Live British Isles July 19-31 Princess Regal

[kttraveler]

I've had a great time following along as others posted live about their adventures so I've decided to give it a try myself. My parents and I are flying out this evening and will be arriving at Heathrow Tuesday morning. We plan on taking the Heathrow express to Paddington and spending the night at a Premiere Inn. We hope to squeeze in a visit to the Imperial War museum. We have a private transfer to the ship Wednesday morning.

 

I will do my best to post menus and patters. My mother uses a wheelchair so I will also try to highlight what works and doesn't work for those with mobility issues. I'm not a drinker so I won't be able to answer your questions about wines and such. My parents will be taking several princess excursions. I am only signed up for one to Blarney Castle. We have a couple private excursions and I will be heading out on my own at several ports using public transportation. I've amended my plans based on what others have posted so hopefully I can help people like I've been helped. Feel free to ask me questions as I go and I will do my best to answer.

 

Time to pack those last minute things and start my adventure!

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, kttraveler said:

I've had a great time following along as others posted live about their adventures so I've decided to give it a try myself. My parents and I are flying out this evening and will be arriving at Heathrow Tuesday morning. We plan on taking the Heathrow express to Paddington and spending the night at a Premiere Inn. We hope to squeeze in a visit to the Imperial War museum. We have a private transfer to the ship Wednesday morning.

 

I will do my best to post menus and patters. My mother uses a wheelchair so I will also try to highlight what works and doesn't work for those with mobility issues. I'm not a drinker so I won't be able to answer your questions about wines and such. My parents will be taking several princess excursions. I am only signed up for one to Blarney Castle. We have a couple private excursions and I will be heading out on my own at several ports using public transportation. I've amended my plans based on what others have posted so hopefully I can help people like I've been helped. Feel free to ask me questions as I go and I will do my best to answer.

 

Time to pack those last minute things and start my adventure!

Have a phenomenal trip!!!!

[Jadn13]

Thanks! Sailing in September and learning a lot from these threads.

[phabric]

Enjoy your cruise.

[avs88]

Looking forward to your review.  Our trip is not until May, but looking at all excursions...either thru Princess, private or DIY.  Thanks for doing this and have a great time!

 

[atlast95]

We are doing Britain and Iceland in September so very interested in following along. 

Bon voyage!

[Martha1974]

Thank you for taking the time to post - I’m UK based and love reading reports from visitors to see my home country through other people’s eyes. Have a fantastic trip - weather reports are very variable for the next week or so, I hope that won’t impact on your enjoyment of the trip. If nothing else it will give you a conversation starter with any British person you meet (“ isn’t it warm / hot /sunny /windy /rainy” **substitute weather conditions as appropriate). Happy cruising 🛳️😁

[Littleredtrike]

Thank you for taking the time!  DH and I are doing the sailing on 8/24 for our 15th anniversary!  We are following along and saving all the tips!

[kttraveler]

Sadly a light fell off our plane on the way here from Greece so we now have a three hour delay while they put a new light back on. Hopefully we still leave tonight. Glad we have that extra day built in. The imperial war museum is probably not going to happen now. 

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, kttraveler said:

Sadly a light fell off our plane on the way here from Greece so we now have a three hour delay while they put a new light back on. Hopefully we still leave tonight. Glad we have that extra day built in. The imperial war museum is probably not going to happen now. 

 

We had a 4 hour delay last month on the way to Heathrow.  And that's why it's wise to go in early.  Hope they fix your plane quickly and you will be able to do all that you had planned to do.  Safe travels, will be following along!

[CruiserMickey]

Have a wonderful trip! So sorry about the delay. Looking forward to your feedback as we are hoping to do the same cruise next summer (booking soon)!

[kplady]

We'll be taking this trip in April....looking forward to hearing about your travels!

