Regal Princess, June 2014

[GTletsgocruising]

We were on the June 9 sailing (Barcelona to Venice) and couldn't have been more pleased with the 10 night itinerary for our family. The ship is stunning, a delight to cruise in, and we will cruise again on the newest addition to Princess. The elements of the Princess brand we value are continued or enhanced – and for the most part Princess has hit a home run with this ship.

 

I did read the Royal complaints – was a bit concerned – but now would counter that the positives far outweigh any negative complaints. We are already scanning future cruise opportunities on the Regal, and I would encourage really anyone who values the Princess brand to do likewise. Do NOT be spooked by a negative complaint here or there as this ship has a lot to offer.

 

Here are some brief comments that may help some:

 

1) For our family, we booked three rooms in the Caribe aft section which is our custom. One room was the corner owner’s suite. The next room, aft facing and beside the corner suite, was the new premium deluxe balcony category. The third room was an inside room closest to our starboard aft corner. All three rooms exceeded our expectations – and I wouldn’t hesitate to rebook any of the three. We did open the aft balcony gate between the aft rooms to further lengthen and enjoy the aft corner balcony. It made for an impressive view, and we used the balcony often during the cruise.

 

I know what some are thinking: What about the soot? It was pretty much a non-event on our cruise. I think we had one morning where some very small amount of residue (maybe the size of a nickel?) was apparent. Our steward had it cleaned up before we returned from breakfast. Otherwise, it was spotless.

 

2) Just like some of the other Princess ships we have sailed on…the ship never really felt that crowded. We had breakfast each morning in Sabatini’s and maybe 4 or 5 tables were occupied? I suppose the heavy port schedule, and the early am excursion times prevented the other suite guests from attending…their loss, our gain. It really made for a very personal and highly attentive dining staff experience that I would put up against any cruise line, and any level of service. It was that impressive.

 

The Outrigger bar, Alfredos, gym, afternoon tea, and even the International café were also pretty uncrowded. It appeared the lido deck was crowded, but we spent very little time on this deck.

 

I will say the one time we did feel the magnitude of the crowd was on departure. We decided to walk off, and had a difficult time finding elevator space to get down to floor 4. It was a bit maddening, but we finally got off the ship and we didn’t have to wait/find our bags. We probably would walk off again despite the inconvenience. The one area I would say Princess miscalculated was the elevator space mid-ship. It needs to be bigger for arrival and departure days (or catastrophic event) and I would hope they correct this in the future.

 

3) Sanctuary and Retreat area. Somehow I have missed the opportunity to relax inside the Sanctuary. Well, this time we booked two adjacent cabanas for one afternoon. It was a very relaxing afternoon, and a family highlight! In fact, we will always book some time in the Sanctuary on future cruises. It is not cheap, but the experience was worth it, and we really appreciated the service from the manager to his staff.

 

My family also parked at the Retreat area and was pleased with this spot to sun and relax. My daughter spent some time sunning on our aft deck which was perfect for her.

 

4) The specialty restaurants were excellent, and we visited them more than once. We hit it off with the Crown Grill staff that also worked the Sabatini’s breakfast…they were professional yet fun, and a pleasure to interact with. The main dining room experience was also very good and we had the same waiter and time each night. All in all – I would have to grade out our dining experiences as a ten out of ten (and we can be picky).

 

Summary: It was a great cruise, and the Regal was spectacular. Princess deserves high marks for not straying from what makes their brand unique. I don’t know how you beat the aft suite experience, specialty restaurants, the Princess nightly entertainment (we liked), the Sanctuary, the new piazza, and a very good 10-day Med itinerary!

Edited July 9, 2014 by GTletsgocruising

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critc and thanks for the review. :)

 

Where did you cruise too?

[GTletsgocruising]

Sorry! We departed from Barcelona, and sailed into Venice to disembark. The Venice lagoon was amazing, and a bucket list item for me!

[Mom33]

Thanks for sharing your experience on the Regal with us. :D

Hope to cruise her in the Caribbean.

[dchip]

Thanks for the Regal review. We sailed on the Royal for 19 days last Oct/Nov and fell in love with the ship. I embarked knowing I was not going to like the ship. I disembarked figuring out when I could sail her again!! :D

 

Cheers, Denise

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks for taking the time to post you're review & we enjoyed our 18 days on the Royal enough to book 27 more days on the Royal & Regal. :)

Edited July 10, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[TorontoTL]

Thanks for your review. I'm sure I'd enjoy the Regal as well.

