Review: Regal Princess Transatlantic October 9-24

[stevenr597]

My wife and I recently completed a Transatlantic on Regal Princess.  This was our second Transatlantic, our first, interestingly was also on Regal Princess.

Some thoughts:

Overall, we would rate the trip and the cruise ship a solid 4 1/2/out of 5.  

We have noticed some post Covid Changes.  The size of the portions of food were smaller, and the menu in the MDR was also somewhat limited.  But overall the quality of food in the MDR was excellent.  Service was fantastic (by the way, our waitress did give me a 2nd lobster tail without the usual surcharge….please don’t tell Princess.😂)

We were planning to dine a night at the steakhouse, but we had such a great time in the MDR, we cancelled our reservation (we did eat twice at Alfredo’s) 

Horizon and Horizon Bistro  was outstanding (5/5) with a multiple of choices.  Plenty of tables available with only limited table hogging.  Each night was a different theme in Horizon Court.  There was a separate pastry section, where gourmet coffee and espresso were made.  

At the pool area was a customary pizza and hamburgers.  One would go, order the hamburger and go back to the table, and we would be notified when food was ready.  In addition to hamburgers one could also get frankfurters and chicken.  

The small bistro at the International Cafe in the Atrium was open 24/7, and one could get coffee, espresso, teas, and a host of small pastries as well as items such as sandwiches there.  Many individuals enjoyed a “Continental Breakfast” at the I.C. 

By the way, the medallion service did work with drinks being brought to you after you ordered them via I-Phone. 

We did notice some rust areas on the balcony, and some of the lighting on the walkways on deck 16  were out, needed repairs.  But overall the ship was in great shape.  

 

Entertainment was fantastic.  We did have three true production shows.  One had to get to the theatre early to make sure one could find a seat on these nights.  Some seats were reserved for those who booked the more expensive Princess Plus Plan (I believe that they called it Princess Prime) but all in all that was not a problem.

There were several “shows” or music in the Atrium include two fantastic ladies playing piano and violin.  I wanted to take them back to Orlando to play at our Dr. Phillips Center, but they told me they were under contract 😂

Fellow passengers were great.  We did meet a lot of interesting people.  Many people used motorized chairs to get around, no problem.

We were disappointed in the Princess Tours.  We did feel that the quality of the tour guides has declined.  But overall thought our trip to the Normandy Beaches was fantastic.  Enjoyed our walking tour of Lisbon.

Boarding was a “breeze”. Boarded the ship within 15 minutes after we arrived.  Our Cabin (which by the way was serviced twice/day) was available.  We did have a mini-suite and we’re Club Reserve (which we would highly recommend)

Before the cruise, we stayed for several days in Southampton at the Moxy.  Highly recommend staying there for several days, and indeed liked the hotel.  

We had several “rough” days at sea after leaving France.  But the last several days before arriving at Ft. Lauderdale, we had warm weather and calm seas. We often sat at the adult sanctuary section, or on windy days, in the back of the ship on deck 14. 

The staff was a solid 5/5.  Captain was outstanding.  

All in all we had an excellent time.  Well worth the money.  

By the way, next cruise (we like to try different cruise lines) will be on Holland America next year.  Our previous cruise was on Celebrity. 

 

[Lady Arwen]

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on your TA.  We love these sailings, too.  We also sail with Celebrity and HAL.  Both a very nice.

 

I had to smile when I saw you stayed on Moxy Hotel in Southampton.  Our favourite hotel!  The included breakfast is terrific and so close to the mall.  I’ve done lots of shopping there!  Down the street is a large Boots pharmacy where I stock up with their line of cosmetics.  Thanks for bringing back some great memories!

[hunt182644]

30 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

My wife and I recently completed a Transatlantic on Regal Princess.  This was our second Transatlantic, our first, interestingly was also on Regal Princess.

Some thoughts:

Overall, we would rate the trip and the cruise ship a solid 4 1/2/out of 5.  

We have noticed some post Covid Changes.  The size of the portions of food were smaller, and the menu in the MDR was also somewhat limited.  But overall the quality of food in the MDR was excellent.  Service was fantastic (by the way, our waitress did give me a 2nd lobster tail without the usual surcharge….please don’t tell Princess.😂)

We were planning to dine a night at the steakhouse, but we had such a great time in the MDR, we cancelled our reservation (we did eat twice at Alfredo’s) 

Horizon and Horizon Bistro  was outstanding (5/5) with a multiple of choices.  Plenty of tables available with only limited table hogging.  Each night was a different theme in Horizon Court.  There was a separate pastry section, where gourmet coffee and espresso were made.  

At the pool area was a customary pizza and hamburgers.  One would go, order the hamburger and go back to the table, and we would be notified when food was ready.  In addition to hamburgers one could also get frankfurters and chicken.  

The small bistro at the International Cafe in the Atrium was open 24/7, and one could get coffee, espresso, teas, and a host of small pastries as well as items such as sandwiches there.  Many individuals enjoyed a “Continental Breakfast” at the I.C. 

