Regal Princess - A Very Long Review

[bdjam]

Thanks for the positive info. I like the REGAL ... and I like the CAFE del SOL and the pizzeria. I prefer this over the larger ships. It has always seemed to me that, when you look at the ship's layout, the designers actually intended that the casino be located where the STAGE DOOR now resides. However, I just can't figure out why the ADAGIO and BENGAL lounges are located right next to each other. Using the old STAR PRINCESS (a very similar, but slightly smaller, SITMAR ship) as a guide, the casino was located where the BENGAL is on the REGAL, and the disco was in the dome (no equivalent for the STAGE DOOR). I've always felt that this was a PRINCESS change to an already-designed ship, and it never really quite fit. By the way ... who was the Cruise Director? (Last I knew, it was Frank Castiglione.) And, do you know how long he will be there? I'll be on the REGAL 10/11 from Montreal to NYC. Can't wait!

Interesting theory on the positioning of the disco/casino on the first Star, Crown and Regal Princesses. You’re right, on Star Princess the casino was where the Bengal Bar is on Regal Princess. Since Star Princess was nearly complete when Sitmar was bought out, but Crown and Regal were still on paper, Princess had the opportunity to change the layout on the latter two ships. What they did to The Dome is really … bad. Increasingly so as when I was up there – which was the prime of the evening for a casino – there was really a lot of it not being used. They certainly could create a casino on Promenade Deck and serve the passenger complement. However, it would also be a shame to lose the Bengal Bar.

 

Yes, Frank Castiglione is the Cruise Director, and from what I understood he’s leaving on October 21 – so you’ll be aboard for his last cruise on Regal. Of course that’s as of my cruise - Princess sometimes does a surprise transship, so don't hold me to it!

Welcome back Brian! Glad you had a fantastic cruise!

Thanks...I miss her already...to think someone else is sleeping in my bed!!:rolleyes:

[sheba376]

Thanks for the wonderful description, brought back great memories, I was almost walking thru the ship with you.

 

 

Can you tell me whether they still have the Wheel-of-Fortune in the Casino. It's the one thing I'll always remember about sitting enjoying a drink in the casino and gazing out to sea and jumping everytime the machine started up.

[LBL]

Brian,

 

Your review is wonderful. Reading it I can feel how much you enjoy the ship. I have to agree with you, I love the time I have spent on her (March '04 Hawaii). I am considering the Panama Canal cruise in January. Who was your Head Waiter? There was one in March that was the best ever! His name is Nello.

 

Carole

[cruiseryyc]

Glad to hear my favorite ship is still holding her own!! Folks who only go on the mega ships just don't know what they are missing.

[SharkieRools]

Can you tell me whether they still have the Wheel-of-Fortune in the Casino. It's the one thing I'll always remember about sitting enjoying a drink in the casino and gazing out to sea and jumping everytime the machine started up.

 

As of last November the "carousel" of Wheel of Fortune machines I believe you are refering to were no longer there. There were still 1 $0.25 and 1 $1 W-O-F machine in the Casino, however if I recall they weren't on the very edge near the observation areas and seemed quieter then before.

 

You can see in the middle left of the picture below that the carousel of W-O-F machines were replaced by nickel video slots.

 

Regal Princess Dome Casino

[CruisinChris]

BD - ALways good to hear about our old friends the Regal (and the Crown). Just love these ships.

 

 

Here's a little known fact that may help explain how the disco will fit down by the spa and gym. In the ship's earlier days, there was a DISCO located across the hall (through watertight doors, now closed). This disco was closed to passenger use in like '97 or '96. I suspect that what they will do, is simply close off the area now occupied by spa and gym (perhaps reconfiguring those spaces for crew use) and re-activate the disco.

 

I think the Stage Door is a good size room and well-located for the casino. Like, you I am disappointed with Princess lack of interest in making the Dome an observation lounge. These changes, altogether though, do much to bring the ship in line with the rest of the fleet. Hopefully, we'll be able to enjoy her for years to come.

