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LIVE from Regal's Inaugaral Cruise

Av8tor

By Av8tor,
in Princess Cruises

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Av8tor

Av8tor

Posted
Posted (edited)

Started Regal’s Inaugral Cruise, 13-day Venice to Venice yesterday. Read on for my experiences, observations and opinions…

 

Day 1

 

Got to the cruise terminal at 11:55 am for a scheduled 11pm departure. Published boarding time was to begin at 1pm. No real lines to speak off. Celeberty Equinox was right behind us and P&O Ventura was across the pier. Regal and Equinox seem to be VERY similar in design with Regal appearing a deck or two taller with other subtle differences (no seaview bar/skywalk, twin stacks on X versus single bank of multiple stacks on Regal, huge MUTS on Regal, etc, etc). Ventura looked like a typical Grand-class.

 

Saw no porter service or bag check outside of the Venice cruise terminal, so we walked our bags (thank-goodness for rollers) inside to the person who put them right on the conveyer taking them deeper into the terminal for delivery to the cabin. Then up one level and right to the preferred check-in counter without any wait. Had just been handed our cruise cards at 12:05 when they announced suite and elite boarding. Whoo Hoo, we were on in record time!

 

Dropped the carry-on bags in the cabin, got the Treasure Hunt cards stamped, hit passenger services to correct an error (I had pre-paid a soda package for my DW and mistakenly got the regular package and not the “Ulltimate”), and then went back out to continue exploring Venice (our first time). While waiting for the People Mover to Plaza Roma, I read in the Princess Patter that Venice authorities required passport s and your cruise card to reboard. Oops, we put our PPs in the safe. DW was worried throughout the whole afternoon that we’d get hassled trying to get back aboard, but I tried to convince her that if there was any difficulties, it souldn’t be too bad and any delay wouldn’t be that long. We did a round trip Grand Canal Vaporetto cruise stopping at St Mark’s Square to confirm the locations where we need to meet for or post-cruise Doges Palace Secret Itineraries and Clock Tower tours. Upon return to the ship we just showed our cruise cards and driver’s licenses and there was no problem re-boarding.

 

Got back to the cabin to find the checked baggage was already in the room along with the pre-ordered floral arrangement and casino cash vouchers and most all of the normal welcome/info cards and letters. What we didn’t get were the card with the dinner “dress code” schedule for the cruise (ie which nights are to be formal) and the Elite Happy Hour drink of the day and hor’s douvers schedule. Guess I’ll be able to track those down later…

 

Went down at 8:15 for late seating traditional dining, only to find that all the dining rooms were providing any-time service. That would’ve been nice to know in advance as we were looking so forward to meeting our table mates and wait staff for the next 13 evenings. Finally got the main course just before 9:30 and had to practically gulp it down to finish eating before the 10:15 muster drill :eek:

 

Muster was quick, but noticed a few “dozers” due to the late hour and long day. Also found it funny that rather than having scanners at the entrance(s) to the Muster Station, they had crew roaming the dining room repeatedly asking if your card had been scanned yet. Seems to work better and provide a more accurate head-count if they just simply scan every card as the people enter.

 

Sail away was delayed until 11:30 pm due to other shipping traffic, but once underway, it was smooth and scenic departure. Venice sure was beautiful but it was a bit too dark that late at night for good photos..

 

More Comments & Observations to follow…

Edited by Av8tor
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chamima

chamima

Posted
Posted

Thank you.

We were supposed to be sailing with you but had to cancel so I can't wait to hear your impressions.

Can't wait to hear if the new windbreak at the Retreat pool makes it more usable than the one on the Royal

and hoping someone with an aft balcony will either post or let you know if the soot situation has been resolved.

 

As far as the "card with the dress codes for each night" - if I remember correctly it's not a card, it's in the Patter for the first (embarkation) day.

