woomera

can anyone tell me if you have to pre pay for transportation from Heathrow to hotels in London, AND can you set up your phone with new sim card from Heathrow Terminal 2? (coming in on United)

we had any time booked and decided to go on the wait list for the 6pm, is that a mistake and should have stuck with anytime? we dont want to wait 40 min to be seated.

I'm on Emerald right now and have been using my iPad all week in our cabin. Didn't seem to be any slower than using the ships' computers.

 

We had fantastic weather all week and a great cruise! Have a wonderful time.

thanks for the update on the bar package. did they give you a hard time if you went up to the bar too much? we normally drink a bottle of wine with dinner but figure we can get a glass before we go in and then order another glass during dinner. Is that kind of how it works?

thanks again

Not all of the wines offered by the bottle are on the wine by the glass list.

I don't remember if the Nobilo was but you should be able to find a nice white wine that you'll enjoy.

One nice thing about the package is that you can try a wine and if you don't like it just move on and try something else. :D

HI woomera - you can't pre-book the Sanctuary before you board. Once on board, you can book an entire week, a day or select days, or even 1/2 days. If you're interested, you should probably head to the Sanctuary as soon as you board to choose your loungers (some are full sun, others mostly shade, etc.) and make your reservation.

 

Once you have reserved, you will be charged for the days you've booked, unless you cancel, even if you don't show up that day at all. Apparently there were some no-shows on the Regal, but the manager told me he would still have to charge them.

 

All of the information above applies to the Royal/Regal Princess - the procedures and policies may differ for other Princess ships.

 

Please can you tell me how to pre book the sanctuary?

thanks for the update on the Sanctuary. I have a question on the all inclusive bar package. do you think it was worth it? are most of the good wines, scotch, vodka drinks less than $10? thanks again

loved reading your review, it has helped me a lot to prepare for my cruise in August. I have purchased the all inclusive beverage package and curious about wine by the glass. I drink Nobilo that you can purchase for $32 per bottle. I'm assuming it's on the menu to buy by the glass? any idea how they do that? (basically is the choices of wine by the glass any good) :)

thanks

love reading your post but have a question on the drink package. Did you get the bar package and does it include glasses of wine anywhere on the ship to include the dining room? do you think it's good value?

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The Blue Mosque is very beautiful, but we didn’t linger too long inside. I was carrying my shoe bag, hanging on to my own scarf AND the cloth provided to cover my arms, and trying to take pictures at the same time – it was a bit tricky! And although it was, I think, a quiet time to visit, it was quite crowded inside, mostly with large tour groups. But we enjoyed our visit and the beautiful blue tiles and soaring ceilings.

Once outside, we slowly walked back to the shuttle meeting point. As I've mentioned, we're not really shoppers while on vacation, but I did pick up a few little souvenirs: some small change purses that look like miniature Turkish carpets, a few pretty tins with olive oil soap, and three silk scarves purchased from a sad looking man on the street. The scarves are very light and pretty, and I didn't see anything like them anywhere else in Istanbul (or here). We bargained a little with him, but really our heart wasn't in it. I think he needed the extra few Lira we might have managed to save far more than we did. There wasn’t really anything more we wanted to do, and we wouldn’t have time to do much more as all-aboard was 1:30 I think. The streets were certainly quieter than they had been the previous day, Saturday, and the shuttle returned us quickly back to the Regal Princess.

Once back on board we went straight to Sanctuary to find out if we could book two spots for the afternoon. We weren’t able to get our usual chairs, but we snagged two chairs facing the shore, and in the corner. Knowing I like shade, Ilarion arranged for the chairs to be rearranged a little bit so that I would have shade almost all the time. It was sunny and warm when we got there around 11:30, so we decided to get changed into our swim suits (we had yet to swim on board) before returning to the Sanctuary. We returned to our cabin to change, then headed to the Horizon Terrace (I think this really was our favourite place on board) for lunch. My lunch that day was outstanding – I think the salad bar on the Regal was the best I’ve ever seen on a ship. The selection was extensive and everything was very fresh and appealing, and so for lunch I compiled an enormous salad which included lettuces, raw veggies, macadamia nuts, black beans, stilton cheese and much, much more. It was awesome :-) And of the course, the view of Istanbul as a backdrop couldn’t be better.

We walked back to the Sanctuary and as we got there it started to rain :-( The temperature had dropped and it wasn’t nearly as nice as it had been just an hour before. We sat in the communal cabana area in the centre of the Sanctuary waiting for the inclement weather to pass, and it did after about 20 minutes. The chairs were then uncovered, and we settled in.