[dbeckett]

Great review - we'll be on the Regal in just over a month and of course are counting the days.

 

If there was a catastrophic event the last thing anyone should be thinking about is taking the elevators to get to their muster station.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. It is very nice to hear you loved your cruise. I really want to sail the Regal and am looking at a couple of Western Caribbean itineraries - 2015/16.

[HRPro]

Thanks for a great review. We loved the Royal and are looking forward to sailing on the Regal this November. Glad they have resolved the soot issues on the aft balconies.

 

Susan

[Lanwood]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Great to see it's a positive one on the Royal class. And good to hear the soot problems wheren't such as issue...

[azdmelani]

Thanks for the review! Starting to get excited as we have 7 weeks left to go.

[wifeofcruiselover]

Hi all,

This is a really silly question. I am going on the Regal in August.

 

Does anyone know if there are any areas on the Regal that have "free" wifi? Or do I need to buy a package?

 

Thanks.

[caribill]

Hi all,

This is a really silly question. I am going on the Regal in August.

 

Does anyone know if there are any areas on the Regal that have "free" wifi? Or do I need to buy a package?

 

Thanks.

 

No free WiFi on any Princess ship. Can pay by the minute or buy a package.

[Astro Flyer]

Hi all,

This is a really silly question. I am going on the Regal in August.

 

Does anyone know if there are any areas on the Regal that have "free" wifi? Or do I need to buy a package?

 

Thanks.

 

The only "free" WiFi is to access the Princess website & to send Princess e-cards but the Royal/Regal do have a free intranet that you access onboard using a WiFi signal on the ship. Using the intranet you can access many things such as your onboard account, events, itinerary & menus from places like Alfredo's Pizzeria & Gelato but not for places with variable menus such as the MDR or buffet.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[SwissDave]

WiFi access is free, as it is on all ships, but you do need to pay to use the internet. And before anyone says it, WiFi is not internet, it is a networking protocol, same as the computers in the internet cafe have a wired connection.

 

Use your smartphone/tablet to access your account, deck plans, patters etc via Wifi - it's a great addition on the new ships.

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks for the great review!

 

About the soot... You mentioned that it was nickel sized. Were there just a few flecks of nickel sized pieces, or were there many?

 

Thanks for any information. Glad you likes the aft suite.

 

Thanks so much.

[riclop]

Thanks for the positive review.

[GTletsgocruising]

Thanks for the great review!

 

About the soot... You mentioned that it was nickel sized. Were there just a few flecks of nickel sized pieces' date=' or were there many?

[/quote']

 

A few flecks, but such a non-event on our cruise. I did inspect each morning to see what might have landed overnight. I don't know if we got lucky, or the Regal is better outfitted for this possibility than the Royal. I do know this, we will not hesitate to book an aft room again on the Regal!

[Birdie 0229]

We are cruising on the Regal Christmas week in an aft cabin. Looking forward to exploring the new ship.

[GTletsgocruising]

Birdie...You will luv it!!!

[Birdie 0229]

We are cruising on the Regal Christmas week in an aft cabin. Looking forward to exploring the new ship.

[Cruiserkenn]

A few flecks, but such a non-event on our cruise. I did inspect each morning to see what might have landed overnight. I don't know if we got lucky, or the Regal is better outfitted for this possibility than the Royal. I do know this, we will not hesitate to book an aft room again on the Regal!

 

Thanks so much for this positive report.

 

This is such great news. I so appreciate it.

[MojoJones]

Hi there,

 

Thanks for posting your review of the Regal. We're sailing on her in August. Do you by any chance still have the Patter for embarkation in Barcelona? Our group is trying to plan a meet & greet for sail away and we're having issues getting answers from Princess.

 

Can you tell me what time the muster was? Also - were there any special arrangements with the Dining Rooms in case muster is done during first seating?

 

Thanks so much,

kris

[Cruzin-K]

Thank you for the review. I just booked today, for April 2016 :eek: I have a long time to do research, but I'm definitely looking forward to my cruise. Your review was very helpful in easing my mind (about everything but the lack of a center staircase. ugh)