Regal Princess trip 2/1-2/8

[luvseaside]

I am not going to provide a day-by-day review of our recent trip on the Regal to the Eastern Caribbean. However, I did want to relate some general thoughts/impressions, many of which have already been stated by others.

 

The ship is very nicely laid out in my opinion. My husband even commented the last night that he thought there was a lot less wasted space than the Grand Class ships. I know others disagree, but that's our thoughts.

 

We stayed in a mid-ship deluxe balcony cabin (E409), but never really missed the mid-ship stairs. We were close enough to forward stairs for it not to impact us, and never had too much of a wait for mid-ship elevators either. We liked that location so much, that we booked another cruise so we could stay in that same location. (My only real negative though about the cabin is that the carpet is already looking in need of a good steam cleaning. Some tiny moldy spots near bathroom door.) We previously had only booked mini-suites, and my husband's initial reaction was "it's so much smaller!" But after a day, he acknowledged that it was actually so efficient with storage, it wasn't an issue at all. Plenty of room.

 

We arrived for embarkation @ 11:30. Embarkation was a bit delayed due to issues with elevators on the ship. I can understand not wanting to board people until that was cleared because that would create a serious backup. Better to wait in comfortable seats IMO. We were on by 1 p.m. anyway. I would either get there early or wait till after 1 p.m. It did cause us to depart @ 30 minutes later. No big deal and sailaway (with the Love Boat horn) was really neat.

 

SERVICE: All around wonderful! There were maybe a couple of bartenders (Crooner's) that were not exactly friendly, but every crew member you passed in hallway 9 of 10 times said hello. Bartenders at Vines are excellent (especially my pal, Ronnie!).

 

cont....

[luvseaside]

FOOD: We loved Alfredo's! And there was never wait for tables there. The buffet was very big, but even by the end of the week, I still got turned around and lost. I guess I'm just not a buffet person. I did like the Mexican/taco section. Husband liked they had mussels one night. Didn't do Crab Shack & didn't even see the Fondue night advertised.

 

Sabatini's, in my opinion, has lost a step. Husband got the steak, and said it was not good. Crown Grill may replace Sabatini's as our annual anniversary night dinner from now on. Sabatini's service was also very good. We're just not big fans of the new entrees there. Crown Grill was top to bottom fantastic. We ate in the dining room twice and enjoyed both meals. I didn't think I'd like the 50th Anniversary dinner menu, but ended up really enjoying it!

 

We did Ultimate Balcony Breakfast the first morning (Princess Cays). That was really good, but it would not be for everyone. And it was a lot of food. If you're a picky eater, you may want to see if they can work around the menu. They actually suggested extra bacon, which I got. That was a disappointment for me, because it was tasteless bacon. (Guess that's my Southern upbringing!) My husband loved the salmon/capers!

 

ENTERTAINMENT: We do not usually do the nighttime shows, but we attended FIERA! based on recommendations. It did not disappoint! But if you hate modern music, you may not like it. The music is modern pop (Lady Gaga, etc) and one couple behind us left after first song. But I loved it! Saw a comedian who was pretty funny. The music around the ship was hit or miss. There were the standard piano players, poolside bands, etc. I did like there always seemed to be music somewhere from noon onward.

 

cont...

Edited February 9, 2015 by luvseaside

[lmgouglas]

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. We will be sailing the Regal on 3/29 and are so looking forward to the new ship! Sounds fantastic!!!

[luvseaside]

BEVERAGE PACKAGE: The one new thing for us was the All-Inclusive Beverage package, which we both bought. We really liked it! I can't comment on other ships but the majority of bartenders/servers just took the cards, typed in the numbers, and said thanks. No slips to sign. Hallelujah! Easier for them, easier for us! It was well worth it for us, as we like to leisurely imbibe throughout the day & evening, plus the coffees & waters.

 

PORTS: We got to St Thomas early (@ 7 am, yea!), but we were parked at Havensight rather than Crown Bay, so that changed my game plan. I decided it would be easier to go to Sapphire Beach, which I knew could handle a large crowd. We got there, rented chairs from the dive shop and just chilled with beers & food for three hours. At St Maarten, we went to Orient Beach since it was familiar to us. Went to Kakao & had a lovely time. They do cater to tour groups but it wasn't an issue for us. Orient was busy, but if you expect that, it's not a big deal. Seaweed wasn't too bad. Princess Cays - the tenders were dealing with choppy seas for sure! Captain sounded like it was iffy if the ship would even stop but it did. Tendering did start late.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thanks for the review! Looking forward to seeing Regal ourselves soon!

[Mom33]

Thanks for your review. We enjoyed the Regal also and hope to sail her again in the Fall. Glad you had an enjoyable cruise. :D

[kendon]

I looked at the USVI port schedule and it looks like the Regal will be docked at Havensight for us on the our April cruise. We haven't been there in years...it's been Crown Bay for us since it's been built.

[luvseaside]

Just a few more random thoughts:

 

We liked the on-demand tv system. The live television channels are limited (sports & news) & international, but we were able to watch some SEC basketball games. It also has on-demand movies (it would add the MUTS movie of the evening after it aired), tv shows & four music channels to listen to.

 

The deck party has changed - it is now the Love Boat Retro Dance Party & a lot of fun! If you're a fan of the Love Boat tv show, you'll definitely get a kick out of it. They had the "night sky" club advertised that night at the Retreat Pool but I have a feeling it was way too windy to be enjoyable. It really is windy up there on sea days.