 

Previous posters mentioned the Bistro. We have found the Bistro experience on these ships to be outstanding and an excellent alternative to the dining room. Very personalized service, nice quiet surroundings, beautiful view, and fantastic food. Very special. Which reminds me: the addition of the Sterling Steakhouse will be super, too!

 

Oh, your comments about the Dawn are also interesting. The Grand is suffering similar issues with her engines and they have spent the summer re-building what they can without the complete shutdown. THey plan on finishing up during their drydock.

[Deloresgardella]

I sailed on the Regal Princess in May S.F. to Alaska round trip. First time on a Princess ship and loved her. :) ;) Your review was great and brought back some really good memories. I was really impressed with Princess so made reservations at the future cruise desk and will sail on the Coral Princess from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco in April of 2005. Really looking forward to it.:D :cool:

Delores

[mii]

Bdjam: Thank you so much for a great review. It was very imformative and you mentioned that when the Regal was in S.F. port it was quite huge and you mentioned that the Sapphire will be there starting in Sept. I am on the 10/2/ sailing of the Sapphire and I also hope there will be no problem getting on and around the Embardero. I have sailed twice out of S.F. once on the Sky Princess and last year on the Pacific Princess and it was a zoo so it is going to be interesting with the Sapphire. Since we live 90 miles east of the pier we are leaving extra early so hopeful will not be a problem. Again thanks for the review of the Regal.

 

 

Marilyn

[PhillyCruiser]

Brian, you made my day! Now I know which ship to book to be able to savor the "old" Princess, where table captains made a special effort to delight their passengers with cherries jubilee, bananas foster, fettuccine alfredo.... every evening, another treat. Oh, I'm drooling. Please excuse me!

 

We are very lucky to have the Regal still in the Princess fleet. My next cruise is slated for the Sun, but I just might have to change the reservation now that I know about dining on the Regal....

 

I remember how enormous the Regal Princess seemed to all of us when she first made her debut. How quickly things change! (Not always for the better.)

 

Many thanks for your review.

 

Joan

[Beryl]

Thank you for your wonderful review that had me right back aboard the Regal Princess with you! Though I have sailed on both the Sun and Grand Class ships as well, the Regal remains my all time favourite! (I even preferred her over the Crown!) We first sailed the Regal Princess in 1994 but I haven't been aboard her now since 2000.....it has been much too long. I am so delighted to hear she has not lost her magic. Maybe one of those 10 day Alaska cruises is in order!!!

[Shutterlady]

We just returned from our first cruise on the Regal. We were on the 8/4 SF to Alaska. Having not cruised before we had nothing to compare our cruise with. I found the Regal to be layed out very well. Even after nine days we found ourselves still getting turned around and going the wrong way, but that's what kept it an adventure. I would hate to see the Dome turned into the gym/spa. We went up there daily, just to sit and relax, and look out the window. Especially for an hour or so before our first seating in the dining room. It did seem a little odd that while we were cruising Tracy Arm there was one lone gentleman playing a slot machine that was close to the window. My guess was he wasn't interested in ice. I was surprised to hear that Brett was still on the 8/14 cruise. I had overheard him telling folks on our cruise that he was leaving for a while after ours was finished. I too found that the Stage Door was virtually deserted every day, all day, unless it was the 70s and 80s nights. I thought that all of the singers, in the various bars/places, pretty much all sounded the same to me. Not much variety. I also thought that Frank the cruise director tried to hard to be funny. I thought William, the assistant cruise director to be much more enjoyable. The food was fabulous in the dining room. The Bananas Foster and the Baked Alaska parade was great! Our waiter Manny, and our assistant waiter Rodel made us look forward to dinner. They were a riot. All in all, we had a blast!

[bdjam]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments on the review...I keep remembering things I didn't include - hopefully I'll catch up!!

