Live from the Regal Princess 11/16-11/23

[HRPro]

I will try to report in everyday depending on Internet speed. We arrived at FLL at 12:00, waited in a fairly long line to get a can but were on the ship by 1:30. Weather is 82 and sunny in beautiful FLL. The Regal is gorgeous and looks exactly like her Sister ship, the Royal Princess, which we sailed on last fall. We are in a midship mini suite, C414, with a large angled balcony. Only one footstool on the balcony, unlike last year on the Royal whe we had two. Oh, well we'll just have to share. Had lunch ar the IC--delicious as always.

 

Captain is Ed Perrin and CD is Ron Goidman. Executive Chef is Josef Lusner and Maître D is Silvio Zampieri. We are at the safety drill and we did have to bring our life jackets. Productions shows are Sweet Soul Music, Fiera!, Spectacular, and the Beatlemaniacs. Comedian is Al Katz and the entertainer in Crooners is Tom Franek. Pianist in Wheelhouse is Luca Ovidiu. NFL game is on MUTS tonight, so DH is happy.

 

We have AT dining and we're able to make a reservation for 7:30 for two. Eat traditional is at 5:30 and late at 8:00 pm.

 

That's all for now.

[HRPro]

Sorry--will try to do better with my typing on this IPhone. CD is Ron Goodman and Exe Chef is Josef Lisner. Hate this keyboard! Muster is 15 minutes late but no word in whether we'll be late sailing.

[Jerlyn]

Thank you so much we are sailing in a couple weeks. Have a wonderful voyage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tikilite]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post. Look forward to your daily check in!

[Loonbeam]

Ooh. We had Chef Lisner on the Royal. Probably my second favorite next to Chef Bolis... Food should be good...

 

Sorry--will try to do better with my typing on this IPhone. CD is Ron Goodman and Exe Chef is Josef Lisner. Hate this keyboard! Muster is 15 minutes late but no word in whether we'll be late sailing.

[Mom33]

Have a wonderful time! Three weeks to go for us. We'll look forward to your posts. :D

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks for reporting!!

 

If you speak with Ron Goodman, could you ask him how long he will be on the Regal? We loved him last year on the Royal and hope he will still be on the ship when we sail on Janaury 11!!

 

BON voyage!

[mistyann]

We'll be on the Regal in April and was on the Royal last April, also. We'll be in an Aft on Baja for the first time, hope we don't have any soot issues :mad:, but it will be great to be on the Regal anyway! Have a great cruise and thanks for the review!

[HRPro]

Thanks for reporting!!

 

If you speak with Ron Goodman, could you ask him how long he will be on the Regal? We loved him last year on the Royal and hope he will still be on the ship when we sail on Janaury 11!!

 

BON voyage!

 

Will do. He just came back to the ship in mid October so hopefully he'll still be on in January. Just had a gorgeous sunny sailaway. The Captain played the Love Boat theme horn all the way down the channel, much to the delight of all on board. Luggage was delivered promptly around 4:00 so we're all set for a great cruise. Princess tote bags are paper shopping bags--a little disappointing unless others will be delivered tonight. Robes were in our room as requested.

 

Time to explore the ship and put my phone in airplane mode. More to come!

[Bimmer09]

Just watched you sail out of PE on the webcam.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Norris

[orilian]

Hi Susan,

Say hi to Bob for us.

We were on the Royal with you last year.

We just did a Transatlantic from Southampton on the Emerald and arrived in Houston on Tuesday.

Have a great cruise.

We think Silvio is an excellent Maitre D. Last time we had him he lived in Vancouver.

Karen and Rob

[WendyG]

Thanks for your live. We get on when you get off (not rushing you or anything) :)

 

Curious what movies they're playing on muts if you have a chance to check.

 

Have a fabulous week onboard!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[lynwar]

Thank you for your report. I also watched the sail away on the webcam. It was amazing that the horn was blown 4 times-that I heard.

We were on the Royal last year and did see the Beatlemaniacs both in the lounge and Piazza.

If the Regal is truly like the Royal, it is another beautiful sister.

Have a great time.

Lynne

[homeinboca]

Thanks for your report. Look forward to hearing about your experiences on board.

