"Live" Regal Princess, Oct 26 to Dec 2, Rome to Ft Lauderdale

[LACruiser88]

Today's patter...

[LACruiser88]

The DW was not a happy camper today 😬.  Barcelona on a Sunday is not fun for a serious shopper, all major stores/shops are closed.

 

We came back to the cabin to another great meal invitation.  I am going up my fitness center time!

[loge23]

On 11/2/2022 at 11:25 PM, Steelers36 said:

 

Hey, don't knock our ship!  😉

At least we were docked and you had to tender!!

 

You know, the Island isn't a bad ship and quite intimate.  We are about 400+ short of a full ship, so 200+ under her old capacity.  Doesn't feel crowded at all.  I know it wasn't great for all of the changes (such as losing the aft lounge), but other things are good, like the forward Horizon with lots of open view windows, etc. 

 

Hi there Steeler36. I know from your posts that you are a keen observer of the Princess wine program.

We just boarded the Regal and, after a perusal of the DR wine list, noticed that the bottle prices have risen sharply. 

One caught my eye: we purchased a bottle of the Martin Codex Albarino for 12.5 euro in a small bodega in Madrid. On board, same bottle: $49! For an albarino! Other wines were equally ridiculous. 

Guess we'll buy on shore and pay the corkage in the DR!

[LACruiser88]

12 minutes ago, loge23 said:

Hi there Steeler36. I know from your posts that you are a keen observer of the Princess wine program.

We just boarded the Regal and, after a perusal of the DR wine list, noticed that the bottle prices have risen sharply. 

One caught my eye: we purchased a bottle of the Martin Codex Albarino for 12.5 euro in a small bodega in Madrid. On board, same bottle: $49! For an albarino! Other wines were equally ridiculous. 

Guess we'll buy on shore and pay the corkage in the DR!

The counter in our cabin looks like a mini Total Wines!  We have been buying off the ship and bringing our own bottles to the MDR.  🍷🍷🍷

[GonzoWCS]

29 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

The counter in our cabin looks like a mini Total Wines!  We have been buying off the ship and bringing our own bottles to the MDR.  🍷🍷🍷

I love this "Total Wines"  Glad you are having fun!

 

Cheers

[FLConnie]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

The counter in our cabin looks like a mini Total Wines!  We have been buying off the ship and bringing our own bottles to the MDR.  🍷🍷🍷

So they are letting you take wine bought off ship straight to your cabin?  Wonder when that changed or has it been a Princess thing?   

[milogurd]

5 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

The DW was not a happy camper today 😬.  Barcelona on a Sunday is not fun for a serious shopper, all major stores/shops are closed.

 

We came back to the cabin to another great meal invitation.  I am going up my fitness center time!

 

This class in the fitness center will work wonders!

 

[LACruiser88]

2 hours ago, FLConnie said:

So they are letting you take wine bought off ship straight to your cabin?  Wonder when that changed or has it been a Princess thing?   

We have not had anyone question the wine that we have been bringing back from the ports.

[GonzoWCS]

2 hours ago, FLConnie said:

So they are letting you take wine bought off ship straight to your cabin?  Wonder when that changed or has it been a Princess thing?   

Princess will let you bring 1 bottle per person onboard at each port not just the embarkation port.  Please don't ask me page and paragraph as I retired from USAF long ago.

 

Cheers

[LACruiser88]

Passenger numbers for the current voyage:

 

Blue          684

Gold          490

Ruby          276

Platinum  618

Elite           624

 

Total =      2,692

[LACruiser88]

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Toulon today.  We took the water shuttle into town, shopped and had lunch.

 

Where else but in Provence would you find a 50 ft long wall of Rose at the supermarket? Wonderful!!!  🍷

[RNRcruisers]

Love the pictures of Genoa! Adding to my list of places to visit!

 

 

[LACruiser88]

@Marshyone  It was great meeting you tonight!  It is amazing how small of a world we live in and our similarities even when we live on two different coasts!