As of last November the "carousel" of Wheel of Fortune machines I believe you are refering to were no longer there.

I’m with Sharkie – I don’t recall seeing a Wheel of Fortune, but really the only reason I was up in the casino was to see Rosie…so one could be up there without me seeing it.

you mentioned that when the Regal was in S.F. port it was quite huge and you mentioned that the Sapphire will be there starting in Sept. I am on the 10/2/ sailing of the Sapphire and I also hope there will be no problem getting on and around the Embardero. I have sailed twice out of S.F. once on the Sky Princess and last year on the Pacific Princess and it was a zoo so it is going to be interesting with the Sapphire.

What I’m finding as an alternative to getting there early to beat the crowds is to get there a little later after the first arriving crowds are already on board. This seems to be true not just in San Francisco. I did Pacific Princess last year and got there about an hour after boarding time and there was no line to board. On Regal Princess this year, I went off the ship after getting on about two hours after boarding and there were hardly any people waiting to board. So that might be an option – you miss an hour or so of the ship on embarkation day, but that might be worth the frustration of trying to get through the crowds.

 

By the way – I used Platinum Check-In and had no line. I avoided a good 15-minute wait to check in.

Who was your Head Waiter? There was one in March that was the best ever! His name is Nello.

My Head Waiter was Domenico. He was quite a talker! While Italian, he actually lives in Singapore. Don’t know when he’ll be heading there. Not only did he work the dining room, but the Café Del Sol in the mornings, the Captain’s Circle luncheon and the Captain’s Circle Cocktail party…busy guy! As they all are…that’s again what surprised me about the lack of cash tips…the whole crew was working too hard not to be appreciated.

One thing that really impressed me was the attention to detail from the staff – and their efforts to encourage each other. If one had a spot on his uniform, another would tell him. If one needed to straighten or serve something differently, another would help out and show him how. It was definitely a team effort – and having the crew work as a team made the ship a happier place for the passengers.

Folks who only go on the mega ships just don't know what they are missing.

The mega-ships have their attractions, and I admit that I’m attracted to some of them. But I agree with you that what’s missing from the smaller ships is more than made up for with service and quality. It was interesting, during this trip I read "Liners to the Sun" by John Maxtone-Graham. He was mentioning that the "old" guard of cruising prefered the smaller ships – and at the time the book was written, the first Pacific Princess was a good-sized ship! Does that mean I’m old?

Here's a little known fact that may help explain how the disco will fit down by the spa and gym. In the ship's earlier days, there was a DISCO located across the hall (through watertight doors, now closed). This disco was closed to passenger use in like '97 or '96. I suspect that what they will do, is simply close off the area now occupied by spa and gym (perhaps reconfiguring those spaces for crew use) and re-activate the disco.

Interesting…I’m wondering if that space is now the infamous crew disco? And I say infamous because there were apparently a couple of wicked parties down there during the course of our cruise. :D

Oh, your comments about the Dawn are also interesting. The Grand is suffering similar issues with her engines and they have spent the summer re-building what they can without the complete shutdown. THey plan on finishing up during their drydock.

So does the theory hold out? Is Grand Princess a British run and maintained ship? I can’t remember for sure from when I was aboard, but I think she is…?

Maybe one of those 10 day Alaska cruises is in order!!!

Or how about one of the 15-day Panama Canals? Great itinerary and five extra days on this extra special ship!!

I thought that all of the singers, in the various bars/places, pretty much all sounded the same to me. Not much variety.

This is one of the areas of a cruise that’s hard to evaluate. As one group of entertainers comes on the ship, another leaves and the rotation is at different times. The quality of entertainment can change from cruise to cruise. Rosie was very much a jazzy, upbeat singer – and she joined the ship on my cruise - while the Fun & Joy duo was much more subdued and melodic in their presentation. The pianists on board were both excellent, one with a classical style in the atrium, the other which a much more new age slant, who also played in the atrium but who mainly did nights up in the Café Del Sol.

