Live from Regal Princess May 15 British Isles cruise

[Pirateskigirl]

Greetings from the Regal Princess

 

After spending the night in Southampton. We had a 5 mile taxi ride to the Ocean Terminal in our pre-booked taxi. Ride was 16£. Arrived 11am. 
Easy luggage drop off. Just look for the luggage pod for your deck. 
Green lane easy check in and quick security and on board before 1130am.  
Got our cabin, dropped off bags, met our steward(Randy) watched the safety video. Off to check in at muster station.

Bloody Mary at Crooners to start the trip.  
Leisurely day on the ship before sailway.  It was a beautiful mid 60s partly sunny day.  
Enjoyed dinner in the Allegro Dining Room.  Did a little trivia and karaoke and off to bed.  
Our stewart had to collect our passports before 5pm because of Ireland immigration requirements in Cobh/Cork and other ports.  They will be returned by May 22. 
Guests disembarking in Le Harve can collect their passports at the Guests Services desk on May 26 after they are stamped by French Immigration. 
Please let me know any questions,I can answer. 
Tomorrow is a sea day. 

[Pirateskigirl]

A few more pictures. 
 

[Fortunate 2 travel]

Have a fantastic time!  We love the Regal and had a great British Isle/Ireland cruise last August.

[Cloudyrain]

Looking forward to your report 😊

[maggieq]

Following 😊 

[railman]

Following

[maggieq]

12 hours ago, Fortunate 2 travel said:

Have a fantastic time!  We love the Regal and had a great British Isle/Ireland cruise last August.

@Fortunate 2 travel did you do the itin with Liverpool and Belfast?

[phabric]

I have done the 12 and 8 day British Isles cruises.

Following along.

Enjoy your cruise.

[cruisingtheresa]

We'll be on this cruise June 20 - I'm looking forward to following this thread!

[Mary loves to travel]

We did a 12 day British Isles on the Regal last May!    Wonderful cruise and ship.  
Enjoy 😊 

[Pirateskigirl]

Hello Sea Day#1

Started my day with a hot stone massage followed by a light breakfast at the International Cafe. 
Played the morning trivia game(our team won).

The weather was partly cloudy and low sixties with a smooth sea.

Strolled the ship checking out the shops etc..I won no raffle prizes.

Helped the passengers beat the crew at Water Pong in the piazza. 
We had bit of excitement on this sea day, sadly a passenger had to be airlifted from the ship at 12n. They closed the upper decks and the deck 7 walkway plus told aft balcony passengers to stay inside with doors closed.  The Captain kept everyone informed while the British Coast Guard did the evacuation.  (See pictures below)came in second at cornhole.  Relaxed a bit on the aft deck after a game of pickleball.  Played a little putt-putt and afternoon trivia.  It was formal night, people dressed or they didn’t.  Enjoyed drinks at crooners.  We were dining during the champagne waterfall with the Captain.  The platnium\elitie lounge is in the Vista Lounge on this cruise.  They had the first time cruisers reception today. Attended the comedy show with Phil Walker.  He was quite good.  Donated some money in the casino.  Tomorrow is Cork/Cobh.  Got our first towel animal. 

[crowdraven87]

If you happen by there, can you share pics of the double down bar area? Thanks for the updates and info 

[Pirateskigirl]

Greetings from Cork/Cobh

 

Since we docked in Ringaskiddy, Princess did arrange both free shuttles to Cork for independent travelers (drop off at city hall) and a local ferry service was available from ship to Cobh which departed every 30 minutes.  You did need a boarding ticket for the shuttle or ferry prior to leaving the ship. We were delayed by 30 minutes docking, the Captain announced, we would be departing Cork 30 minutes later tonight.  
The shuttle system worked great. When a bus was full it left, roughly every 15 minutes. 
 

we did the Princess excursion to Blarney Castle.  No issues, we had no desire to swap spit with the stone. We had a leisurely stroll through the gardens and enjoyed a beverage.  We had a little delay because all the buses had to go through town because of a fatal accident in the tunnel closing both lanes.  We had a cool and cloudy day but little rain and the sun is out now.  
 

we had a light lunch and a walkabout Cork before returning to the ship.  We were back by 4. Oh, our team won the afternoon trivia.  Now it’s Martini time. 

 

[catgirl411]

Just got home from the May 5th sailing of this cruise. It was great and we lucked into wonderful weather. Enjoy your cruise. One experience you won’t have is the 312 Red Hat Society ladies who were on board our cruise…they were everywhere. 
 

interestingly we had a passenger emergency not long after leaving Southhampton. They were going to transport by helicopter but it was too windy so they sent a Coast Guard boat. Apparently the passenger had a heart attack.
 

Edited May 17 by catgirl411

[Pirateskigirl]

21 hours ago, crowdraven87 said:

If you happen by there, can you share pics of the double down bar area? Thanks for the updates and info 

Here you are. The signage still lists it as Club 6.  All the sports you could want.  

[Pirateskigirl]

Sorry I forgot to add the platter for today. May 17.  The next couple of days will be very busy, so I maybe slow with the updates.  

