TxTeach79's LIVE Regal return to Princess Solo Thanksgiving - 11/19/23

[TxTeach79]

5 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

I know I said it before, but I agree, you are a saint for being a teacher.  Also, you should get extra points for teaching junior high.  Thank you for doing God's work.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

Haha Thanks, I appreciate it! I'm playing with the idea of moving up to high school sooner than later.... I do love my kids and I've been here for a long time and am pretty comfortable/ingrained in the community, but it's also been 15 years and I'm starting to get that itch for a change. Who knows. It's happened before, and sometimes a little Vitamin Sea (Sea what i did there?) charges the batteries right back up...

[Funsince1983]

On 11/16/2023 at 11:18 AM, TxTeach79 said:

Oooh I forgot about the Huli Huli Hut. That place is incredibly up my alley and I've never been. May have to start there. #pandaexpresscurse

Maybe there's a Cava near by... I too love me some Panda. Also a solid kids meal. 😂

[MeganGC1983]

4 minutes ago, Funsince1983 said:

Maybe there's a Cava near by... I too love me some Panda. Also a solid kids meal. 😂

I love a good Panda Express kids meal!! 

[TxTeach79]

Got a whistle blown right in my ear, the 6th graders won the spirit stick, and I temporarily thought I'd lost my keys, but the ship is righted and we sail on!

[TxTeach79]

We’ve hit a new milestone…. And under an hour til vacay officially begins….

 

[LatinaInTexas]

On 11/13/2023 at 8:58 PM, TxTeach79 said:

Well well well, it looks like it's about that time!! We're four work days out from my first Princess cruise since Ruby to Alaska about 7 years ago, the Regal out of Galveston. It'll be my first Royal class ship.....

 

 

A little background for those of you who haven't come across my stuff before - In my modern Cruise Critic era, I'm far and away most frequently a Carnival cruiser. They were my first (Celebration '88), I honestly enjoy the heck out of the product and they treat me well. I get decent casino comps (I'll play a lot, but incredibly low stakes. I'm a public school teacher, for goodness sakes), and I've gotten to do some pretty great cruises and see some amazing places with the offers I've been fortunate enough to get since the shutdown. I'm Diamond over there, Platinum But Rusty (#PBR) here with Princess, and a smattering of cruises with Royal, NCL, HAL, Costa, and a few lines that don't exist anymore. 

 

@HelloItsMeB is my better half, and as some of you know we do some cruises together and I do others solo; she has a real grown up job, and our vacation time doesn't always sync up. Luckily for me, we both really enjoy solo travel, even if we miss each other coming with. In fact, as I type this, she's in Patagonia on a two week tour through Chile and Argentina I couldn't possibly have joined her on, lest my kids don't get complete their Great Cities of Europe project. She likes to chime in on my LIVES, and she makes them better, but I'm skeptical on this one since she gets back to Dallas (where we live) the day before Regal arrives back in Galveston.

 

I debated how all in to go on this one since the incomparable @Saint Greg is on the same cruise the week before me (right now, in fact! You should be reading his Live if you're not already!) and I'll probably post and do a lot of the same stuff he is (no way I get all those in cabin perks though) and I'll probably compare a lot to 2023 Carnival like he is... but I pretty quickly decided that I love doing these things, and I REALLY enjoy going back and reading through them later on down the road and getting to relive my vacations, so away we go! My apologies in advance for being immediately redundant!

 

How I booked this one, well, I don't know. I didn't choose to stop sailing Princess, I just got on a Carnival kick and after the shutdown started seeing a clear path to Diamond, which is something i wanted to do. Then, out of the blue one day a few months ago, I get an email casino offer from Princess for $25 plus taxes and fees for a balcony on this sailing. All I can think of is Ocean Players Club shares info between the lines, but I never get offers from HAL or Costa or any of the others, and I didn't gamble more than a few minutes on my last Princess cruise (it was a different time), so I'm thinking that has to be it. Anyway, I lucked into it, and away we go!

 

 

Well now that I have a 3 day weekend I can get started on this review. It's 4th quarter for us retail workers so free time is at a premium boooo. From reading about your last minute drive to port and then your lost luggage comedy of errors I'm looking forward to seeing what drama unfolds this trip!

