Regal Princess 12/14-12/21 Review, BVE, pics

[Wdl892003]

Hey all,

 

I'm a long time lurker of the forums, but this is my first lengthy post. I've enjoyed reading many of your reviews, tips, and suggestions, so I figured I'd attempt to return the favor and share my most recent experience with Princess.

 

This was my 2nd time sailing Princess (I'm a RCCL convert), the first time was just over a year ago on the Ruby.

 

12/14/14 - Day 1 and Bon Voyage Experience.

After a late start, we arrived at Port Everglades-Terminal 2 at around 11 am. I brought my parents along for the afternoon vis-a-vis Princess' "Bon Voyage Experience." Upon informing one of Princess' curbside personnel that we were there for the BVE, we were immediately allowed to circumvent the already long check-in line and, after being handed our cruise cards, were escorted onto the ship by one of Princess' crew members who had come off of the ship to greet us and take us onboard.

 

I was very impressed by Princess' attention to detail and efficiency with the whole check-in/BVE process. I was worried that nobody would be able to assist us in finding out exactly where to meet or who to talk to for the BVE- but to the contrary Princess was on their game and took care of everything for us.

 

Once on the ship, we were informed that we could either wait around until someone was available to give us a guided tour, or, alternatively, we could have lunch in the Symphony dining room and then explore the ship on our own - along with our BVE guests - until 3:15pm when we had to report for the Muster Drill. We opted for the latter. The lunch menu was somewhat minimalist, as there seemed to be fewer options than usual for lunch. Surprisingly, I've totally forgotten what the dessert menu featured.

 

The service was excellent, and the food was pretty good too. I opted for a Grilled Salmon dish, along with a Shrimp and Avocado appetizer. The menu also featured a Grilled Flank Steak, which my wife and mother ordered. Those seemed to be the two "higher end" items offered for lunch. I'm not sure if the seemingly smaller menu is customary for Day 1 lunch in the dining room, or if the menu was specifically tailored for BVE guests. I usually opt to have lunch in the Horizon Court, so the whole "lunch in the dining room" experience was somewhat new to me.

 

After lunch we set out to explore the ship with our BVE guests. They were treated just as if they were "real" guests, with a full run of the ship and all of the perks that go with it (until their mandatory 3:15 disembarkation time).

 

Along with their dining room experience, they took full advantage of the opportunity to try out the International Cafe, Horizon Court, and Trident Grill on Deck 16. We also did a few (much needed) laps around the walking path on Deck 17, while taking in the view of Port Everglades from Regal's top deck. We bid our BVE guests a farewell at around 3:00 and they disembarked without a hitch.

 

With all the eating we had already done, it took everything in us to muster (:D) up the energy to go to our 3:15pm muster drill in the Princess Live! theatre on Deck 7. One thing I'm not crazy about is Princess' insistence that you take your life jackets with you to the muster drill (something that I had gotten used to not having to do on RCCL). However, it's a minor inconvenience in the name of safety, so I can't really complain.

 

Here are a few shots from our Balcony Cabin D501 (Dolphin Deck 9) [more on that later] as we sailed out of Port Everglades:

 

 

 

 

I realize this post has gotten pretty long, and I've only really done Day 1. I'll try to break this up into multiple posts to hopefully make it easier to read.

 

Also if anyone has any requests as far as pictures go, let me know. I took a ton - unfortunately, however, most of them were of the food. (Are you starting to see a recurring theme here?)

Edited December 23, 2014 by Wdl892003

[Colo Cruiser]

Great start, thanks for the review.

[Wdl892003]

Day 2 - Princess Cays:

 

We woke up early Monday morning (Day 2) and sat on our balcony as we sailed into Princess Cays. A Holland America ship (pictured below - I wasn't able to see her name) had been following us throughout the night and into the morning. I assume Half Moon Cay is very close to Princess Cays.

 

Our cabin, D501, sat directly above the level of balcony cabins with obstructed views due to the placement of Regal's lifeboats and davits. I was a little worried that the lifeboats would nevertheless partially obstruct our view but, as you can see from the pictures, that wasn't really the case. Our view was almost entirely unimpeded in every direction, except if you look straight down.