This was our last visit to the Sanctuary (in total we spent 2 ½ days there) but it was the least peaceful. On this afternoon, not only did we have someone blaring their TV in one of the cabanas for about an hour, the captain also announced that a helicopter would be travelling with us for the first two hours after leaving Istanbul, to film video of the new Regal Princess. The helicopter circled around the ship repeatedly, often at eye level (we got a great view from the Sanctuary) and often right above us. As you might imagine, it was quite noisy. It also was not as warm as other days, so we huddled under extra towels. My swim suit didn’t even get wet that day :-(

We went back to our cabin to get changed for formal night, and then visited the wine bar for a glass of wine. I love the window tables they have there, and the wine flights are fun. The nibbles or tapas are quite nice too, but I always find it a bit strange that – for two people – they bring one of everything. One cracker with hummus, one piece of bruschetta, one bread stick wrapped with prosciutto…. we usually just divvied up the loot, e.g. “I’ll take the breadstick, and you can have the bruschetta…” :-)

We walked to the dining room for dinner, and as always it was only about 1/3 full. I ordered the Rockclip fish. This was the first meal I have ever sent back on a cruise. I took one bite, and I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I know food is somewhat subjective and that perhaps others that evening loved it, but I really couldn’t eat it. Our efficient waiter asked what I would like instead, and I opted for the lobster tails, which should have been my first choice! They were fine – a little undercooked for my taste, but certainly edible. I think this was also the evening I had appetizer that was a timbale of shrimp and lobster. It was quite tasty. And for dessert I had the warm milk chocolate soufflé cake with some sort of warm sauce poured into it. Sorry, I can’t remember the exact name or details, but it was very good!

We had planned to go Fiera that night, but had overheard others say that the show was good but much too loud. So we decided to pass, and as usual headed to the Piazza instead (until Mark Franek arrived ;-) ). Now I’m sorry we didn’t give Fiera a try, as I’ve read very positive comments about the show here on Cruise Critic.

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Please can you tell me how to pre book the sanctuary?

After the very busy few days before it was nice to have a slower morning. We had the Sanctuary booked ($40 a day per person) but we didn’t plan to get there at the opening time of 8:30. We got ready and headed to the buffet for our first on board breakfast. I really do love the Horizon Terrace on the Regal/Royal Princess. I’m not a sun worshiper, and prefer shade, and most of the Terrace is shaded. Service on the Terrace was usually excellent at breakfast and lunch, but non-existent on the one night we enjoyed dinner there while in Istanbul. We used our AI packages to get our cappuccinos and espresso’s (and on one morning, a Mimosa for me :-). At home breakfast for me is always low-fat Greek yoghurt with berries. So I tried to not go crazy on the ship, and often just got a boiled egg with a little bacon. I liked the flavour of the little biscuits, and they varied each day (cheddar, or sage, etc.) but because they’re small they dry out and harden very quickly.

We arrived at the Sanctuary at about 9:30, and plopped down on our lounge chairs. We prefer the chairs at the very front (bow) in either the left or right corner (port or starboard), as the view is great and there is shade for much (but not all) of the day. This location is also a little quieter and feels more private. Illarion brought the staff who would be serving us for the day over to meet us, and our citrus and cucumber waters.

In my family we all love the Sanctuary (my son and I loved it on the Royal at New Year’s). The staff and service are wonderful, it’s peaceful and quiet… oh, wait a minute – not always. It SHOULD always be peaceful and quiet – hence the name ‘Sanctuary’, so I really can’t understand why the ship designers thought that adding large TV’s to the cabanas would be a good idea. We spent 2 ½ days in the Sanctuary on this Regal Cruise and on 1 ½ of those days someone in the cabana was playing the TV loudly. It really disturbs the mood and ambiance I think. But, other than this issue, we loved our time there and while I know many feel strongly about the fee, for us we feel it’s worth the splurge.

We spent most of the day there, but we did stretch our legs at one point when I gave my husband a guided tour of the ship (having sailed on the Royal at New Year’s with our son). I didn’t take a lot of photos, because I had already taken a LOT of photos on the Royal (see the link in my signature if you’d like to see those images). I did, however, take a picture of the new glass walls that have been added to the cabanas in the Retreat pool area, as those were not included on the Royal.

At lunch we headed down to Alfredo’s. My son and I had raved to my husband about Alfredo’s – we loved it on the Royal, and went there at least three times – so my husband was really looking forward to this lunch. The Sanctuary manager had forewarned us that there was now a $10 cover charge per person, but he said it would be covered by our AI package. This was confirmed to us at the entrance of Alfredo’s by the manager. We were seated by the window, and enjoyed chatting with our server who was from Mexico (we’ve been to Mexico many times so we had fun talking about different vacation spots there). Unfortunately we were a bit underwhelmed by our lunch. My pizza was soggy, the crust was too thick, and it just seemed undercooked. My vegetarian antipasto was just OK – it wasn't as tasty as on the Royal. I’m going to chalk this up to new staff, new ship – just general growing pains. The Tiramisu was tasty.