Laura

[kttraveler]

Embarkation was remarkable smooth. We went to the main dining room for lunch to avoid the buffet crowd which can be hard to manage in a wheelchair. Soon after we finished lunch we were able to head to our rooms. My luggage was already there and my parents arrived a couple hours later. We unpacked and I went to the single cruisers meet before dinner. I am posting the lunch and dinner menus. My favorite was the potato soup. Today and tomorrow patter will follow in the next post. The weather looks good for guernsey tomorrow so I am hopeful I will be able to go exploring. 

[azbirdmom]

Glad you made it.  Did you land in time to do your war museum tour?

 

Have a fantastic cruise and enjoy Guernsey.  What a beautiful little island.  It's a shame that Princess won't be stopping there next year.

[Tyskie]

Following along - our kids/grands are on this cruise. 

It will be fun to travel vicariously with you/them!

 

Is Capt Stringer still onboard?

[kttraveler]

5 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Glad you made it.  Did you land in time to do your war museum tour?

 

Have a fantastic cruise and enjoy Guernsey.  What a beautiful little island.  It's a shame that Princess won't be stopping there next year.

We did not try to go to the museum. By the time we arrived just getting to the hotel was enough of an adventure. Luckily the weather today is beautiful and tenders are running. I will be heading out after breakfast. 

[Cat1404]

Hello

We are doing this cruise on 31 July…love seeing the menus!
We are lucky enough to live close to Southampton so embarkation is a breeze!

Thank you for giving us an insider pre cruise view!

[Camberley]

First time on Regal and absolutely loving it so far. Onboard within 5 mins of getting to check-in desk, lovely meal in the MDR at lunch when we got on (no thanks to a certain crew member yesterday who said it was definitely not open on embarkation day!) and some superb food since.

 

In a front mini suite and loving the space in the cabin and on the balcony: we normally sail in full suites on cruises but for better than half this cost of a full suite - and given as we actually use our cabins and balconies not just to sleep - the space is perk enough for us.

 

And Guernsey is just beautiful. 

Edited July 20, 2023 by Camberley

[susancruzs]

I'm following along, I'll be on the Regal in April for the TA + this cruise!  Can't wait.  Thanks for posting the menus, appreciate it!

[kttraveler]

I took off to Guernsey on my own. The tender ride was smooth. I used bus 71 to go to the underground hospital. There was a bit of a wait for the bus and a long line to get on. Not everyone waiting made it onto the bus so if you plan to use public transport check the schedules, be early, and get in line. The underground hospital was very interesting and easy to do self guided. The walk from there to the little chapel took me about fifteen minutes and wasn’t strenuous. The little chapel also doesn’t take long but is very interesting to see. I timed it well and caught bus 71 back to town. I ate a sandwich and walked from the bus terminal to Castle Cornet before getting in line to tender back to the ship. 

Total cost for today without food was just under 20 pounds. If I add in lunch I still did it for under 40 pounds, much less than a princess excursion. If you have mobility issue there are lots of cobblestone roads and everything you want to get to is up hill. Princess will get you right to the door and get you back to the ship more directly than public transport. 
 

We were supposed to be back on the ship by 3:30. I was in line for the tender at 2 pm and got on the tender at 3:30. It is 4:15 I am still watching tenders arrive. Tonight is a formal night and I am looking forward to the show Bravo. I will post the dinner menu in a bit. 

[CruiserMickey]

Thanks for doing this live trip report!

 

Is there any chance you will be visiting the Future Cruise desk? If so, could you please post the list of cruises offered at 50% off? 
 

Eagerly awaiting your next updates! 😃

[kttraveler]

First formal night menu!

[ssawjo]

Could you tell me, please, which MDR is/was open for lunch on embarkation day?  I dislike the crowded buffet on embarkation day and we prefer the leisurely atmosphere of the MDR.

 

Thank you.

[1965]

Thank you for the menu! I love perusing the menus. Helps me through to our next cruise. 

[kttraveler]

38 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

Could you tell me, please, which MDR is/was open for lunch on embarkation day?  I dislike the crowded buffet on embarkation day and we prefer the leisurely atmosphere of the MDR.

 

Thank you.

It was the concerto dining room. That’s also where we eat breakfast and dinner so it’s the one I know the best now.