 

After the ship anchored, we headed to the Horizon Court for a quick breakfast. Out of all the great things Princess has to offer, as a Royal Caribbean convert, I really can't say enough about the Horizon Court/Horizon Bistro. While we always opt for a more formal sit-down dinner in the dining room, we were blown away by the quality and quantity of the breakfast and lunch food in the Horizon Court on Deck 16. Without a doubt, it blows RCCL's equivalent ("The Windjammer") out of the water.

 

On this morning, aside from the usual assortment of various types of eggs, bacon, sausage, and french toast - there were also multiple types of croissants, danishes, and oatmeals, [insert any carb imaginable], etc. Additionally, the Horizon Court featured a really delicious breakfast burrito, as well as a bacon and egg quiche -- both of which I really thought were superior quality.

 

After breakfast, we were directed down to the Symphony dining room to pick up a "Tender Ticket" to get to Princess Cays. Upon walking in, we were handed a ticket with a number (very Supermarket Deli-esque), and after our number was called, we proceeded down to the lower deck to board the tender to the island. Overall, we waited about 8-10 minutes from the time we received our tender ticket to the time our number was actually called. I thought this system was a much more efficient way of tendering than the usual free-for-all that occurs on many other cruise lines.

 

We spent a few hours on the beach in Princess Cay and enjoyed the BBQ (the usual spread of hotdogs, hamburgers, ribs, cole slaw, etc.) before heading back to the ship to explore a little bit before passengers started coming back on board.

 

Another gem that Regal offers is Alfredo's Pizzeria on Deck 6. We shared one of their specialty 12'' gourmet pizzas for a late-afternoon snack and it was delicious. It was definitely a cut above the pizza that they serve on the pool deck. Given the quality of the pizza and the attentiveness of the staff, I was (pleasantly) shocked that Alfredo's was a complimentary restaurant without a cover charge. If you're on the Regal, you have to take advantage of this! (picture below).

 

We elected to do the "Anytime Dining" option and made reservations for 8:30pm for the duration of the cruise in the Symphony dining room on Deck 5. In retrospect, such late reservations may not have been a great idea. It seemed as if we missed a number of the Regal's evening activities due to it conflicting with our dinner reservations. If I had to do it again (and hopefully I do!) I would make reservations a little bit earlier as a lot of programs start in the 8:30-9:00 pm range.

 

Unlike my experience with RCCL, Princess' (more specifically Regal's) dinner menus seemed to have lots of new options and differed significantly from the last cruise that I had been on. Aside from the usual offerings, there were really unique (and tasty) choices such as Crawfish Seafood Mac & Cheese. I thought it was a risky call when I ordered it, but it was absolutely delicious. The culinary team and dining room staff really do a wonderful job.

 

I'll talk more about dinner/dining room later (if I haven't already bored everyone to sleep), but I'll leave you with a few pictures for now:

 

-HAL following us into Eleuthra

 

-The aforementioned Seafood Mac & Cheese

 

-A view from the cabin - you can see a tiny bit of the lifeboat below us as I alluded to above

 

-A view from the tender as we headed back to the ship from Princess Cays

 

-Vegetarian pizza from Alfredo's - picture doesn't really do it justice, but Alfredo's is definitely a must-try!

[searoses]

Leaving in less than 3 weeks for the regal.....you can never write too much info in a review.....or post too many pics.....people who are anticipating and people who have returned are waiting with bated breath for every scrap of info!.....don't be shy!

[riclop]

Great start to your review and I am also enjoying your pictures and no its not boring.

[twinsx2mom]

Thanks so, so much! We'll be on the Regal on the 11th and are really

appreciating the updates!!

[Wdl892003]

Day 3 at sea, and Day 4 St. Thomas U.S.V.I.:

 

Day 3 - we spent a lazy day at sea while en route to St. Thomas.

