hylas102

I mostly just lurk on these boards, but I returned from the Regal Princess earlier this week and wanted to report what a lovely cruise we had and how well Princess handled a very challenging situation. 

This was our first cruise with Princess. We regularly sail in an upper suite on Celebrity but hate the new Edge-class ships and wanted to expand our options. An aft suite on the Regal seemed like the rough equivalent of a Celebrity royal suite. My husband and I have a critical eye but went in with an open mind. 

Princess surpassed Celebrity in some areas (the Enclave, better coffee, that bed!), fell short in others (food not quite as good, less all-inclusive/more a la carte), but overall gave us a great experience. The crew everywhere were friendly, helpful and efficient, the ship is beautiful and well-maintained, and we had an excellent cruise. The suite concierge, Magdalena, deserves a special shout out for being not only wonderful company but for going above and beyond to help and accommodate us in all things. 

There is no need to rehash what happened on disembarkation day, but from that first early morning announcement, the entire crew made a concerted effort to keep us happy, comfortable and well-informed. We usually dread disembarkation day but Princess made it a pleasure, and under the worst possible circumstances. (Disembarkation itself was a bit chaotic, which we expected, but they could do a better job of having a true separate priority embarkation/disembarkation.)  This was our first Princess cruise but they have earned our loyalty and gratitude, both for a solid cruise experience and grace under fire.

We are very sad about how the coronavirus situation is impacting the cruise industry and the world more generally.  I hope the panic subsides and things take a turn for the better soon so we can get back to doing what we love most--cruising!

Thanks to all of you for these helpful responses!  This makes a lot more sense.  Not sure why the person I chatted with had such poor information--all my interactions with Princess so far have been great, I guess I just got a bad egg.

Hi all, I'm excited for my upcoming sailing on the Regal Princess, but it's my first time on a Princess ship and I'm a little confused about how embarkation works with getting lunch on board.  According to the "progressive cruise check-in schedule" in Cruise Planner, my deck isn't scheduled to check in until 2:30, and it says, "Please do not arrive prior to the start of cruise check-in as your cabin will not be ready."  I used the chat feature on the website, and the person I chatted with told me there is no early embarkation permitted, and when I asked specifically about lunch, he responded that lunch isn't available.  This sounds a little odd.

So is it possible to arrive and board the ship earlier so that we can get lunch?  From reading this forum it sounds like one of the main dining rooms and the buffet are usually open on embarkation day, but I don't see how any of the people on the later-boarding decks would get to eat.  I understand if my room isn't ready and I need to keep my luggage with me--that's not a problem. Also, 2:30 seems a little too close to sailing time, heaven forbid there are any delays.  I would also note that I'm in a suite, in case that makes a difference.  I'd appreciate hearing from seasoned Princess cruisers about what to do.  Thank you!

I'm sailing on the Regal Princess in an aft suite in a few months (our first Princess cruise!) and I'm curious to know how the embarkation night complimentary specialty dining dinner works.  Do we get to select the restaurant and time?  Who do we talk to about making the choice, and does that only happen once we're aboard?

I would also appreciate recommendations for who should be our point of contact for the various perks available "upon request," and making arrangements onboard.  Should we ask the concierge in the lounge, our stateroom attendant, or call Guest Services?  

I'm really excited to be sailing on Princess for the first time, just trying to sort out who does what in advance as cruise fever takes hold.  Thank you!

We'll be on the Regal Princess next year with a stop in St. Maarten.  I'm looking for a recommendation for a shore excursion or reliable transportation service on St. Maarten for going to Maho Beach to view the airplanes at Princess Juliana Airport.  My DH and I are crazy about planes and have always wanted to see the landings up close.  The thing is, we're not really beach people, and the shore excursion to Maho Beach with Princess is part of a snorkel cruise.  Ideally, we'd like to get private transportation to a good viewing spot, hang around for an hour, and then get private transportation back to the ship.  If anyone has a recommendation or a experience doing something like this, I would really appreciate it!

Hi everyone. We typically cruise on Celebrity and are big fans of their Suite class -- we usually get a Royal Suite and love everything about it, like Suite-only dining and lounge, priority services and so on. But I'm also curious to try Princess, and we are looking into booking a suite on one of their larger, newer ships for a Caribbean cruise. I would be very interested to hear thoughts about the Princess Suite-class experience and how it compares to Celebrity's. (And if this has already been discussed at length, if you can point me to the right thread, I would appreciate it!) Thank you!

My partner and I are very excited about our first cruise together next month on the Breakaway. It would be great to meet some other gay travelers on board. Cheers!