Live from the Land of Princess

[YVRteacher]

2 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@YVRteacher  fantastic pics!  Really enjoying your review.

Thank you so much! I’m having a fantastic time.

[t&atravel]

27 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Not unless Pat Fish was a Viking navigating the Arctic waters.

Lol….I knew she didn’t actually design it.  Saw it on her website and I flashed on it when you posted. She sells her designs and others to take to tattoo parlors.

 

[schmoopie17]

14 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 

 

Cool...Ann Napolitano wrote a book in your honor/honour.

[YVRteacher]

Happy Hour was extra happy today because a friend on board brought me a new book to read. This was perfect timing since I feel lost without a book!

 

Apples Delight from Madeira

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Cartagena one. What’s it called? I loved it!

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Help!!!

I’m eating in Sabatini’s. What happens when I’m done? Do they bring me a bill like on NCL or do I just leave?

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, YVRteacher said:

Help!!!

I’m eating in Sabatini’s. What happens when I’m done? Do they bring me a bill like on NCL or do I just leave?

Just leave...

 

[Norwegianprincess]

Following along and enjoying your trip report so much! Seems like you had a lovely day in Reykjavik. 
I really can’t remember all those interesting coctails from the Regal, maybe I didn’t spend enough time in the bars 😬

I have to check out the book you just finished, I’m always on the lookout for good books to read. 

Hope the North Sea is smooth as silk this time 😊

[YVRteacher]

We were in slightly rough waters this morning but the swells are smaller now. We are heading northeast to Seydisfjordur.

[YVRteacher]

Dinner at Sabatini’s 

 

 

 

My Godfather came first. I make a better godfather at home using Glenfiddich. Whatever whiskey they used tasted like a dusty abandoned house.

 

An arancini appeared as if by magic. It looked good but the rice was undercooked and not even al dente. Sauce was yummy.

 

I ordered the ribollita as an appetizer and some kind of pasta with tomato sauce. Then the waiter asked me what I wanted for a main course. I said the pasta was the main course!

 

Presentation was beautiful but don’t ruin my garlic bread by putting greens on top. I put the greens on the side plate, inhaled the soup then transferred the unnecessary greens back into the soup bowl. Then I looked up to see if there was a camera above me and if security was judging me for not eating the roughage.

Oh this soup!   Reminiscent of my Nana’s garden at its peak preserved for the winter and lovingly presented during a surprise visit.

 

The sauce was the best part of the spaghetti with tomato sauce. I didn’t want Parmesan cheese but it came with it and I didn’t want to waste food so ate it anyhow.  The pasta part was gloppy and sticky and not yummy for my taste buds.  It sat heavy in my tummy.

The sauce, like the soup, tasted like Nana’s garden with basil warmed by the sun on a perfect summer’s day.  

 

I HATE COOKED tomatoes but ate a couple of those so it would look like I was a grown up.

 

Dessert

 

 

I have these same glass pots at home. They are from IKEA and I use them as candle holders.

 

All 4 desserts were mousse-like and reminded me of baby food. I’m more of a substantial cake with buttercream icing dessert kind of a gal.  The toasted hazelnuts on the Rocher were good The first and the fourth little pots were eggy. 

 

Overall: it was a nice change to eat in a restaurant instead of the buffet. The food didn’t wow me at all. I’m glad this was free and it would take a lot for me to eat here again.

 

Unrelated:

A passenger was taken off the ship in Nuuk by ambulance and someone disembarked yesterday in Reykjavik due to a business emergency in the packing business in Louisiana. The wife left and the husband stayed on board.

[Norwegianprincess]

I ate at Sabatini’s one time during my British Isle cruise. I had high expectations, but was a bit dissappointed. For me, the dessert was the best part of the meal, and it was a bit nicer presented than yours! 
 

Edited July 19 by Norwegianprincess

[vickykay]

So very much enjoying your review and wonderful sense of humor!

