Regal Transatlantic review - (LONG)

[PrincessLuver]

You probably should have checked your facts first. We have been on 3 previous Royal Class ships as shown in my signature and experienced life midship. There are only a few folks that keep complaining about the midship stairway. Most seem to deal with it. Some just want to find something negative.

 

Totally agree......it just seems to be one of the things that some people like to complain about on the Royal.....it is just a cruise ship rumor that never seems to die and I doubt that Princess is paying any attention anyway.

[cruise2relax]

The Wheelhouse opens at various times depending on whether or not a port day or if there is pub lunch etc.

 

I am dismayed that this thread became about the mid-ship stairs. I should have known better to even comment. Last year on the Royal I noticed no impact, this time I did. I will never comment on it again. Period.

 

I posted the review for information about the ports, excursions which comprised the bulk of my review. Any questions on those?

[caribill]

There are only a few folks that keep complaining about the midship stairway. Most seem to deal with it.

 

From a post today from Aquahound on another thread (This was a RCI fan who tried the Regal for the first time):

 

There's also a slew of other things I didn't like....like the lack of an outdoor promenade, Princess Live seemed like a senseless idea, the central stairway leads to a dead end at deck 7 and doesn't go up to the cabin decks, and the main theater had a lot of blind spots.

[jfgdbg]

Dear CRUISE2RELAX (the OP).

 

Were the central stairs open both for heading TO your muster stations and then after for heading FROM muster back to cabin?

 

We were just on the Royal and the central stairs were open both to the muster station and after from the muster station.

[artvlay]

Hard to believe the spruce up to central stairs would cost $30MM.

 

According to a couple of sources I found the cost to build Royal was about $735MM and Regal was $760MM.

 

It doesn't seem at all likely that finishing the central staircase to nice passenger finishings would amount to 4% of the total cost.

 

Your thinking is right on track. it doesn't make sense

Edited September 30, 2015 by artvlay

[Murphey]

We were also on this cruise and the one prior.

 

Pro: Fab itinerary

Liked the small loveseat in the cabin but be aware that you give up storage for it.

Bathrooms/showers much improved

Service in every venue (save for Crooners for some reason) was wonderful

Horizon Court in our opinion is brilliant

Food quite good (On the first leg there was a cocktail party for MTP-best ever ( not enough time for the luncheon)...food was beyond incredible!)

Photo art by passengers in hallway was very attractive.

Liked that the hallways were not like "bowling alleys"

Internet was the best of any ship we've been on

Loved the side aisles in the Princess Theatre

If you avoided the central elevators we felt they were very fast and efficient

Incredible Wine deals on this sailing.....

S/E/P lounge in Vista....would rather be in Club 6, but the amount of Elites on board made them move it. BUT, the rules for drink of the day...any drink on the list you could have any day. YAY!! Good job. Plus 40% off any of the several featured bottles of wine each day.

Alfredo's was great!!! You can "create" almost anything you want.

Enjoyed the putting course and driving cage on the sports deck.

 

Con:

Puny balconies...ok for this itinerary but for a warm weather one, ugh

HH in Crooners, the service was ridiculous...we stopped going. If you are going to have an event like that, be prepared for it.

Pools.....jury is still out on this since it was a cool weather cruise, but seems to be a lack of pool options to me. Cabana's at the Retreat pool seems to be a total waste of space.

Speaking of wasted space: Photo Gallery is so huge you cannot find anything even if you wanted to. An entire side of deck 6 is consumed with this profit making center!

Princess Live...don't get this space at all or the concept. Went to a couple of events and the "filming" was just distracting. Do not like this space

IMHO: the ship is just too big ;)

 

I'm sure there are other things, but this is what comes to mind right now. Cruise2Relax, hope you don't mind me chiming in...

Edited September 30, 2015 by Murphey

[cruise2relax]

Not at all!!! Chime away. I agree with you on almost everything. I find the buffet chaotic and avoid it at all costs. Princess Live? - give me back the Explorers Lounge. Seriously, I though the staff in Crooners just disliked us, glad to know we were not alone in the rather terrible/off service.

 

Forgot to mention the food, all good to very good. The Norman Love desserts are wonderful!

