Regal Princess- not happy so far...

[Micahs Grandad]

Only the ones that like warm bubbly toilets.

 

Did you research the ship's offerings at all?

 

We notice that people can stay in the hot tubs for hours at a time and it led to a yuch factor sorry no more hot tubs

[EastBay Cruisers]

Billy,

 

Up on deck 18, there is a jogging track, with different circuit exercise stations. You can get a pretty good workout by using the jogging track and the equipment at each station.

 

On the center court, there will be different times for basketball, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, etc. Also, on the lawn court, there should be bocce ball. If you have one sport or game that you are really enthusiastic about doing, talk to the entertainment staff, and they should be able to set it up for you. They also have a portable batting cage that they will set up. They will have different games and sports at different times of the day.

 

 

You'll also be spending a lot of time on shore excursions, as you are on a port-intensive cruise, with some fascinating places to visit ashore.

 

The entertainment staff is there to serve you and to help you have a fun cruise. Whatever fun sport you want to do, ask them to set it up for you.

 

For the spa, I would go directly to the spa manager, mention the name of the massage therapist, and describe the incident. The manager will interact directly with the massage therapist and will be able to tell you how the incident was handled.

The crew is in the business of serving you and making you and your fiancee happy. Talk with them, tell them what you are expecting, and they will do their best to meet your needs and serve you.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Billy,

 

Up on deck 18, there is a jogging track, with different circuit exercise stations. You can get a pretty good workout by using the jogging track and the equipment at each station.

 

On the center court, there will be different times for basketball, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, etc. Also, on the lawn court, there should be bocce ball. If you have one sport or game that you are really enthusiastic about doing, talk to the entertainment staff, and they should be able to set it up for you. They also have a portable batting cage that they will set up. They will have different games and sports at different times of the day.

 

 

You'll also be spending a lot of time on shore excursions, as you are on a port-intensive cruise, with some fascinating places to visit ashore.

 

The entertainment staff is there to serve you and to help you have a fun cruise. Whatever fun sport you want to do, ask them to set it up for you.

 

For the spa, I would go directly to the spa manager, mention the name of the massage therapist, and describe the incident. The manager will interact directly with the massage therapist and will be able to tell you how the incident was handled.

The crew is in the business of serving you and making you and your fiancee happy. Talk with them, tell them what you are expecting, and they will do their best to meet your needs and serve you.

 

This is an excellent post. I’ve always found Princess crew to be more than happy to make ME happy. I simply smile and politely let them know what I’d like. They’ve always done everything in their power to help.

 

I’d suggest going to the general hotel manger at this point. I’ve had very good outcomes on the rare occasion that the initial frontline supervisor failed to respond quickly.

 

Once my wonderful Maitre D’hotel overheard an issue discussed at dinner and I found the situation resolved by the time I returned to my stateroom that night. I mean would I have brought this to him? Never! But it just showed me how much all the crew cared.

Yes there are a few “less than” crew on board out of the 1000 plus, but they are a real minority.

 

Of course one must only want things that are possible. They can’t help you if you want a full court and the ship only has a half. If you want 10 hot tubs and the ship has eight they can’t help you. These disappointments are avoidable by looking at deck plans prior to booking.

 

I do hope you find ways to love your time on the ship with your beautiful fiancé. Eastbay cruisers post has some great suggestions for finding the good.

 

This experience and your memories are about the love and the life you are celebrating. External forces can’t touch that.

[Griller]

Not sure the purpose of your post, but perhaps you can tell me what the average number of hot tubs are on a cruise ship? Every ship I've ever been on has a ratio somewhere around 500-600/1 so no matter the ship it's likely a challenge to spend a few minutes in one if everyone on board is seeking a hot tub (which I doubt they ever are). As far as basketball, hitting the golf range, or shooting a firearm, who the heck really goes cruising and cares about those issues. If you want to golf, go to a course...if you want to play basketball go to a gym, if you want to skeet shoot...yeah you get the picture...then when you are done, go on the cruise ship and enjoy some down time! LOL!

Guess you haven't been on Pacific Princess or her sister ships, 700 pax and 2 hot tubs on the pool deck.

Not that they have been working properly on Pacific for the last few cruises we were on, even after they replaced them, and they are not usually anything like warm enough.

And telling Passengers Services about it every morning did not help. Tried that, gave up.

[EastBay Cruisers]

[quoteThis is an excellent post. I’ve always found Princess crew to be more than happy to make ME happy. I simply smile and politely let them know what I’d like. They’ve always done everything in their power to help.

 

I’d suggest going to the general hotel manger at this point. I’ve had very good outcomes on the rare occasion that the initial frontline supervisor failed to respond quickly.

