Mom33 Posted May 30, 2014 #176 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Observation: Finally saw the water=fouintain/light show. While it looked nice and had good accompanying music, it wasn’t spectacular. I guess if you’ve seen one fountain show, you’ve pretty much seen them all. I’ve still never seen that area used as a Dance floor like I read somewhere, but to be fair, I haven’t been up on that deck for any of the sail-aways. In my opinion, it’s just a waste of space that could be better used as a larger pool or more space for lounge chairs. … It is used as space for more lounge chairs Dance floor for parties Splash Fountain for children It is also a stage for the singers and dancers to perform on party nights. It actually is a very versatile area.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted May 30, 2014 #177 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Your account of Santorini sounds very exciting. It's at times like those when I hope there's a bar close to the tender dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moksha22 Posted May 30, 2014 #178 Share Posted May 30, 2014 What an adventure... sounded terribly exciting. Thanks for your posts, hope to see more of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8tor Posted May 31, 2014 Author #179 Share Posted May 31, 2014 It is used as space for more lounge chairs Dance floor for parties Splash Fountain for children It is also a stage for the singers and dancers to perform on party nights. It actually is a very versatile area.:D I have seen none of this on Regal. The steps to access the area are always chained off when I've been up on Lido deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8tor Posted May 31, 2014 Author #180 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Day 11 - Katakolon, Greece The ship made up time and we got to port on time despite our late departure from Santorini. We had an Avis car reserved for this stop and everything went like clockwork. The Avis officis right at the exit from the port and the car and GPS were ready for us. We drove to Olympia and toured the archaeological site and the museum; all very interesting. It was an easy 30 minute drive with only two turns so GPS wasn’t necessary, but we planned to explore another area and it really came in handy there. From Olympia we drove to Chlemoutsi Castle north of Katakolon, situated on a high bluff overlooking the ocean and fields. Circa 1220ad, it was in fairly good shape and a distinct change from the ruins at Olympia. Turned the car back in and had about 45 minutes to do some quick shopping in Katakolo and get a quick bite to eat. It was 50 Euro for a little 5-seater, manual transmission car with air including unlimited mileage, insurance and VAT. The GPS was 12 Euro extra and worth it if heading anywhere other than Olympia and back. A quarter tank of gas was 17 Euro. Olympia cost 9 Euro pp for the combined museum and site visit and the castle was 3 euro pp. All-in, it cost 103 Euro to see both sites and not have to deal with the crowd dynamics of a ship’s excursion. Captain’s Circle Club party and casual night with my favorite lobster and shrimp dinner. Comedian in Princess Theater was enjoyable. Noon arrival into Dubrovnik so we were looking forward to a longer than recent night of sleep. Unfortunately, at about 1:30am, they made a ship-wide announcement for the security team to report to the casino, deck 6, zone 3. Talk about a rude awakening! We can’t understand why they made the call into the cabin rooms and not just to the public spaces. It’s not like the security team was in any passenger cabins… More Observations: The play the Love Boat theme on the ship’s horn for departure when the local noise regulations allow it. It was not allowed in Venice, Istanbul and I think Athens. My DW says the in-cabin blow drier works, but takes twice as long to do her hair than when using her own. She wishes that she had brought her own. The track on deck 17 has two lanes. There is at least one small sign on the wall that says the inner lane is for walkers and the outer for runners. It doesn’t appear to be labeled on the track itself. Not sure if that is a change from Royal… The “standard” and “deluxe” side balconies seem to all have two chairs, a foot stool and table. We have a slightly larger balcony on one of the “points” under the sea-walk and our chairs recline to almost flat. Not sure if that’s true on the smaller size balconies. I also noticed that the tables on decks 8 and 9 are small, low cocktail type tables while the ones on the higher decks are larger and taller. I can’t understand why there’s a difference. With a larger “deluxe” balcony, I’d have thought we’d rate a larger table. The one we have certainly is not conducive for enjoying an UBD. The forward and aft elevator areas also have passenger stairs. The four elevators in each bank are all called when any up or down button is pushed. The mid-ship elevator area does not have stairs for normal passenger use. The stairs are for crew and emergency use only. There are four aft elevators and two forward elevators in this mid-ship area. The two forward elevators must be called by their own respective call buttons. The four aft elevators are all called from any of their call buttons. Therefore, to ensure all six mid-elevators are called, you need to push three call buttons. For a new ship, I’m surprised that the elevators “out of service” so often, especially the forward mid-ship ones. Just dropped anchor at Dubrovnik, heading off now to hopefully tender right into the old port… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gailjen Posted May 31, 2014 #181 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks for the last instalment, It would be a shock getting than announcement in the middle of the night. Wondering why