[TxTeach79]

11 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Well now that I have a 3 day weekend I can get started on this review. It's 4th quarter for us retail workers so free time is at a premium boooo. From reading about your last minute drive to port and then your lost luggage comedy of errors I'm looking forward to seeing what drama unfolds this trip!

I feel like I’m due for some uneventful fun! 😂😂

 

Thanks for following along! Love when you chime in!

[TxTeach79]

[BohJang]

12 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Finally!  I have 18 more minutes to my freedom!!!!!!!!!

[TxTeach79]

53 minutes ago, BohJang said:

Finally!  I have 18 more minutes to my freedom!!!!!!!!!

WE DID IT

[TxTeach79]

Okay so I’ve definitely gone to happy hour with coworkers. It’s a break Friday tradition, and it’s glorious. Packing could be a wild mixed bag. 

[TxTeach79]

The afterparty is rumblin

 

IMG_9988.heic

[TxTeach79]

Okay. Some drinks and tacos later, we are home and packing...

[TxTeach79]

Okay. Home with a bag of tacos. Packed some. The dryer is doing the last of it. Yall, we are cruisin’

[TxTeach79]

Check in time just changed from 11-2 to 10:30-2

[LatinaInTexas]

On 11/15/2023 at 2:56 PM, TxTeach79 said:

It was really the color changing neon trim in the lobby for me. That was the big driver for change. 

 

LA Quinta have really stepped it up lately, looking very nice and great pricing. I book them often even after swearing I would never again stay at a La Quinta after staying at one in Eagle Pass that was nasty🤢

[Stallion]

11 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

 

At some point they ordered us some of those fluorescent vests and little stop signs. Not only was it cut for a skinny gymnast, it looked ridiculous. We soldier on

That's why we NEED pictures of you in the cross-walk uniform

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Check in time just changed from 11-2 to 10:30-2

A cruise ship holiday vacay is only made better by an earlier check-in time. Even Princess wants you to get this started!!

You're going to have a blast! Safe travels.🇨🇱

I will be here for it all, just maybe a but behind as I jump on a ship myself next week.

YAY holidays! YAY cruising!

[TxTeach79]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

A cruise ship holiday vacay is only made better by an earlier check-in time. Even Princess wants you to get this started!!

You're going to have a blast! Safe travels.🇨🇱

I will be here for it all, just maybe a but behind as I jump on a ship myself next week.

YAY holidays! YAY cruising!

heck yeah! Where are ya cruisin?

[TxTeach79]

8 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

LA Quinta have really stepped it up lately, looking very nice and great pricing. I book them often even after swearing I would never again stay at a La Quinta after staying at one in Eagle Pass that was nasty🤢

you’re not kidding. I swore off LQ years ago after a shady college party at a slightly terrifying property off 75 in Dallas…. There WAS a Denny’s next door though (and beer iced down in the bathtub)

[TxTeach79]

I mean, I get it, but you didn’t really have to send this…

 

[TxTeach79]

#literallynothing

[Funsince1983]

30 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

#literallynothing

#weknowitsabummer

 

You know what else is a bummer? That you're not staying at that creepy burnt down motel tonight. That was gonna be my favorite part of this review. Next to the Panda Express of course. 

[TxTeach79]

Just now, Funsince1983 said:

#weknowitsabummer

 

You know what else is a bummer? That you're not staying at that creepy burnt down motel tonight. That was gonna be my favorite part of this review. Next to the Panda Express of course. 

not gonna lie, I was kinda looking forward to it too. Was really jazzed by the idea of some boozy late night mini golf outside my room. If the long term parking sitch hadn’t looked so shady, even the lower prices at LQ might not have swayed me. I mean, this time last year on my MG thanksgiving LIVE I was staying at a hotel in Cocoa Beach that gave me an actual key on a lanyard, so it’s not like I don’t have a history of this. #character

 

ya know, it’s early, but Beijing Beef and Orange Chicken is sounding mighty fine….

[Riles34]

12 minutes ago, Funsince1983 said:

#weknowitsabummer

 

You know what else is a bummer? That you're not staying at that creepy burnt down motel tonight. That was gonna be my favorite part of this review. Next to the Panda Express of course. 

Maybe TxTeach can swing on in and play a round of mini golf to see what he is missing out on?! lol One review from a day ago said that the place is still burnt and haven't started to fix it, its been a year since the fire! Come on Teach, go get'em!