As Regal as I expected!

Just returned from the first full week sailing of the Regal Princess to the Eastern Caribbean.  I was part of a very large group for a conference onboard and traveled with a friend as my guest.  The Regal Princess does depart from an older terminal at Port Everglades while a new one is being built so you should allow 30 extra minutes for your shuttle/taxi etc. to get all the way around to dropping you off by the porters.  Embarkation was as expected as we boarded as a huge group.  The Love Boat themed music for the ship's horn was great fun!

The ship itself is beautiful and well appointed without feeling stuffy.  Entering into the Piazza was grand with cafes, bars, and great entertainment, music and dancing which was always fun to watch during the week.  I found it easy to get around except for the aft stairway area which ends abruptly forcing you to go up two decks and over to get back to the middle of the ship.  There are plenty of elevators especially mid-ship so we didn't find any long waits to get to where we were going.

We had a Deluxe Balcony in a nice mid-ship location on Deck 11 Baja which was very convenient to most of the areas of the ship.  The accommodations and bedding were comfortable and inviting with warm golds and greens, a desk area, table, sofa and nice sized balcony.  Large closets and enough storage for 2 women were very helpful and although the shower itself was spacious, the bathroom was a little tight. 

We found our dining experiences in the Allegro dining room to be top notch and as ordered.  The desserts were amazing.  Sabatini's specialty restaurant was also really good both in offerings and service and we were able to go twice.  We were also able to dine at Alfredo's one evening which is complimentary.  Their pizza is a must!  The Horizon Bistro/Horizon Court buffet area is HUGE!  I found myself going round and round a few times until I became familiar with the locations of all the options.  The wait staff there were super helpful and went to get your drinks for you and were happy to bring you anything you needed.  Great service there!   I never got to try something from every area that I wanted to - it was that big.  Another favorite stop was the International Café in the Piazza in the afternoon .  After a long day it was great to stop by to grab a sandwich, salad or treat to take up to the room and enjoy with cocktails since we had late dinner at 8:30pm.

We did not get to see much of the entertainment at night but did enjoy a great comedy show in the Vista Lounge and a couple of trivia type events in Princess Live.  Also enjoyed the Latin Dance Party on the pool deck one evening as well.  Great band and lots of dancing!

The pool deck was beautiful as was the fountain show.  The Sea View Bar and Walk are incredible   The Seaview Bar and SeaWalk are amazing but looking through the deck floor is not my thing... I had to walk around the see-through part of the deck!  During my down time, I enjoyed hanging out at the quieter Retreat Pool.  Very relaxing.

Princess Cay was beautiful with plenty of chairs by the beaches and great BBQ lunch was served.  It's a bit rocky in places wading in so it's a good idea to bring water shoes with you.  Tenders took a bit of time as they use the ship's lifeboats as transportation to the island but it was well organized even though the line to get back to the ship was a bit long.  Allow 30 - 60 min. to get back to the ship.

Staff and crew were very friendly and ready to greet and assist with any requests.  Absolutely loved that we weren't bombarded with sales pitches for packages, Bingo etc. or even frequent announcements.  Overall, a wonderful cruise and experience!  Did I mention the amazing desserts?