 

This was also the first formal night in the dining room. My suit had unfortunately gotten wrinkled inside of my garment bag, so I sent it off in the morning to the ship's cleaners for a dry clean and press. As many of you probably already know, most ships now use a sort of "modified" dry cleaning technique without any of the flammable chemicals. As far as I could tell it did the trick just fine. Also -- interestingly, Princess' on-ship dry cleaning services are actually CHEAPER than what I pay at my local dry cleaners. That was a big surprise. Maybe next cruise I should just pack everything in my closet that I need dry cleaned. :p

 

During our at sea day, we decided to have a somewhat lighter breakfast (after our all out gorge the past 2 days) at International Cafe. This was actually my first time trying a Cronut - a cross between a donut and a croissant. It did not disappoint. (see: picture below). Needless to say, this was the first of quite a few cronuts that we consumed in the coming days. It is definitely a must-try and a favorite amongst other guests as they went pretty quickly whenever International Cafe put them out. Along with the usual continental assortments of croissants, danishes and breakfast breads, the International Cafe also offered a hot breakfast consisting of a bacon, egg, a cheese english muffin - available in the mornings.

 

On Day 4 we had an early arrival into St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Regrettably, we had not booked an excursion through Princess but we decided last minute that we really wanted to take a tour of the island, as it was a beautiful day and neither of us had been there in quite some time. More on this below.

 

Against our better judgment we decided to order room service breakfast with the hope that it would save us some time battling the morning crowd upstairs in the Horizon Court. While room service did come on time, the fruit juices we ordered were room temperature, as was the yogurt. The egg english muffin (the only "hot" item on the menu) was lukewarm. I've never had good experiences ordering breakfast room service - so I suppose I should've known better, but it was still a little disappointing. After sticking the juices in the fridge, we decided to abort that plan and grab a quick bite instead at the International Cafe on the way off of the ship. It was surprisingly empty, and we enjoyed a Cronut (again), fresh Almond croissants, and some fruit yogurt/parfaits that International Cafe always has in the mornings.

 

Leaving the ship was easy as pie since we were actually docked and no longer had to worry about catching a tender. After stealthily avoiding Princess' photographers and costumed pirates soliciting us for a picture at the end of the ship's gangway, we headed into the "main shopping area" of the cruise port.

 

Much like so many of these Caribbean ports, there is a main shopping drag right off of the ship, and then, a few hundred yards beyond that, the end of the port area. The real shopping area (if you're looking for luxury watches, jewelry, etc.) is actually a few miles away from where we docked (the picture below may give you some perspective.) Just something to keep in mind if that is what you're aiming to do in St. Thomas. However, if you're just looking for random souvenirs and smaller items, you don't have to go far - as the shops within walking distance of the ship have plenty of that sort. However, it seems as if to get to the real "higher-end" shopping and downtown area, your best bet is to take a cab. (again, the last picture below may help put this into perspective).

 

We walked over to the taxi area with the hopes of finding a last-minute tour (not necessarily Princess-affiliated) that we could squeeze into. The whole time I was kicking myself for not just booking the +/- $45 per person St. Thomas excursion/tour through Princess.

 

However, after just a little bit of searching, we found a sign at the Taxi stand offering "$25 per person, 2 hour island tours." We jumped at this opportunity (despite Princess' warnings about unaffiliated excursions) and were paired up with a few other people from the Regal who had also failed to book shore excursions through the ship. We were loaded into a very roomy, air conditioned, van and taken around the island by our wonderful tour guide, Miss Flo from St. Lucia.

 

It could not have been a better experience. The advertised "2 hour tour" was more like a 3.5 hour tour, and we got to see ALL of the things (plus more) that Princess offers in their much more expensive excursions. We went to Magen's Bay, the scenic overlook above Magen's Bay, several historical landmarks on the island, the downtown shopping district, etc. We were very pleased that we saved a considerable amount of money AND got to see even more sites than we could have hoped for had we actually booked the equivalent Princess excursion.

 

I know that many consider it dangerous to book unaffiliated excursions, but given the fact that it was in St. Thomas (technically a U.S. Federal jurisdiction), and a low-crime island, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this option to anyone who wants a relatively quick and comfortable island tour that covers the major attractions.