[Cy'all@C]

We just returned from the 11/9 Regal voyage this morning. The surprise

of the entire cruise was the outstanding chocolates. Whereas quality chocolates are difficult to find on cruise ships, Regal is featuring Master chocolatier and pastry chef Norman Love. His selections are featured on certain menus at dining so try not to miss these items....especially the chocolate raspberry Mousse which is featured on a culinary journey menu. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, you will journey through the decades culminating in the twenty-tens.....the "New Retro Era". These items are only on Regal and are outstanding....you chocolate lovers are in for a HUGE treat! Keith

Edited November 17, 2014 by Cy'all@C

[dmwnc1959]

Hi Susan,

 

Enjoy your cruise! Can't get enough Live threads from Regal Princess right now since I'm landlocked and already suffering from cabin fever, and it's only November!

 

 

Can't wait to hear "The Love Boat" theme for ourselves. Will be hanging on your every post!

 

 

One tip; it's very difficult if not impossible to hear the Love Boat horn from the aft (sheltered) Horizon Terrace. With lots of people all talking it sort of drowns it out. So it's best to be in the pool deck areas and forward of funnel to get the full affect.

 

:D

Edited November 17, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[Grego]

Thanks for reporting!!

 

If you speak with Ron Goodman, could you ask him how long he will be on the Regal? We loved him last year on the Royal and hope he will still be on the ship when we sail on Janaury 11!!

 

BON voyage!

 

He did announce during our transatlantic voyage that he is being reassigned to the Diamond Princess and will be doing the Asia run. There was no date mentioned to when this will happen but it will be sometime close to when the Diamond comes out of drydock.

[more cruises]

.........

 

 

One tip; it's very difficult if not impossible to hear the Love Boat horn from the aft (sheltered) Horizon Terrace. With lots of people all talking it sort of drowns it out. So it's best to be in the pool deck areas and forward of funnel to get the full affect.

 

:D

 

Darn, we were planning on staying on our port side balcony for sail away and it is very far aft. Hope we can still hear it

[azdmelani]

I will try to report in everyday depending on Internet speed. We arrived at FLL at 12:00, waited in a fairly long line to get a can but were on the ship by 1:30. Weather is 82 and sunny in beautiful FLL. The Regal is gorgeous and looks exactly like her Sister ship, the Royal Princess, which we sailed on last fall. We are in a midship mini suite, C414, with a large angled balcony. Only one footstool on the balcony, unlike last year on the Royal whe we had two. Oh, well we'll just have to share. Had lunch ar the IC--delicious as always.

 

Captain is Ed Perrin and CD is Ron Goidman. Executive Chef is Josef Lusner and Maître D is Silvio Zampieri. We are at the safety drill and we did have to bring our life jackets. Productions shows are Sweet Soul Music, Fiera!, Spectacular, and the Beatlemaniacs. Comedian is Al Katz and the entertainer in Crooners is Tom Franek. Pianist in Wheelhouse is Luca Ovidiu. NFL game is on MUTS tonight, so DH is happy.

 

We have AT dining and we're able to make a reservation for 7:30 for two. Eat traditional is at 5:30 and late at 8:00 pm.

 

That's all for now.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. Dont miss Fiera, it is spectacular!

[HRPro]

Hi Susan,

Say hi to Bob for us.

We were on the Royal with you last year.

We just did a Transatlantic from Southampton on the Emerald and arrived in Houston on Tuesday.

Have a great cruise.

We think Silvio is an excellent Maitre D. Last time we had him he lived in Vancouver.

Karen and Rob

 

Karen, so glad you chimed in. I lost your email address and was so distressed that I couldn't get in touch with you and Rob. We're on the Spring transatlantic on the Royal in April. Would love to sail with you again. Bob sends his best.

 

Now, back to the thread.

[HRPro]

Just finishing up our Princess Cay port of call. We had a beautiful and warm day but a bit windy. Tendering went smoothly, and I did the snorkeling excursion. Met the snorkeling boat at the tender dock and went to an offshore reef for an hour long snorkel. Water was a little rough due to the wind, but the coral was beautiful and the fish were plentiful. Great excursion and would recommend it. I also spent some time at the new terrace "pool". It is elevated and has a lovely view aft, but the pool is really just a plunge pool that will accommodate about 8 people, so not much larger than a hot tub. There is a nice deck with shallow water that people were sitting in, and it's very quiet away from the noise and commotion of the main pool. I like it and it's a much better use of space than the Royal, which just had deck chairs in that area.

 

We ate dinner in the Concerto DR last evening. Service was a little slow, but they have the new Caribbean menu and our food was very good. We're eating in the Symphony DR tonight at little earlier, so we'll see how the service is this evening.