 

Have a fantastic cruise and can't wait to hear more! :D

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perkyblue

perkyblue

Posted
Posted

I would love to sail on Regal Princess, so I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. I've done one Princess cruise (Ruby) and absolutely loved it. I'm dying to sail Princess again, but we're doing a Disney cruise with the kids this summer instead. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our children! (And yes, that was sarcasm. I do sacrifice a lot for my kids, but taking them on a Disney cruise is certainly one I can live with!)

 

Hope you have an amazing cruise, and I can't wait to virtually tag along with you!

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Kmkub Great Review Rare

Kmkub

Posted
Posted

I've subscribed to the thread and will lurk here drooling. I look forward to all of your comments; negative, positive & neutral. Thank you for doing this. I appreciate all who take time from their vacation to share with us who are temporarily stuck on land.

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PhillyCruiser

PhillyCruiser

Posted
Posted

It was fun watching the Regal depart Venice last night thanks to the Bridge Cam and the Venice Web Cam that Dave had originally found. The ship, all lit up, contrasted with a rather dark city. There was too much glare to take screen shots.

 

Have a wonderful time, Av8tar! You will enjoy Corfu. It looks like a miniature Venice, because it was once a Venetian colony.

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Orangefan

Orangefan

Posted
Posted
Started Regal’s Inaugral Cruise, 13-day Venice to Venice yesterday. Read on for my experiences, observations and opinions…

 

Day 1

 

Got to the cruise terminal at 11:55 am for a scheduled 11pm departure. Published boarding time was to begin at 1pm. No real lines to speak off. Celeberty Equinox was right behind us and P&O Ventura was across the pier. Regal and Equinox seem to be VERY similar in design with Regal appearing a deck or two taller with other subtle differences (no seaview bar/skywalk, twin stacks on X versus single bank of multiple stacks on Regal, huge MUTS on Regal, etc, etc). Ventura looked like a typical Grand-class.

 

Saw no porter service or bag check outside of the Venice cruise terminal, so we walked our bags (thank-goodness for rollers) inside to the person who put them right on the conveyer taking them deeper into the terminal for delivery to the cabin. Then up one level and right to the preferred check-in counter without any wait. Had just been handed our cruise cards at 12:05 when they announced suite and elite boarding. Whoo Hoo, we were on in record time!

 

Dropped the carry-on bags in the cabin, got the Treasure Hunt cards stamped, hit passenger services to correct an error (I had pre-paid a soda package for my DW and mistakenly got the regular package and not the “Ulltimate”), and then went back out to continue exploring Venice (our first time). While waiting for the People Mover to Plaza Roma, I read in the Princess Patter that Venice authorities required passport s and your cruise card to reboard. Oops, we put our PPs in the safe. DW was worried throughout the whole afternoon that we’d get hassled trying to get back aboard, but I tried to convince her that if there was any difficulties, it souldn’t be too bad and any delay wouldn’t be that long. We did a round trip Grand Canal Vaporetto cruise stopping at St Mark’s Square to confirm the locations where we need to meet for or post-cruise Doges Palace Secret Itineraries and Clock Tower tours. Upon return to the ship we just showed our cruise cards and driver’s licenses and there was no problem re-boarding.

 

Got back to the cabin to find the checked baggage was already in the room along with the pre-ordered floral arrangement and casino cash vouchers and most all of the normal welcome/info cards and letters. What we didn’t get were the card with the dinner “dress code” schedule for the cruise (ie which nights are to be formal) and the Elite Happy Hour drink of the day and hor’s douvers schedule. Guess I’ll be able to track those down later…

 

Went down at 8:15 for late seating traditional dining, only to find that all the dining rooms were providing any-time service. That would’ve been nice to know in advance as we were looking so forward to meeting our table mates and wait staff for the next 13 evenings. Finally got the main course just before 9:30 and had to practically gulp it down to finish eating before the 10:15 muster drill :eek:

 

Muster was quick, but noticed a few “dozers” due to the late hour and long day. Also found it funny that rather than having scanners at the entrance(s) to the Muster Station, they had crew roaming the dining room repeatedly asking if your card had been scanned yet. Seems to work better and provide a more accurate head-count if they just simply scan every card as the people enter.