]

 

 

Thank you for the kind words ! I've found that the Princess crews do try to follow their training motto "Be the ultimate host" , and they try hard to please each passenger.

 

 

 

Some issues are much easier to resolve than others. If the cabin steward inadvertently forgot to place a "Congratulations" poster and balloons on the cabin door, that is easily corrected.

 

 

 

If the hot tubs are too full of passengers, and there are no places left in the hot tubs, then that is a little more difficult.

 

I have seen that as passengers settle in to shipboard life and start going on shore excursions and doing other activities, the hot tubs tend to become more available. - EBC

[fishin' musician]

I’ve been on a smaller cruise (1000 people) with the same hot tubs and more facilities

 

That sounds good to me! What brand/ship? Thanks

[riclop]

Hope it gets better.

[Hlitner]

Now that we have a better sense of the OP's issues I will add my comment. We find that nearly everything about which the OP complains are things that make us more then happy with Princess. I guess it is a different stroke kind of thing. We could care less about "outdoor" activities and sometimes think that Princess has too many outdoor activities that constantly disturb those of us happy to just sit in a lounger, smell the sea, read our books, and listen to our own music (hard to do with MUTS blasting). As to balloons, I th ought the current PC thing is that all balloons should be banned...especially near the sea.

 

When we cruise and happen to have a birthday we try to hide :). To us it is a private thing and we have no desire to advertise our special days to a ship full of strangers. And it would certainly cause us no distress if our steward forgot our birthday..... In fact, having cruised for more then 1000 days over 40+ years I cannot remember a steward ever being involved in birthdays.

 

So my respectful message to the OP is that you simply made a mistake in choosing your cruise line. From the issues you raise it sounds like you would be much happier on the monster ships of RCI or perhaps Carnival. Nothing wrong with those lines (we used to cruise on both) but some of us outgrew their kind of schtict and lines like HAL, Princess, Oceania, Azamara, etc. are more to our style. One very good thing about the cruise industry is that there are lines and ships to suit most folks...but few folks are suited to all lines :).

 

Hank

[RDC1]

Now that we have a better sense of the OP's issues I will add my comment. We find that nearly everything about which the OP complains are things that make us more then happy with Princess. I guess it is a different stroke kind of thing. We could care less about "outdoor" activities and sometimes think that Princess has too many outdoor activities that constantly disturb those of us happy to just sit in a lounger, smell the sea, read our books, and listen to our own music (hard to do with MUTS blasting). As to balloons, I th ought the current PC thing is that all balloons should be banned...especially near the sea.

 

When we cruise and happen to have a birthday we try to hide :). To us it is a private thing and we have no desire to advertise our special days to a ship full of strangers. And it would certainly cause us no distress if our steward forgot our birthday..... In fact, having cruised for more then 1000 days over 40+ years I cannot remember a steward ever being involved in birthdays.

 

So my respectful message to the OP is that you simply made a mistake in choosing your cruise line. From the issues you raise it sounds like you would be much happier on the monster ships of RCI or perhaps Carnival. Nothing wrong with those lines (we used to cruise on both) but some of us outgrew their kind of schtict and lines like HAL, Princess, Oceania, Azamara, etc. are more to our style. One very good thing about the cruise industry is that there are lines and ships to suit most folks...but few folks are suited to all lines :).

 

Hank

 

I kind of like a slow trip to 5 countries, unlike the OP. Its actually what I book Princess for.

[caribill]

In fact, having cruised for more then 1000 days over 40+ years I cannot remember a steward ever being involved in birthdays.

 

My cruise experience is less than half of yours, but on every Princess cruise I have been on, when a birthday or other event is a celebrated, it is the cabin steward who puts the balloons and the sign on/near the cabin door.

[EastBay Cruisers]

In fact, having cruised for more then 1000 days over 40+ years I cannot remember a steward ever being involved in birthdays.

Hank,

 

 

Prior to boarding, if the passenger indicates in the online "Cruise Personalizer" that there will be a special occasion like a birthday, anniversary, engagement, etc. the steward will place a "Congratulations" poster and some small balloons on the cabin door, before embarkation.

 

 

You've probably seen those blue and white posters with blue balloons on the cabin doors? They were placed there by the cabin steward. - EBC

[sprint180]

On the Royal/Regal, when you are going to the IC or any activity in the Atrium, and you have a forward cabin. Going to the forward elevators you have to pass by the Spa counter. Most times there are ladies standing there glaring at you as you walk by...like shaming you into their services

 

I don't have a problem. I just smile and walk by.

[myfuzzy]

I don't have a problem. I just smile and walk by.

 

My only problem is that they should be inside the spa area and not in the corridor. I don't even give them the courtesy of a smile

[spingal]

Enjoy the itinerary best one we have ever done.

 

Ditto! I was on the 7/15 Regal Baltic sailing and it was awesome!!

