lefy

I apologize if I already posted this question but I've been searching for this post & I can't find it. 

My question is if formal night on the Regal Princess is optional or mandatory in the main dining room.

On other cruise lines it's been optional but i was told that on Princesss without a jacket, I will not be allowed in the main dining room on formal night.

Can anyone tell me what their experience has been on Princess.    

I'll be sailing on the Regal Princess in December & was wondering about formal night. 

On other cruise lines when they have formal night in the main dining room, it is not mandatory & you can still be seated without wearing a jacket. 

I asked a Princess representative about their policy & they didn't know the answer. This is our first Princess cruise so don't know what to expect. 

Neither myself or my wife plan on packing formal wear.  Does anyone have any experience with this issue on Princess?    

I've always got to the port & boarded early but this time on the Regal Princess I've been given a late boarding time approx.  1:30 to 2:30.

The plans I already made get to the port around 10:30 to 11:00.  If I get to the port early will they allow me to board early or will I have to wait for that later time to board?

Well everything went well,

I decided to park at the port & it was pretty easy. No problem getting a spot, we got there a few minutes before 11:00.

The cost was $105.00 for seven days which was a lot cheaper than port of Miami which was $154.00 for the same time period. 

We always used to park off site & shuttle in but like Muuska, I got tired of waiting for a pickup after getting off the ship.The problem with the terminal 25 where we left out of is that the parking garage was quite a ways away. It's probably about a block or so walk when you get off the ship with your luggage.   

Thanks everyone for all the info & advice.

It seems like no matter how many times you cruise there's always something to think about or decide.   

I'm going on Celebrity Equinox next this week & am planning on parking at the port. I have a few questions about parking at Port Everglades. 

Is it easy getting there from I95?

Does anyone know what terminal we'll be leaving out of?

Will I have to worry about finding a place to park? 

Do you park first & take your luggage or do you drop your luggage fist & then park?

Thanks for any help

Persian Gardens is a beautiful relaxation area that differs depending on whether you are on a Solstice Class Ship or a Millennium Class Ship.

 

There are nice steam rooms, and heated tile loungers or heated tile benches depending on the ship class.

 

Its a very nice private area to relax. The rooms are like Turkish steam, and Sahara Dry, and Eucylyptus scented....and there was a rain shower. I'm describing the rooms on the Summit, they may be different on other ships and the Solstice may be different as well.

Is the Persian Gardens included in the Aqua class fare or is there a separate charge?

What are the Persian Gardens? I don't remember seeing or even hearing about them aboard the ship .

Thanks for the info. They just didn't list those two things on Celebrity's website in the Aqua class description so I assumed we didn't get them. We brought two bottles of wine last time & didn't even finish the second bottle. We had the premium drink package & will have it again but we don't drink that much so by the time we're finished with our wine at dinner that's usually enough for the night. I just like the idea of the bon voyage toast.

We will be sailing on the Equinox for our second time & decided to upgrade from Concierge to Aqua class. I understand we have access to the Blu restaurant but there are some perks it looks like we don't get that we had on concierge class.

The only two things that is of any concern is it looks like we don't get priority boarding & no sparkling wine that we used to toast off the cruise. I don't really care about the other concierge perks but am i correct about those two?

Sorry, I mean't the Equinox. We are sailing the Getaway the week after our Equinox cruise. Im also going to try and find nice sandwich and salad complimentary areas to dine on Getaway as well.

Thank you.

The quality of the food on the Equinox was very good but besides the MDR & the main buffet there isn't anywhere else that I can think of to get sandwiches. They do a have place by the pool that serves hot dogs & hamburgers for a limited time. The Cafe al Bacio has some nice desserts that are complimentary but the Equinox was definitely not designed for people who like to eat at a lot of different venues. If there's some place that I missed on the Equinox I hope someone will chime in because we're planning on going on it again this year. It's still my wife's favorite ship & we sailed on the Oasis a few years ago too.