[YVRteacher]

27 minutes ago, Norwegianprincess said:

I ate at Sabatini’s one time during my British Isle cruise. I had high expectations, but was a bit dissappointed. For me, the dessert was the best part of the meal, and it was a bit nicer presented than yours! 
 

The presentation on yours is so much nicer! Did you have a favourite dining place on Regal?

[YVRteacher]

9 minutes ago, vickykay said:

So very much enjoying your review and wonderful sense of humor!

Thank you for reading!

[latebloomer56]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Dinner at Sabatini’s 

 

 

 

My Godfather came first. I make a better godfather at home using Glenfiddich. Whatever whiskey they used tasted like a dusty abandoned house.

 

An arancini appeared as if by magic. It looked good but the rice was undercooked and not even al dente. Sauce was yummy.

 

I ordered the ribollita as an appetizer and some kind of pasta with tomato sauce. Then the waiter asked me what I wanted for a main course. I said the pasta was the main course!

 

Presentation was beautiful but don’t ruin my garlic bread by putting greens on top. I put the greens on the side plate, inhaled the soup then transferred the unnecessary greens back into the soup bowl. Then I looked up to see if there was a camera above me and if security was judging me for not eating the roughage.

Oh this soup!   Reminiscent of my Nana’s garden at its peak preserved for the winter and lovingly presented during a surprise visit.

 

The sauce was the best part of the spaghetti with tomato sauce. I didn’t want Parmesan cheese but it came with it and I didn’t want to waste food so ate it anyhow.  The pasta part was gloppy and sticky and not yummy for my taste buds.  It sat heavy in my tummy.

The sauce, like the soup, tasted like Nana’s garden with basil warmed by the sun on a perfect summer’s day.  

 

I HATE COOKED tomatoes but ate a couple of those so it would look like I was a grown up.

 

Dessert

 

 

I have these same glass pots at home. They are from IKEA and I use them as candle holders.

 

All 4 desserts were mousse-like and reminded me of baby food. I’m more of a substantial cake with buttercream icing dessert kind of a gal.  The toasted hazelnuts on the Rocher were good The first and the fourth little pots were eggy. 

 

Overall: it was a nice change to eat in a restaurant instead of the buffet. The food didn’t wow me at all. I’m glad this was free and it would take a lot for me to eat here again.

 

Unrelated:

A passenger was taken off the ship in Nuuk by ambulance and someone disembarked yesterday in Reykjavik due to a business emergency in the packing business in Louisiana. The wife left and the husband stayed on board.

Sad you didn't have a wow meal. We will be on a different ship but think I will stick with the soup not rice balls. I usually get the fish. Sorry about the Godfather this is one of my favorites, hope its better on the Grand.

Thanks

[memoak]

20 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

Sad you didn't have a wow meal. We will be on a different ship but think I will stick with the soup not rice balls. I usually get the fish. Sorry about the Godfather this is one of my favorites, hope its better on the Grand.

Thanks

The arancini come automatically usually before you even order. I usually have an app and pasta plus dessert and that is plenty for me. My favorite pastas are the carbonara or the lobster pockets 

[latebloomer56]

30 minutes ago, memoak said:

The arancini come automatically usually before you even order. I usually have an app and pasta plus dessert and that is plenty for me. My favorite pastas are the carbonara or the lobster pockets 

Do you remember when they would bring small plates before the meal years ago? Way to much food we would graze for hours, never once finished our meals and always took dessert back to the cabin. My husband would have it I  the morning.

Was happy to see the way it is now.

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Happy Hour was extra happy today because a friend on board brought me a new book to read. This was perfect timing since I feel lost without a book!

 

Apples Delight from Madeira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Cartagena one. What’s it called? I loved it!

 

 

 

The Cartagena Cool (Cartagena)
Appleton rum, cinnamon, orange and chocolate bitters and orange peel

 

Truly enjoying your review. I believe you are the first person I've ever seen review the buffet so favorably. I've read a lot of criticisms of the buffet on Princess ships and have generally found them to be overly critical. It's nice to hear from someone who has positive comments. Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with the rest of us.