 

[Directions to the tour pick-up point if you're interested: Once off of the ship, just follow the signs in the cruise port to the taxi stand, which is just a short walk, past the few restaurants in the port, located near where the port-shops end. The sign above the taxi stand will advertise the island tour that we took. Given the relatively unstructured nature of this type of tour, make sure before you get in the van that you ask the driver about the itinerary -- just so you know what you're getting into and that you'll be hitting the attractions You want to see.]

 

I've attached a few photos below of some of the stops that we made on our tour. After the tour, the guide gave us the option of either dropping us off in the shopping district (which she said was approx. 2.5 miles from the ship) or back at the ship directly. We were pretty tired from the tour, so we decided to skip shopping and head back to the Regal.

 

Once back on the ship we headed straight up to the Horizon Court for lunch, as we hadn't eaten anything since the early AM. I guess this should go without saying, but If you get back to the ship early on Port days, the Horizon Court is a great option. We sat at the outdoor seating area located in the ship's aft, overlooking the port, and had virtually the entire deck to ourselves.

 

Another thing I really enjoy about Princess is the ample outside seating for the Horizon Court. (From the handful of Royal Carribbean ships I've been on, their Horizon Court equivalent only had inside seating). Moreover, the Regal offered even more outdoor seating options at the Horizon Court than the Ruby Princess. On the Ruby, the outdoor tables associated with the Horizon Court seemed to only be near the pool deck - which was sometimes a little unpleasant with the noise often generated in the area. However, on the Regal, for a quieter more peaceful environment, check out the outdoor tables just outside of the Horizon Court located in the far aft of the ship.

 

Thanks for the responses guys, I really appreciate it. If there's anything you want me to post or focus on more specifically in my review, feel free to let me know and I'll try my best.

 

A few pictures:

 

-As promised, the infamous International Cafe Cronuts

 

-First view of St. Thomas as we stepped off of the Regal

 

-Breathtaking view of Magen's Bay from 1,500 feet above (one of the stops on our tour)

 

-Another scenic stop on our tour - these were the OTHER ships in port that day (Freedom of the Seas, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Gem, and an unknown Carnival Ship?) As you'll see in the next photo, we docked a LONG way away from the other ships

 

-This will give you some perspective as to how far away the Regal docks compared to the other ships (which dock much closer to the center of town and main shopping district). The Regal is located on the far, far, far right.

[plunker]

Do you recall the name of the company that you toured with? We are going on the Regal Jan 18 and would like to book that tour. Thanks

[Gallivanting Souls]

Hey all,

 

--->(SNIP)

 

12/14/14 - Day 1 and Bon Voyage Experience.

After a late start, we arrived at Port Everglades-Terminal 2 at around 11 am. I brought my parents along for the afternoon vis-a-vis Princess' "Bon Voyage Experience." Upon informing one of Princess' curbside personnel that we were there for the BVE, we were immediately allowed to circumvent the already long check-in line and, after being handed our cruise cards, were escorted onto the ship by one of Princess' crew members who had come off of the ship to greet us and take us onboard.

 

 

I'm glad to hear you were able to get right on, and by-pass the line. I will have a BVE soon with my Son and Daughter-In-Law and am worried about this right now. Did you take advantage of the BVE pictures? If so, what are they? Are they the embarkation picture or ?

[Wdl892003]

Do you recall the name of the company that you toured with? We are going on the Regal Jan 18 and would like to book that tour. Thanks

 

I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a separate company but just a subsidiary of the taxi company that operates within the port that offers tours in addition to their traditional taxi services. The van we toured in wasn't marked with any information other than its "St. Thomas Taxi" designation.

 

I wish I could give you better info, however if you go to the taxi stand and tell them you'd like the island tour that they have advertised at their booth, they'll definitely be able to make room for you. There seemed to be a number of vans that they had in their fleet that were doing the same island tour (just with different tour guides), so space wasn't an issue. Based on my impression, it wasn't really something that you can book in advance, but rather more of an informal tour on a first come, first served basis.

 

I hope this helps a little bit.

[Wdl892003]

I'm glad to hear you were able to get right on, and by-pass the line. I will have a BVE soon with my Son and Daughter-In-Law and am worried about this right now. Did you take advantage of the BVE pictures? If so, what are they? Are they the embarkation picture or ?

