ILCruzr

That would be awesome! i plan to book on the ship next weekend, but if I get a great deal monday will do it I don't care about the deposit, you have to pay at some point but I care about the lower prices and perks.

Get the Regal ready for us the following week! I can't wait to sail her!

There were seven of us, ranging from my 7 year old granddaughter, to my 18 year old son and his friend, my other two 'kids' (27 & 30) and my husband and I. We had four cabins, with only my husband and I having a balcony. I won't do a complete review but here's a couple observations:

 

We haven't done a Carnival cruise for several years - have done many others since. We took this one based mostly on price. I have to say, based on this trip, Carnival has improved EVERYTHING 100% since we last sailed her. Be sure to download the Carnival Hub app. It was incredibly handy to have it to text each other and find out who was where. The $5 per cruise for 'chatting' capability was worth every penny.

 

The food was excellent most of the time, with a great variety, and our main dining room waiter was very congenial about giving us extra portions when we couldn't make up our minds. The 'entertainment' provided by the waiters most evenings was corny, but somehow made us leave smiling. We were truly surprised at how the good the quality of the food in the main dining room was.

 

My crew devoured the Guy Fiere burgers like there was no tomorrow. Between that and the taco bar, it definitely made up for the pizza, which was lackluster, but certainly not something that would prevent me from cruising with them again. The buffet for breakfast and lunch was as expected, and the lines were long but went fairly quick - the cruise was PACKED for the holiday cruise, with lots of large families. We never had trouble finding a table. We did the main dining room for breakfast some days, and it was more relaxing. I loved the "Tasting Bar' - it was the perfect little snack to hold us over till dinner.

 

My granddaughter spent almost every night in the Kids Club, which was full of children. She left there each evening with all kinds of souvenirs, and great stories about the fun they had. We paid the extra $15 for her to attend the after hours parties, and she loved them. Well worth the money.

 

The entertainment was very varied. The lobby bar always had a great duo, or this incredible violin group, or this really versatile band. There seemed to be music everywhere we passed through and it was all pretty good....... except - the singers in the main show weren't good at all. The shows themselves were fun, and the special effects they used were fascinating - but the singers couldn't sing very well. The comedy shows were great - both comedians did different shows each night so there was quite a variety, and they were hilarious!

 

Somehow we lucked into a mid-ship cabin on the Lido deck. I am FOREVER sold on the location of this cabin. I never thought much of it before, and didn't care if I was down in steerage as long as I was on a cruise, but this was just a fantastic location, with elevators and all the pool deck action only steps away.

 

We've done a lot of cruises and have been to all the locations before, so destination wasn't that important, but we did do two excursions - unusual for us. The first was in Jamaica, and it was the River Tubing Safari. It was excellent for everyone in our party - just the right mixture of fun and relaxation. We had a ball. The second was in Cozumel, and it was the Everyone Loves Rays, a swim with the stingrays and snorkel excursion that was just the right length and well worth the money.

 

The boat's decor was okay - not elegant, but not cringe-worthy. It was a very comfortable ship, with lots of different areas to hang out, plenty of lounge chairs, and never a long wait for an elevator. The layout was very straightforward, so we didn't have much of a learning curve to figure out what was where. The casino was very big, and my husband and I left with more money than we came with, which is always a plus.

 

The tiny little things that we didn't like:

• Only having one outlet in the cabin - with everyone having electronic devices these days, there needs to be more room for chargers.

• They needed extra help in the Coffee Bar. We had at least one specialty coffee per day, and there was always a line.

• We had the late dining, and wound up missing some shows because they happened only once, during our dinner. Most other lines have one show before the late dinner, so that we don't have to pick and choose between the production or the comedy.

• Debarkation sucked. I know it always does, on every cruise we've ever been on, but it was really horrible and disorganized.

• And this one is really me whining - the 'Black Friday' sales were terrible. I didn't expect to get all my shopping done, but I certainly thought I would be able to make a dent in it - and there wasn't anything at all worthwhile (to me, anyway).

 

All in all, we had a spectacular time; everyone got along and we had the right amount of mandatory family time, as well as time to do our own things.

