First of all, I am posting this review now because I just realized I hadn't done it before. Most information can be found in specific areas below. This was a great time with a group of about 100 that we had never met before. The Regal is not my favorite ship, and I really like the Grand Class more than the Royal Class (although we are on the Royal in June). But a cruise is a cruise and I just make the best of everything. The ports of call were nice. The two areas that I found really disappointing were Club Class dining (not worth the $ for food OR service as we have always found it to be) and the Art Gallery (the staff was actually rude and condescending which has never happened). Other than those areas, we had a great time and have sailed Princess 3 times since then.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were on the ship by 11:00 am. This was our first Medallion experience, and it was seemless.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We had Club Class. This had been our 3rd time with CC, and it turned out to be the end of it. On other ships, CC has a dedicated entry and hostess, you get the same table and server (most of the time) , and each night there is an 'extra' such as a special pasta or other appetizer made by the head waiter AND an extra main item selection. Not on this ship. There was no dedicated entry and we had to wait while the hostess sat passengers in the main area. We never sat at the same table and only had the same server twice. We either had an appetizer or an extra main, and one night the only extra was a choice of a different sauce on Steak Dianne. Also, this was the only ship we have ever had a steak so tough it could not be cut. Due to the lack of personable service, we chose to not do CC after our next 2 bookings that were upcoming and already had it. It is expensive, and if service and food was going to be hit and miss, we weren't paying extra for the chance. Sad, as I really enjoyed the CC experience. We ate at Crown Grill one night. There were 6 of us and food was not up to what it has always been on other Crown Grill experiences and took over 2 hours for the meal. For instance, my husband had the sterling Silver Beef Chop. Though it filled his plate, it was only 1/2" thick. The buffet was great! I really liked the larger buffet on this ship. We only eat there for breakfast, and lunch sometimes, but this trip it was the buffet daily for lunch. On a side note, others that had traditional dining and ate with the group we were with said their dining experience was good.
Wheelhouse Bar (Pub Lunch)
5 out of 5
With no Explorer's Lounge as we usually hang out at, we discovered the Wheelhouse. It is not a crowded as other inside lounges, has music, and is a nice intimate place to get to know a few people and still people watch some. The staff here was great!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We played trivia, Passenger Feud, Yes/No game and watched a few in our group do Karaoke. Also one in our group did Voice of the Ocean. We also played carpet bowl, ring toss, bean bag toss, and that silly speed game.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We went to many shows, as it was a group thing. The stage shows were good, even though a few were not to my liking, the performances were top notch. Since I normally spend a lot of time watching performances and shows at Explorers Lounge, and this ship has Princess Live, they didn't have so many. The music at the Wheelhouse is more near the walking area of the promenade and so quieter and more low key. It was nice though.
Piazza Atrium
5 out of 5
I really liked the size of the Piazza on this class of ship. There is a lot of room for activities.
Children's Programs
No kids with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service (except for the dining service) was fantastic! We met some very friendly bartenders at the Wheelhouse, and all staff members everywhere were friendly and smiling, as I have always experienced on Princess. Added note: The Art Gallery people were rude and not helpful. But I won't hold that against the ship ;)
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was very clean and well kept. I do not really like the layout of the Royal Class ships. This was our first experience on one, and there were 2 areas that changed my normal cruising experience - the art gallery and Princess Live. One thing I always do is purchase an animation art piece on cruises, in memory of my father, who used to do that. I did not. The entire auction experience was not friendly. Both the gallery and the auction area made it difficult for me to purchase my one piece, as it was crowded and not inviting. So I tried 3 times to make appointments to just purchase one (which I have done on other ships) and was told to come at a specific time. Twice no one was there, and the 3rd time I was told they were too busy to talk with me. So while my opinion is that I didn't like these two areas, for others they are probably minor things. I know they in no way didn't make me have a bad cruise, just less than fun as with other cruises.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Nice clean cabin. No adverse reactions to anything. Plumbing worked.
Ship tip
If you have not been on a Royal Class ship, but have been on Grand Class, take the time to learn the ship. There are a lot of differences, and you don't want to wait until it's time to be somewhere to realize you aren't sure how to get there.
We came in 2 days before the cruise and explored the area. It was nice. There are a lot of things to do, if you travel away a little. We chose to just stay within walking distance. We did do the paddle boat that tours the marina.
No excursion here. I was not a fan of this port last time I was here. This trip we decided to just stay near the port area. I'm rating that area only here, as for a quick stroll off the ship it was a nice clean and friendly area.
We took a taxi to and the bus back from Hell. Last time we were here I didn't have time to mail my postcards. This trip we went there, mailed the postcards, and went back to the ship. So I'm rating the experience of getting a taxi (we actually did a hop-on / hop-off thing with some people who had 2 extra seats in their taxi-tour) and taking the bus back. It was quick and simple, the locals helped us get the taxi and stopped the bus for us. For what we feared might be a long drawn out thing, we did what we came to do very easily. It was a pleasant surprise. The locals on the bus back were very informative about their island, too!
Quick and easy with EZ Check and transfer through Princess. We got to the airport in more time to spare than we cared for, as our flight was canceled and it took us 36 hours to get home, lol. But Princess tried.
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