Regal Princess to New England / Canada Sept 29, 2018

[figment9999]

We thought we'd pass along a few thoughts on our recent trip on the Regal Princess.

 

Embarkation was easily the best experience ever (note-this was our 27th cruise). We arrived at the terminal at noon; earlier than our assigned 2:00 slot. Checked in by 12:20 and were on the ship 12:30, incredibly smooth.

 

A couple of notes on the internet. We had pre-purchased unlimited internet for $59. Since it was to early to go to the room we relaxed at the Bellini Bar and I tried to log in; Bad move, I was presented with a screen asking for birthday, etc. and go nowhere. What I should have done is waited to go to the room and retrieved a card with my validation code and instructions. When I then went to the login screen I now knew not to enter my birthday; rather to scroll down to the bottom of the screen and enter my validation code. With my iPhone in airplane mode I never had to log out/in; and connectivity was great. The internet cafe was located on deck 5 staffed with very helpful folks. I downloaded the Concierge app and found it very helpful throughout the cruise. The other "medallion apps" did not work so I deleted them. Overall the internet on the Regal Princess was ubiquitous and faster than I had on recent NCL & RC trips.

 

We had a mini-suite on deck 10; c243. The room was great and we felt it was larger than similar cabins on NCL's Escape and RC's Anthem (similar vintage ships). Our room steward Alfred did a great job and was always friendly and helpful. I do wish Princess would bring back towel animals though; they were missed.

 

Ship - The ship was great, interiors were a wonderfully executed blend of: rich woods, lights, polished metal, and crystals. Our captain was Tim Stringer; our cruise director Dan Falconer. Dan did a great job and we especially liked is morning TV show which included a very interesting segment with the captain explaining sea / port facts, conditions, etc. We were served our first Bellini by Sebastion and over the course of the week it seemed like he was serving everywhere, in the casino, etc.

 

We did not purchase the unlimited drinks card; with so much tim in the 5 ports it just didn't work for us. We did however find the coffee card a good value. I covered 15 specialty drinks and unlimited brewed coffee. The cafe on deck 5 became one of our favorite spots.

 

Newcastle Brown Ale was available on top in the Wheelhouse bar and on  the pool deck in the bar by the pizza venue.

 

I typically enjoy production shows in the theater; my wife not so much. Princess really hit the mark by producing top notch shows; 45 min long.

 

We ate in the dining rooms three times; I highly recommend the Chocolate Journeys deserts.

 

Newport took a Princess tour - The Breakers and Marble house. Enjoyed it, our your guide was very informative, we were back at the dock 12:30. We were looking for a waterfront restaurant and chose "The Point" at the Ann Street Pier. I had the lobster dinner, my wife the salmon; both were excellent. Shopped a bit then tendered back to the ship; a long line but it moved pretty fast.

 

Boston took a Princess tour -Boston Trolley with optional hop on/off (2hrs). A great tour with one of the best driver / narrators we've had. Very informative and lots of local color. The tour covered the major hot spots in Boston and briefly visited Cambridge ac cross the river. The only hop off spot was at the end of the tour at Faneuil Hall, or you could continue back to the ship. We hopped off and had lunch at the Green Dragon (reputed to be a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty). Shopped in Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market then took the complementary (from the Trolley company) shuttle back to the ship.

 

Bar Harbor took a Princess tour - Acadia National Park Express, Small Group Tour (2.5 hr). Good choice, really great driver / tour guide. Hit all the major high points: Long road loop, Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole. The tour guide gave great local background and historical info. Back at Bar Hrbor has lunch at Stewan's Lobster Pond for an excellent waterfront lobster dinner. Then browsed the shopping district and stopped in Paddy's Irish Pub and restaurant for a beer on the way back to the tender. The Pub was great and the restaurant looked like a good place of a meal.

 

Saint John took a Princess tour - ST John highlightd, Bay of Fundy and light lunch (6.5 hr). Turned out to be a good choice. It covered the tops in town then headed out to St Martens (about 40 min). Had wonderful tour guide / driver (Bernadette / Eddie). The caves in St Martens was a highlight stop.

 

Halifax - focused on the town itself so we did our own thing. Go off the ship early and grabbed a cab up to the Citadel arriving at 9:40. Turned out to be great timing since we saw the changing of the job ceremony (10:00) and a walking tour of the fort (10:10). The walking tour was very informative including firing a rifle and field canon. After the noon canon firing we walked down the hill to look for a waterfront dining option; deciding on Murphy's was a good choice. Enjoyed a 2 lb lobster dinner. Headed back to the ship walking the boardwalk and did some shopping. Was sorry to hear that the HCMS Sackville, a WWI corvette,  I'd wanted to see had been moved for refit weeks earlier. As  kid I loved the old Randolph Scott movie Corvette K-225. We enjoyed walking back to the ship along the boardwalk and were early enough to stop at Garrison Brewery (across from the terminal) to sample a flight of their products. Did a bit more shopping in the terminal building (wish all terminals had such a variety of stores). Had a great day.

 

The cruise was a winner: great ship and crew mild weather, interesting ports. We' highly recommend the itinerary.

 

 

[hllwdcruiser]

Thank you for your review. Did you have early or late seating in the MDR or did you do Anytime? How was the service? 

[figment9999]

We had anytime dining, ate in the dining rooms three times. We suggest not arriving when the rooms first open. Hundreds of folks at the same process stage simultaneously. The rooms open at different times; suggest you go after the room's been open for awhile.

[Lynzchat]

Thanks for your review!  We are boarding the Regal this week on the same itinerary.  Did you get any perks with your mini suite? I read a review where they provide a one time mini bar setup, is that true?

Edited October 17, 2018 by Lynzchat

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review.

[luckyinpa]

On 10/16/2018 at 8:33 PM, figment9999 said:

We had anytime dining, ate in the dining rooms three times. We suggest not arriving when the rooms first open. Hundreds of folks at the same process stage simultaneously. The rooms open at different times; suggest you go after the room's been open for awhile.

 

thats totally opposite my experience last october. we were there at 5 and no one was in line and i wasnt sure that DR would even open up. ..thankfully it did