LIVE! - Regal Princess, Rome to Athens, 6/18 - 6/25

phabric · June 25, 2022

On the Sky June4-11 Norwegian Fjords, I received $35 refund for 3 days of WiFi. I had purchased WiFi ($44 Elite price) not the Plus package.

L11 · June 25, 2022

On Ruby last week, the internet was absolutely abysmal. I had the plus package so no refund or offer of OBC when I complained. Ended up missing an online appointment because the website I needed to access took literally 20 minutes just to load the log in screen and never got me on to the site at all. I even tried the computers in the Internet Cafe which were slightly faster but not by much. Princess needs to work on this.

@CruzerDeb, we went to Rome several years ago. We toured with Rome in Limo and, if I recall correctly, also has Stefano as a guide. We even stayed in the same hotel, Albergo del Senato. One of my favorite memories is of the Piazza della Rotunda at night from in front of the hotel. I look forward to reading your final thoughts on your cruise.

Linda

karabear15 · June 25, 2022

2 hours ago, L11 said:

@CruzerDeb, we went to Rome several years ago. We toured with Rome in Limo and, if I recall correctly, also has Stefano as a guide. We even stayed in the same hotel, Albergo del Senato. One of my favorite memories is of the Piazza della Rotunda at night from in front of the hotel. I look forward to reading your final thoughts on your cruise.

This makes me so happy, as we will be doing a tour with the same company as well as staying at the same hotel. I can't wait to see the Piazza at night, one of the reasons I booked one of their higher category rooms!

arizonaperson · June 25, 2022

cruzerDeb- great Live from . We’ll darn that Princess seems to have terrible to no internet connectivity. Seems to be a theme from many Princess passengers. Enjoyed your posts.

Edited June 25, 2022 by arizonaperson

beachgirls806 · June 25, 2022

Thanks for posting live from your trip! Enjoyed following along.

My mother and myself will be taking the Regal for a two week cruise in August and spending three days in Rome prior to the cruise.

Was the process of getting a covid-19 test in Rome easy?

Thanks

beckntom · June 26, 2022

18 hours ago, karabear15 said:

This makes me so happy, as we will be doing a tour with the same company as well as staying at the same hotel. I can't wait to see the Piazza at night, one of the reasons I booked one of their higher category rooms!

We have "been there, done that"--four tours with Rome in Limo and three transfers (FCO to hotel; hotel to port; port to FCO). Rome in Limo cannot be faulted for a single thing! Tours are wonderful, and the company is absolutely dependable AND so prompt in answering e-mail inquiries. We also stayed at the Albergo del Senato, and were not disappointed in any aspect. Yes, the piazza is a happening place at night! So is the rooftop bar with the fabulous views, I hear, if you are there "in season" for the rooftop to be open. Sadly, we were not, and definitely won't be for our stay this November. Can't wait!

Steelers36 · June 26, 2022

I wish someone would report who has asked the on-board internet manager what is going on across the fleet as to why the internet has gone from being quite good to useless almost overnight. I'd love to know the real reason and if anything is being done to rectify it and ETA for it to be back to expected normal.

PacnGoNow · June 26, 2022

10 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I wish someone would report who has asked the on-board internet manager what is going on across the fleet as to why the internet has gone from being quite good to useless almost overnight. I'd love to know the real reason and if anything is being done to rectify it and ETA for it to be back to expected normal.

Been wondering too. It seems to have changed drastically late March/April?

JimmyVWine · June 26, 2022

46 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I wish someone would report who has asked the on-board internet manager what is going on across the fleet as to why the internet has gone from being quite good to useless almost overnight. I'd love to know the real reason and if anything is being done to rectify it and ETA for it to be back to expected normal.

I listened to a podcast last week about a recent cruise on the Disney Dream and every single person on that cruise reported that the Wi-Fi was unusable. Worst ever. So I don’t know if the problem lies with Princess or the third-party infrastructure in the sky.

Alanr204 · June 26, 2022

CruzerDeb, when you are able to post again can you please tell us if there were Covid tests done on those passengers that were staying onboard for the next segment to Barcelona? Thank you.

Ken the cruiser · June 26, 2022

1 hour ago, Alanr204 said:

CruzerDeb, when you are able to post again can you please tell us if there were Covid tests done on those passengers that were staying onboard for the next segment to Barcelona? Thank you.