[EastBay Cruisers]

"Billy" the OP says he boarded the Regal on August 20, but the cruise actually began from St. Petersburg on August 13, then ended back at St. Petersburg on August 23 ( today).

 

 

 

So, something is not right about the dates. He says he boarded 3 days ago, but that cruise is already over. This is easily verified by checking the Regal's itinerary.

[RickEk]

"Billy" the OP says he boarded the Regal on August 20, but the cruise actually began from St. Petersburg on August 13, then ended back at St. Petersburg on August 23 ( today).

 

 

 

So, something is not right about the dates. He says he boarded 3 days ago, but that cruise is already over. This is easily verified by checking the Regal's itinerary.

 

Actually, you can book that cruise to embark in either Copenhagen, Warnemunde or St. Petersburg. Most folks choose Copenhagen.

[Micahs Grandad]

Hank,

 

 

Prior to boarding, if the passenger indicates in the online "Cruise Personalizer" that there will be a special occasion like a birthday, anniversary, engagement, etc. the steward will place a "Congratulations" poster and some small balloons on the cabin door, before embarkation.

 

 

You've probably seen those blue and white posters with blue balloons on the cabin doors? They were placed there by the cabin steward. - EBC

 

Just back from Royal Princess and our anniversary was toward the end of the cruise.

 

Put that into the personalizer.

 

The morning of our anniversary we left our cabin the sign was up and two balloons as well. Were handed a card to be given to the MD giving us a small cake and waitstaff came to our table and sang for us.

[Toofarfromthesea]

My comments keep getting deleted perhaps because I’m using expletives.

 

Funny how that happens. :rolleyes:

 

It has never been easier to get complete details on what a cruise ship offers in the way of facilities and services. Between the web (cruise critic, ta sites, cruiselines sites) and YouTube videos the whole picture is there to see. Your failure to do research is on you, not anyone else.

[vmom]

My only problem is that they should be inside the spa area and not in the corridor. I don't even give them the courtesy of a smile

 

On the Royal (and I assume it's laid out the same on the Regal) the spa check in desk shares the same space in which people walk thru v to get to the forward elevator. The spa staff are usually standing right next to the desk . where else would they stand?

 

It's more a matter of how the ship is laid out rather than the spa staff trying to pressure anyone for a sale.

 

since the check-in desk is in the corridor it would be difficult to man the desk if the staff remained behind the spa doors.

[RDC1]

On the Royal (and I assume it's laid out the same on the Regal) the spa check in desk shares the same space in which people walk thru v to get to the forward elevator. The spa staff are usually standing right next to the desk . where else would they stand?

 

It's more a matter of how the ship is laid out rather than the spa staff trying to pressure anyone for a sale.

 

since the check-in desk is in the corridor it would be difficult to man the desk if the staff remained behind the spa doors.

I believe his point is once you sign up and are in a massage session, there is a lot of upselling that takes place, in a fairly pushy fashion.

[sprint180]

My only problem is that they should be inside the spa area and not in the corridor. I don't even give them the courtesy of a smile

;p Well if they were inside they couldn't guilt people into stopping!

[Mrs.Gosse]

OP, so sorry that's spa experience happened on such a romantic trip. All the people that keep saying, I just tell them up front I don't want anything... Well that's if you know they're going to push a hard sell at the end. I have a regular massage therapist here at home but I wanted a relaxing one on the cruise as a splurge last September. I didn't really enjoy it... I didn't like talking about my problem areas on the sheet they make you fill out first and the Hard Sell completely ruined it for me and it was a huge waste of money! I had luckily got it on sale but it still cost twice what i spend at home. I'll never do one again, that's for sure. Are you enjoying the rest of the cruise?

[vmom]

I believe his point is once you sign up and are in a massage session, there is a lot of upselling that takes place, in a fairly pushy fashion.

The OP was complaining about the upsell. I sympathize with this. I hate high pressure sales.

 

My post was reference to a post by " my fuzzy " who was complaining that spa staff were in the corridor watching people as they walk by.

[Cruiser411]

On the spa hard sell issue, I've found that to be the same on all the cruise lines I've sailed with. I now let them know upfront that their tip is contingent on not hearing any sales pitches. Works wonders...:)

[NSWP]

On the Sapphire and Royal a couple of months ago, the Thai Spa Girls were positioned right outside the Horizon Court, near the lifts, high passenger traffic capture area !!!:hearteyes:

 

As for balloons, cake, singing waiters etc, we had birthdays and anniversary on Sapphire and Royal recently, but I did not notify the ship re same. Did not want all the fuss and embarrassment nor trouble the staff into doing it, they have better things to do then put up silly balloons and posters and sing in the MDR.

 

Stand by for incoming from the party people, lol.