[sunviking90]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Dinner at Sabatini’s 

 

 

 

My Godfather came first. I make a better godfather at home using Glenfiddich. Whatever whiskey they used tasted like a dusty abandoned house.

 

An arancini appeared as if by magic. It looked good but the rice was undercooked and not even al dente. Sauce was yummy.

 

I ordered the ribollita as an appetizer and some kind of pasta with tomato sauce. Then the waiter asked me what I wanted for a main course. I said the pasta was the main course!

 

Presentation was beautiful but don’t ruin my garlic bread by putting greens on top. I put the greens on the side plate, inhaled the soup then transferred the unnecessary greens back into the soup bowl. Then I looked up to see if there was a camera above me and if security was judging me for not eating the roughage.

Oh this soup!   Reminiscent of my Nana’s garden at its peak preserved for the winter and lovingly presented during a surprise visit.

 

The sauce was the best part of the spaghetti with tomato sauce. I didn’t want Parmesan cheese but it came with it and I didn’t want to waste food so ate it anyhow.  The pasta part was gloppy and sticky and not yummy for my taste buds.  It sat heavy in my tummy.

The sauce, like the soup, tasted like Nana’s garden with basil warmed by the sun on a perfect summer’s day.  

 

I HATE COOKED tomatoes but ate a couple of those so it would look like I was a grown up.

 

Dessert

 

 

I have these same glass pots at home. They are from IKEA and I use them as candle holders.

 

All 4 desserts were mousse-like and reminded me of baby food. I’m more of a substantial cake with buttercream icing dessert kind of a gal.  The toasted hazelnuts on the Rocher were good The first and the fourth little pots were eggy. 

 

Overall: it was a nice change to eat in a restaurant instead of the buffet. The food didn’t wow me at all. I’m glad this was free and it would take a lot for me to eat here again.

 

Unrelated:

A passenger was taken off the ship in Nuuk by ambulance and someone disembarked yesterday in Reykjavik due to a business emergency in the packing business in Louisiana. The wife left and the husband stayed on board.

Sounds like a disappointing meal. Like so many things fleetwide, the specialty restaurants can really vary ship to ship. We have been underwhelmed with Sabatinis in the past, but loved it on the Royal Princess in May, so much that we went twice. 

[YVRteacher]

More help needed, please!

 

What are your best “I have no status so I don’t get free laundry” tips?

 

I have been handwashing my clothes but then tonight there was an empty seat next to me at the bar, so now I think it’s time to do a load of laundry.

 

I brought laundry soap and dryer sheets. 
 

Are there chairs in there? Do I take a book and read in the laundry room for 90 minutes? Bring a pillow and cozy up for a little nap? Do I put the wash in, time it right, switch to the dryer, time it right and return?  I barely packed any clothes: what if someone steals my undies?

 

FYI: my cabin is aaaaaaallllllllllll the way forward. Laundry is way at the back. I have no laundry bag. I’m thinking pillow case, yes??

 

 I also need to plan this strategically and make sure I have something to wear while the clothes are being washed. I guess I could wear my bathing suit and maybe put the ship-provided bath robe on top. On NCL people walk around in bathrobes. On Princess, not so much.

 

Next time I will rethink this packing light business.

 

Oh wait! I have a better solution: I need to do more cruises to get status and free laundry!

[YVRteacher]

9 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

The Cartagena Cool (Cartagena)
Appleton rum, cinnamon, orange and chocolate bitters and orange peel

 

Truly enjoying your review. I believe you are the first person I've ever seen review the buffet so favorably. I've read a lot of criticisms of the buffet on Princess ships and have generally found them to be overly critical. It's nice to hear from someone who has positive comments. Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with the rest of us.

The credit for the outstanding buffet goes to Chef Jerry and his team! I am just taking the photos. They are planning, preparing, cooking, presenting and often serving the delicious food. I really believe this is an exceptional team in every department on the Island right now.

[YVRteacher]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

The arancini come automatically usually before you even order. I usually have an app and pasta plus dessert and that is plenty for me. My favorite pastas are the carbonara or the lobster pockets 

When the waiter brought the arancini he said “here’s your arancini” and I stupidly replied, “I didn’t order arancini.”