According to @Trash Queen on the July 18 Regal Roll Call, who appears to be a B2B, they did not test.

ATHENS:

1. They did not test us for COVID or anything else last night, nor did they this morning. That is for continuing passengers; I have no idea if those disembarking had to get tested or not.

bwmfire36 · June 26, 2022

Just recently off the Regal Princess (Jun 4) 14D from Athens to Rome. I will share what we experienced as best I can, hopefully this will help. And Ill try to answer some notes of questions above.

COVID Testing: So the only testing we did was in Athens. That was a mess, by the way warning here, if testing is still required in Greece, they have changed the rules, so don't follow Princess's site. The rule now is you must present a negative witness PCR test within 24 hrs. The site stated 24 - 72 hours prior. That was not the case, as we tested using the EMed Kit (supper simple BTW) at the 30 hr before departure, and had to retest at the pier at no charge, just mad we had to retest for a 6 hr time difference. After that there was no mention of testing unless you report to Medical for an on-board illness. Some reported not feeling well, the tested positive and ended up on Deck 9 (Quarantine Deck) for 5 days to 10 days pending symptoms.

SHIP: The ship is a very clean and a well maintained ship. It was recently in dry dock, so its in great shape. Unfortunately, the crew is haggard and tired. Seems they are short staffed and parts of the crew is a little slow to move or are not interested in quality customer service at times. Room Steward William (Baja Deck 11) was fantastic. That said, you will find a few bright spots in the casino and the Main Dining Room. MDR was empty most nights, which was a shame, those servers are happy to see you, so plan to go and often. Many were standing around and helping other areas due to their area had no one. Food was good on some nights, and average on other. The breakfast buffet was terrible BTW. Same menu every day, no changes. Only changes was because they ran out of something. Frozen pastries thawed the night before, nothing really fresh but the fruit.

THE APP: Medallion Class thing has its quirks, but does a fair job. NOW, as for the Medallion APP and Wifi.... holy mother of all that is holy... Princess needs to either fix the App or abandon the project. That app was terrible and rarely worked, it's frustrating. In fact, the crew even joke as to how terrible the app is. When it did work, the bars will be a nightmare, so plan ahead. Often times when people ordered drinks through the app, the bartenders would focus more on those then the patrons at the bar. Ordering through the in room TV worked very well, and room service was spot on every time and fast. As for Wifi, if you plan to texted each other in airplane mode, or FaceTime family, the Wifi was spotty and unreliable. The best service was in ports, so plan phone calls and/or FaceTime to family on port days, sea days its a hot mess! Truthfully, as the wifi goes so does that horrible app. Use the Patters.

TV Filming: Someone earlier as about the filming of the show "The Real Love Boat", they were really quiet actually. Club 6 on Deck 6 is the only venue closed full time, and periodically an area will be closed for filming for a short period of time. A couple times you would see the contestants on the pool deck soaking in the sun, but for the most part they don't interfere with anything.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: We did all our excursions through Princess, and for the most part they are great. Warning here though, many of the longer excursions returned back the the ship late, and in some cases 60-90 min late. Of course they held the ship, but Princess needs to review the use of some of the vendors and start holding them accountable for tardiness. One vendor even laughed at the notion that we would return in time. So that said, take this solid advise please, pack some pre-packaged granola bars or snacks, you will thank me for that, I promise.

*** I will caution people on doing one excursion which is the San Michele Wine Tasting/Mt Etna Tour in Messina, IT. The winery treated the tour so poorly and could careless if we were there. They assigned the most junior worker there, stuck us in a small hot room, and you barely got a sip from three different wines. Never explained what we were tasting, then were offended that you didn't buy bottles of wine. The Etna piece and the guide was great, but the winery needs to be put on notice. Recommend a different tour. ***

Id be happy to share more if you are interested. Happy holidays, vacation, break from work and enjoy. Remember why you booked this itinerary, its a good one.

PacnGoNow · June 26, 2022

42 minutes ago, bwmfire36 said:

. Some reported not feeling well, the tested positive and ended up on Deck 9 (Quarantine Deck) for 5 days to 10 days pending

Deck 9, was it forward port side for the quarantine?

