Regal Princess

[DCLCrazy]

HI,

I am usually a Disney Cruiser, and for the first time, cruising with Princess on a balcony D1. Can anyone, who has sailed this boat, give me some pointers and inside secrets? Would love to not waste time looking for things or asking for things all week. :). What are the "must do" things? Do you feel the children's area is safe? Do they give you cellphones to communicate with while on board? Any tips would help. I hear I should fly into LaGuardia to get closest to the port. Yes?

Thanks!:)

[Vacation Nut]

Hello - I will start the responses. We sailed on Regal last Xmas from Fort Lauderdale. We don't have children although looking at the space it seemed incredible well equipped and very safe with no way for 'strangers' to enter.

I absolutely loved the ship, but I have never been on a Disney ship so cannot compare. I loved the International Cafe for our coffee and cake and we did buy the specialty coffee card and made good use of it.We also always took our food to the outside part of Horizon court, I love eating outside.

I did not bother to purchase time in the sanctuary, because we were always able to find a lounger in the retreat area and that was quiet enough for us and the pool was very nice.

We did the behind the scenes ship tour which was excellent, far better than any other ship I have been on, but it is expensive. We also actually liked being able to pop into the TV studio to watch games or the wake show being recorded... some people don't like that space, but it was fun.

We enjoyed our first Xmas cruise so much that we are going again this year. Hope you enjoy your cruise too, although I am sure it will seem very different to a Disney cruise.

[DCLCrazy]

Thanks! We are big coffee drinkers so I will check out the coffee card. Thanks for the advice!

[Astro Flyer]

Each ship is listed at the top of the Princess forum & there are many recent discussions about the Regal that will provide you with lots of great info. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/princess/regal

 

We've sailed the Royal & Regal for 6 weeks and we enjoy this class of ship very much.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[caribill]

I hear I should fly into LaGuardia to get closest to the port. Yes?

 

LGA is the closest, but JFK is not that much further, so pick the one which has the best flight arrangements for you.

 

For transportation from airport to ship I suggest a limo service such as carmel or dial7, both of which can be pre-booked on the Internet.

[skynight]

HI,

I am usually a Disney Cruiser, and for the first time, cruising with Princess on a balcony D1. Can anyone, who has sailed this boat, give me some pointers and inside secrets? Would love to not waste time looking for things or asking for things all week. :). What are the "must do" things? Do you feel the children's area is safe? Do they give you cellphones to communicate with while on board? Any tips would help. I hear I should fly into LaGuardia to get closest to the port. Yes?

Thanks!:)

I have never been on Disney, but here is some information on the Regal Princess.

Airport, assume you are sailing out of Red Hook in Brooklyn. LaGuardia is the closest airport and JFK is also not too far away. If you fly in/out Newark it's a pretty long ride through traffic to Brooklyn.

No cellphones. If you have smart phones or tablets you can communicate with others on the ship via the Princess@Sea App which is a wifi based system.

The youth area has 3 different programs depending on age, and is staffed most of the day and evening.The youth area is located on deck 17 aft. Children are only excluded from the Retreat Pool, The Sanctuary, Casino, Club 6 Nightclub areas. They do have access to all other areas of the ship. Look here for more details regarding the youth program: https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/Youth_Guidelines_Registration.pdf

A Princess Patter is available each day both hard copy and as part of the Princess@Sea App. Review it for the day's activities.

There are two show lounges for evening shows, the Theater Forward, and the Vista Lounge aft. Some shows overlap.

Much of the indoor activities take place in the Piazza where there is always live music in the evenings. Crooner's Lounge has a live piano player/singer/entertainer every evening. MUTS (movies under the stars) plays each evening, normally two shows. If you like espresso drinks, the coffee card is a good choice. You get 15 punches for espresso drinks or gelato plus unlimited brewed coffee and special teas. The punches never expire. Unused punches can be used on your next Princess voyage. Free coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate is available all the time at various locations in the buffet area. On the Regal the buffet coffee is prepared from grounds. Speaking about the buffet it is the best in the fleet, but very large, you have to look around. The buffet is open continuously from 5am to around midnight. There is also pizza, a grill and soft ice cream by the Lido pool, open 11am to 11pm, no charge. Check out the soda & more package for the youth, unlimited sodas and other drinks. The International Cafe on Deck 5 in the Piazza is open 24/7, is free, and serves all kinds of sandwiches, salads, desserts, and breakfast items. It is a very popular place. Like wine? Try Vines in the Piazza. The 3 main DR's all have the same dress codes and all serve the same meals. If you selected traditional fixed seating dining you will be assigned to a specific DR. If you have Anytime Dining certain DR's are designated for you, normally deck 5 mid ship from 5pm onwards, and deck 6 midship for 7:30 onwards. All DR times are shown on the back page of the Princess Patter. This is just a little of what is available.