[vikidon]

Well...the lost have been found~ My pandora bracelet that has been lost since last fall, the neck passport holders and magnets. So we now have extras! Anyone need a neck passport holder? LOL

 

Vickie

[LACruiser88]

Today in Livorno, it was mostly a sunny day in the high 60's.  We planned to take our travel companions to Pisa for their first time.

 

We were going to take the ship shuttle to town and then the city bus to the train station.  When we exited the ship shuttle in town, there was a company selling bus transportation to Pisa for 15 euros per person round-trip.

 

This was a no brainer!  The bus left at 10 am and arrived in Pisa 40 minutes later.  We had to be back to the bus at 1:15 pm.  That was more than enough time to see Pisa.

 

The same company was selling bus transfers to Florence for 30 euros per person round-trip.

[loge23]

We brought a half case in Provence during our Toulon port call, walked right on.

I guess the staff is aware somewhat of the wine situation in the MDR. We were told at our first night in Allegro (the hidden DR on 6 aft) that the waiters will schlep over to the Vines if you eat at Symphony to get you a better glass of wine. So we bagged all our reservations and started going to the Symphony. That's worked out well. Of course, we start at the Vines and bring in our first glass.

As our friends the LACruisers posted, the Vines still offers a reasonable selection for Plus packages. There's a nice Burgundy, but our fave - the Umbruix, a priorat from Catalona, will incur a $2 plus tip surcharge - worth it imo.

One peeve I want to share: at the first night's dinner I asked for the wine list to see what was available.  The waiter brought me a photo-copied paper version stapled together.

Really Princess? In a DR during dinner service? Sad.

It is what it is, folks.

[LACruiser88]

Per the Events & Loyalty Manager, the cut-off for the MTG luncheon for this voyage is 581 sea days.

[kb4683]

4 hours ago, loge23 said:

We brought a half case in Provence during our Toulon port call, walked right on.

I guess the staff is aware somewhat of the wine situation in the MDR. We were told at our first night in Allegro (the hidden DR on 6 aft) that the waiters will schlep over to the Vines if you eat at Symphony to get you a better glass of wine. So we bagged all our reservations and started going to the Symphony. That's worked out well. Of course, we start at the Vines and bring in our first glass.

As our friends the LACruisers posted, the Vines still offers a reasonable selection for Plus packages. There's a nice Burgundy, but our fave - the Umbruix, a priorat from Catalona, will incur a $2 plus tip surcharge - worth it imo.

One peeve I want to share: at the first night's dinner I asked for the wine list to see what was available.  The waiter brought me a photo-copied paper version stapled together.

Really Princess? In a DR during dinner service? Sad.

It is what it is, folks.

 

From what you say, it appears that Symphony is ATD. We have reservations in Concerto for the same time each night so just might switch after we get on board to be able to access the wines from Vines easily 🍷.  We also like to go to Vines for a pre-dinner glass and carry it to the MDR.  

 

Would you happen to know if they have the Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block" Red Blend in Vines?  (Trust me, it is not one of those chocolate wines!)  We thoroughly enjoyed it when we were on Regal last December and again in February.  It was a whopping $1 + tip upcharge (we had lots of $1.18 charges on our account 😉)

 

Can't wait to board next Thursday -- may see you in Vines!

[Anubi]

14 minutes ago, kb4683 said:

Would you happen to know if they have the Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block" Red Blend in Vines?  (Trust me, it is not one of those chocolate wines!)  We thoroughly enjoyed it when we were on Regal last December and again in February.  It was a whopping $1 + tip upcharge (we had lots of $1.18 charges on our account 😉)

 

Can't wait to board next Thursday -- may see you in Vines!

That sounds like an intriguing wine. 

[kb4683]

5 minutes ago, Anubi said:

That sounds like an intriguing wine. 

