We’re Baaaaack!!! Live from the Regal Princess- B2B2B- 11.24.21 to 12.9.21

[TracieABD]

December 3, 2021

Day 12

Princess Cay, Eleuthera, Bahamas

 

A Swarm of Steward Captains

 

Hi friends-

 

I am becoming a very slow mover in the mornings. I slept so well last night. I am not sure if it is age or the 8 million cat naps or all of the food or what... but sleep has been a bit more difficult for me these days. Especially staying asleep. But last night, I slept hard!

 

Jon woke me with coffee in bed. This is not a one-off... I get coffee in bed almost every morning. I am very lucky girl in deed. I didn’t want breakfast- so he headed to Sabatini’s alone. He came back with a glass of milk for my protein drink. We decided to skip Princess Cay today- even though it gorgeous out.

 

The Sanctuary has been really quiet today. Even the typically chattier people maintained the sanctity and serenity of the location. It was lovely. We walked down to Deck 16 for pizza and tacos. Yum.

 

We had to leave the sanctuary at 2:15 for our COVID tests. There are fewer transit guests this time, so the process was very fast. So simple. And I love the extra safety precautions. I asked the medical team member who swabbed us about receiving results... They operate with the “No news is good news” policy.

 

When we returned to our cabin- we chatted with Amanda, the concierge. Jon mention that we were pretty much packed to move, and if it was easier for us to take our suitcases down to A735- we would be happy to do that... She made a few phone calls and informed us that it would actually be easier for us to move today.

 

And there appeared a swarm of Steward Captains- who swooped in and moved every thing in about 16 minutes. We were set up in our new aft cabin (with a wrap-around balcony) in 46 minutes! Done!

 

We showered and readied for dinner. I am loving being a transit passenger. There are no “goodbyes”; only “see you tomorrows”! That is much preferred.

 

We had meatloaf and shrimp for dinner, and then headed to trivia. It was crew against passengers. The crew is so charming and enthusiastic. I just adore them.

 

We attended the show “Sweet Soul Music”. There are a couple of standout singers and dancers. While it is not our thing, I can really appreciate the talent and the enthusiasm. It was a nice way to spend 45 minutes.

 

We sat for a bit in the Piazza to drink hot chocolate and play cards. We chatted with (and said goodbye) to some of our new friends. And then headed off to bed.

 

I think I will cut here...

 

Anyone have an queen of diamonds to fill this inside straight?

 

Thank you for following along-

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

[CineGraphic]

2 minutes ago, TracieABD said:

The Sanctuary has been really quiet today. Even the typically chattier people maintained the sanctity and serenity of the location.

 

Any chance they read your earlier comments!?

[Steelers36]

15 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

 

I prefer the WM Dinner over the CT which has much more food than I can comfortably eat...I'm far removed from my CFB days eating big meals. The smaller MDR portions work for us also...never leave dinner hungry.

 

The WM Dinner was available on our 7-day cruise but wasn't advertised anywhere.

 

I don't think there's a price reduction without wine but I could go to three WM Dinners for about the same price as one CT stuffing. 🤢

 

Wow...200-ish days to go to the MTP lunch; it was 561 on my October cruise & we fell short by nearly 100 days. 😉

In my experience the WMD is not advertised - you just express the interest and if enough do, there you go.  Also, since the dinner is about wine, there is no remove-the-wine pricing as there is for CT.  At least that is the way it has been and don't see why it would change.  I usually benefit from some of my wife's wine, although I think they will pour some more if asked.  I usually only want extra for the main course.

[TracieABD]

December 4, 2021

Turnaround Day #2

Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

 

And It Just Gets Easier

Hi friends-

 

We are definitely getting the hang of this “turn-around” business. We don’t need to bring a lot of stuff... Just passports, vaccine cards, our “dot” (that’s what we call our Medallion), and our In Transit cards. We need to have these things, but we only really present our dot. They are using facial recognition devices in the port.

 

I had a plan for this morning. I needed to make a Walgreens run. From Pier 2, it is a 5 or 6 minute walk. This morning, I looked out our window... we were not at Pier 2. I got this sinking feeling and I knew... we are docked at Pier 21. Ugh. That is a lot farther (it is closer to 2.5 miles each way). I walk 6 to 8 miles on the weekends with one of my dearest friends, so I knew that I would make it there and back, but I was a little worried that getting through the port area would be difficult or confusing. (As a side note, I was told that I would have to reboard with Elite/ Suite passengers at the regular time).