your tendering at many places, we are on 6th Aug sailing and been told no tenders at any. Enjoy Dubrovnic, my joint fave place with Venice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minoushka Posted May 31, 2014 #182 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks for the last instalment, It would be a shock getting than announcement in the middle of the night. Wondering why your tendering at many places, we are on 6th Aug sailing and been told no tenders at any. Enjoy Dubrovnic, my joint fave place with Venice... We had the captain come on on Emerald at 3 am asking for a certain blood type ..it freaked us out .it went ship wide Another time they neede another blood type just before dinner ...the hush that came on after that was spooky ....we were around the photo area filled with people leaving or going to dinner .it wasveey unnerving but they did say 75 people showed up to help ...Bravo ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfk60 Posted May 31, 2014 #183 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Day 11 - Katakolon, Greece The “standard” and “deluxe” side balconies seem to all have two chairs, a foot stool and table. We have a slightly larger balcony on one of the “points” under the sea-walk and our chairs recline to almost flat. Not sure if that’s true on the smaller size balconies. I also noticed that the tables on decks 8 and 9 are small, low cocktail type tables while the ones on the higher decks are larger and taller. I can’t understand why there’s a difference. With a larger “deluxe” balcony, I’d have thought we’d rate a larger table. The one we have certainly is not conducive for enjoying UBD. Just dropped anchor at Dubrovnik, heading off now to hopefully tender right into the old port… Just an FYI, the rooms above you with the larger tables are mini suites. They get the different set up, whereas the balcony rooms get the smaller tables. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billco Posted May 31, 2014 #184 Share Posted May 31, 2014 We had the captain come on on Emerald at 3 am asking for a certain blood type ..it freaked us out .it went ship wide Another time they neede another blood type just before dinner ...the hush that came on after that was spooky ....we were around the photo area filled with people leaving or going to dinner .it wasveey unnerving but they did say 75 people showed up to help ...Bravo ! There was a call during dinner last year on the Royal. My wife donated and got a bottle of wine and a nice letter from Princess for her effort. I got to eat dinner alone, but had nice chats with couples on both sides, who I think felt sorry for me. I think several hundred showed up for the call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted May 31, 2014 #185 Share Posted May 31, 2014 With a larger “deluxe” balcony, I’d have thought we’d rate a larger table. The one we have certainly is not conducive for enjoying an UBD. If you have a UBD, they will bring an appropriate sized table to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom33 Posted May 31, 2014 #186 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I have seen none of this on Regal. The steps to access the area are always chained off when I've been up on Lido deck. Perhaps the itinerary of your cruise lends itself to different activities than the Caribbean cruises.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8tor Posted May 31, 2014 Author #187 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Day 12- Dubrovnik Woo Hoo! We anchored off the old port and were able to tender right into the walled city! Sure was easy not having to get from the new port to the city proper. Had a nice walk on top of the walls. It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. Fantastic views! Had a nice lunch in town then had to return to the ship a bit early to take care of some work details on the internet. Should be leaving the anchorage in about an hour for our last 32 hours at sea before Venice. Logging off now to enjoy the last day and a half. Will add more when and if I can during the rest of my trip, otherwise I’ll have more to say and pictures once I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted May 31, 2014 #188 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Day 12- Dubrovnik Woo Hoo! We anchored off the old port and were able to tender right into the walled city! Sure was easy not having to get from the new port to the city proper. Had a nice walk on top of the walls. It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. Fantastic views! Had a nice lunch in town then had to return to the ship a bit early to take care of some work details on the internet. Should be leaving the anchorage in about an hour for our last 32 hours at sea before Venice. Logging off now to enjoy the last day and a half. Will add more when and if I can during the rest of my trip, otherwise I’ll have more to say and pictures once I get home. Thank you for taking the time to post! Enjoy your remaining time on board. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted May 31, 2014 #189 Share Posted May 31, 2014 The security call was probably broadcast via the emergency announcement channel, which goes to all speakers regardless. My guess is that was a mistake due to a critical situation, more so than intentional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaSeaRetreat Posted June 1, 2014 #190 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Thanks so much for your live report. We'll be on the Regal in October. Glad you are having a good time. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Cynthia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetbeachgal Posted June 1, 2014 #191 Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the last instalment, It would be a shock getting than announcement in the middle of the night. Wondering why your tendering at many places, we are on 6th Aug sailing and been told no tenders at any. Enjoy Dubrovnic, my joint fave place with Venice... Are you going to Santorini? It is always a tender port. We did not tender on a cruise a few years ago when at Dubrovnik...BUT...it required a shuttle bus to get into town which took time and there was a charge for...as OP said, the tender dropped them off right in town and was preferable. Edited June 1, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gailjen Posted June 2, 2014 #192 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Are you going to Santorini? It is always a tender port. We did not tender on a cruise a few years ago when at Dubrovnik...BUT...it required a shuttle bus to get into town which took time and there was a charge for...as OP said, the tender dropped them off right in town and was preferable. No Santorini I'm afraid, just curious why they are not tendering at Dubrovnik & Mykonos in the summer, would just love to try a tender :) either got to be cost or the amount of people on board in the summers months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted June 2, 2014 #193 Share Posted June 2, 2014 just curious why they are not tendering at Dubrovnik & Mykonos in the summer, would just love to try a tender :) either got to be cost or the amount of people on board in the summers months. Docking is always preferable to tendering. o Quicker for all who want to go ashore to get to shore o No long waits (in the hot sun or rain) for tenders to return to the ship o No possible rough rides in choppy water o Less use of fuel for the cruiseline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperdo Posted June 3, 2014 #194 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Docking is always preferable to tendering.o Quicker for all who want to go ashore to get to shore o No long waits (in the hot sun or rain) for tenders to return to the ship o No possible rough rides in choppy water o Less use of fuel for the cruiseline Not to mention there's less chance of the Port being missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denali2003 Posted June 4, 2014 #195 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Thank you for posting about your trip and the ship. I do have a few questions: Does the smoke from the casino drift upstairs? Do they have Milk Shakes at Swirls (or anywhere else on the ship)? The photo gallery - are the photos pre-printed or are they digital and only print what is wanted? I notice in a picture on the Royal that there are only 2 dispensers in the showers. Which 2 things are they? In the States when you buy any drink card on Embarkation day, you are charged a local sales tax - on top of the 15%. Do they do that in Venice? I also saw a picture (not sure which ship) that they have Power Hours (like Happy Hour) and the drinks are $3.99 each (from 2-4pm and 10p - 12a) Is this available on the Regal? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperdo Posted June 4, 2014 #196 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I notice in a picture on the Royal that there are only 2 dispensers in the showers. Which 2 things are they?Here's a close up of what Princess now has in all their showers: Star Princess - Hawaii Cruise by Jasperdo, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denali2003 Posted June 4, 2014 #197 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Thank you Jasperdo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8tor Posted June 6, 2014 Author #198 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Back home now after 24 hours of travel from Venice. Sure was nice to sleep in our own bed again! I've got a business trip starting tomorrow, but will try to answer previously posted questions and post photos as soon as I can... All in all, we had a great trip and the Regal is a beautiful ship. Only problem we had was not enough "down time" and rest and that, of course, was self-induced since this was our first time to any of the ports and there was just SOOO much we wanted to see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anteaters Posted June 6, 2014 #199 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Back home now after 24 hours of travel from Venice. Sure was nice to sleep in our own bed again! I've got a business trip starting tomorrow, but will try to answer previously posted questions and post photos as soon as I can... All in all, we had a great trip and the Regal is a beautiful ship. Only problem we had was not enough "down time" and rest and that, of course, was self-induced since this was our first time to any of the ports and there was just SOOO much we wanted to see! Hi! When you have time for questions....Does the Regal do the same kind of afternoon teas in a MDR as do the other Princess ships? Also for excursions...Do you know if cruisers who did the Princess excursions got of the ship any easier/faster than those getting off on their own or for non-Princess excursions? Welcome home and thanks for a wonderful review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwahl1 Posted June 6, 2014 #200 Share Posted June 6, 2014 There was a call during dinner last year on the Royal. My wife donated and got a bottle of wine and a nice letter from Princess for her effort. I got to eat dinner alone, but had nice chats with couples on both sides, who I think felt sorry for me. I think several hundred showed up for the call. Got a call for O Pos while on the Crown in 2009, in the middle of Texas Hold em. Gladly donated. Don't remember if there was a gratuity in the deal. I was just in amazement of the facilities in the med clinic. They airlifted the recipient guy off in the middle of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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