TIA

Moorecc70 · June 26, 2022

Thank you all for information! It is good to know in advance how to plan for some glitches. One YouTuber mentioned that talking with staff about where they go in port for WiFi was very helpful to him.

wowzz · June 26, 2022

1 hour ago, bwmfire36 said:

Unfortunately, the crew is haggard and tired. Seems they are short staffed and parts of the crew is a little slow to move or are not interested in quality customer service at times.

Not our experience earlier this month. The crew were fantastic - very friendly, and the bar staff were pouring my wine as I approached the bar !

1 hour ago, bwmfire36 said:

Often times when people ordered drinks through the app, the bartenders would focus more on those then the patrons at the bar.

Not my experience. Bar staff would always serve those waiting, especially once they got to know you. The staff knew I just wanted a simple beer or wine, and would pour it whilst working on some complicated cocktail.

Our cruise was fantastic, and we have no complaints. We did some great trips, but used private companies - half the price of Princess tours, and only 6 people, not 46 !

Edited June 26, 2022 by wowzz

CruzerDeb · June 27, 2022

Day Three - At Sea

A sweet day with nothing planned except grabbing a lounger in the sun by the pool! Regal had us set our clocks forward an hour, so sleeping in until 8:00 (unusual for me), was really sleeping in until 9:00! Did I even have a chance??

I’m normally on Lido and getting a chair by 7:00, so I wasn’t confident. And when I say “getting my chair”, I mean my butt is in said chair, not claiming one to come back to in a couple of ours; I’m no CHOG. 😂. Mom wanted to eat first, which put us out there a little later. Miracle of miracles! We found two loungers together in the perfect spot. She sat with me for an hour and then sought some shade nearby.

We really did nothing of note and just enjoyed a relaxing day. Today was formal night and we did not dress up and ate in the buffet.

Tonight’s entertainment in the theater was the Princess production show “Bravo” which we really enjoyed.

Ken the cruiser · June 27, 2022

12 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said:

Day Three - At Sea

A sweet day with nothing planned except grabbing a lounger in the sun by the pool! Regal had us set our clocks forward an hour, so sleeping in until 8:00 (unusual for me), was really sleeping in until 9:00! Did I even have a chance??

I’m normally on Lido and getting a chair by 7:00, so I wasn’t confident. And when I say “getting my chair”, I mean my butt is in said chair, not claiming one to come back to in a couple of ours; I’m no CHOG. 😂. Mom wanted to eat first, which put us out there a little later. Miracle of miracles! We found two loungers together in the perfect spot. She sat with me for an hour and then sought some shade nearby.

We really did nothing of note and just enjoyed a relaxing day. Today was formal night and we did not dress up and ate in the buffet.

Tonight’s entertainment in the theater was the Princess production show “Bravo” which we really enjoyed.

I'm confused. On your Saturday (June 25) posts #96/97, you said you disembarked in Athens and were waiting for your flight. However, today (Monday, June 27) you're saying it's "Day 3 - At Sea". Are you still on the Regal or are you posting about the experiences you had last Monday, June 20?

Edited June 27, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

CruzerDeb · June 27, 2022

Day Four - Heraklion, Crete

We booked the “Crete Villages & Folkloric Show” (easy activity) through Princess. We met in the Princess Theater, where we were assigned our group for the day. This was very organized. We were soon off the ship and on our comfortable tour bus for the day.

Crete is absolutely beautiful! We enjoyed the very scenic drive and learning about all the olive trees (35M!!) and wineries. Most cheese is made from either goat or sheep milk.

CruzerDeb · June 27, 2022

13 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm confused. On your Saturday (June 25) posts #96/97, you said you disembarked in Athens and were waiting for your flight. However, today (Monday, June 27) you're saying it's "Day 3 - At Sea". Are you still on the Regal or are you posting about the experiences you had last Monday, June 20?

I am trying to finish this trip report.

CruzerDeb · June 27, 2022

Please note - posts are no longer LIVE.

PacnGoNow · June 27, 2022

19 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm confused. On your Saturday (June 25) posts #96/97, you said you disembarked in Athens and were waiting for your flight. However, today (Monday, June 27) you're saying it's "Day 3 - At Sea". Are you still on the Regal or are you posting about the experiences you had last Monday, June 20?

Edited June 27, 2022 by PacnGoNow

CruzerDeb · June 27, 2022

Day Three - Crete, con

We visited a local pottery maker; cool to see how quickly they make such beautiful vessels and learning the process. There is a store (of course) where you can purchase items.