 

Ah yes, I forgot to mention this. Thanks for reminding me. They took the standard embarkation photo of all of us before we boarded the ship for the BVE. At least for us, that was the only photo opp. They gave us 2 copies of the photos (2 8x10's), each with a different Regal Princess themed border.

 

A side note: On the BVE information packet they stated that BVE guests can pick up their complimentary photos before they disembark from the ship. However, in our case, we had to wait until Night 2 of the cruise for the photos. No biggie, but not sure if this was a fluke or their normal operating procedure.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Wdl892003

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts and pictures. Looking forward to seeing more.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Wdl892003]

Day 5 - St. Maarten - Maho Beach & Marigot

 

We arrived in St. Maarten very early - around 7:30 am. It was a busy port day with SEVEN other ships in port.

 

Both of us really wanted to see Maho Beach (where the airplanes fly right over you while landing). I had heard that traffic in St. Maarten is a concern so an early start was imperative. We left the ship around 8:15 am in search of the best method of transportation to Maho Beach.

 

Despite what I had read, it turns out that the St. Maarten water taxi is not a feasible option for transportation to Maho Beach. The water taxi, located at the end of the cruise port pier, offers $7 dollar "day passes" enabling you to take as many round trips on the water taxi as you'd like. We asked a water taxi employee if the water taxi stops at any location that is walkable to Maho Beach. She looked at us like we had 6 heads. Turns out that the farthest drop-off point on the water taxi is still a 20 minute CAR ride from Maho Beach (I had previously heard/thought it was more like a 20 minute walk).

 

Instead, we opted for the slightly more expensive and much less interesting "regular taxi" ride to Maho Beach. The posted taxi rate from the cruise port to Maho Beach is $10 per person, per way. However, if you have 6 or more people in your taxi, the price goes down to $8 per person, per way. There were tons of other people from our ship looking for a Maho Beach taxi, so we decided to all hop in one van to save a few bucks. (NOTE: I've heard that there is a +/-$4 bus to Maho Beach if you're willing to do a little investigative work to find out where it picks up, but we ended up just taking a taxi to save time).

 

The traffic in St. Maarten was as advertised, and Maho Beach was a LONG drive from the Port - thanks to many cars and taxis already on the roads. I timed us at 45 minutes, even with our driver high-tailing it through the streets like he was playing Mario Kart. Taking a taxi in the Caribbean is a worthy excursion in and of itself for any thrill-seekers out there who are into roller coasters.

 

We got to Maho Beach in time for the first of the bigger, commercial planes that were landing (see picture below). However if you want to see the much larger international planes, you're going to have to go in the early to mid-afternoon, as they seem to arrive around 2pm - 3pm. After spending a few hours watching planes and taking in the scenery on Maho Beach, we decided to ditch the enormous crowd (see picture) and hop on a taxi to Marigot - the capital of the French side of the island.

 

Hailing a cab at Maho Beach was not a problem at all - there are numerous taxis, all looking for people to take back to the cruise port or other areas on the island. For $8 we hitched a ride over to Marigot.

 

Marigot was beautiful, quaint, and a nice change of pace from the madness of Maho Beach. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to have lunch off of the ship in the French section of St. Marteen. There are a number of eateries, many of which offer a traditional French/Caribbean fusion menu.

 

The prices, for the most part, seemed pretty reasonable. Many parts of Marigot have a distinct European feel, which is a neat change of pace from the usual Caribbean vibe. In fact, most of the menus we saw at restaurants had their prices in Euros (though they accept a 1 for 1 conversion with American dollars), and many of the street vendors greeted us with a "Bonjour!"

 

Marigot also features a very extensive outdoor market with vendors selling everything from jewelry, to t-shirts, to original artwork, to homemade soaps. Generally speaking, it was a much higher quality of artisanship than the straw market in Nassau or the markets in many other Caribbean ports. It definitely was a unique experience and we were able to pick up a few cool souvenirs, including a beautiful 8x10 matted water color painting of St. Maarten that was only $15. If you have time, definitely make the trek to Marigot's outdoor market for your souvenirs!! The prices in port seemed to be higher, and the quality and overall ambiance not nearly as good.