From talking with them, Frank, William and Brett are all on Regal Princess until the first part of October, at least.

[Cards911]

Hello Dosi I am going on the same cruise on 05-08-2005. I can't wait to go its my first cruise. I would like to contact you. As you can guess I have many ?...:)

[Cards911]

Hello Dosi I am going on this cruise also. This is my first cruise and would like to contact you if you like. I have some ? as you can guess. LOL...:)

[dosi]

dorrobatcomcastdotnet. Also there is a roll call thread but it is not very active so is probably buried. Do a search on 05/08/05 and you should be able to find it. What is your name and where do you live?

[dosi]

I just bumped up our roll call....go to the Princess roll call section and you will see it. :)

[bdjam]

[QUOTE]Here's a little known fact that may help explain how the disco will fit down by the spa and gym. In the ship's earlier days, there was a DISCO located across the hall (through watertight doors, now closed). This disco was closed to passenger use in like '97 or '96. I suspect that what they will do, is simply close off the area now occupied by spa and gym (perhaps reconfiguring those spaces for crew use) and re-activate the disco.
[/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]A bit more on the positioning of the disco and the similarities between old Star Princess and Regal Princess. The above post made me think so I dragged out the inaugural book I have for Star Princess 1. Her cutaway drawing shows the Visions Discotheque located down on deck two, the same deck where the spa/gym is currently located on Regal Princess. Now I’m just guessing, but since Star, Crown and Regal were all originally planned to Sitmar specifications, it would make sense that the original placement of the disco on Regal would be down on deck 2. Also included on deck 2 on Star Princess 1 is the spa/gym facility. [/size][/font]

[font=Book Antiqua][size=2]So I think we can make a good argument that the disco would have been originally planned for this area on Regal Princess as well. Continuing to follow that logic, The Dome would have had a dance floor and been designated a lounge area. Sitmar had the right idea. ;) [/size][/font]

[crusdiva]

Wonderful review.:)
We sailed twice on the Regal's sister, the Crown and your review brought back wonderful memories.
Just a note about the disco...on the Crown in 1991 it was called Jammers and was located on Deck 2 midships...beyond the watertight doors. I remember that that freaked me out at the time.:eek: It was also very TINY.
The Stage Door, at that time was primarily used for ballroom dancing.
Returning on her in 2001 - there was no mention of Jammers and the Stage Door was the "disco".
I still LOVE the Crown and also agree with you regarding the table side preparations with "traditional dining".

Thanks again,
Sharon

[Cards911]

[b][i][size=3][color=blue][/color][/size][/i][/b][b][i][color=blue]Thank You for the info BJAM. Going on cruise 05-08-2005. Can you tell me what is the best side of the ship to book my cabin on?. [/color][/i][/b]

[bdjam]

[QUOTE]Just a note about the disco...on the Crown in 1991 it was called Jammers and was located on Deck 2 midships...beyond the watertight doors. I remember that that freaked me out at the time.:eek: It was also very TINY.
[/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]See you learn something new everyday on these boards…never knew that area was used as the disco. It will be interesting to see what happens when Regal is refurbished. You're welcome for the review... ;) [/size][/font]
[font=Book Antiqua][size=2][QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2][/size][/font] [b][i][font=Verdana][color=#0000ff]Thank You for the info BJAM. Going on cruise 05-08-2005. Can you tell me what is the best side of the ship to book my cabin on?. [/color][/font][/i][/b][/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]Um…unless you’re cruising somewhere specific and plan to view whatever it is from your cabin, I’m of the opinion that either side of the ship offers the same views. Based on the date you mention it looks like you might be on the first Alaska trip for the season. Port or starboard, there’s no real difference. I’d suggest you go up on deck for any scenic cruising – for example sailing out the Golden Gate or Tracy Arm - but if you feel that you want to stay in your cabin for this, I would definitely book a balcony. Hope that helps.
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[Coral]

Brian - One one of my Alaskan sailings this summer we had only 2 Elite members and 60 Platinum members. It was full of new cruisers!