 

I had a couple of shopping lists.... for us and some other passengers... Heck- if you are making a Walgreens run... make it count!

 

I decided not to wait to disembark with the transit passengers, and I am so glad. I was one of the last passengers to disembark. As I was leaving, one of the port workers asked where my luggage was. I explained I was in transit... and he asked where I was going- when I told him- he commented how far it is. Then he said, “Let me show you a shortcut”. He took me to the free shuttles that run between Pier 2 and 21. Score! The driver of the first shuttle even let me off right on the corner. Super easy!

 

I got the shopping finished, and headed back to Pier 2 to look for a shuttle. Everyone I spoke with said that I had to take a taxi... until one guy pointed to some buses. I asked them- and one said he would drive me to Pier 21. He looked sufficiently bored- as the entire bus was empty.

 

And that is how I completed a 5 mile round trip walking errand in less than an hour and a half!

 

Once I returned to to the pier- I showed my dot and my in transit card. They moved me through every station. When I reached the Elite lounge, I showed the security person my transit card. Then, I was entering the ship. At 10:30. It was so stinking easy. Much better than I imagined.

 

And now I sit waiting for some lunch. With the move out of the way... and the unpacking completed... and transiting checked off the list... I really feel like I am on a cruise! Yes!

 

Anyone need anything at the Walgreens?

 

Thank you for following along!

More later-

TL

[TracieABD]

On 12/3/2021 at 11:34 AM, c-boy said:

🤣 roflmao

And so  it is done! Fingers crossed for quiet batch this go around.

[TracieABD]

On 12/3/2021 at 11:53 AM, CineGraphic said:

 

Here is the lovely Roberta Peters singing "Sempre Libre" back in 1954.

I had the pleasure of singing with her 28 years later while I was a student at the St. Louis Conservatory.

https://youtu.be/jmK-4Zj8Syk?t=39

 

Thank you for this!

[TracieABD]

17 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

 

I prefer the WM Dinner over the CT which has much more food than I can comfortably eat...I'm far removed from my CFB days eating big meals. The smaller MDR portions work for us also...never leave dinner hungry.

 

The WM Dinner was available on our 7-day cruise but wasn't advertised anywhere.

 

I don't think there's a price reduction without wine but I could go to three WM Dinners for about the same price as one CT stuffing. 🤢

 

Wow...200-ish days to go to the MTP lunch; it was 561 on my October cruise & we fell short by nearly 100 days. 😉

That is good info to keep in my back pocket. Thank you!

 

17 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

 

I prefer the WM Dinner over the CT which has much more food than I can comfortably eat...I'm far removed from my CFB days eating big meals. The smaller MDR portions work for us also...never leave dinner hungry.

 

The WM Dinner was available on our 7-day cruise but wasn't advertised anywhere.

 

I don't think there's a price reduction without wine but I could go to three WM Dinners for about the same price as one CT stuffing. 🤢

 

Wow...200-ish days to go to the MTP lunch; it was 561 on my October cruise & we fell short by nearly 100 days. 😉

 

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

In my experience the WMD is not advertised - you just express the interest and if enough do, there you go.  Also, since the dinner is about wine, there is no remove-the-wine pricing as there is for CT.  At least that is the way it has been and don't see why it would change.  I usually benefit from some of my wife's wine, although I think they will pour some more if asked.  I usually only want extra for the main course.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

4 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Any chance they read your earlier comments!?

One could only hope…

[Astro Flyer]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

In my experience the WMD is not advertised - you just express the interest and if enough do, there you go.

While not often, I have seen it occasionally promoted in the Patter.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

26 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

While not often, I have seen it occasionally promoted in the Patter.

Right.  We have been to 5. Most were advertised in the patter.  Pretty sure you were at one with us on the Royal several years ago (with the Rabbit, I believe???)

[flwinejunkie]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

In my experience the WMD is not advertised - you just express the interest and if enough do, there you go.  

 

Who should I tell that we're interested in the Winemaker dinner?  We're definitely interested!  We're doing a B2B starting Dec 9 to celebrate my birthday so this dinner would be a perfect gift!

 

Thanks,

Mary Jon

 

 

[Steelers36]

15 minutes ago, flwinejunkie said:

 

Who should I tell that we're interested in the Winemaker dinner?  We're definitely interested!  We're doing a B2B starting Dec 9 to celebrate my birthday so this dinner would be a perfect gift!