Even though I said it was not one of those chocolate wines, the following description does include "cocoa powdery tannins".  Can't say I detected that, just know both of us loved it.  Sometimes we would wander back to Vines after dinner and have a glass as our "nightcap" instead of the late bottled vintage Port or Jameson's we usually have 🥂

 

Winemaker Notes

The nose is exceptionally perfumed with an abundance of complex red and dark berry fruit, violets and intense aromas of white pepper. Dark brooding fruit follows through onto a structured, opulent palate with notes of cardamom, cumin, cloves and black pepper. The midpalate is rich, textured and balanced with integrated acidity, cocoa powdery tannins and a definite cedarwood character derived from French oak. White pepper lingers on a smooth, lifted finish. 

Blend: 79% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cinsault, 1% Viognier

 

https://www.wine.com/product/boekenhoutskloof-the-chocolate-block-red-blend-2016/395422#closePromoModal

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

We did the same thing in Pisa, took the shuttle with the intention of taking the train, but found out that bus was easier, cheaper and faster. They know how to price their product!

[Anubi]

18 minutes ago, kb4683 said:

Even though I said it was not one of those chocolate wines, the following description does include "cocoa powdery tannins".  Can't say I detected that, just know both of us loved it.  Sometimes we would wander back to Vines after dinner and have a glass as our "nightcap" instead of the late bottled vintage Port or Jameson's we usually have 🥂

 

Winemaker Notes

The nose is exceptionally perfumed with an abundance of complex red and dark berry fruit, violets and intense aromas of white pepper. Dark brooding fruit follows through onto a structured, opulent palate with notes of cardamom, cumin, cloves and black pepper. The midpalate is rich, textured and balanced with integrated acidity, cocoa powdery tannins and a definite cedarwood character derived from French oak. White pepper lingers on a smooth, lifted finish. 

Blend: 79% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cinsault, 1% Viognier

 

https://www.wine.com/product/boekenhoutskloof-the-chocolate-block-red-blend-2016/395422#closePromoModal

 

Wow, sign me up!!  You said its available at Vines???  

[loge23]

1 hour ago, kb4683 said:

 

From what you say, it appears that Symphony is ATD. We have reservations in Concerto for the same time each night so just might switch after we get on board to be able to access the wines from Vines easily 🍷.  We also like to go to Vines for a pre-dinner glass and carry it to the MDR.  

 

Would you happen to know if they have the Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block" Red Blend in Vines?  (Trust me, it is not one of those chocolate wines!)  We thoroughly enjoyed it when we were on Regal last December and again in February.  It was a whopping $1 + tip upcharge (we had lots of $1.18 charges on our account 😉)

 

Can't wait to board next Thursday -- may see you in Vines!

Sounds familiar - I'll check. Yes, Symphony is a ATD venue - by default I guess. The waiters there will go to the Vines for you. 

Earlier today I tasted three reds that fit into the plus package. One was an Italian Cabernet, one a malbec (substitute for the out of stock menu one), and a Napa cab off the menu. All were decent, including the Napa which was surprising dry, not sweet. 

Welcome aboard for the crossing! 

[kb4683]

28 minutes ago, Anubi said:

Wow, sign me up!!  You said its available at Vines???  

It was in December and February 🤞

[Molokai_Traveler]

8 hours ago, loge23 said:

We brought a half case in Provence during our Toulon port call, walked right on.

I guess the staff is aware somewhat of the wine situation in the MDR. We were told at our first night in Allegro (the hidden DR on 6 aft) that the waiters will schlep over to the Vines if you eat at Symphony to get you a better glass of wine. So we bagged all our reservations and started going to the Symphony. That's worked out well. Of course, we start at the Vines and bring in our first glass.

As our friends the LACruisers posted, the Vines still offers a reasonable selection for Plus packages. There's a nice Burgundy, but our fave - the Umbruix, a priorat from Catalona, will incur a $2 plus tip surcharge - worth it imo.

One peeve I want to share: at the first night's dinner I asked for the wine list to see what was available.  The waiter brought me a photo-copied paper version stapled together.

Really Princess? In a DR during dinner service? Sad.

It is what it is, folks.

Are the wines in the premier package of notable better quality?