[satxdiver]

You can buy transfers from the airport to the ship from Princess. One of the benefits is that they will wait for your flight to arrive and get you to the ship even if it is after the ship was supposed to sail. EZair is available and should be checked before buying airline tickets from the airlines as many times it will be cheaper. If you buy EZair tickets through Princess, you will not have to pay for them until final payment for the cruise and they are can be canceled without penalty up to 45 days before flying. It is worth looking into.

 

We took our 6 y/o DGD on the Royal, a sister ship to the Regal, and she loved the youth area. There is only one way into the youth club and children have to be signed in and out. Over 12 with permission from parents can sign themselves out but under 12 can only be released to parents with proper ID. They do not issue cellphones but in an emergency they will have you paged or find other ways to contact you. They use young adults trained in youth care. We had her parents along (DS and DIL) so all four of us had to go to the youth club initially to register her and give them our names and cabin numbers. Only those listed at registration can take them or get them out of the club.

 

The Regal/Royal on deck 6 has Alfredo's pizza restaurant (free) which is open for lunch and dinner. Most seem to overlook it but it makes a wonderful place to have lunch on embarkation day. Our DGD loved it. The sea walks are interesting on the lido deck just be sure to not get a balcony cabin under them (one on each side of the ship at midship).

[mrsgoggins]

I've sailed on the Disney Dream and Disney Magic (with and without the grandchildren!) and loved them both, but the Regal just blew us away. The atrium area is just beautiful.

 

I agree with the poster about Alfredo's - it's wonderful and a great highlight of the ship for us. Also agree that the coffee card is a great buy if you like speciality coffees.

 

Enjoy.

[Grego]

HI,

I am usually a Disney Cruiser, and for the first time, cruising with Princess on a balcony D1. Can anyone, who has sailed this boat, give me some pointers and inside secrets? Would love to not waste time looking for things or asking for things all week. :). What are the "must do" things? Do you feel the children's area is safe? Do they give you cellphones to communicate with while on board? Any tips would help. I hear I should fly into LaGuardia to get closest to the port. Yes?

Thanks!:)

 

Welcome to the Princess Family. If you haven't booked your air travel yet, you might consider going directly to the Princess web site and check out their EZAir flight options that coordinate with your booking and then use their airport transfer to the ship. We have found the airfares with Princess were less than other air search sites.

 

I noticed that no one really jumped on the great feature that the Royal class ships offer and that's one of the best buffet areas in terms of organization and variety that is found in the Horizon Court/Bistro section on deck 16. Much of the same cuisine offered in the dining rooms with the advantage of saving time if you have evening entertainment activities you need to get to.

 

The "young adult" area on this ship is really well thought out and I believe it is supervised. There is always something of interest for your younger crowd to do.

[Vacation Nut]

I agree with Grego - I was blown away by the Horizon Court buffet. I also loved the design so that you "dipped in and out" of the different areas. Some don't like that, but I thought it was very efficient and avoided long lines. I am getting excited for my next cruise just thinking about the Regal again. I hope we will have a good CD staff again. Paul and Simone absolutely made the cruise for us last Xmas, they were excellent together and normally I don't think much about the impact of the CD.

[LIV 2 CRUISE]

Can you use the retreat pool on the Regal without paying for admission to the Sanctuary? Is it usually crowded?

[Pam in CA]

Can you use the retreat pool on the Regal without paying for admission to the Sanctuary? Is it usually crowded?

The Retreat pool is adults only and has nothing to do with the Sanctuary other than being located outside the doors to the Sanctuary. It's free like every other pool. Little or no shade.