 

Thanks,

Mary Jon

 

 

Call DINE line or PSD (Passenger Services Desk) after boarding.  I'd also mention it to your HW (Head Waiter) for your DR section at dinner on night one.  (S)he will no doubt take your name and cabin and pass it on to the DORO (new position for the MD).

[flwinejunkie]

13 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Call DINE line or PSD (Passenger Services Desk) after boarding.  I'd also mention it to your HW (Head Waiter) for your DR section at dinner on night one.  (S)he will no doubt take your name and cabin and pass it on to the DORO (new position for the MD).

Perfect!  Thanks for the info!!

[eyelash]

12 hours ago, TracieABD said:

 

When we returned to our cabin- we chatted with Amanda, the concierge. Jon mention that we were pretty much packed to move, and if it was easier for us to take our suitcases down to A735- we would be happy to do that... She made a few phone calls and informed us that it would actually be easier for us to move today.

 

 

I'm booked in A735 for an upcoming cruise on the Majestic, which I believe is comparable to the Regal.  I'd be interested to know if the balcony is covered.  If you happen by the spa I'd love to see their menu of services with prices...or maybe just a picture of that information from your in-cabin TV if it appears there.

[TracieABD]

1 minute ago, eyelash said:

I'm booked in A735 for an upcoming cruise on the Majestic, which I believe is comparable to the Regal.  I'd be interested to know if the balcony is covered.  If you happen by the spa I'd love to see their menu of services with prices...or maybe just a picture of that information from your in-cabin TV if it appears there.

The balcony is not covered.  
 

Here is a link to the spa menu:

[TracieABD]

December 4, 2021

Day 13

Port Everglades to the Sea and Beyond!

 

Groundhogs Cruise

 

Hi friends-

 

We are back out in the big, blue puddle... just tooling along... on our way to last week’s cruise! 5 days with ports in Amber Cove and Princess Cay. Again, for those of you who just hopped on... the ship IS the destination.

 

We met for lunch in the CC MDR. I had a salad and the chickpea soup. And some of Jon’s burger. But that was about it. We have got to get this eating thing figured out. My clothes are in danger of shrinking.

 

After lunch- we took a nap. Well, Jon napped- I took a coma. As we are in an aft suite, we have the “elbow” that makes it seem like it is two very distinctive rooms. I guess the engineer came in to look at a bathroom issue. I did not hear a thing. I slept through the whole ordeal. Thank goodness for Jon. I would have missed everything.

 

We made plans to meet up with Patty and Ken, cruisers extraordinaire, for pre-dinner bevies. I have loved getting to know them a bit. They have so many really interesting stories to tell. I want to be them when I grow up. And I am working on it... one cruise at a time.

 

Jon and I headed to dinner early. I had the cocoa spice rubbed pork, a Caesar salad, and onion soup. All delicious. Oh. And the flourless chocolate cake. And pistachio creme brûlée. Ugh. So. Much. Food.

 

We decided to play trivia. We lost- well, came in second... but you all know what Ricky Bobby says about second place. It was pretty low energy, but lots of fun.

 

The Michigan game is on- and Jon is a fan. I began shuffling papers and found the welcome letter that discusses the suite benefits (e.g. dinner at the Crown or Sabatini’s, CC dining, etc...). There was a new one on there... and I was stunned. Complementary access to the Enclave (Thermal Spa) area for the duration of the cruise. Just a bit of background. On previous builds- like the Grand class ships- If you had a suite- any suite- you were granted access to the Thermal Suite. But when the Royal class ships deployed with the upgraded Enclave- this complimentary access was not extended for the Royal or Regal.

 

You can imagine my surprise when I read this in the letter. What is a girl to do? I grabbed my swim suit and the letter and went to check it out. Sure enough, they put a “red dot” sticker on the back of my medallion and gave me a wristband for a locker. Yes!!!

 

I spa’d around for about an hour. The beds were pretty warm. The steam rooms were hot. And the pool was lovely. I will definitely make my way back there. It is one of my favorite places on the ship. I will say, I stopped booking it, because I just did not get the use out of it. Unlike the Sanctuary, where I can sit for 5-8 hours a day, I can only spend about an hour- maybe two- in the Enclave.

 

Back in the room, Jon continued watching the game and I crawled into bed. It has been a really nice day. I am a big fan of this whole back-to-back deal. I think I need to explore this concept further...

 

Anyone want to sit in the eucalyptus steam room with me?

 

Thanks for following along!