[WISH84]

Very grateful for this review. We board the Regal on December 6th. It will only be my fourth Princess vacation but it's a special one. We are booked into one of the aft suites and can't wait to experience not only the aft cabin but this wonderful ship.

 

Every ship has its pros and cons and I think we will be more than pleased with our decision. There aren't many Regal reviews out there.. unless you want to read about the person's experience in the Mediterranean.

[luvn2cruzzz]

We were on this cruise which we loved. The itinerary was wonderful, the ship is beautiful though too big for our taste. We even had a good time in spite of the lack of central staircase! Yes, it would have been nice but the lack of wasn't worth even thinking about. The service in all of the venues we visited was very good. Our only complaint was the food which we found to be poor to mediocre and that included the Crowne Grill where we loved our steaks but that was all. And the service there was not outstanding to say the least. The layout of the Horizon buffet was definitely an improvement from other ships we have sailed on. Wish I could say the same about the food. Of course we found things that were okay and we definitely didn't starve. Our favorite food venue was Alfredo's--and the service was outstanding. Best tiramisu. Would go there after dinner for dessert! The production shows were the best we have experienced at sea and the remainder of the entertainment was standard cruise fare. We came away with warm and wonderful memories of a lovely cruise and new friends.

[Murphey]

Oh yes, forgot to mention the production shows. Wonderful!! Bravo was incredible. But we didn't really "get" the circus themed Fiero. But the singers and dancers were excellent in every show. So nice to see new stuff!

[AliceS]

That does not fly at all. In the ships with center stairs they are used as much as the forward and aft stairs.

 

It is very frustrating to have a cabin mid-ship and want to go up or down one deck. Walking 1/3 the length of the ship in two directions is not a good alternative.

 

 

I agree...I use the stairs all of the time to make up for the food intake! I didn't feel the pain until I was mid ship and had to go forward or aft to hit the stairs. Oh well, I still love the Royal and Regal....the newest design has the center stair.

[AliceS]

Dear CRUISE2RELAX (the OP).

 

Were the central stairs open both for heading TO your muster stations and then after for heading FROM muster back to cabin?

 

 

Every time for me, they were open down and closed going up. Hey...what can I say???

[richstowe]

Oh yes, forgot to mention the production shows. Wonderful!! Bravo was incredible. But we didn't really "get" the circus themed Fiero. But the singers and dancers were excellent in every show. So nice to see new stuff!

Funny - I completely agreed with each and every one of your original Pro and Cons . The only item I disagree with is your strong thumbs up for the production shows . In addition the main theater wasn't as "grand" as I was expecting .

[Iowa Traveler]

I would like to give a shout out to St John's Newfoundland for their ship horn symphony! It was WONDERFUL!

Also, it might be a European port thing, but we brought wine on at Copenhagen and again in Scotland. Brought whisky/whiskey in Ireland and Northern Ireland. All sailed through the scanner without a word.

[Gabrielle R.]

Not sure if you know... BUT

For the Crown Grill... Is the first night on board ship the night that the price for the Crown Grill is a tiny bit lower? I can't remember if that holds true any more, or if Regal does that.... So thought I'd ask.

 

THANK YOU for your post! Will be on the Regal in December- so enjoy seeing information on the Regal and any pictures.

Gabrielle

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='Gabrielle R.']Not sure if you know... BUT

For the Crown Grill... Is the first night on board ship the night that the price for the Crown Grill is a tiny bit lower? I can't remember if that holds true any more, or if Regal does that.... So thought I'd ask.

THANK YOU for your post! Will be on the Regal in December- so enjoy seeing information on the Regal and any pictures.

Gabrielle[/QUOTE]

I was on the Regal in April & there was no discount on any night and have never had a discount on any of our Princess cruises. On RCCL they had a specialty restaurant discount at the beginning of the cruise. Edited October 3, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Gabrielle R.]

Thanks Astro Flyer! I bet that is what I was thinking! I bet it was RCCI that I was thinking of.

[southpawsdakota]

I will be on this ship in March and booked a cabin near the panoramic elevators because of mobility problems. Did I make a poor choice? I was trying to be centrally located on the ship. Thanks!