I don't remember if you have been to Alaska before - if you have been, how do you compare your day at Tracy Arm verses Glacier Bay? Or, can you not compare?

Thanks!

[bdjam]

[font=Book Antiqua][QUOTE] [font=Verdana]Brian - One one of my Alaskan sailings this summer we had only 2 Elite members and 60 Platinum members. It was full of new cruisers!

I don't remember if you have been to Alaska before - if you have been, how do you compare your day at Tracy Arm verses Glacier Bay? Or, can you not compare?[/font] [/QUOTE] [/font][size=2][font=Book Antiqua]I have been to Alaska before and personally, I prefer Tracy Arm to Glacier Bay. Don’t get me wrong, both are spectacular and I certainly wouldn’t want to miss Glacier Bay. But where Glacier Bay is wide open and majestic, Tracy Arm is intimate and awe inspiring. Tracy Arm is quite narrow and it seems as if you can almost reach out and touch the sides of the mountains. Glacier Bay affords a closer examination of the glaciers, as there seems to be more room for the ice to disburse around them. [/font][/size]

[size=2][font=Book Antiqua]Either is spectacular – but because if its intimacy, if I had the choice, I’d go with Tracy Arm. I certainly wouldn’t turn one down over the other. [/font][/size]

[font=Book Antiqua][size=2]As for past cruisers, it was surprising to me how many first timers there were on board, especially since it was a longer cruise. I did talk to a few of the new cruisers and some of them were quite disappointed because they were expecting something totally different – more casual, less traditional. It makes me wonder – again – about the marketing method of Princess. I do know there were a number of these new passengers on board who were sailing at greatly reduced fares. I’m afraid if Princess was trying to hook ‘em as future passengers, they missed the mark on this trip. And the disregard for the traditional style of cruising by some passengers has alienated some Captain’s Circle members.[/size][/font]

[font=Book Antiqua][size=2]It brings up a whole different topic about how the price of my cruise, booked eight months ago, is supporting these lower fares. There was a correlation between the fares and the non-traditional, non-formal style of cruising on Regal Princess. That’s not what I paid full, single-supplement fare for…and part of the reason for my letter to the PSD.[/size][/font]

[font=Book Antiqua][size=2]But let's get back to the wonders of Regal Princess ;)
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[cindersue]

I was on the same cruise and it was wonderful! I loved the Regal! The shows were great! The ship is the perfect size.The food was almost Great..(Most of it was)! I liked the itinerary...(But Haines was boring..rather have gone to Skagway)
I was sitting in the show lounge watching the dancers rehearse when we hit the iceberg...The curtians flew across the stage twice while there was a loud grinding noise.The dancers who were rehearsing got pretty jumpy... There were 100's of ice chunks in the water in Tracy arm and we never had a problem... then we leave for open water and Bang! We hit one..pretty exciting!
We also had the world's WORST cabin stewardess :mad: ! She didn't have the cabin ready at 11:30 when we arrived..No room keys,wrong name on the mailbox, no bath towels,no robes, it wasn't vacuumed. So we left hoping that she would finish cleaning..(She didn't)
She vacuumed ONCE in a 10 day cruise..There was soap residue in the shower soap dish from previous passengers. She forgot towels and put only conditioner in the bathroom. One day put a wet towel that reeked of aftershave folded under the sink (where the clean towels go).(No men in the cabin!!! Just my sis and I! :eek: ) Each day it took her 3 hours to get our room cleaned. ( I am NOT aggagerating (sp...sorry)
My parents, on the other hand had a wonderful girl ,Alekandra, from Poland who was impeccable and made their cruise.
I loved the ship and the cruise overall.The rest of the crew was great! The pizza was wonderful in Bravo. We went to the aft jacuzzis and had them to ourselves almost every evening! I'm still rocking and feeling the boat move!
Wish I was still there! Need to start looking for a new cruise! Cindy