[LIV 2 CRUISE]

Thanks so much for the info. Happy sailing!:)

[geocruiser]

If you get on board the ship around noon or so the main dinning room is open for lunch. They will tell you to go to the buffet, but the dinning room is open.

 

All so do the ocean walk. It is fun to look down and see the ocean.

[TracieABD]

If you love seafood, try the Ocean Terrace- there is a small charge for items, but it was a total highlight for my husband.

 

Also, there may be a Winemaker's Dinner. It is the most lovely menu I have seen- the extra cost is $40- but I think it would be worth it.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ditto on the Horizon Court Buffet. It was the best we've ever had at sea and except for one dinner in the MDR (it was ok) and one night at the Crown Grill which was fantastic we ate at the HC in the evening. The variety is just wonderful and the quality is top notch.

 

Be sure to try Alfredo's, lunch was delicious and a great alternative on embarkation day. We didn't try Sabatini's but heard it's excellent. As I mentioned the Crown Grill was a great restaurant for steak and make sure to do the pub lunch there as the fish and chips were cooked just right. Oh do try the Royal Tea that's offered, it was a lot of fun to attend.

[MandD]

There is also pizza, a grill and soft ice cream by the Lido pool, open 11am to 11pm, no charge.

 

In the evening the grill also has bar-b-que.

[SiBreeze]

LGA is the closest, but JFK is not that much further, so pick the one which has the best flight arrangements for you.

 

For transportation from airport to ship I suggest a limo service such as carmel or dial7, both of which can be pre-booked on the Internet.

 

Check out flights to EWR, better than LGA or JFK.

[Star Travler]

Agree, Newark airport flights cheaper, not that much extra time to port

 

 

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[MandD]

Oh do try the Royal Tea that's offered, it was a lot of fun to attend.

 

There is a small charge for the Royal Tea, but there is also an afternoon tea (about 3:30 to 4:30) every afternoon, which is free.

[capriccio]

If you love seafood, try the Ocean Terrace- there is a small charge for items, but it was a total highlight for my husband.

 

Also, there may be a Winemaker's Dinner. It is the most lovely menu I have seen- the extra cost is $40- but I think it would be worth it.

 

I second both these recommendations plus the comments on Alfredos and the buffet. I wish they would expand the Winemaker's Dinner to Grand class ships.

[skynight]

Oh yes, I did forget to mention Alfredo's. There is no charge. Open every day 11am to 11pm. You can have lunch or dinner there. No reservations, it is walk in. Waiter served individual pizzas made to order, calzones, appetizers, salads, dessert, ice tea. A great place for a quicker lunch or dinner with youth. Wine, beer, other alcoholic drinks, sodas are also available at the normal bar charges. It does get busy around lunch time, but the wait will not be too long.

 

Also want to mention the Pub Lunch @ the Wheelhouse Bar. Served on sea days. Fish & Chips and other British style pub food. There is no charge.

Edited July 23, 2016 by sknight

[nukesubsailor]

When you check in at the cruise ship terminal you will be given a small booklet that is a map of the ship. It will show you where everything you might want is located.

[FritzG]

There is a small charge for the Royal Tea, but there is also an afternoon tea (about 3:30 to 4:30) every afternoon, which is free.

 

We saw them serving the Royal Tea on the Royal Princess last fall, and it looked so elegant! Sadly, it was the last day of the cruise. It's definitely on our list for our upcoming Regal cruise. It is served in a special raised area in the Piazza which is cordoned off, and there was a string quartet (??) playing. The tea menu seemed to be upgraded, too. It looked to be well worth the $10 charge.

[FritzG]

Oh yes, I did forget to mention Alfredo's. There is no charge. Open every day 11am to 11pm. You can have lunch or dinner there. No reservations, it is walk in. Waiter served individual pizzas made to order, calzones, appetizers, salads, dessert, ice tea. A great place for a quicker lunch or dinner with youth. Wine, beer, other alcoholic drinks, sodas are also available at the normal bar charges. It does get busy around lunch time, but the wait will not be too long.

 

Also want to mention the Pub Lunch @ the Wheelhouse Bar. Served on sea days. Fish & Chips and other British style pub food. There is no charge.

 

There is also a veal ravioli that is fantastic. I think it might be the same recipe as the veal ravioli that is sometimes served for lunch in the mdr on embarkation day.