 

After taking another $8 taxi back to the ship from Marigot, we decided to take it easy until dinner time.

 

For dinner, we tried out the much talked about Crown Grill. This was my first time at Crown Grill, and I've never eaten at Chops (RCCL's equivalent speciality steakhouse) so I really have nothing to compare it to.

 

My brief review of the experience:

 

The service, I thought, was decent - but nothing to write home about. If anything, it was very comparable to the generally good service you receive in the main dining room. One complaint I have is Crown Grill's location: on the Regal, the restaurant is right next to the piano bar, which makes things a little noisy at times. While I don't mind live music while I eat, I felt as if the juxtaposition didn't really fit the darker, more laid back ambiance that Crown Grill was looking to provide. But alas, it wasn't a big deal.

 

The appetizers at Crown Grill were, without question, a cut above what is normally offered in the dining room. We both tried a Spiny Lobster Cake and Grilled Jumbo Tiger Prawn with garlic butter. Both were delicious, and the presentation was excellent (see picture below of Lobster Cake).

 

We also each ordered the 8 oz. Filet Mignon for our main course. It came with a choice of vegetable and potato. We tried the garlic herb french fries, the asparagus, spinach, and garlic mashed potatoes. While it was a better quality steak than what you'd get at Outback Steakhouse or an equivalent mid-level chain in the States, it was a far cry from Ruth's Chris or Capital Grille quality. Again, I'm not sure if my expectations were too high, but for a $25 per person cover, I was expecting a little bit higher quality. Granted, the same 8 oz. filet at Ruth's Chris or Capital Grille is also $49 - so maybe I just got what I paid for. Nevertheless, I thought the New York Strip Steak (served on the last night in the main dining room) was better cooked and just as tasty as my $25 filet at Crown Grill.

 

The desserts at Crown Grill take the cake (no pun intended). We ordered three different desserts and shared them all: the molton chocolate lava cake, the s'mores pie, and the Norman Love chocolate and peanut butter creation. All 3 were beautifully presented and more importantly, absolutely delicious. (pictures of 2 of the 3 below).

 

(NOTE: It seems as if the Norman Love confections are offered somewhat randomly throughout the cruise, both in the dining room and the specialty restaurants. If my memory serves me correctly, on both the 3rd and 6th nights, the dining room's dessert menu featured a Norman Love "creation" -- we always opted for them when they were available and they NEVER disappointed!).

 

All in all, Crown Grill was above average, but I'm always a little wary of spending extra $ in a specialty restaurant given the abundance of great free food on the ship.

 

Some pictures:

 

-Plane landing at our first stop of the day, Maho Beach.

 

-A picture of the waterfront in Marigot. At the top of the photo is an old Fort that is open to tourists.

 

-Lobster Cake Appetizer from Crown Grill

 

-Norman Love chocolate/peanut butter confection from Crown Grill

 

-S'mores Dessert from Crown Grill

 

-The Regal and RCCL's Freedom of the Seas side by side in St. Maarten

[Happy2Crews]

Thanks for your informative posts....we are enjoying them as you are certainly contributing to our excitement. We have a few more weeks before our Regal experience. Any info and photos about the pools and spa area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

[Wdl892003]

Thanks for your informative posts....we are enjoying them as you are certainly contributing to our excitement. We have a few more weeks before our Regal experience. Any info and photos about the pools and spa area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

I don't have too many photos of the spa and pools, which is odd since we spent quite a bit of time up on Deck 16.

 

Regarding the Spa: I'm not a big spa person, but my wife is, and she raved about how much nicer it was on the Regal than on previous cruises. It seems like the smart play is to definitely wait for spa treatments, massages, etc. until the Port days on the latter half of the voyage -- there were some good deals and discounts then on many different spa services.

