Regal Princess- not happy so far...

Doing the 11 day Baltic. Man the $100 a day cruise I did from Brisbane and floated around Moreton bay was more impressive. I’ve only been on here one day but so far this ship does not have much ‘outdoor’ fun. We are celebrating our engagement on this cruise and they forgot to place our balloons etc at our room. Just booked a surprise massage for the missus and before and after we were extremely pressured to continue a “program” of more massages and buy some oil for $120... She did not feel special at all and just disappointed, the ladies even said she was over weight... definitely the most expensive massage I’ve ever had, that’s before the suggestive selling :(

We paid an absolute fortune for this trip and so far am not impressed...

Take a deep breath. I'm so sorry this has happened to you at such a special time in your lives. I'll admit Princess has lost its shine but the Regal is the happiest ship in the Princess fleet. The crew love their jobs and want to make you as happy as they are on their beautiful ship. Tell your room steward you are a little upset about the celebration not being recognised. He/she'll fix it in a jiff. Go to Customer Services and ask to see the Customer Services Officer. Tell them about your experiences at the spa and about your engagement and how important this cruise is to you both. Stay calm but be firm about your disappointment. It'll get much better.

Take a deep breath. I'm so sorry this has happened to you at such a special time in your lives. I'll admit Princess has lost its shine but the Regal is the happiest ship in the Princess fleet. The crew love their jobs and want to make you as happy as they are on their beautiful ship. Tell your room steward you are a little upset about the celebration not being recognised. He/she'll fix it in a jiff. Go to Customer Services and ask to see the Customer Services Officer. Tell them about your experiences at the spa and about your engagement and how important this cruise is to you both. Stay calm but be firm about your disappointment. It'll get much better.

Yes this is the best way to express the disappointment . Surely Princess will fix it :)

Your itinerary is incredible. I hope your trip improves. I think the pursers office will fix the balloons quickly if you call them.

Enjoy the itinerary best one we have ever done.

Focusing on how much you paid will not help. You pay mainly for the size of your cabin. They guy in the inside cabin gets almost all the same items that the guy in the suite does. Baltic cruises are usually about the itinerary, not so much "outdoor" fun, and you picked a ship with less outdoor space. Major mass market lines use contractors in the spas, and they do push the extra sales of services and products. You are experiencing the same negatives of cruising that most complain about. They are real but try to let go of it irritating you and don't focus on the "absolute fortune" you spent. Time to make lemonade, good luck.

I hope things improve. When we've had celebrations, the balloons and poster have appeared sometime during the cruise. I wouldn't worry about them not being there the first day or two. I avoid the spas on all cruise lines. They are run by Steiner. I think that's German for hard sell.

You do not say if you have been on other cruises in the past and how they differ from the Regal. What you are experiencing is pretty normal on this cruise line. The cruise style vacations may not be for you and your search for an "active" experience.

I can agree with OP about not enough Outdoor Fun on the Regal . Mainly miss the total Promenade Deck .

Like most newer ships , it is all about

the inside space .

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The Regal is too large a mass market ship and you might find a smaller ship more to your liking next time. Telling your fiancee she's over weight is unacceptable and insulting and should be reported and would dampen your experience. She's beautiful enough to have have a wonderfully considerate fiancee like you.

Enjoy what you can do some research before your next cruise.

I would like to hear the OP expand on the "outdoor fun" comment. Am wondering what kind of "outdoor fun" the couple expects when on a port intensive cruise.

Hank

I would like to hear the OP expand on the "outdoor fun" comment. Am wondering what kind of "outdoor fun" the couple expects when on a port intensive cruise.

 

Hank

I think my friends' parents and sister are on the same cruise. I betcha they are loving it.

What I am hearing about outdoor fun and lack of it, is normal for Princess but "fun" more common to RCCL and Carnival. I am sorry he didn't realize that Princess isn't into that. Also the SPA thing. Boy, if he had just looked a little up on this website he would have realized what he said is oh soooo true and why I stay away from the SPA on ANY ships. This is not just on Princess, by the way.

Yes, I hope that he just enjoys the ports of call and the general atmosphere and realizes it will be quiet and not like on Carnival and RCCL. You can make this trip fun. Don't dwell on the negatives! Congratulations on the engagement!

Again, his comments just prove why Cruise Critic Boards are so important to review before booking any cruise on any line. Definitely will tell you what vibes, etc. will be going on and help a novice on any of the lines to decide. This is why I do not do NCL or RCCL often as just not my cup of tea.

Pooh

Whatever cruise lines have water slides, rock climbing, bumper cars, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, sky rides, zip lines...I RUN the other way...Princess for me

Just curious what date you put in your cruise personalizer with regards to the engagement - which I think would be "other" under the occasion itself. They don't out up the sign and balloon till the date specified there

And if you didn't list it in your CP, then no, there wouldn't magically be a sign and such.

As for "outdoor fun", you haven't specified what that means to you. On a pet intensive cruise like the Baltics, that means comfy seating, good movie under the stars to relax. If you're meaning slides and such - that was pretty darn obvious before you even booked that there was none of that.

As you're literally one day in, it's tough to form overall conclusions. Most people are barely figuring out their way around! Take a deep breath, relax and focus on the positives. Amazing itinerary, beautiful ship, someone else making your bed and washing the dishes, etc. "Sailco" has the right of it..

