Regal Princess 6/8 Sailing Quick Notes

[helenb]

We are disembarking tomorrow from the June 8 Regal Princess British Isles sailing. Just a few notes on issues that have been discussed here on the forums (for future British Isles cruisers).

 

- Diet Soda.   On the first day, there was only fountain diet soda. Then on the second day they had cans of Diet Coke. 3 or 4 days into the cruise they had cans of Coke Zero and the Diet Coke was gone. They have had Coke Zero ever since.

 

- Premium Desserts.   The ‘gelato’ is actually ice cream. It is similar to the ice cream in the dining room, although there are more flavors. You do NOT have to get the actual ‘premium desserts’. You can order whatever ice cream +toppings you want from the menu.

 

- Ports.   We actually were able to make all of our ports! In Kirkwall, we docked, and didn’t have to tender. It was really nice just walking off. Our private tour guide suggested that someone at the port had a beef with Princess, and that’s why they often had to tender, which caused issues docking/anchoring. There was also something weird going on at Skara Brae. They were officially ‘sold out’, and Princess even had to cancel multiple tours going there (which really screwed over the people booked on those tours). Yet when we got to Skara Brae on our private tour, even though the signs said it was sold out, it was quite empty. They easily could have scheduled in a couple more tour busses, at least. Again, the implication was that Princess pissed off someone in the tourist office and this is why it happened. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m just telling you what I saw.

 

As for Le Havre, we were able to dock with no issues, despite the strike. Of course, there was no ‘official’ action today. I took a Bee Bus tour to Honfleur and found it easy and worthwhile.

 

The X99 bus in Edinburgh/South Queensferry is awesome, but there are long lines to return.

 

Portland was a replacement port (we were originally scheduled to go to Belfast) and we didn’t know what we wanted to do. The free shuttle bus to Portland Castle was helpful, and the castle + D-Day Museum made for a fun day.

 

Weather.   The weather has been frigid, but everyone came prepared. The Brits are sunbathing on the deck; everyone else is in winter coats, sweaters and hoodies. Bring that heavy clothing and a good rain jacket.

[acutecanuck]

Thanks for the info! I'm going on the same cruise in August and am really hoping we don't get rescheduled from Belfast 🤞

[tobyt]

Thank you for the updates! We are the last of the season in September and I have been deep in planning mode and the many changes to ports is always a concern to the point I have been doing what if for some of the other ports.

Why was Belfast replaced? I had not heard that one being an issue.

[helenb]

Belfast was replaced months ago due to ‘congestion at the port’. Not sure why Princess was the one bumped, but that was the explanation.

[Rusty Hull]

When can I board?

No information on documents or app!

[KKB]

On 6/19/2024 at 12:17 PM, helenb said:

We are disembarking tomorrow from the June 8 Regal Princess British Isles sailing. Just a few notes on issues that have been discussed here on the forums (for future British Isles cruisers).

 

- Diet Soda.   On the first day, there was only fountain diet soda. Then on the second day they had cans of Diet Coke. 3 or 4 days into the cruise they had cans of Coke Zero and the Diet Coke was gone. They have had Coke Zero ever since.

 

- Premium Desserts.   The ‘gelato’ is actually ice cream. It is similar to the ice cream in the dining room, although there are more flavors. You do NOT have to get the actual ‘premium desserts’. You can order whatever ice cream +toppings you want from the menu.

 

- Ports.   We actually were able to make all of our ports! In Kirkwall, we docked, and didn’t have to tender. It was really nice just walking off. Our private tour guide suggested that someone at the port had a beef with Princess, and that’s why they often had to tender, which caused issues docking/anchoring. There was also something weird going on at Skara Brae. They were officially ‘sold out’, and Princess even had to cancel multiple tours going there (which really screwed over the people booked on those tours). Yet when we got to Skara Brae on our private tour, even though the signs said it was sold out, it was quite empty. They easily could have scheduled in a couple more tour busses, at least. Again, the implication was that Princess pissed off someone in the tourist office and this is why it happened. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m just telling you what I saw.

 

As for Le Havre, we were able to dock with no issues, despite the strike. Of course, there was no ‘official’ action today. I took a Bee Bus tour to Honfleur and found it easy and worthwhile.

 

The X99 bus in Edinburgh/South Queensferry is awesome, but there are long lines to return.

 

Portland was a replacement port (we were originally scheduled to go to Belfast) and we didn’t know what we wanted to do. The free shuttle bus to Portland Castle was helpful, and the castle + D-Day Museum made for a fun day.

 

Weather.   The weather has been frigid, but everyone came prepared. The Brits are sunbathing on the deck; everyone else is in winter coats, sweaters and hoodies. Bring that heavy clothing and a good rain jacket.

Was SUPER disappointed Kirkwall was cancelled in May for another sad port--love Kirkwall! We were told Princess would no longer be going to Kirkwall...CLEARLY not true. Something is clearly wonky with some port issues in UK w/ Princess...

Weymouth, the town near Portland, was LOVELY & really enjoyed it. Next time will do castle & WWII museum in Portland.

[helenb]

23 hours ago, Rusty Hull said:

When can I board?

No information on documents or app!

Anytime. Generally, boarding starts about 11 am or so. There are no assigned boarding times, but suites, elite/platinum board first. Otherwise, FCFS.

[helenb]

23 hours ago, KKB said:

Was SUPER disappointed Kirkwall was cancelled in May for another sad port--love Kirkwall! We were told Princess would no longer be going to Kirkwall...CLEARLY not true. Something is clearly wonky with some port issues in UK w/ Princess...

 

There is definitely something weird going on between Princess and the officials in Kirkwall. That's about all you can say for sure.

[Mark_K]

5 hours ago, helenb said:

Anytime. Generally, boarding starts about 11 am or so. There are no assigned boarding times, but suites, elite/platinum board first. Otherwise, FCFS.

In theory, but we were also on this cruise, and when i asked about priority boarding for suites, all I got was blank stares.

[Mark_K]

On 6/23/2024 at 12:17 PM, Rusty Hull said:

When can I board?

No information on documents or app!

A bigger question to get answered may be where do I board.  It varies by sailing, and your embark terminal is not necessarily your disembark terminal.

[helenb]

19 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

In theory, but we were also on this cruise, and when i asked about priority boarding for suites, all I got was blank stares.

 

There was a separate area for suites in the embarkation lounge. There was also one for elites and platinum. These areas were allowed to board before general boarding.

[Mark_K]

2 minutes ago, helenb said:

 

There was a separate area for suites in the embarkation lounge. There was also one for elites and platinum. These areas were allowed to board before general boarding.

That could very well be, but as I said, when I asked, I received blank stares.

[HondaGirl05]

Thanks for your notes! So helpful to the rest of us planning.

Question - how were the bugs? Any ports that were particularly 'bad' midgewise?