

 

Here's a map of our 21 day cruise and the itinerary. Of course, please feel free to ask any questions along the way, and I'll try to answer them the best I can. As far as cabin categories go, we will be in the same Club Class mini-suite the entire cruise.

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[voljeep]

Good luck with your flights over this holiday weekend - with cancellations already in place and Delta posting about waivers to change flights at no costs...  you've only got a 12 hour window for any delays.

[Ken the cruiser]

26 minutes ago, voljeep said:

Good luck with your flights over this holiday weekend - with cancellations already in place and Delta posting about waivers to change flights at no costs...  you've only got a 12 hour window for any delays.

🤞🤞🤞

[kml246]

Good luck, Ken. Did you book with EZ-Air? You certainly have enough cruise experience so you know the potential pitfalls. I'm sending good thoughts your way.

 

We are on this ship/itinerary leaving Barcelona on Sept 24, so I'm going to follow this thread. We're going to Barcelona three days early. Hope you all have a great trip!

 

Kevin

[LACruiser88]

We will be closely following along.  We board the Regal on October 26th, in Civitavecchia, for 37 days.  Enjoy your trip!!!

[Ken the cruiser]

EZAir was fine regarding our Delta flights over to Barcelona.
 

We’re currently on hold with Delta (estimate 49 min wait time) to try to change our flight to an early one into Atlanta, as there is one that leaves around 6 am and one that leaves around 9 am. If we can transfer to one of those two flights and there are subsequent issues on the day we fly, we’ll still have plenty of time to drive the 2 hours to Atlanta to catch our 5:45 pm flight to Barcelona.

[Ken the cruiser]

At the 52 minute mark, a nice lady answered and was able to get us into seats on the 9 am flight. However, we’re now being passed over to the rebooking section to get the our flight officially rebooked. 
 

But, she did tell us before passing us off that there would not be any flight change fees because of what’s going on in the news regarding the potential pilot strike, etc. 

 

And so we wait …

[JennAngel9]

Good luck, Ken!  We will be joining you at the pier on Saturday, assuming we all test negative tomorrow AM (I'm a little nervous because we feel fine but there were a ton of people on our various flights who were extremely snotty, sneezing and coughing, etc.)-- FWIW, over the past 10 days we've flown LAX-CMH-MSP-KEF-BCN (the majority of them on DL), and none of our flights has experienced anything worse than a 30m delay.

[ghgeckos]

Can’t wait to read about your adventures, we’ll be doing this cruise in October.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

At the 52 minute mark, a nice lady answered and was able to get us into seats on the 9 am flight. However, we’re now being passed over to the rebooking section to get the our flight officially rebooked. 
 

But, she did tell us before passing us off that there would not be any flight change fees because of what’s going on in the news regarding the potential pilot strike, etc. 

 

And so we wait …

After waiting another 30 minutes, a nice gentleman got on the phone to rebook us on the 9 am flight we now had seats reserved on and told us he couldn’t do it and we had to contact Princess to get the flights changed. He said if Delta rebooked the one leg, Princess would see the “cancelled flight” and in turn would in all likelihood cancel the entire flight to include the Barcelona leg. That would not be good. 
 

So, tomorrow we plan to call the Princess EZAir folks and see what they can do. If they can’t book us on one of the earlier flights, we’re probably going to cancel the first leg, due to the potential for missing the Atlanta to Barcelona flight, and drive to the Atlanta airport. Fun times!! 😁
 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

48 minutes ago, JennAngel9 said:

Good luck, Ken!  We will be joining you at the pier on Saturday, assuming we all test negative tomorrow AM (I'm a little nervous because we feel fine but there were a ton of people on our various flights who were extremely snotty, sneezing and coughing, etc.)-- FWIW, over the past 10 days we've flown LAX-CMH-MSP-KEF-BCN (the majority of them on DL), and none of our flights has experienced anything worse than a 30m delay.

I’m sure all will be good once we’re on the flights (positive thinking), but our masks will definitely go on once we enter the airport terminal as well as while we’re on the flights, except when eating or drinking. The issue on the news now that has us rethinking our options for our first leg to Atlanta is the potential for a pilot strike. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen, but … 

[Esprit]

See you on board Ken from the 9th onwards

[phabric]

Looking forward to any reviews you do

 

Good lucky with your flights.