I didn't take your comments Lefy as a negative. You made it clear that you rebooked and was happy with your experiences...there were just a couple things you would have preferred. We have sailed Celebrity for several years. We have lots of things we prefer. We prefer the food options that used to be on the menu in the MDR such as Lamb Shank and Ahi Tuna. We miss the special fancy lunch buffet they used to have with the big chocolate fountains on the last sea day. However, there are plenty of things we like that keep us booking Celebrity. I may be wrong, but isn't Cafe al Bacio still a 24 hour option that offers some simple snacks like cake, cookies and muffins.

Actually my thoughts exactly were that the Cafe al Bacio should be open 24 hrs. but it is not. It was one of our favorite places. I can't remember what the hours were but it wasn't open all night. That would be a great idea.

Bars aren’t open all night either! If you book a suite all night room service is free....I think the cost if you are not in a suite is fairly minimal, hopefully someone will confirm the actual price. Whilst we have never used room service during the night we have used it regularly during the day and found it arrives promptly, hot and tasty! There is a good and varied choice. All of us have ‘additional extras’ we budget for during any vacation be it speciality wine, a top range malt...perhaps midnight snacks will be your ‘extra’!

 

Another option is as you move from Dining Room to bars mid evening when the buffet is still in full flow pop in and collect a few sandwiches, cheeses, salad, cookies....Stow in your room and enjoy at leisure! When we cruised with a very young son I used to take a Tupperware and fill with nibbles for better half and self to enjoy with a tipple on the balcony when our little one was fast asleep...

 

If you cruise with a partner and prefer a venue so your snacking doesn’t disturb your other half it may be worth a conversation to see if your room service could be delivered to an alternative venue....

 

Failing that, if it is really important for you I do suggest you book your next cruise with a line that can offer you an all night venue....

 

Re slides in pools. Again when our son was young we booked Carnival and RC for the slides, we book Celebrity now because they don’t have them.

 

If the lack of 24 hr dining and slides were both news to you on Celebrity a real message is, before taking your next cruise with a new line, to do a little more research first. All of us have things that are important to us and CC is a great site to ensure you know all about a cruise line and specific ship before you board.

 

Sincere best wishes for a great next cruise!

I was just pointing out the negatives of the ship for me but I was in no way saying that I wouldn't want to cruise on the ship again. There were so many pluses on the ship that me & my wife already decided to book our next cruise on the same ship. None of the two points I brought up were deal breakers & I totally understand there not being any slides at the pools since the ship is geared to a more mature clientele. I just don't understand why a ship that nice doesn't have some kind of all night snack venue especially when you're geared to older people who are more likely to get up at very early hours. As for room service, that wouldn't work since the whole idea is getting out of the room so i don't wake up my wife while she's sleeping. If you remember my original assessment of the cruise ship it was very positive so I only wanted to point out the two things that kept it from being perfect.

I'm sorry but when you have a ship with between 2000 to 3000 people on I find it lacking that there is not one place open all night where you can get even a danish to eat. I've been on ships half that size that had a 24 hr. place where you could even get hot meals off a limited menu. I usually only sleep about 6 or 7 hours. Some nights I fall asleep early & might get up early like 4am & some nights i have a hard time getting to sleep so i'll stay up till 2am. Not having a place to get a sandwich or bowl of soup at those times is a bit frustrating for me. Let's face it, it's all about the money & there are not enough people like myself that make it profitable for them to accommodate that small amount of people. I'm sure can they make a lot more money with another bar than an all night eatery.

We just got back from our cruise & I have to say that Celebrity seems to be a step up in quality & service from the other lines I've traveled on so far. My wife loved it & said it was the best cruise she ever had. We plan on going Aqua class next year just to have the option of the extra restaurant but that is really more for me than my wife. The ship seemed to be less crowded that others we've traveled on too. All & all the trip was great so I'm only going to list the things that kept it from being perfect for me since we're planning on the same ship next year. The quality of the food was very good but I have to say I was disappointed in the variety & the amount of different places to eat on board as I expected. There is no 24 hr. place where you can even get a muffin or danish late night or early morning. Even though I'm in my late 60's I missed there not being any slides at the pools. The Equinox feels like the ship designed for older people so that's probably why we liked it so much but I wouldn't recommend it for my kids or any party type people.