[Pirateskigirl]

51 minutes ago, catgirl411 said:

Just got home from the May 5th sailing of this cruise. It was great and we lucked into wonderful weather. Enjoy your cruise. One experience you won’t have is the 312 Red Hat Society ladies who were on board our cruise…they were everywhere. 
 

interestingly we had a passenger emergency not long after leaving Southhampton. They were going to transport by helicopter but it was too windy so they sent a Coast Guard boat. Apparently the passenger had a heart attack.
 

I saw one of the little red hats calling cards in the spa treatment room where I had my massage. 

Edited May 17 by Pirateskigirl

[catgirl411]

26 minutes ago, Pirateskigirl said:

I saw one of the little red hats calling cards in the spa treatment room where I had my massage.

[Canuker]

On 5/15/2024 at 6:19 PM, Pirateskigirl said:

A few more pictures. 
 

Pirateskigirl (OP): this is a very useful photograph for anyone who may not be familiar with the layout of the port of Southampton.

The picture is looking north west, up the River Test. Southampton Water and the open sea is directly behind you. The three cruise ships are docked in the Western Docks (aka the New Docks), where the berths are numbered  1xx; you were fortunate to be docked in the Eastern Docks (aka Old Docks), away from all that turnaround traffic. I'm guessing your were at the Ocean Terminal, berth 46.

The dog-leg jetty across the middle of your picture is the Town Quay. Here a regular small ferry links the City to Hythe a village on the SW shore of Southampton Water. If you go, Hythe Pier is 700 yards (640m.) long. The good news is you can take the world's oldest continuously running electric pier railway, now over century old.

The vessel at the Town Quay is a Red Funnel high-speed ferry. The main dock for Red Funnel is just out of view on the far side of Town Quay. Both high speed and regular ferries link Southampton with Cowes on the Isle of Wight, which you will have circled on your way out into the English Channel. From the picture, it appears there is no ferry docked there, but I'm sure you would pass one as you head down Southampton water; they are quite frequent. A day out on the IoW is quite doable, while in port.

The deep-water container terminal in the distance also looks quiet.

For those looking for a handy place to stay, pre- or post- cruise, the rectangular high rise just to the right of the Mayflower Park greenspace on the far right, is The Holiday Inn Southampton. The town centre is off the picture to the right. Shopping, museums, nice pubs!. In that direction is also the main railway station, Southampton Central (for trains to London, Gatwick Airport and the North) as is the bus ("Coach") station for long distance buses, including Heathrow and London, each about 2km (1.25 miles) from where you're standing.

Speaking of pubs, across the street from the Town Quay, not quite in the picture (next to that dazzling white building, is The Dancing Man, a brewpub I can certainly recommend, with a nice patio overlooking the harbour. They do good trade in wedding parties, too.

Unlike ports elsewhere, the dock gates are quite open, with no restrictions if you choose to walk.

Lastly, just a little past the Dancing Man is the Mayflower Memorial, from where the Pilgrim Fathers (ancestors to many who visit Southampton) set sail for the New World. All around this area are the remains of the old town which date back to Roman times; you are free to clamber and explore these walls and battlements. The nice part of this area is that, conveniently close to the cruise ships, it's a fine are to explore and discover - especially on a day like yours, OP, in the sunshine.

 

From someone who used to live in Southampton, many moons ago, when many ocean liners departed for all corners of the globe

Best,

Canuker.

[Auntiejo]

Following along as we're considering this cruise next year - thanks for bringing us along!

[Pirateskigirl]

Greetings from Dublin/Don Laogharie.

It was overcast and a bit chilly this morning, after 1530 it became clear and sunny mid 60s. Enjoying it in my balcony has I type watching the last of the tenders returning to the ship. 
 

We had a full on your own day in Dublin. Took the first tender to catch a taxi(20€)to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the long library. A Wonderful experience.  Note: they have begun the process of removing books from the library for the upcoming renovation which will close the exhibit for 3 years.  Also, student protests at the school have caused some disruption of visits.  
 

Next stop was Dublin Castle. We were not able to visit the Beately Gardens because they were having a police memorial event.  It was nice seeing the State Quarters but I need not return.  
We stopped for lunch at Porterhouse in the Temple Bar region.  Nice toasty with soup and a pint.  It was definitely Saturday in the Temple Bar area.  Busy and Boisterous.   
Final stop was St. Patrick Cathederal.  Beautiful stained glass and the floors are amazing.  The park behind it is lovely and a popular spot for locals.  Be sure to explore the far famous writers wall. 
 

My friend was worn out, so we caught a taxi back to Dun Laoghaire(31€). Traffic was a bit heavy because of a fatal accident on the Ring road, a police incident between Trinity and Dublin Castle and an afternoon protest.  Compounding this was no train service from Don Laoghaire today.  
Princess did not provide any free shuttles into city centre. You either booked one of their tours or the HoHO or a taxi/Uber to get into Dublin.

An exhausting day.  Probably going to have a light bite and get ready for an early Belfast day. 
 

 

[Pirateskigirl]

Here is today’s Princess Patter.

 

[GonzoWCS]

Following along.

 

Cheers

[Pirateskigirl]

Tonight’s Dinner Menu

 

[db51]

On this cruise on 8th June so brilliant reading about it

thankyou