 

Correction from my previous post--we did get the blue Princess tote bag in our room after dinner, which has the 50th anniversary logo. Very nice.

 

Entertainment tonight is Al Katz--we're not fans so don't plan to go. Monday Night Football is on MUTS and we'll probably try to catch that. We're trivia fans and there are six games scheduled today and this evening. We've played three times, DH won once and we game in second twice so at least we're competitive. I'll check on the MUTS offerings and include those in my next post.

 

We'll soon be making our way south to St. Thomas, so stay tuned for more updates. DH found the Gelato place--3 large scoops for $3.50 or a punch on your coffee card. In addition to gelato, they had two types of sorbet and a sugar free version of gelato. They also will accommodate those of us with smaller appetites--you can pay for 3 scoops and just get one at a time--just bring back your original receipt.

 

Time for zumba, so gotta run!

[HRPro]

Checking in before turning in for the night. we lose an hour tonight, so I'm glad that tomorrow is a sea day. The first formal night is tomorrow evening. Watching Monday Night Football on MUTS was a surreal experience. close game, lots of fans cheering and fantastic picture and sound. steelers won, so DH was happy. Movies on MUTS this week are Dawon of the Planet of the Apes, Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Maleficent, Million Dollar Arm, and The Fault in Our Stars. Lot is great movies and TV shows on the in room entertainment system, which is working great. We again ate in the MDR and service was much better this evening. We made reservations for 6:00 and had a table for 2 in the Symphony DR. food was excellent and really am enjoying the new Caribbean menu.

 

Someone on a separate thread asked about embarkation in FLL. We arrived at the Port around 1:00 and were in our room by 1:30. Short line outside the terminal and no lines to check in. Very easy. traffic was heavy and it did take awhile to get a taxi at the airport--taxi fare was $19 plus tip, which was higher than has been reported on CC, but it was still cheaper than taking the Princess transfer, which is $19 pp. We're doing EZ check on our way home, and have repeated a late disembarkation since our flight is not until 1:00. that's all for now.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Appreciate your comment about the aft pool....it sounded like a positive addition to me, and I prefer sitting in the shallow splash area over the pool, so sounds like this is a nice alternative. Regardless of whether it is small or not, it is an improvement.

[Carol28]

For the first time, we are going to try dinner at 6:00. You mentioned that the early dinner is at 5:30. Is there one at 5:30 and another one at 6:00?

 

And, if we choose to change to anytime dining because we decide that early dining is not for us, can we change? I don't mean going back and forth between traditional and anytime, but making a change for the remainder of the cruise?

[HRPro]

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. It was out first sea day and the first formal night so lots going on around the ship. This is the most Trivia we've ever seen scheduled on a ship--6 times per day--my DH is trying to play them all:). He's won twice already--better luck than he's having in the casino.

 

First, to respond to the dining question, early traditional is at 5:30 on this cruise, and you can change to anytime dining for the remainder of the cruise. We've had good luck making reservations each night for anytime dining. You can make reservations for up to 6pm and 7:30 or later. We had great service in the Symphony dining room and booked the same table for two nights at 6:00 pm. So, if 5:30 is too early, switch to anytime and just make your reservations each morning by calling the dine line. Just see the MD when you board. He'll be set up in one of the dining rooms.

 

While we're on the subject, the first formal night was wonderful. They offered the 50th anniversary menu, and you get a souvenir menu for the night. The food was some of the best we've had on a cruise ship especially the beef tournedos, which were perfectly cooked and very tender. The raspberry chocolate mousse was delicious--one of the Norman Love creations. Service was again excellent. We were out in time for the champagne waterfall and then attended one of the production shows, Spectacular. It was entertaining if not my favorite music. The vocalists are great and the dancers were talented too. Can't wait to see Fiera tomorrow evening as I've heard it's wonderful.

 

Today is St. Thomas and we're docked at Crown Point right on time. Weather is sunny and 82 degrees. Don't go by the extended weather forecasts, and they were calling for rain in St. Thomas and St. Maareten. The weather now is gorgeous and is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow as well. Calm seas and great sailing so far. I'm meeting a friend who lives on Water Island and then headed to St. John's for a snorkeling trip to Trunk Bay.

 

I'll update later on some of the ship's issues like elevators, safes and the promenade deck, but right now have to go get ready for the day. More to come.