[bdjam]

[QUOTE] We also had the world's WORST cabin stewardess :mad: ! She didn't have the cabin ready at 11:30 when we arrived..No room keys,wrong name on the mailbox, no bath towels,no robes, it wasn't vacuumed. So we left hoping that she would finish cleaning..(She didn't)
She vacuumed ONCE in a 10 day cruise..There was soap residue in the shower soap dish from previous passengers. She forgot towels and put only conditioner in the bathroom. One day put a wet towel that reeked of aftershave folded under the sink (where the clean towels go).(No men in the cabin!!! Just my sis and I! :eek: ) Each day it took her 3 hours to get our room cleaned. ( I am NOT aggagerating (sp...sorry) [/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]Words of advice if you cruise in the future…don’t let a situation like this get away from you while you are on the ship. Cabin Stewards/Stewardesses are supposed to complete a minimum of work. If you find that you’re not getting what is expected, you should immediately do a check with the person responsible – which it seems you might have done. But if that doesn’t get you satisfaction, you should take the next step up the chain of command – in this case to the Hotel Manger. Princess wants you to be happy – they want you to book another cruise. They will do whatever is reasonable to make sure you enjoy your cruise.[/size][/font]
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[font=Book Antiqua][size=2]In my case, my cabin steward – Marcos – was excellent. There was one day when he didn’t get the room made up until about 2:00…who cares? He was actually working around MY schedule and because I got out of the cabin late in the morning, couldn't get back to clean my room until almost the end of his shift.[/size][/font]
[QUOTE]I was sitting in the show lounge watching the dancers rehearse when we hit the iceberg...The curtians flew across the stage twice while there was a loud grinding noise.The dancers who were rehearsing got pretty jumpy... There were 100's of ice chunks in the water in Tracy arm and we never had a problem... then we leave for open water and Bang! We hit one..pretty exciting! [/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]From what I understand, the crew was immediately waiting for an announcement so they could go into action – but none came. Coincidentally, they had drilled a ship evacuation earlier in the cruise at Haines. The fact the announcement from the Captain came about 10 minutes later made things a little more anxious for them. [/size][/font]
[font=Book Antiqua][size=2][QUOTE] [font=Verdana]But Haines was boring..rather have gone to Skagway[/font] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2][/size][/font][/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][size=2]Did you try the ferry to Skagway? It seems the reason we weren’t able to go there was because Skagway was overloaded with five ships.
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[cindersue]

We left our cabin lady notes asking her to leave towels, beach towels etc..In hindsight,You are right! We SHOULD have said more... either to her or to her bosses but since we have NEVER had any sort of problem like this before, we really didn't know who to report it to......(to be honest I was too chicken to say "you are doing a Lousy Job" ) And neither of us wanted her to lose her job. I don't know if she was poorly trained, unsupervised, overworked or lazy about cleaning.
I really do hope she improves. It took her more than 2 hours to get our room done each time.There was never anything left out for her to clean up either. I think she did have quite a number of cabins to clean, some with extra bunk beds and kids and she may have been new.
Things just started out on the wrong foot when we got to our cabin and someone else's name was on the mailbox.We thought there may have been a mixup and spend awhile waiting for the purser to find out if it was REALLY our cabin...
The cabin thing was annoying but NOT enough to spoil our cruise. We did fill out the questionaire and outlined our problems. Maybe that will lead to a solution.
As for Skagway...I considered the Fast Ferry but my sister wanted to see Haines. I didn't want to chance going alone and getting left behind... I'd been to Skagway before so I was willing to give Haines a look. 12 hours was MORE than enough time to see the town ;) I did get some great pictures of the mountians there and the gravestones in the cemetary along the road.It was a cute town but I was "giftshopped out" by then.
All in all the Regal was a great ship and we had an excellent time!
Cindy