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

[alibabacruisers]

Cruzer Deb, I am so sorry to hear about the wi-fi and the struggles you had trying to share your journey with us.  I am thankful you have come back to share those days and want to sincerely thank you for all of your effort.  I hope you and your Mother had the most wonderful time together traveling.  

[CruzerDeb]

3 hours ago, alibabacruisers said:

Cruzer Deb, I am so sorry to hear about the wi-fi and the struggles you had trying to share your journey with us.  I am thankful you have come back to share those days and want to sincerely thank you for all of your effort.  I hope you and your Mother had the most wonderful time together traveling.  

We had a wonderful cruise! Thank you for following along. 

[CruzerDeb]

On 6/25/2022 at 10:46 AM, L11 said:

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

Amazing that you had Stefano and stayed in the same hotel. It’s such a wonderful location. I’m in love with Rome and can’t wait to go back soon to share it with my husband. 

[CruzerDeb]

On 6/25/2022 at 1:08 PM, 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!

You will love it! 
 

 

[CruzerDeb]

On 6/25/2022 at 3:05 PM, beachgirls806 said:

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

Thanks for following along. Getting a Covid test in Rome was very easy; there are pharmacies everywhere. We just walked into one and asked to take the test: I think it was 20 euros, was taken right then and we had printed results in 20 minutes. 

[CruzerDeb]

On 6/26/2022 at 5:40 PM, PacnGoNow said:

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

TIA

We were on deck 9; quarantine is port mid to aft. 

[CruzerDeb]

7 hours ago, Sunny_li21 said:

Thanks for sharing the experiences. Watching very closely as my family will board Regal in 39 days ( yes, watching the countdown from Medallion app). 

 

When is the night time show time if you could share?

Thanks for following! Shows in the theater are every night at 8 and 10. 

[CruzerDeb]

Day Five - Kusadasi (Ephesus)

 

Another beautiful day and another Princess excursion. Today we visit the statue of the Virgin Mary, the Ephesus Museum and saw a carpet weaving demonstration. I don’t think my husband will let me travel without him again since I bought a carpet! Hey, it was tax-free with free shipping! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had dinner at Alfredo’s. I had the Minestrone alla Sorrentina, Agnolotti Gratinati alla Piemontese and the Tiramisu. All delicious!

 

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

Day 6 - Istanbul

 

Unfortunately, we had bad news from home and did not go ashore. 

[CruzerDeb]

Day 7 - Mykonos

 

Today’s excursion was “Ultimate Mykonos Island & Town”. This great adventure started with the sorting into groups in the Princess Theater and then included a very bumpy ride in the tender. We took a bus tour around the island learning its history, stopping at a local beach and a visit a monastery. Completed the bus portion of the tour back where we started and then walked to old Mykonos. Such a beautiful old area and I loved seeing the windmills. We then went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

Day 7 - Mykonos cont

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

Athens

 

Today was disembarkation day and it was well-organized and very fast. We’d received a questionnaire earlier in the week about whether we were self-disembarking, using a transfer or had made other arrangements. We had other arrangements and chose to get off at 8:00. We tagged our 2 large suitcases and put them out in the hall last night, keeping our carryons for necessities. 
 

We were off the ship and ready for our Athens excursion by 8:10! I didn’t think we’d be out so soon and had scheduled our pick up for 9:00. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I had booked a private half-day tour through TripAdvisor. Our driver was wonderful and knowledgeable. We visited the Acropolis, Agora and the Temple of Zeus. My mom was able to walk part way up the Acropolis, so I saw more than I expected. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

Athens, cont

 

We we lucky to see the changing of the guard at the President’s residence. Our guide also took us to a great hilltop viewpoint and we then had a snack while enjoying the view. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[dog]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:04 AM, nini said:

 

[dog]

Thanks for the memories- I did this trip with cruise & land visits 3 times.

Thanks for sharing.safe travels.

[CruzerDeb]

Athens, cont

 

Our tour ended with our guide dropping us off at our hotel, The Athens Gate Hotel. We thought it was nice, centrally located, and has a rooftop restaurant with fantastic views of the Acropolis. 
 

We walked to the Plaka for dinner at O Geros tou Moria tavern, which is located on some steps in that area; there are several restaurants on these steps. Another great experience!

My iPhone camera started acting up after dinner, so I didn’t get pictures of the rooftop restaurant or those great views. Ugh. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

10 minutes ago, dog said:

Thanks for the memories- I did this trip with cruise & land visits 3 times.

Thanks for sharing.safe travels.

I look forward to taking this trip again; soon, I hope!

[Gaznjo]

Thankyou for taking the time to catch us up on your live report....  it makes it very exciting for us who have this cruise to look forward to in August...  we will be continuing onto to Rome and then spending 6 nights there ....  Am excited to be there long enough to get evening shots as in the past we have only visited on Cruises....

[Carnevale]

Great photos!  Many thanks for adding in “the rest of the story “ for this trip.  So very helpful to have all the info you shared.

[caribill]

On 6/25/2022 at 9:23 AM, CruzerDeb said:

The Wi-Fi sucks. The Medallion app sucks, with it working every now and then just to give one a glimmer of hope. On the Wi-Fi issue, I had whatever was included in my booking; don’t know if you can pay more for better service. 

 

Nope. Everyone gets the same level of service.

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

We were on deck 9; quarantine is port mid to aft. 

Thanks!

[CruzerDeb]

Final Notes

 

If you can’t tell from previous posts, we loved this cruise! Of course, some things could have been better - there was only one production show by Princess entertainers; guest entertainers performed for two nights each and we didn’t really enjoy seeing them a second time. I was never able to get a drink delivered to me via the app, but I’m perfectly capable of going to the bar if a waiter isn’t passing by. Very minor stuff, IMO. 
 

Regal Princess is a beautiful ship!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Esprit]

Thanks CruzerDeb, for the great report and pictures.

 

Did you by chance take a picture of any drinks price lists? Did you notice anyone drinking Peroni beer?

[latebloomer56]

9 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

Day Five - Kusadasi (Ephesus)

 

Another beautiful day and another Princess excursion. Today we visit the statue of the Virgin Mary, the Ephesus Museum and saw a carpet weaving demonstration. I don’t think my husband will let me travel without him again since I bought a carpet! Hey, it was tax-free with free shipping! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had dinner at Alfredo’s. I had the Minestrone alla Sorrentina, Agnolotti Gratinati alla Piemontese and the Tiramisu. All delicious!

 

 

 

Loved Agnolotti Gratinati and most everything else feels like so long ago. Wish other ships with Alfredo's had more than pizza. Can't wait to book the Regal again, Thanks.

[JimmyVWine]

Thanks so much for the report and beautiful photos.  We will be doing the Athens ---> Barcelona journey in October on the same ship.  This report really helps set the mood.