Hope you enjoy the rest of your sailing.

I always put our "celebrations" date on the first full day of the cruise, this way, I have a day to ask about it.

Just because you put your wedding anniversary date in your personal information section, doesn't mean it will be recognized. You have to manually add it in your personalizer yourself, or you don't get the "balloons and sign" for each cruise.

Doing the 11 day Baltic. Man the $100 a day cruise I did from Brisbane and floated around Moreton bay was more impressive. I’ve only been on here one day but so far this ship does not have much ‘outdoor’ fun. We are celebrating our engagement on this cruise and they forgot to place our balloons etc at our room. Just booked a surprise massage for the missus and before and after we were extremely pressured to continue a “program” of more massages and buy some oil for $120... She did not feel special at all and just disappointed, the ladies even said she was over weight... definitely the most expensive massage I’ve ever had, that’s before the suggestive selling :(

We paid an absolute fortune for this trip and so far am not impressed...

Have to do your homework to find out what the particular ship has to offer; NCL, RCI and Carnival may be more of your liking. But relax, enjoy your cruise, don't let a few glitches ruin your vacation. As for the Spa, most if not all "spas" on ships do the hard sell. As for the insult, don't let them get away with that kind of conduct.

I would definitely report the overweight comment in the Spa. There is absolutely no defense for that kind of treatment.

As far as the hard sell, I’ve even gotten that with land based massages. Not as bad as on cruise ships, though. And on every cruise line. I quit having massages on cruises because they are so overpriced.

You are on a fabulous cruise. The Baltic was on our end if offered bucket list and you’re starting with it!

You’re so lucky, and can build lifetime memories that will get you through any rough times in the future.

“Remember when” can be the beginning of happy conversations.

Every port you visit is wonderful. St Petersburg was a high point of our 57 year marriage.

For dessert one night ask for a Volcano from the kids menu. My favorite meal ender!

For your next cruise join the Roll Call, read the comments and make some friends, read the reviews of various ships and cruises, ask questions about others’ experiences.

This cruise is a time when your responsibilities and problems at home don’t matter. Only your fiancée’s and your time together.

Congratulations and I wish you a long and happy marriage.

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When cruising and participating in spa treatments, one must learn to say no. Telling your fiance that she's overweight is over the top. I've never been to the spa on any cruise ship due to the overselling of their overpriced products. I don't have the temperament to listen to sale pitches and I would likely tell them so. Setting yourself up for a spectacular cruise may be your down fall. I hope your cruise ends on a good note.

They are run by Steiner. I think that's German for hard sell.

Hahaha.... I think you are right! If I go for a massage on a cruise, I always start off by saying, 'If it's not quiet while I am getting my massage, I won't even enjoy it ... so please, no talking!'. This seems to work. It doesn't have to be rude, but a statement of how you want your treatment. There is always the hard sell for their ridiculously priced products but some are pushier than others. I got one once that was sea sick and she didn't try to sell me a thing. Felt bad for her but one of the best massages I've ever gotten.

As far as the statement about her being overweight, these spas always make you fill out a form before going in. They make it seem like it is a medical form but they will glean info from that to try to sell you something .... make sure to fill it out that you are happy with your weight, you love your cellulite, you always feel great, never tired or stressed, etc ... they won't make any comments about how to fix what they don't know. If they do, I would definitely suggest a reduction in their gratuity.

Hope your cruise improves!

Doing the 11 day Baltic. Man the $100 a day cruise I did from Brisbane and floated around Moreton bay was more impressive. I’ve only been on here one day but so far this ship does not have much ‘outdoor’ fun. We are celebrating our engagement on this cruise and they forgot to place our balloons etc at our room. Just booked a surprise massage for the missus and before and after we were extremely pressured to continue a “program” of more massages and buy some oil for $120... She did not feel special at all and just disappointed, the ladies even said she was over weight... definitely the most expensive massage I’ve ever had, that’s before the suggestive selling :(

We paid an absolute fortune for this trip and so far am not impressed...

We will be on Regal next week for the 11 day Baltic and then the Transatlantic. What you report does not surprise me

We are only paying $55 a day each for our cruise so we will be happier pretty much whatever happens.

I learnt many cruises ago not to expect too much from Princess and I haven't been disappointed in that expectation.

Spa is a nightmare, hard sell all the time.

I hope you are enjoying the itinerary, its what we are going to the Baltic for.

Whatever cruise lines have water slides, rock climbing, bumper cars, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, sky rides, zip lines...I RUN the other way...Princess for me

Couldn’t agree more. My sentiments exactly. Our Europe trips have all been about the ports and excursions. When we get back on board, just want to relax, go for a quick swim, have a cocktail or two, a nice dinner and watch a show. Love the Regal!

Thanks all, I will talk to the right people.

Man the responses on here are ALOT different to trip advisor forums ha...

I've had massages on 5 or 6 different cruise lines and almost all of them push products. That's completely normal. You have to be strong and upfront right away by saying something along the lines of, "I won't be buying any products." It may tick off the masseuse but tough. You're still paying a mint for a massage you can get at home for about 1/3 the cost.

One more thing: Princess doesn't have a celebration for engagements that I've ever seen. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, yes. Engagements, no. Wait until you're on your honeymoon and then you'll get the meager offerings for that celebration (2 balloons, door sign, card, cake).