[caribill]

[quote name='Astro Flyer']I was on the Regal in April & there was no discount on any night and have never had a discount on any of our Princess cruises. On RCCL they had a specialty restaurant discount at the beginning of the cruise.[/quote]

RCCL is trying to attract diners to the specialty restaurants that first evening when customers are probably low in number most times.

Princess has a different tact top get business that evening. That is the only evening that full-suite passengers can use their suite benefit of a free specialty restaurant meal. (That perk was put in as a replacement for the formerly free unlimited use of the Internet in full-suites.)

[red919]

Thank you for your wonderful Regal review as I am considering the upcoming April transatlantic.

Enjoyed my Regal cruise in Nov 2014 and two things I loved were the Wine Maker's Dinner and the pub lunch. On a transatlantic, how many nights is the Wine Maker's Dinner offered as I would like to try all 3 menus. And is the pub lunch offered on all sea days?

Also, as I am Platinum, are all drinks in the lounge $5 or only that evening's offering? And what's this I keep reading about 40% off bottles of wine. Is that for Platinum members, too?

Internet...250 free minutes for 14 days as Platinum or do they offer more free minutes on Transatlantic? And do they offer any kind of discount to regular internet prices for Platinum members? I've only done transatlantics on Celebrity who offers this and wondered if Princess did the same. I don't see anything listed but figured it couldn't hurt to ask...:o

Thanks! Edited January 21, 2016 by red919

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='red919']Thank you for your wonderful Regal review as I am considering the upcoming April transatlantic.

Enjoyed my Regal cruise in Nov 2014 and two things I loved were the Wine Maker's Dinner and the pub lunch. On a transatlantic, how many nights is the Wine Maker's Dinner offered as I would like to try all 3 menus. And is the pub lunch offered on all sea days?

Also, as I am Platinum, are all drinks in the lounge $5 or only that evening's offering? And what's this I keep reading about 40% off bottles of wine. Is that for Platinum members, too?

Internet...250 free minutes for 14 days as Platinum or do they offer more free minutes on Transatlantic? And do they offer any kind of discount to regular internet prices for Platinum members? I've only done transatlantics on Celebrity who offers this and wondered if Princess did the same. I don't see anything listed but figured it couldn't hurt to ask...:o

Thanks![/QUOTE]
I enjoyed sailing a Regal 18 day TA last April & enjoyed the Winemakers Dinner for the 3rd time (twice previously on the Royal) and all of them were the same Mondavi menu with filet mignon. On the Regal we asked about going a 2nd time to try one of the other menus but were told the Mondavi menu was most popular so it would be the same menu.

Internet for platinum & elite members is the same unless sailing 21+ days (500 minutes) so it would be 250 minutes for you. When signing in for your free internet minutes package it was possible to purchase additional minutes at what appeared to be a good price but that's been an option on all of our cruises.

Can't help with drink prices at the nightly PES passenger event because we usually dine early.

The 40% off wine up to a maximum price of $100 is part of the All-Inclusive Beverage Package which costs about $55/day (must buy for entire cruise). The AIBP is not cost-effective for me but you can search for it to get more info. Also info on wine packages is available by searching this forum. As long as there's sufficient wine inventory it should be available on your TA & its worked great on our cruises that were longer than 7 days.

Checked my Patter daily itinerary & during the first 6 sea days of our TA the Pub Lunch was available on 2 days. Edited January 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[red919]

Thank you, Astro Flyer, for getting back to me so quickly. :)

Sure wish they'd offer pub lunch daily. It was one of my favs.

[IECalCruiser]

When you first log in you should be offered the complementary free Platinum minutes or the option to purchase a package of additional minutes. If you think you will need more than the complementary minutes, purchase the additional minutes then. I don't remember the exact details, but on our Pacific Princess cruise in December the additional minutes were about half as expensive as minutes purchased later. Edited January 22, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[spyro1952]

[quote name='cruise2relax']This review will be long...fair warning. I do a lot of research before a cruise and although I recognize that the transatlantics are limited in number, the ports are not necessarily as rare, yet I had some difficulty gaining information. So hopefully this is of assistance to others.
Despite not finding a whole lot of information on the airline, we chose to fly from JFK on Norwegian Air direct to Copenhagen in the Premium Cabin. It was affordable, comfortable, on time and staff was lovely. I would fly them again in a heartbeat.