I would DEFINITELY book this cruise again.

 

Happy to answer any questions!

Awesome you had a great time on your cruise. I noticed you sailed on the Divinia last year-we have been looking at this ship. What did you think of it??? I am starting to divert from CCL and try other lines...going on my first Princess Cruise in 2 weeks :)

they are not always available for purchase.....they come and go...

I cruise on the Vista in less than 3 weeks and I can not get excited...I don't know if it's everything going on in my life ( dad in hospital, uncle in hospital, totaled my only car in a 4 car pileup on a bridge ( not mu fault, hit from behind several times), having panic attacks and been diagnosed with ptsd from the accident, husband losing job after 21 yrs on Dec 20th.) I need some pep talk from my cc friends to get me cheered up.....Gapearl, I know you will be there with me on cruise. This is my 14th cruise since Nov 2011 and its two new ports so I should be happy happy happy. Maybe when I actually get on the boat moving it will help. Sorry guys, just needed to vent.

 

 

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and that is exactly why you need a vacay! You need some relaxation and some caribbean sun! Just think about how awesome it will be on the ship :) I am sailing on Dec 11 too and it was a re booked cruise from the Liberty fiasco....but that didnt ruin our vacay for us! Have a great cruise :)

#RetirementGoals

Yes, all of deck 6 has been redone - they are working on deck 7 as we speak.

 

 

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Woo Hoo! We are on deck 6 in Feb! :)

any of the Southern Caribean ones. Thats the best itinerary and curacao is my favorite island so far! would love to go back there!!

Yeah ... right before leaving on Sunday. I work as a High School Secretary, and everyone has been getting sick, except me. Yesterday it started ... the sinus congestion, sore throat, etc. Uggg .... I was fighting it like a warrior (lol) then just decided to bite the bullet and see the doctor. Got a Z-Pak to start today for a sinus infection and hoping that will kick whatever it is out of me. I really almost didn't go, but felt better safe then sorry. Do NOT want to visit the infirmary on the ship after hearing so many not so great things.

ugh so sorry to hear that! I hope your meds work fast and you can have a wonderful cruise!

Greetings, we just got off the Regal Princess this last Sunday.

 

Wow!! What a fantastic cruise... This was our 4th time sailing on Princess and 1st time on the Regal, and it was by far the best of all 4 Princess cruises.

 

Food was exceptional. Normally we eat in the main dining room most evenings but on this particular cruise we ate 5 out of the 7 nights in the buffet. The selection and variety of food in the buffet was endless. They had some type of shrimp every evening and a variety of salads and carved meats etc.....

 

Ship is beautiful, well taken care of, and always very clean....

 

We won in the casino, and saw lot's of people winning as well. Good selection and variety in the slot machines and they had $6 BJ every night too.

 

I have been on over 30 cruises and this one was by far in the 5 for me.

 

No complaints !!

Oh thats exciting to hear! I am sailing on the Regal in 3 weeks and this will be my first princess cruise. I can't wait!

What was your itinerary??

What cruise did you do two weeks ago? I'm cruising in 25 days too on princess! My first cruise with them!

Princess is fantastic, and our favorite line. But we primarily cruise Carnival because it is more cost effective and a much wider array of itineraries that fit our limited schedule.

 

To answer your question, if you read up about cruise ships, and all the lines, they ALL have mechanical issues that pop up from time to time. And the ships, including the Liberty are fully functional, just not at higher speeds which is needed for longer runs across the Gulf. So don't think that because you try another line that you can't run into the exact same circumstances.

carnival ships seem to be problematic as of late. Some RCL ships have been too. I am aware it can happen on any line. But my point is, why doesn't carnival want to fully fix their ship? I mean what if the other generators go out, The liberty can be Triumph 2.0. Thats dangerous and unsettling for consumers. Did not want to take the risk....

oh no! We are supposed to go to Amber Cove in December on our princess cruise :( I would really like to see AC since it is new

we would be dancing now too (sorta). We would have left in 9 days to Texas to board the Liberty on the 26th, but we canceled the cruise...and are going 2 weeks later on a weeklong princess ship! So in about 2 weeks or so, I can dance lol...

