Regal Princess Live: April 16-23 Med Cruise

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Corgidawgga said:

Thank you for taking the time to keep us updated on your cruise and the tours.    I am enjoying following along, especially the comments on the quarantine area.  
 

Some of us cruising in a couple of weeks were wondering if Euros are available on the ship.    I seem to remember that there was one ATM that would dispense € bu that was a few years ago pre Covid. 
 

also, do you know if the crew prefers US$ or Euros as tips?   I usually tip in $ but exchange rates for cash are the worst!     
 

stay safe and have fun!   

You can get euros on board,  but the fx rate is awful. Either buy some before you leave, or use an ATM at your first port. 

And the crew will be happy with either € or $. 

[Jaymuxman]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

You can get euros on board,  but the fx rate is awful. Either buy some before you leave, or use an ATM at your first port. 

And the crew will be happy with either € or $. 

You are SO RIGHT about the exchange rate on the ship. I have not been on one lately but do remember right before cruising shut down for Covid, the rate was horrendous. If AT ALL possible, order them before you leave the US from your bank or get at an ATM once you arrive. I just ordered some from Bank of America yesterday for our 5/7 cruise.

[jamesbauer]

16 hours ago, Jemnibabe said:

That seems very strange indeed.  Just got off the Regal, 28 days, and the entire time, port side of Dolphin deck was the quaranteed area.  Why would they suddenly move all those cabins to Emerald deck unless it has just expanded?  I was on starboard side of Dolphin deck and it began as quaranteed from midship to front on port side but before we got off, the entire port side of Dolphin was locked off.

Took a couple of Princess cruises in the fall and at that time, they were using the quarantined area for living quarters for newly-reported staff who have to be in quarantine for a couple of weeks (I believe) when reporting for duty on the ship.

[Corgidawgga]

Does anyone know if Canadian citizens need an eVisa for Turkish ports?

 

 

[Shannon Shamrock]

On 4/21/2022 at 7:44 AM, wowzz said:

You can get euros on board,  but the fx rate is awful. Either buy some before you leave, or use an ATM at your first port. 

And the crew will be happy with either € or $. 

On the Transatlantic voyage in March, the Spa crew (Hairdressers) were quick to point out that tips in Euros were preferred!  It was after that I realised there was a heafty tip already added on! Silly me!

[patrickmoran]

On 4/21/2022 at 12:47 AM, wowzz said:

That's strange - it was free on Sky last year.

Not this year. 
Marseilles is $16 round trip. You can pay on the ship or on the pier. 
Livorno is 5 euros round trip paid on the pier

[patrickmoran]

16 hours ago, Corgidawgga said:

Does anyone know if Canadian citizens need an eVisa for Turkish ports?

 

 

Sorry, no Turkish ports on our sailing. 

[patrickmoran]

Falling behind on my updates. 
Yesterday we docked in Genoa. I took the ship’s tour to Milan. It was Milan and the Last Supper. We had very good weather considering it poured in Genoa. It was a walking tour of center city and a visit to see the Last Supper for about 10 minutes. We did not go inside the Duomo and only walked through the Galleria.  At the end we got a little over an hour of free time. That was enough for lunch but not much else. So it was a taste of Milan. I’d like to go back and do it on my own. 

[CruzerDeb]

Thanks for this live review. Hope you are enjoying your cruise!

[Manderius]

Are you doing the princess excursions ? 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

Not this year. 
Marseilles is $16 round trip. You can pay on the ship or on the pier. 
Livorno is 5 euros round trip paid on the pier

Cheaper to combine with another couple and use a taxi !

[miagirl]

Thank you so much for keep us updated on your cruise.  I. too , hope you are having a great time!

[Steelers36]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:30 AM, Corgidawgga said:

Does anyone know if Canadian citizens need an eVisa for Turkish ports?

 

 

Have you looked into travel.gc.ca?

 

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/turkey#:~:text=Canadians travelling to Turkey for,consulate before arriving in Turkey.

 

[Swabbie]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Have you looked into travel.gc.ca?

 

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/turkey#:~:text=Canadians travelling to Turkey for,consulate before arriving in Turkey.

 

Not required for cruise passengers, where they get back on the ship. You are good for up to 72 hours.

https://www.mfa.gov.tr/frequently-asked-questions.en.mfa#:~:text=Do we need visas to,by the local security authorities.

 

[imapilotaz]

Curious on your comment on the quarantine area. Is there any random testing going on at any point besides the initial embarkation test?  Curious on why the embarkation area is "growing" and how its known on anyone's testing status following embarkation.  

[Rebjon]

On 4/21/2022 at 8:47 AM, wowzz said:

That's strange - it was free on Sky last year.

Pre- covid there was a free port bus to the port gates.

[wowzz]

17 minutes ago, Rebjon said:

Pre- covid there was a free port bus to the port gates.

Can only go by our experience in October last year- free bus from the ship to the old port area.

It will be interesting to see if we get charged on Regal next month.

[rjp50]

Strange that the Covid test at the pier was free.  They say there would be a charge to your cabin for it.  Did you check your final bill to see if they charged for it?

[CruzerDeb]

2 minutes ago, rjp50 said:

Strange that the Covid test at the pier was free.  They say there would be a charge to your cabin for it.  Did you check your final bill to see if they charged for it?

Princess’s current policy: 

 

[Moorecc70]

Thank you for all the wonderful info you are providing.  Our party is BTB round trip Athens, Aug. 7, so it seems like we’ll sail most of the Med. 

 

Good to know about the shuttle costs in Marseilles.  We’re taking several private tours and in other ports (specifically short stay days and tender ports) we’re arranging ship’s excursions.  

 

Enjoy and I hope it is a wonderful adventure!