Just off the Regal Princess 3/15 - 3/22

[fedexretiree]

I was on Regal last week. The priority embarkation for Platinum was a great perk, as we went right into the terminal. However, after we checked in we were stuck in a long line for over half an hour to board the ship...it barely moved. It seemed that the boarding pass pictures as we boarded was what held things up.

 

We had E432, an "obstructed" balcony and it was a nice size with no obstruction. I would choose it again. Our preordered robes never arrived. We ordered bananas and kiwi and got an orange and a pear instead. We faxed a letter a few weeks ago requesting a top sheet and egg crate mattress topper but that didn't arrive either.

 

The food...Princess has really embraced fine chocolates by Norman Love and they served amazing chocolate pops on formal night around the centrum, as well as some amazing desserts in the dining room. The chocolate shop was my favorite venue. :) The beef wellington was delicious, as was Alfredo's pizza and ravioli. I ate in the dining room a few times and was not impressed much otherwise...they served only one short rib, the duck was dry, the fish was tasteless. The ice cream at Sprinkles was creamy delicious. The gyros were a great protein option for my lunch salads, every day. Breakfast buffet wasn't great for me. I don't eat pork and wasn't able to find any turkey/chicken bacon/sausages...the only non-pork breakfast meat was deli turkey. The smoked salmon was good and abundant. The frittatas and quiches were very good. The boiled eggs were way undercooked (bright yellow). I hoped for grits but didn't have much luck. They were only in the more midship area of the buffet, and that area closed down by mid-morning. The mornings that I did get there early enough I found the grits to be very good one morning, but room temperature 2 other mornings.

 

On sea days, the pool deck chairs were all reserved by 8:30. We were able to get chairs in the shade above the buffet. They often ran out of towels around the pool but always found them at the retreat pool. The retreat pool is a nice adult space and there is a bar there.

 

Vines is a very nice pre-dinner venue, and the wine prices are very reasonable. The wine flights were served in a beautiful display tree.

 

We enjoyed all of the shows except for the Soul-themed production show, which just put us to sleep. Fiera is the best show at sea IMO. We ordered drinks in the theatre but they never arrived. There was always plenty of entertainment and the 2 main bands were excellent. The MUTS sound on this ship is very clear. The deck party was lots of fun and drew a nice crowd.

 

The bartenders were mostly very friendly.

 

Club 6 has happy hour 5-7 daily for Platinum and Elite. The bartender told me that I could have any of the $5 drinks of the day any day, so I ordered wednesday's drink on sunday. Well, they charged me $8.95 but I didn't know until later, because they didn't bring me anything to sign. I also was charged for 3 sodas in the stateroom when I only had 1. I didn't bother to line up to fight these minor overcharges because I didn't want to spend vacation time doing this, but it was annoying. The "free" OBC that came with this cruise booking helped to make up for it.

 

Bring your smartphone...you can check your account and the activities schedule on wifi for free...this was great!

 

I LOVED the TV...giant tv right across from the bed, showing free on-demand movies and the Love Boat, lol! It was like being at the movies...in bed! I'm a movie buff, so I'd seen all of the movies showing around the ship already, but in the room I was able to see a few that I had missed.

 

Disembarkation was the best!!!! After the self-disembarkers left, they announced that everyone else regardless of color could go, and the lines for passport control moved very swiftly.

 

New to Princess but need to know Where do you find the Gyros? Also is the Retreat Pool free to anyone?

[Husky61]

New to Princess but need to know Where do you find the Gyros? Also is the Retreat Pool free to anyone?

 

Retreat pool is open to all passengers.:)

[AmberTeka]

Sorry for your problem with the food. Mine is quite the opposite in that I like properly spiced food and I stress properly spiced. That doesn't mean tabasco is poured over everything. It does mean that appropriate herbs and spices are used in the preparation. I've stopped ordering jerk chicken on any cruise line because I know it will be bland, and if I complain that it is just regular chicken, the waiter will come out with a bottle of tabasco, as if that will cure the problem of poor preparation.

 

Oh, and usually the waiter will explain that many passengers don't care for spicy foods to which I will respond that those passengers should not order items that require spices. And so we go ring around the rosy.

 

Surely, a menu with six or more main course choices should accommodate various tastes. Generally, my experience is that it errs towards the bland; what you describe would be the opposite. Either way, professional chefs should be able to make everyone happy in some fashion. OTH some people are simply picky and can never be satisfied. For them there is no hope.:rolleyes:

 

While in any restaurant I try to order items that I am either not familiar with or incapable of preparing. Some dishes require ingredients that are just not readily available to me at home. I only resort to ordering a steak on those rare nights that nothing else appeals to me. Yes, I am omnivorous. Wasn't steak available? You're right, the Princess pizza is excellent, but pizza every night is not why most people cruise. Again, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the MDR food but DW and I will be on the Royal in September and maybe there will be something for us to look forward to in the food department.

 

Next cruise I take will not be on Princess. then..when I do book again...when some time has passed, I would bet that the menu is tweaked to appeal to a wide variety of appetites. Judging from the reviews I had read, not all was well with the menu. But that can easily be corrected and I suspect.....it will be.

 

And if you ever dine in a southern home, and you are served collard greens, or turnip greens, or Polk Salad, and you see the ever present bottle of green peppers, you might want to start off slow. And they put it on everything. My Mother ate pepper sauce that made my best friend, born and raised in Texas, on the border...run for water.

And who ever the poor chef is...I am tired of bashing his cooking. I bet the next cruises are better.

Edited March 30, 2015 by AmberTeka

[caribill]

Retreat pool is open to all passengers.:)

 

Except those under the age of 18.

[Husky61]

Except those under the age of 18.

 

Correct, it is an adults only pool. If it is always enforced.;)