[Thrak]

3 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

More help needed, please!

 

What are your best “I have no status so I don’t get free laundry” tips?

 

I have been handwashing my clothes but then tonight there was an empty seat next to me at the bar, so now I think it’s time to do a load of laundry.

 

I brought laundry soap and dryer sheets. 
 

Are there chairs in there? Do I take a book and read in the laundry room for 90 minutes? Bring a pillow and cozy up for a little nap? Do I put the wash in, time it right, switch to the dryer, time it right and return?  I barely packed any clothes: what if someone steals my undies?

 

FYI: my cabin is aaaaaaallllllllllll the way forward. Laundry is way at the back. I have no laundry bag. I’m thinking pillow case, yes??

 

 I also need to plan this strategically and make sure I have something to wear while the clothes are being washed. I guess I could wear my bathing suit and maybe put the ship-provided bath robe on top. On NCL people walk around in bathrobes. On Princess, not so much.

 

Next time I will rethink this packing light business.

 

Oh wait! I have a better solution: I need to do more cruises to get status and free laundry!

 

We always select a movie in the cabin and then, before starting it, put the laundry in to wash. We set a timer and then go back to the cabin and watch the movie. (We set the timer for a few minutes less than the actual wash time so the clothes don't sit in an inactive machine.) When the timer goes off we pause the movie and move the laundry to the dryer. We set a timer (again for a couple of minutes less than the dry time) and, when it goes off, we pause the movie again and check the laundry. If it's sufficiently dry we bring it back to the cabin and fold it while continuing the movie. Sometimes we have a sandwich or fries or something delivered to the cabin along with a drink or two and enjoy them while the laundry is doing it's thing. It's a low stress way to deal with laundry onboard. We get the Elite laundry perk but don't use it for everything. We have no issue doing laundry ourselves and the ship laundry really screws up some stuff so we don't want to send it out.

[YVRteacher]

Maybe I’ll just use your free laundry perk!😀

[tulok]

Check the deck below or above. The laundry on the deck below was aft so it was a quick walk down a flight of steps versus our deck laundry room that was a long walk. I set my phone alarm and left it. There is a sign with approximate times. However there are chairs and a tv. 

[arizonaperson]

31 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

More help needed, please!

 

What are your best “I have no status so I don’t get free laundry” tips?

 

I have been handwashing my clothes but then tonight there was an empty seat next to me at the bar, so now I think it’s time to do a load of laundry.

 

I brought laundry soap and dryer sheets. 
 

Are there chairs in there? Do I take a book and read in the laundry room for 90 minutes? Bring a pillow and cozy up for a little nap? Do I put the wash in, time it right, switch to the dryer, time it right and return?  I barely packed any clothes: what if someone steals my undies? I don’t think there is any chairs in there. I set a timer for a little less than what the machine says. And yeah, for me one way to get exercise if I were in the front of the ship all the way to the back .only been in the front of the ship and I didn’t like it. I do have elite status, but I’m very fussy with my laundry and I don’t send any of my things out. I prefer to wash it myself and now guest services sometimes we can get  a few tokens to do own self serve laundry. I usually just wash mine and hang them up to dry in the cabin. I’m also fussy about drying clothes . No one should steal anything.

 

FYI: my cabin is aaaaaaallllllllllll the way forward. Laundry is way at the back. I have no laundry bag. I’m thinking pillow case, yes??yes pillow case is good. 

 

 I also need to plan this strategically and make sure I have something to wear while the clothes are being washed. I guess I could wear my bathing suit and maybe put the ship-provided bath robe on top. On NCL people walk around in bathrobes. On Princess, not so much. Yes, cabin robe is good to wear to and from cabin to the laundry room all the way.

 

Next time I will rethink this packing light business.

 

Oh wait! I have a better solution: I need to do more cruises to get status and free laundry! More cruises yes,but not for the perks.

 

Edited July 20 by arizonaperson