One thing I hadn't though about is tipping. If you have a drink package are you expected to tip every time you order a drink? I know the 18% is already included in the price but never having a drink package before I don't know what is the norm.

Thanks to everyone for all the info & ideas. I'm sure we'll have a good time. It's always good to get advice from others who have been on the same ship before & everyone has been very helpful.

What date are you leaving?? We board the

Equinox the 25th

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We're boarding next month. We always flew in to Fort Lauderdale, rented a car for the day at Hertz, drove to Miami & they would shuttle us to the pier. We decided to do a two day drive & park at the pier this time.

I can guarentee that under no circumstances will you go home hungry. For example, in the Oceanview Cafe alone you have the following food rotations on a daily basis: early coffee and tea, breakfast which includes eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, ham, eggs benedict, smoked salmon. eggs and omelettes to order, fruit of all kind, yogurt, pastries, muffins followed by lunch (amazing assortment of hot and cold foods and made to order sandwiches, pasta, pizza, carving meat, all sorts of desert, more fruit assortment. DW loves the salad bar.

Plus ice cream, Then there is a late afternoon food display of things like finger sandwiches, scones and accompaniments. Dinner has all the dishes that the MDR has with the advantage that you can go very casual. One night they grill meats to order for you.

 

So just with that one venue alone you should be satisfied, and that's without thinking of the MDR.

 

Now what is a must do thing on the Equinox?

 

You go to the Sunset Bar on deck 15 in the rear of the ship when the ship is leaving port, have a drink and enjoy the passing scenery. If you don't like the backward view you go to the front of the ship up to deck 15 (not everybody knows about that), relax on a big lounger and enjoy the forward view.

 

You go to the Solarium early in the morning and enjoy having the place to yourself.

 

I enjoy having a cappucino (charge) and some chocolate cake later in the morning in Cafe al Bacio.

 

Relax and enjoy your cruise without having a negative attitude about anything. We've been on Equinox for 3 10 day trips and loved every minute. What a great crew.

That sounds pretty good & I really appreciate the advice.

We have the classic beverage package & I think I'm going to upgrade to the premium beverage package. I wonder if that would include stuff like cappuccino too?

I sincerely hope you enjoy your cruise and the Equinox is a beautiful ship. Celebrity also has anytime/select dining. That is always my choice and except possibly the first evening, I've never had to wait more than perhaps 10-15 minutes if I wish to dine at a very popular time like 6 - 7PM. Again, hope you enjoy Celebrity - one of my favorite cruise lines.

Thanks for the info & well wishes,

I'm know i sound pretty grumpy but even though I worry a lot about the cruise, we always have a good time in the end.

I've only cruised on Carnival, Norwegian & Royal Carribean but it seems like there's been a shift in more of an emphasis on pay restaurants & less on the complimentary ones through the years. I started going to Norwegian because of their anytime dining & you never needed a reservation & never had to wait. Now unless you want to eat late you need a reservation or you're going to wait.

Wow only four complimentary places to eat on the whole ship. Things have really changed in the last 15 years since my first cruise. It seems like the ships keep getting bigger & more crowded & there's less places to eat included. A cruise used to be all inclusive but now if you want a decent cruise you have to pay for specialty dining. I'm really disappointed but I guess that's the future of cruising.

Me & my wife will be leaving out of Miami on the Equinox & just wondering if anyone has any tips especially for free places to eat. We usually go to a specialty restaurant one or two nights but I'm not concerned about them as much as I am the complimentary places to eat. On some ships I've found different small places that might serve breakfast besides the main dining room & main buffet station. The same goes for lunches & dinners. I've never cruised on Celebrity but I'm a little disappointed in what I've found so far for eating places. We booked concierge class so there's a few restaurants I've found that are not even available to us. Any ideas appreciated.

Very interesting comments. I'll probably just go with two regular size bottles in my carry on & save myself from the suspense.

Sorry, I meant to make this a separate post but ended up putting it here by mistake so this will be my second question.

This is going to be our first Celebrity cruise & we booked a concierge class cabin on the Equinox. It looks the same as a standard balcony cabin so I was wondering if there are any perks that make it any better.