 

 

As far as the pools go: We mostly stayed around the main pool on Deck 16 and it was pleasantly uncrowded throughout most of the cruise. The hot tubs were also frequently empty and are a great place from which you can watch the Movies Under the Stars that they offer each night onboard. "The Sanctuary" on deck 16 offers a more luxurious pool and pool-side experience, with cabanas and refreshments. We actually stumbled in there on a port day while exploring the ship (after Princess Cays) and we were unaware that it normally costs an extra fee. However, the attendant on duty told us that we were welcome to come in and swim/hang out without paying since it was such a quiet day and nobody was there. I'm not too sure if Princess would be happy about their employee letting us in for free, but if you're in the area and it's a quiet day, it's worth a shot :)

[sunsetbeachgal]

Great review!! Thanks! We sail on the Regal in a few weeks and you have given some great tips and advice.

[CloverNJ]

Thanks so much for all of the info, sailing on Regal in Feb!

[ebuettner]

Thanks for the great review. We head out on the Regal this Sunday....very excited and appreciate the timely info.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[searoses]

The retreat pool is free....it is the cabanas that cost.....the pool is not part of the sanctuary...

[MarKay525]

I'm glad to hear you were able to get right on, and by-pass the line. I will have a BVE soon with my Son and Daughter-In-Law and am worried about this right now. Did you take advantage of the BVE pictures? If so, what are they? Are they the embarkation picture or ?

 

Ah yes, I forgot to mention this. Thanks for reminding me. They took the standard embarkation photo of all of us before we boarded the ship for the BVE. At least for us, that was the only photo opp. They gave us 2 copies of the photos (2 8x10's), each with a different Regal Princess themed border.

 

A side note: On the BVE information packet they stated that BVE guests can pick up their complimentary photos before they disembark from the ship. However, in our case, we had to wait until Night 2 of the cruise for the photos. No biggie, but not sure if this was a fluke or their normal operating procedure.

 

Hi - we invited friends to join us for a BVE on the Regal last month, and due to the chaos of having 900+ travel agents board before the BVE guests, no photos were taken. But under normal circumstances, the photos are taken just before you go up the gangway and are supposed to be ready before the guests leave the ship.

 

We did a BVE on the Ruby the day before we sailed on the Regal, and we received our photos before we left the ship. Granted, we were the only two BVE guests for that sailing, so maybe the availability of the pictures is directly related to the number of BVE guests for any particular sailing.

 

However, one does not have to know anyone on the ship in order to do a BVE, so Princess darn tootin' ought to have the photos ready, cause just because you are doing a BVE does not mean you have family or friends sailing on the ship to pick up your photos 2 days later!!

 

Wdl892003 - Thanks for your great review - your tour of St. Thomas sounded delightful. We did a ship excursion in November, but will try the independent tour next time. And I second the suggestion to visit the outdoor market in Marigot - we had a brief stop there on the private tour we took while in St. Maarten last month, but I could have spent hours looking at all the beautiful goods. I had taken a Princess excursion last year that included a stop in Marigot, but we were not near the market, just in some sad shops near the harbor. Tour was fun - shopping opportunity was disappointing.

 

Familyoutdoors - Enjoy your cruise.

[MrKenFL]

We also were on this Regal Cruise and pretty much agree !

We did not try the Crown or the International Cafe delights but we certainly agree with the comments relative to Alfrdo's - great service and Italian offerings .

We also tried the gelato booth and you can put on weight just looking at the offerings - very good at a reasonable price !

We also took a non-ship sponsored tour of St. Thomas and had no problem

getting a $25 tour which lasted almost 3 hours! Had toured St. Maarten on a previous cruise so passed on that one.

Also enjoy the almost constant entertainment day & night in the atrium - which I might add is beautiful !

The Regal was a joy to sail on !

[eandj]

Does Alfredo 's offer wine, cocktails and beer?

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review.

[jovisoul]

Thank you so much for your reviews. We aren't sailing on the Regal until next December, but appreciate any and all information!

[CruisinFinsUp]

Great review - thanks! Looking forward to our upcoming trip on Regal too!

 

Did you happen to notice if milkshakes are available anywhere onboard?

I saw another post awhile back saying they might be at International Cafe, but I haven't seen any other mention and would love confirmation please.

 

Thanks!

Edited December 29, 2014 by cruisintoddler