CPH airport is very easy to navigate. Went through immigration, got luggage and made our way to the Metro. Quick 15 minutes to downtown Copenhagen. We stayed two nights pre-cruise at Wakeup Borgergade. It was new with very small but efficient rooms, no frills. The best part besides being very affordable for Copenhagen, it was close to everything, 5 minute walk from Metro and Nyhavn, 15 minute walk to Tivoli.

We did the Netto boat tour (about 70 minutes), really nice ($20). Toured Tivoli and ate in some really nice restaurants. Of note, we had booked the 4 hour Copenhagen Food Tour, which is a walking tour. There were 12 people on our tour. I would very much recommend this tour. Filled with history and experiencing of local cuisine, which we like to experience.

Embarkation day.
Quick cab to the cruiseport, through security and waited about 50 minutes. Check in and on the ship by 11:30am. Easy.

Kristiansand. Walked through town, really a fishing village. Great parks and gardens. Very pretty. Not much to see.

Bergen. The sail into port was beautiful and should not be missed although they did not really tell us that. All along fjords into port, very similar in geography and feel to the pacific northwest. Took the complimentary shuttle to town, straight to the funicular and to the top. Great view. No need to book through the ship, easy to get to and do on your own saving lots of money. The town is very pretty and clean with parks, flowers and statutes all over the place.

Glasgow. As I indicated, we like to experience local food and drink if we can. In anticipation of our day in Scotland, I found and booked our private tour with Benda from Tasting Scotland. She was great in corresponding about our likes and dislikes and put together multiple options for our choosing. She picked us up at port and drove us to Stirling Castle. The sun was shining and it was gorgeous, we learned some history and had scone and tea. Then off to Cameron House, a private boutique hotel on Loch Lomond, we had a drink (Cameron House Martini) at the Great Scots Bar then off to the Boathouse for a lunch of scottish salmon, local oysters and fish and chips. Brenda got us some local beer with lunch and ordered some hard scottish cheddar. Then off to Glengoyne distillery. We had a semi private Malt Master Tour with one other couple. Tour then tasting with a barrel direct tastes to blend our own 200ml each scotch to take home. It was a wonderful day with Brenda. I strongly recommend her and her company. With her background in food science and years of culinary teaching, she brings a wealth of knowledge about food and history that was both interesting and informative. It was a one fee, all-inclusive day from entry fees to transportation to food and drink. Well done.

Belfast. We had booked a full day coach tour with Odyssey Tours to the Giants Causeway and the Antrim Coast through the roll call for our ship. Upon arrival, Odyssey was completely unorganized this morning with massive confusion. Woody was our guide. Ok but became more annoying as the day wore on. We went to the Causeway first and it was sunny and beautiful. Gorgeous. We stopped at a few lookout posts, all nice then to Ballycastle for lunch. Terrific fish and chips. Then a drive down the Antrim Coast and the glens -- too long. It was like 1.5 hours. Followed by the ride back to Belfast and a tour of Belfast (which was boring) so essentially 3.5 hours sitting on the bus to end the day. I would not do it again nor would I recommend it. See the Causeway yes, the country side, yes, too long simply sitting on a bus, they need to break it up better with stops. Most everyone could not wait to get off that bus by the end.

Cork. The sail in was breathtaking through Cobh, again not really mentioned. The harbour is beautiful. It is the second largest natural harbour in the world. We had prebooked with eCoach (Butler Tours) for the day long coach tour, also through our roll call. This was far better than Belfast. They were exactly where they said they would be and had both signage and people to assist. The weather was sunny and warm. We left for Blarney quickly and arrived ahead of the crowds. It was a perfect morning, the grounds are beautiful and the weather cooperated. Then we went to the Blarney Woolen Mills across the street. Off to a tour of Cork and a stop at the Fort/overlook to Kinsale where the Lusitania sunk in WWII then on to Kinsale for lunch. Great little fishing village with a ton of very good restaurants. Then we drove back to Cobh with a little tour. Our guide was Ian and he was very good.