More later-

TL

[Scubadoc]

Enjoying ur trip report!  You are in an aft suite?  We will be in D727 in January. So excited. It looks like maybe the best room we have ever stayed in. Is the balcony as wonderful as it looks?  Thinking about dinners in the balcony!  Any tips about the room?  And I am blown away about the Enclave being free. I just purchased it online. 😳 I was afraid it might fill up. Hope I can get a refund. 

[rdsqrl]

Tracie, I just booked the Regal for 16 days over Christmas/NY --  are you sure you guys are on your final leg?! 

Meanwhile, I'm very excited because I booked my first ever suite . . . and it's a mid-aft penthouse on Riviera.  Which one were you in?  Did you like it? 

 

[Tyskie]

On 12/2/2021 at 10:12 AM, TracieABD said:

We dressed for dinner and headed down for our 7 pm reservation. You know how much I love Princess and the Royal class ships... so I will also be honest when something does not hit the mark... The CG was just ok. It was fine, but there was no stand out- and my steak was neither rare nor tender. Our waiter however was enthusiastic and very helpful. This is our second similar experience in the CG- so I think we will just stick to Sabatini’s for specialty dining.

 

 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet but probably passed without knowing.

 

My take on CG as we had this happen on NCL at their steak house Cagney's:

 

They have not been getting the beef from their usual suppliers (as per F&B manager on NCL) therefore there have been lots of hits and misses with many cuts of steak and beef.   We were a party of 8 celebrating friendship and life on 11/30 - some steaks were good, some not so much.

 

Even the hamburgers on deck - not good (they were my favorite).

 

All in all, everything else was DELICIOUS!  Service impeccable!  It was a wonderful cruise!  So wish we could have extended like you!!!   Enjoy this leg of the trip! 💗

[linaka625]

On 11/28/2021 at 11:02 AM, TracieABD said:

Not yet….

I will keep you posted. 

Are the decorations up yet?  

I booked this trip last minute. Had to cancel our trip to Europe due to the COVID situation there. We were supposed to go to the Christmas markets in Austria and the Czech Republic. So I’m really hoping to see some Christmas on this trip. 
Also, do you know how many people are on board this trip?

Thanks so much!

[Happy2cruise]

Tracie, have been enjoying your posts as we are boarding on 12/13 and doing b2b2b ....first one ever and so excited.  If you get a chance while  talking to the crew could you find out what the sailing capacity will be, not that it really matters but just curious. Enjoy the rest of your sailing.

[PescadoAmarillo]

11 hours ago, TracieABD said:

The Michigan game is on- and Jon is a fan. 

That entire lovely post, descriptively tantalizing and supremely informative, and I zero in on this. 
 

I KNEW he was a keeper!

 

Cruise on!

[TracieABD]

10 hours ago, Scubadoc said:

Enjoying ur trip report!  You are in an aft suite?  We will be in D727 in January. So excited. It looks like maybe the best room we have ever stayed in. Is the balcony as wonderful as it looks?  Thinking about dinners in the balcony!  Any tips about the room?  And I am blown away about the Enclave being free. I just purchased it online. 😳 I was afraid it might fill up. Hope I can get a refund. 

I am loving the aft suite.  As a rule of thumb… the lower the deck, the larger the balcony.  From what I have seen… the aft suite balconies on the Dolphin deck could host a square dance!

 

I will say regarding the complementary Enclave… this is the first time I have ever seen this. We were in a mid-aft suite on the previous sailing and did not receive this.  My guess is that it is a one-off…. I will be curious to see if this is a “thing”.  

Edited December 5, 2021 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

3 hours ago, Tyskie said:

 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet but probably passed without knowing.

 

My take on CG as we had this happen on NCL at their steak house Cagney's:

 

They have not been getting the beef from their usual suppliers (as per F&B manager on NCL) therefore there have been lots of hits and misses with many cuts of steak and beef.   We were a party of 8 celebrating friendship and life on 11/30 - some steaks were good, some not so much.

 

Even the hamburgers on deck - not good (they were my favorite).

 

All in all, everything else was DELICIOUS!  Service impeccable!  It was a wonderful cruise!  So wish we could have extended like you!!!   Enjoy this leg of the trip! 💗

We are going to give the Crown Grill another try on Tuesday… I will be happy to report back!

[TracieABD]

11 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

That entire lovely post, descriptively tantalizing and supremely informative, and I zero in on this. 
 

I KNEW he was a keeper!

 

Cruise on!

Ahhh! I love it.  We were chatting with Patty and Ken last night about you… we miss seeing you!