 

The casino and Piazza area seemed to more "happening" than on the other ships we've been on. I think that's due to the new ship design. There was noticeable smokiness in the casino though, which might bother those sensitive to that.

[sunsetbeachgal]

How was the CD? We were on the Regal in January, and Ron Goodman was the wonderful CD, but I know he was leaving at the end of the month. The whole CD staff was great, his Deputy Ryan was also great.

[crusinpeg]

how lively was Crooners.?

Edited February 10, 2015 by crusinpeg

[ar1950]

........... They had the "night sky" club advertised that night at the Retreat Pool but I have a feeling it was way too windy to be enjoyable. It really is windy up there on sea days...........

 

Extremely windy when we were on in December. We went to just see what was up and we got there about 15 minutes early. We only stayed a few minutes because of the wind so we didn't really get to see it when it started.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your informative review. I would love to hear more about the Love Boat Retro Dance Party. I always enjoy the deck parties.

[AmberTeka]

We are sailing in March on the Regal and we are booked in E409! I was thrilled to read your review of the room!! If you have time, .....did you hear noise from Facets? or the walkway below? I only ask because it seemed those cabins around our cabin were the last booked. And it takes a lot to bother us. For real.

 

So glad you had a good time. So glad the cabin was a win win for you and your husband.

[AmberTeka]

Stupid question of the day. I have been to St.Thomas about 15 times, as most Florida folks who cruise a bit do.

 

Is the Havenhurst dock.........the one in town? Close to it? Or the one that is far, far away?

[caribill]

We are sailing in March on the Regal and we are booked in E409! I was thrilled to read your review of the room!! If you have time, .....did you hear noise from Facets?

 

Facets is a boutique (jewelry store) and it is doubtful you hear any noise from there, ever.

[dmwnc1959]

Stupid question of the day. I have been to St.Thomas about 15 times, as most Florida folks who cruise a bit do.

 

Is the Havenhurst dock.........the one in town? Close to it? Or the one that is far, far away?

 

 

This picture shows Royal Princess docked at Havensight; whereas Crown Bay can be seen (just left of center) in the background with a single cruise ship docked there (Allure of the Seas was late arriving).

 

[jagsfan]

Havensight is the one closer. It's older, so more stores available. It's still a walk to downtown but not as far as Crown Bay.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Havensight is the one closer. It's older, so more stores available. It's still a walk to downtown but not as far as Crown Bay.

 

And the walk to downtown from Havensight has sidewalks. I do not know if the route from Crown Bay has sidewalks or not. We alway walk from Havensight!

Edited February 10, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[Mom33]

how lively was Crooners.?

 

Full and lively in December. :D

[luvseaside]

How was the CD? We were on the Regal in January, and Ron Goodman was the wonderful CD, but I know he was leaving at the end of the month. The whole CD staff was great, his Deputy Ryan was also great.

 

Martyn Moss was pretty funny and I saw him around quite a bit. Deputy Ryan was still on board - he's pretty funny as well. I saw him a couple of times (once as MC of a cooking demo & at the deck party ). There were lots of activities, so I thought the CD did a very good job.

[luvseaside]

We are sailing in March on the Regal and we are booked in E409! I was thrilled to read your review of the room!! If you have time, .....did you hear noise from Facets? or the walkway below? I only ask because it seemed those cabins around our cabin were the last booked. And it takes a lot to bother us. For real.

 

So glad you had a good time. So glad the cabin was a win win for you and your husband.

 

yes, we really liked it. No issues with noise at all, even when folks were sitting out on the promenade area.

 

In St Thomas, we were port-side so we got to watch people come & go while on our balcony. We also got to see a group of late arrival "runners" that we had to wait for before leaving! Everyone was clapping & cheering because after their names were announced a couple of times as needing to check in, I think we all got curious to see if they'd make it!.

 

There is a bit of ambient light from deck lighting below & a slight blueish tinge of light from Seawalk above (barely noticeable but it might be an issue with folks in upper decks). I thought it was perfect, frankly, because I never felt the need to turn on my outside balcony light when sitting out at night; and you can always close the curtains if you must have complete darkness to sleep. But it never bothered us.

[luvseaside]

how lively was Crooners.?

 

It stayed fairly busy, but I only saw a piano player there twice. But maybe we just missed the late night crowd. I think in general the entire Piazza area (Crooner's is on deck 7 at the top) was lively though. Vines (deck 5) stayed pretty busy too.

 

Which makes me think of one more thing to note - I'm not a big fan of Wheelhouse Bar being right in front of/adjacent to Crown Grill. Seriously, nothing separates them except a railing. Luckily when we ate there (early the first night), no music was going on so it didn't affect us, but at pub lunch one day, the band playing was very loud and intrusive.

[luvseaside]

Thank you for your informative review. I would love to hear more about the Love Boat Retro Dance Party. I always enjoy the deck parties.

 

It was very fun! They taped the cast members who christened the ship (except for "Julie") when they were on board in Nov. & showed clips of them dancing to music. They also showed clips of various ship's crew members dancing to disco music. The cruise staff & dancers were there as well & they used the fountain area for dancing. Also had clips from the tv show set to music.

[Daisyloo]

It's nice to read a positive review of the Regal. It sounds like your experience was very similar to ours on the Regal. We loved her.

[JoAnneNYI]

Thanks so much for your review! We also have E409 booked for April...along with the cabins on either side for our group. So glad to read about your stay in the room.

JoAnne