The Crossing.
We started with a little problem. A passenger became seriously ill and as a result we turned around midday on our first crossing sea day to return close enough for a helicopter evaluation of the passenger, about 5 hours in the wrong direction. Everyone felt very badly for this passenger and were respectful. They had to evacuate the room in the aft of the ship due to the helicopter during the maneauver, that people complained about??? Go figure. The captain then came on to tell everyone the passenger was safetly on her way to the hospital in Cork and that he was going to push the ship to 19 knots in an attempt to make up time. We were moving and then some. The Captain ultimately made up all the time and we arrived In St. John's Newfoundland in time. The crossing itself was eventful only in the weather which was overcast, chilly and very rocky. The third night of the crossing, passengers and some staff we missing in action. We have been on worse so it was ok for us but it did last quite a while. The last night coming into Newfoundland was so foggy you could not see the railings on your balcony...kind of eerie.

St. John's, Newfoundland. The Regal's first time. Weather was perfect sunny and pleasant. Not much to the town/port by way of walk off. Small little city with limited shopping etc. We walked around in the morning and had our only ship excursion that afternoon. We went to the wine caves for a port tasting. The port was wonderful but there was no place to purchase it???? Then off to Quidi Vidi for a beer tasting at a craft brewery. Very nice and good beer. Then a stop at Cabot Tower and back to the ship. Quick and a bit rushed but nice. All in all, quite a pretty port and very nice people. When we were leaving port through the tiny narrow passage, it was full of people waiving and wishing us well. It was very nice.

Halifax. Another beautiful day. Nothing was planned. We walked off (disaster - one exit point off the ship, lines a mile long through the ship. I gave the Captain credit for coming on the PA and explaining the problems and expressing his apologies. Man that goes a long way.) I had sort of designed our own walking tour including the Public gardens (so pretty), the Citadel and the boardwalk along the harbour. Great day.

The negatives. There was a lot of complaining about the fact that the ship really is not built for colder weather. Although not a huge issue for us, they are right. There is simply no place to sit, outside of the buffet, up on deck away from the elements like Skywalkers, Adaggio or a covered pool. Four days on a crossing, it was noticeable. The midship elevators and lack of stairs really is hugely problematic. We have been on the Royal before and did not notice it as much. This cruise is was unbearable. Princess should be ashamed of the design flaw especially since the stairs exist and they simply did not have them completed for passenger use. If they do not correct this problem on dry docks, I will seriously question the powers that be.

The positives. Dining room service. We eat every dinner and most other meals in the dining room. By day three we found a terrific server, Flora, in the Symphony dining room with head waiter Garbiel. We ended up with them at 7:30pm every night for the remainder of the cruise. They anticipated our likes, dislikes, wine preference etc. It really made a difference in our overall experience on the cruise. Interestingly, the young woman at the door asked us every night how many and if we had a reservation. LOL. We found it funny as everyone in the entire section knew us (crew and passengers) and we ate at the exact same table every night. She was very nice but a little dim.
The bar service, especially the bartenders (Peter and Silma), in the Wheelhouse were wonderful. We would have pre-dinner cocktails there daily. I know there have been negative comments on here about the Royal and Regal and the placement of the Wheelhouse. We love it and think it the best place on the ship for drinks. No matter what, we cannot find good service in Crooners on these ships. Maybe its us, who knows.
Great cruise, great people. A shout out to our fun new travel buddies Mike and Kris and our stalkers Ken and Divinia. Had a great time.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your review. Just to let you know the Lusitania was sunk by a German U boat during WWI. Also, one of the finest attractions now in Belfast is the Titanic museum.
Everyone has complained about the lack of mid-ship stairs on the Royal and Regal and those who continue to suggest that if stairs were there, it would decrease demands on the elevators. OR passengers should just suck it up and walk up or down a couple of flights. This may or may not be true but there are passengers because of what ever disability (which may not be overtly visible) that are unable to do stairs, even one flight!!! Kudos to all of you who are able to run up and down stairs all day!!! For what ever reason, the Grand, Royal, and Regal do not have a center stair case. Get over it already.

[red919]

[quote name='IECalCruiser']When you first log in you should be offered the complementary free Platinum minutes or the option to purchase a package of additional minutes. If you think you will need more than the complementary minutes, purchase the additional minutes then. I don't remember the exact details, but on our Pacific Princess cruise in December the additional minutes were about half as expensive as minutes purchased later.[/QUOTE]Thanks, IECalCruiser, good to know. :) Edited January 25, 2016 by red919