[Ken the cruiser]

OK, we have had time to sleep on what we're going to do regarding our short flight to Atlanta Friday afternoon and have made a decision.

 

But first, we both tested negative this morning. Yay!!! 🕺💃

 

Now, back to the task at hand. We did some checking and there is a way to monitor the From-To flight status of Delta flights from specified locations on any given day using this link: 

 

Flight Status : Delta Air Lines

 

This morning after passing our tests I checked on just exactly how a potential Delta pilot strike might impact our flight to Atlanta, as our Barcelona flight is with Air France, and found this article and more specifically this sentence:

 

Of note: Because the pilots — members of the Delta unit of the Air Line Pilots Association — are picketing on their days off, service will not be affected.

 

Delta airlines pilots to picket over union contract (axios.com)

 

So, we stepped back, took a breath, and decided not to call Princess EZAir and keep our original afternoon flight to Atlanta. However, we will be monitoring the flights tomorrow and if it looks like there might be a potential for an afternoon delay, we'll contact the Princess In-Flight Emergency number to find out our options, as we will be checking into our flight later this afternoon. 

 

Anyway, that's our current plan and as with many of our cruises during the pandemic, they're not just a vacation, they're an adventure from the beginning to end! But, once we finally get into the airport waiting area and we see our plane arrive at the gate, it will be time for Freddie to get the party started!! 🙂

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[LunaSeaRetreat]

34 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

OK, we have had time to sleep on what we're going to do regarding our short flight to Atlanta Friday afternoon and have made a decision.

 

But first, we both tested negative this morning. Yay!!! 🕺💃

 

Now, back to the task at hand. We did some checking and there is a way to monitor the From-To flight status of Delta flights from specified locations on any given day using this link: 

 

Flight Status : Delta Air Lines

 

This morning after passing our tests I checked on just exactly how a potential Delta pilot strike might impact our flight to Atlanta, as our Barcelona flight is with Air France, and found this article and more specifically this sentence:

 

Of note: Because the pilots — members of the Delta unit of the Air Line Pilots Association — are picketing on their days off, service will not be affected.

 

Delta airlines pilots to picket over union contract (axios.com)

 

So, we stepped back, took a breath, and decided not to call Princess EZAir and keep our original afternoon flight to Atlanta. However, we will be monitoring the flights tomorrow and if it looks like there might be a potential for an afternoon delay, we'll contact the Princess In-Flight Emergency number to find out our options, as we will be checking into our flight later this afternoon. 

 

Anyway, that's our current plan and as with many of our cruises during the pandemic, they're not just a vacation, they're an adventure from the beginning to end! But, once we finally get into the airport waiting area and we see our plane arrive at the gate, it will be time for Freddie to get the party started!! 🙂

 

Best of luck to you.  Looking forward to your report.  We'll be on the Regal next Spring.

Cynthia

[elimae]

Hello Everyone, Newbie Cruiser here. I am doing this first 7 days of this cruise in September, I am travelling with my elderly in-laws and trying to find out more about the ports before I book excursions. Ideally would like to know if Princess do a shuttle to the nearest towns from the ports or do I need to book excursions?  Hope you all have a wonderful time, I will also follow and see what I can learn, but I know I need to get the excursions booked soon! 

Edited June 30, 2022 by elimae

[CambsCruiser82]

Have a wonderful time! We're doing the 14 day segment of this cruise in early August from Athens and cannot wait!

[vjmatty]

11 minutes ago, elimae said:

Hello Everyone, Newbie Cruiser here. I am doing this first 7 days of this cruise in September, I am travelling with my elderly in-laws and trying to find out more about the ports before I book excursions. Ideally would like to know if Princess do a shuttle to the nearest towns from the ports or do I need to book excursions?  Hope you all have a wonderful time, I will also follow and see what I can learn, but I know I need to get the excursions booked soon! 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  Shuttles depend on the city, sometimes there will be a shuttle for a minimal cost of there is nothing near the port.  If you look in the Personalizer for your cruise on the Princess website, you'll see what Princess is offering for excursions and transfers, but local shuttles may not be listed.  They are more often in the Caribbean than European cities.

[elimae]

25 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  Shuttles depend on the city, sometimes there will be a shuttle for a minimal cost of there is nothing near the port.  If you look in the Personalizer for your cruise on the Princess website, you'll see what Princess is offering for excursions and transfers, but local shuttles may not be listed.  They are more often in the Caribbean than European cities.