For the individuals who will be sailing on the Valor in place of the Liberty, you should not notice any difference.

 

However, I do take objection to the fact that Carnival feels that there is no problem to sale a ship (Liberty) with 1/2 of its propulsion system malfunctioning. Apparently they feel that it will be cheaper (for Carnival) to move the ship and sail it out of Port Canaveral, rather than getting it repaired ASAP.

 

This reminds me when Carnival decided to sail the Splendor back to the U.S. with limited power, because it was cheaper, despite the fact that passengers were stuck on a ship for several days with limited power, no A.C, limited food, and no hygiene.

 

Many individuals will say it makes no difference. But would you fly on a plane with only one engine. Afterall, most commercial air-lineers can get by with 1/2 of their power, assuming that nothing else goes wrong.

 

Another example of Carnival having little respect for the people who sail on it. The race to the bottom continues.

I feel the same way......why is carnival sailing a less than functioning cruise??? doesnt make sense. They need to get their act together....I have started to branch to other lines and we switched from the 11/26 Liberty sailing to a princess ship.....and my feb cruise on the Victory might be my last on CCL. There are so many other options rather than CCL....and I am enjoying exploring them!

I think I did lol. I'm new to this thing so I'm not positive.

 

 

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Its ok. :)We were always new once.... Click on Roll calls...and find carnival...then find the victory feb 20 sailing. We have a small roll call going. Usually the shorter cruises are not so talky talky...My week one on Princess is pretty big....but join because its fun talking before the cruise.

Did the room updates include a mini fridge? I'll be in Extended Balcony 8427 in February.

Hey you are on our cruise, you should join our roll call!

What did they say was included? drinks? Ocean Terrace has an upcharge for the sushi and others.

the agent i spoke with said the sushi was....hmmmmm....

You can buy a coffee card that gets you unlimited brewed coffee, fancy ties and 15 lattes on each card . Card costs about $32 USD.

On the Regal, their is a dining option called the Ocean Terrace and I called to ask about it and they said its included and includes sushi, oysters and other seafoods. I was wondering what was on it?

I can help with your ice tea question. There is unlimited ice tea in the buffet areas that you can get even if the food section is closed down. There is ice water and hot tea there also. I know you can get lemonade if you ask for it at lunch time in the buffet. I don't know if you can self serve for that. I also can't answer about sushi.

Thanks so much!!!!

I am so used to lemonade on carnival being self service...and I think it was on Royal too...but nice to know we can get it if we ask. I like a good arnold palmer!

You arent crazy!'

I booked the Harmony of the Seas for January 2018 back in September.....I got a prime room and the price has since gone up and my category is sold out...its never too early to book a cruise! :)

Happy sailing!

I am hoping to get some questions answered about cruising on princess. I am doing my first cruise in December on the Regal and I am trying to familiarize myself with the line.

Is there unlimited ice tea and lemonade on the horizon court buffet that you can get anytime?

What kind of sushi is offered at the ocean restauraunt? What about oysters and other seafood items? Is this like a fish and chips bar too?

I know I will have more questions, but I am hoping to get these questions answered. After 8 carnival cruises and 1 RCL cruise, I am looking forward to trying a new line.

Thanks in advance!

following!

I am on the Dec. 11 sailing and this is my first princess cruise, so I am so excited!

We switched to it from the broken Carnival Liberty....so now we will get a real cruising experience :)

Can't wait to see more.

What is alfredo's btw?

We feel very ripped off too being having been on the 11/26 sailing with the lame overnight in Cozumel. What a joke!

We took our refund and ran to Princess! Looking forward to trying another line in the Carnival Corporation Family!

http://www.galveston.com/webcams. There are several that focus on the cruise piers.

She left Texas!!! woo Hooo! Sailing toward progreso!

I did a 4 day cruise to New Brunswick 3 years ago in June. It was a departure from the caribbean and really fun. It was cold, so bring pants. But I would like to do one again, we just happened to be in Boston for a wedding that weekend and why not add a cruise to extend our vacay if we are by a departure port :)