By the way, the medallion service did work with drinks being brought to you after you ordered them via I-Phone. 

We did notice some rust areas on the balcony, and some of the lighting on the walkways on deck 16  were out, needed repairs.  But overall the ship was in great shape.  

 

Entertainment was fantastic.  We did have three true production shows.  One had to get to the theatre early to make sure one could find a seat on these nights.  Some seats were reserved for those who booked the more expensive Princess Plus Plan (I believe that they called it Princess Prime) but all in all that was not a problem.

There were several “shows” or music in the Atrium include two fantastic ladies playing piano and violin.  I wanted to take them back to Orlando to play at our Dr. Phillips Center, but they told me they were under contract 😂

Fellow passengers were great.  We did meet a lot of interesting people.  Many people used motorized chairs to get around, no problem.

We were disappointed in the Princess Tours.  We did feel that the quality of the tour guides has declined.  But overall thought our trip to the Normandy Beaches was fantastic.  Enjoyed our walking tour of Lisbon.

Boarding was a “breeze”. Boarded the ship within 15 minutes after we arrived.  Our Cabin (which by the way was serviced twice/day) was available.  We did have a mini-suite and we’re Club Reserve (which we would highly recommend)

Before the cruise, we stayed for several days in Southampton at the Moxy.  Highly recommend staying there for several days, and indeed liked the hotel.  

We had several “rough” days at sea after leaving France.  But the last several days before arriving at Ft. Lauderdale, we had warm weather and calm seas. We often sat at the adult sanctuary section, or on windy days, in the back of the ship on deck 14. 

The staff was a solid 5/5.  Captain was outstanding.  

All in all we had an excellent time.  Well worth the money.  

By the way, next cruise (we like to try different cruise lines) will be on Holland America next year.  Our previous cruise was on Celebrity. 

 

Have to agree with this post, we were on from 9/29 the trip was great. The only negative was our late arrival in Fll which could not be avoided Princess was good at helping those with independent air. Although with people leaving and those waiting to board it was a cluster getting to transportation outside. We were last off at 10:30, it was close to 12:30 before we boarded the transfer bus. Home in Nebraska safe and sound looking back on a wonderful trip.

[RNRcruisers]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Regal in February and are looking forward to it. One of the first things I will do when I retire is a transatlantic! I love sea days 🤩

[stevenr597]

26 minutes ago, hunt182644 said:

Have to agree with this post, we were on from 9/29 the trip was great. The only negative was our late arrival in Fll which could not be avoided Princess was good at helping those with independent air. Although with people leaving and those waiting to board it was a cluster getting to transportation outside. We were last off at 10:30, it was close to 12:30 before we boarded the transfer bus. Home in Nebraska safe and sound looking back on a wonderful trip.

We decided to carry our luggage off with us. We started to depart the cruise ship at 8:00 AM.  Had some wait at immigration, but from there took a taxi to Ft. Lauderdale Airport where we rented a car for our ride home. 

Out of National by 9:30 AM.  

Had lunch at Cooper Hawk in Coconut Creek with our son which we thoroughly enjoyed. 

[stevenr597]

There was an excellent shopping mall near the Moxy in Southampton.  Many places to eat.  While there we had Thai, Italian, and Greek.  Also talk a walking tour of the city, a great deal of history there.  

We had a “Meet and Greet” at the Red Lion Inn in Southampton.  Had a pint of Cider.  While we didn’t ear there, many from the group did.  Portions were huge and they said food was excellent. 

[snoozecrooze]

Another vote of confidence here for the Moxy. It was a comfortable place for a pre-cruise hotel (although I'd choose it anyways, no matter the purpose for a visit to Southampton). Great location as well, with the huge Westquay mall just a few steps away.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences from the Regal TA!

[stevenr597]

2 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

Another vote of confidence here for the Moxy. It was a comfortable place for a pre-cruise hotel (although I'd choose it anyways, no matter the purpose for a visit to Southampton). Great location as well, with the huge Westquay mall just a few steps away.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences from the Regal TA!

Southampton;  Photographs include the historical wall, as well as an area where soldiers waiting to depart for the Normandy Landings scratch their names and messages.  

[pink845]

We did our August British Isles cruise on the Regal. We have sailed her several times on Trans Atlantics as well. Love the Royal Class of ship.  We love the Atrium or Piazza.  Sitting there and listening to various musicians and watching everyone walk by is entertainment in and of itself.  Grabbing a beverage and a bite at the International Cafe is great.  Plenty of seating.    Our cabin was great.  Balcony had plenty of room.  No rust at all.  Staff pleasant.  Variety of food in dining room is definitely much reduced from even one year ago.  Portions much smaller even to the point that we have taken to ordering an extra entree to share between us in addition to our regular entrees.  We found plenty of choices in the buffet, however, and there have been times, where we were challenged with the main dining room selection, that we simply got up and went to the buffet for a better selection.  I am still disappointed with the fact that room service has a charge.  We do not Plus or Premier.   Perhaps now that the Sun will be cruising, the prices on Regal itineraries for Florida and Galveston may fall as many people will be wanting to cruise on the Sun Princess and it will lead to a drop in prices on the Royal Class of ships.   I am going to stay away from the Sun Princess until the reviews are in.  We always book balconies or mini suites and I see that the prices on the Sun Princess are outrageous and the only balconies that are maybe a tad reasonable are the Cove ones but they seem to all be on the 6th floor with the kids club.   Again, we will stick to the Royal Class of ships. In any regard, the Regal is still top notch.