Thank you for help 👍  I am from Scotland, but this is my first time cruising Europe, did Caribbean a few times. 

[LACruiser88]

49 minutes ago, elimae said:

Hello Everyone, Newbie Cruiser here. I am doing this first 7 days of this cruise in September, I am travelling with my elderly in-laws and trying to find out more about the ports before I book excursions. Ideally would like to know if Princess do a shuttle to the nearest towns from the ports or do I need to book excursions?  Hope you all have a wonderful time, I will also follow and see what I can learn, but I know I need to get the excursions booked soon! 

You should also check out the Roll Call for your cruise, which actually starts Sept 3rd.  This will give you info on what passengers on your actual sailing are doing as far as excursions/transportation.

 

 

[wowzz]

49 minutes ago, elimae said:

Hello Everyone, Newbie Cruiser here. I am doing this first 7 days of this cruise in September, I am travelling with my elderly in-laws and trying to find out more about the ports before I book excursions. Ideally would like to know if Princess do a shuttle to the nearest towns from the ports or do I need to book excursions?  Hope you all have a wonderful time, I will also follow and see what I can learn, but I know I need to get the excursions booked soon! 

No need for a shuttle in Gib. 20 minutes stroll into town, but plenty of minibuses available if required.

[tml1230]

Ken, we are following VERY closely ...even though you are from Bama,  I  hope to learn a lot from your report ,as we are on the regal transatlantic back to Florida in November. 

we tried a club class mini suite a few months back. ( it was my wife's idea ...I said NO way, not worth the money!.)... being a firm believer in "happy wife, happy life " , I gave in.... we both loved it and are doing it on the Regal!

Good luck at Hartsfield   and have a safe flight!

GO GATORS!

 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, tml1230 said:

Ken, we are following VERY closely ...even though you are from Bama,  I  hope to learn a lot from your report ,as we are on the regal transatlantic back to Florida in November. 

we tried a club class mini suite a few months back. ( it was my wife's idea ...I said NO way, not worth the money!.)... being a firm believer in "happy wife, happy life " , I gave in.... we both loved it and are doing it on the Regal!

Good luck at Hartsfield   and have a safe flight!

GO GATORS!

 

LOL!! War Eagle!!

 

I'll try my best not to disappoint. As far as Club Class mini-suites go, we very much enjoy the "no reservation" aspect of Club Class dining. We also very seldom choose the "extra dish", unless it's Lobster Thermidor or some similar dish, but we do like that we can eat in usually less that 60 minutes and the food is always hot and very tasty! 

 

As far as the Regal itself goes, it will be the newest and biggest Princess ship we've sailed on. The previous ships we've sailed on include the Diamond, Crown, Island and most recently on the Caribbean Princess last month in an aft-facing Vista Suite on an 18 day Panama Canal cruise, which was awesome!!

 

For those interested, here's a link to the Regal's deck plan:

 

Deck Plans : Princess Cruises

 

And its statistics by way of Wikipedia:

 

Regal Princess (2013) - Wikipedia

 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

As far as Club Class mini-suites go, we very much enjoy the "no reservation" aspect of Club Class dining. We also very seldom choose the "extra dish", unless it's Lobster Thermidor or some similar dish, but we do like that we can eat in usually less that 60 minutes and the food is always hot and very tasty! 

We thoroughly enjoyed our club class minisuite on Regal.  Nice to have a balcony that you could swing a cat in !

We also especially enjoyed club class dining, as we could take as long as we liked to dine. At least ninety minutes every night if not longer. We normally asked our waiters to slow down beteween courses so as not to be rushed.  I also liked the fact that after the first two nights,  our waiter would automatically bring me a "double" glass of Merlot. 

Unfortunately going back to the normal MDR experience is now really unappealing! 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

24 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Unfortunately going back to the normal MDR experience is now really unappealing! 

That’s our problem. On Princess it’s Club Class dining and on Celebrity it’s now Blu. So on our future bookings, those are our new minimum standards. After all, isn’t “food” what it’s all about on a cruise! But I have to say when it comes to wine, Moscato is my favorite!! 😁

Edited June 30, 2022 by Ken the cruiser