 

Sail away was delayed until 11:30 pm due to other shipping traffic, but once underway, it was smooth and scenic departure. Venice sure was beautiful but it was a bit too dark that late at night for good photos..

 

More Comments & Observations to follow…

 

 

 

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your "live " from the Regal. I know it takes up a lot of time and I certainly appreciate it. ( Just remember to take time to enjoy yourself on the wonderful ship.) I will be on the Regal b2b in the beginning of Nov. when it arrives in the US. I know some people in your M & G. They are Stephen and Karen (Sbittner) from Syracuse , NY.

Sali

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AKman2495

AKman2495

Posted
Posted (edited)
Started Regal’s Inaugral Cruise, 13-day Venice to Venice yesterday. Read on for my experiences, observations and opinions…

 

Day 1

 

Got to the cruise terminal at 11:55 am for a scheduled 11pm departure. Published boarding time was to begin at 1pm. No real lines to speak off. Celeberty Equinox was right behind us and P&O Ventura was across the pier. Regal and Equinox seem to be VERY similar in design with Regal appearing a deck or two taller with other subtle differences (no seaview bar/skywalk, twin stacks on X versus single bank of multiple stacks on Regal, huge MUTS on Regal, etc, etc). Ventura looked like a typical Grand-class.

 

Saw no porter service or bag check outside of the Venice cruise terminal, so we walked our bags (thank-goodness for rollers) inside to the person who put them right on the conveyer taking them deeper into the terminal for delivery to the cabin. Then up one level and right to the preferred check-in counter without any wait. Had just been handed our cruise cards at 12:05 when they announced suite and elite boarding. Whoo Hoo, we were on in record time!

 

Dropped the carry-on bags in the cabin, got the Treasure Hunt cards stamped, hit passenger services to correct an error (I had pre-paid a soda package for my DW and mistakenly got the regular package and not the “Ulltimate”), and then went back out to continue exploring Venice (our first time). While waiting for the People Mover to Plaza Roma, I read in the Princess Patter that Venice authorities required passport s and your cruise card to reboard. Oops, we put our PPs in the safe. DW was worried throughout the whole afternoon that we’d get hassled trying to get back aboard, but I tried to convince her that if there was any difficulties, it souldn’t be too bad and any delay wouldn’t be that long. We did a round trip Grand Canal Vaporetto cruise stopping at St Mark’s Square to confirm the locations where we need to meet for or post-cruise Doges Palace Secret Itineraries and Clock Tower tours. Upon return to the ship we just showed our cruise cards and driver’s licenses and there was no problem re-boarding.

 

Got back to the cabin to find the checked baggage was already in the room along with the pre-ordered floral arrangement and casino cash vouchers and most all of the normal welcome/info cards and letters. What we didn’t get were the card with the dinner “dress code” schedule for the cruise (ie which nights are to be formal) and the Elite Happy Hour drink of the day and hor’s douvers schedule. Guess I’ll be able to track those down later…

 

Went down at 8:15 for late seating traditional dining, only to find that all the dining rooms were providing any-time service. That would’ve been nice to know in advance as we were looking so forward to meeting our table mates and wait staff for the next 13 evenings. Finally got the main course just before 9:30 and had to practically gulp it down to finish eating before the 10:15 muster drill :eek:

 

Muster was quick, but noticed a few “dozers” due to the late hour and long day. Also found it funny that rather than having scanners at the entrance(s) to the Muster Station, they had crew roaming the dining room repeatedly asking if your card had been scanned yet. Seems to work better and provide a more accurate head-count if they just simply scan every card as the people enter.

 

Sail away was delayed until 11:30 pm due to other shipping traffic, but once underway, it was smooth and scenic departure. Venice sure was beautiful but it was a bit too dark that late at night for good photos..

 

More Comments & Observations to follow…

 

FYI, on late night port departures, Princess usually has open seating in all dining rooms. That should have been listed on the back of the patter....

 

Have a great cruise!

Edited by AKman2495
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