[stevenr597]

Atrium on the Regal Princess

[stevenr597]

We did book Princess Plus as well as Club Class and we did feel that both plans were well worth the money.  Agree that both the size of entrees and variety in the MDR was much reduced. 

There were often lines to get into the MDR for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but with Club Class (Reserve) we were able to jump the line and had the same staff who knew our preferences for each meal.  

We had a lunch and a dinner at Alfredo’s and enjoyed the experience. 

On service nights we would go the “Wheelhouse” Bar to listen to “Funch” play the piano.  He developed quite a following.  

[Hipockets]

We also were on the 9/24 transatlantic and the only complaint we had was the service at the International Cafe if you wanted brewed coffee instead of the order taker turning around and pouring it right behind him you had to wait for 15 people to get there lattes before they would pour you a cup. 

[stevenr597]

On 10/29/2023 at 12:03 PM, Hipockets said:

We also were on the 9/24 transatlantic and the only complaint we had was the service at the International Cafe if you wanted brewed coffee instead of the order taker turning around and pouring it right behind him you had to wait for 15 people to get there lattes before they would pour you a cup. 

There was indeed a line for the Specialty Coffee’s at the International Cafe.  What we did was take a seat at a table in the Atrium and order our coffee, together with a piece of pastry using our Medallion.  

[cruisequeen4ever]

Glad you had a great transatlantic!

[Yehootu]

On 10/29/2023 at 9:03 AM, Hipockets said:

We also were on the 9/24 transatlantic and the only complaint we had was the service at the International Cafe if you wanted brewed coffee instead of the order taker turning around and pouring it right behind him you had to wait for 15 people to get there lattes before they would pour you a cup. 

 

7 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

There was indeed a line for the Specialty Coffee’s at the International Cafe.  What we did was take a seat at a table in the Atrium and order our coffee, together with a piece of pastry using our Medallion.  

I never had a problem or really had to wait in a line, but then again I was usually there around 5:30-6:00 after walking. Joel was great, only drawback was waiting for baker to come out from the back to get you a pastry. By the way, who eats a beetroot sandwich?

[Yehootu]

On 10/27/2023 at 6:43 AM, hunt182644 said:

Have to agree with this post, we were on from 9/29 the trip was great. The only negative was our late arrival in Fll which could not be avoided Princess was good at helping those with independent air. Although with people leaving and those waiting to board it was a cluster getting to transportation outside. We were last off at 10:30, it was close to 12:30 before we boarded the transfer bus. Home in Nebraska safe and sound looking back on a wonderful trip.

 

On 10/27/2023 at 7:12 AM, stevenr597 said:

We decided to carry our luggage off with us. We started to depart the cruise ship at 8:00 AM.  Had some wait at immigration, but from there took a taxi to Ft. Lauderdale Airport where we rented a car for our ride home. 

Out of National by 9:30 AM.  

Had lunch at Cooper Hawk in Coconut Creek with our son which we thoroughly enjoyed. 

The delay couldn't be avoided but I do feel  there could've been better communication. We rented a car from Avis and used their port shuttle, very efficient. We didn't really care what time we got off the ship but would prefer to stay in our cabin rather in a crowded room with grouchy anxious passengers needing to get off. Tried crew chat Monday night and again Tues am trying to get a clarification of the cabin out time. Crickets, nothing, no reply to either. Was fun watching others trying to breach the luggage areas before it being called and being sent back outside the ropes.

[stevenr597]

17 hours ago, Yehootu said:

 

The delay couldn't be avoided but I do feel there could've been better communication. We rented a car from Avis and used their port shuttle, very efficient. We didn't really care what time we got off the ship but would prefer to stay in our cabin rather in a crowded room with grouchy anxious passengers needing to get off. Tried crew chat Monday night and again Tues am trying to get a clarification of the cabin out time. Crickets, nothing, no reply to either. Was fun watching others trying to breach the luggage areas before it being called and being sent back outside the ropes.

For the first time in many cruises, we decided to "carry-off" our luggage.  We arrived on Deck 5 and had to wait for approximately 30 minutes before we were permitted to leave the ship.  Long line, but we quickly moved through immigration.  We decided (after a bad experience in Seattle) to not take the shuttle bus, but took a taxi and had quick service to National Rent-a-Car at Ft. Lauderdale Airport.