I wanted a glass of French rose with my lunch (or two :-) ), but as I was sadly discovering this wine which I had enjoyed so much on the Royal, and which appeared on all menus on board, was not actually available anywhere on board. This was to become a bit of a theme during the cruise. I think the ship just wasn't yet fully stocked. The Italian Treat red wine flight I requested in the wine bar was not available because one of the three wines wasn't on board. (I did ask if they could just substitute another red wine –ANY Italian wine – but was told flatly “no”.) Hendricks was listed on the menu in Crooners, but when my husband ordered a Hendricks martini there he was told they had no Hendricks. The funniest example was in the Horizon buffet. I was using the tongs to look through the bacon. A member of the cook staff came over and said, “Are you looking for crispy bacon ma’am?” I said “Yes, I am – thanks!”. He replied, “Sorry, we don’t have that.” Oh, OK.

The rest of the day passed peacefully in the Sanctuary enjoying the scenery with a bit of dozing, reading, a few drinks and afternoon tea. Eventually, it was time to leave (the Sanctuary closes at 6) and head back to the room to get ready for formal night. But on the way we stopped for a drink, I think in Bellini’s, and enjoyed the string quartet playing below.

All gussied up, we headed over to Crooners and the Piazza, to introduce my husband to the concept of the Champagne Fountain. There are obviously many who enjoy this tradition. I don’t really understand why people want to line up to climb a few steps and then ‘help’ to pour a little champagne over a tower of glasses. I’m guessing it’s more about the photo opportunity, or the opportunity to meet the captain, although the captain wasn’t hosting (not sure if that’s the right word) the fountain that night. Please don’t misunderstand – I’m sure there are many things I enjoy that baffle others, and if the champagne fountain is something you enjoy doing that’s great. It’s just not for me. But we did enjoy watching women with sky-high heels cautiously, and with assistance, climb the three or four steps to reach the top of the glasses tower. What was REALLY sad however was watching after as they emptied all the glasses, full of sparkling wine, into buckets. Our server in Crooner’s told us, when I asked, that they just dump the wine down the drain. Now THAT’S tragic. ;-)

The British captain did speak to the gathered crowd after the champagne fountain. He was very personable and well spoken. He informed us of the top 10 nationalities on board. #1 US, #2 Canada, and the other eight (I can't remember the order) included Brazil, Mexico, Australia, the UK, Italy and Japan. He also noted there were almost 2,500 passengers on board, much less than capacity of course. The manager of the Sanctuary told us that this uncrowded ship (and it really was) was a deliberate decision to allow all staff, and particularly those who were brand new, to get used to the ship and passengers without the stress of a fully booked cruise. I recognized quite a few staff from the Royal.

Many of you will be pleased to hear that everyone I saw appeared to be appropriately dressed for formal night, including more tuxedos than I had expected to see.

I can’t remember anything about what I ate at dinner that night in the dining room, except that it was on Deck 5 (we had Anytime Dining) and the service was very good. I DO remember that when the photographer came to our table, my husband started to get out of his seat to join me on my side of the table for a photo. But the photographer stopped him and said no, tonight they were only taking solo portraits, and not couples. Huh? We didn’t want individual photos on formal night, and it seemed bizarre that he would NOT take one of the two of us in the dining room. I know there are many other locations on board where we could have taken a photos of us as a couple, but it still seemed unusual to us. After dinner we headed back to the Piazza and watched an acrobatic trio. It was entertaining and well done, but my husband joked, “You didn’t tell me they had Chippendale’s on board!” I didn't have a problem with it. ;-)

I seem to be missing my Princess Patter (or Pitter Patter as we usually refer to it) for that day, but I think that was the night Annette Wardell, a British soprano, performed in the Princess Theater. We both like opera, but we left after two songs. Annette had a lovely voice, but she seemed a funny fit for Princess and listening to her sing Elvis and other popular songs just seemed wrong somehow… ha ha.

We ended the evening in the Wheelhouse Bar, which we enjoyed every night, usually watching and listening to Eric Stone. It was a great sea, and a much needed day of rest. The next morning we would arrive in Corfu.

Thanks for reading - congratulations on making it this far ;-)

To see all photos from this cruise, please click on the link in my signature below. Port photos are added as each day's review is posted.