REGAL PRINCESS - pros and cons ?

[james j feller]

Am thinking about doing ALASKA again but this time going on the REGAL PRINCESS.

The CAPTAINS CIRCLE has a good deal on it i think, $1099 for a ocean view cabin.

What do you think about the REGAL compared to the other PRINCESS ships?

Would you do this cruise for $1099, by the way it is 10 days long.

JIM

[Pam in CA]

Just got off the Regal yesterday after it's last 15-day Hawaii RT cruise. I'd take her again in a heartbeat.

Here are some of my impressions:

* Traditional dining only although you can go to the Cafe Del Sol or the Bistro at night and get what's being served in the dining room. But you'll be assigned a spot in the dinine room. I prefer traditional so this was not a negative.

* Lots of bars and open space for passengers. It was never crowded anywhere. There are open decks on the 8th through 12th decks in the back that not many people found. I thought they were great.

* Entertainment is first-class. Everyone remarked about how they were so much better than they'd seen on other Princess ships or cruiselines.

* The crew is very friendly and helpful. Many of the waiters and asst. waiters are from the Philippines or Thailand so they're efficient but not as personable as the Eastern European staff.

* The cabins are nice-sized and there's TONS of storage space. The bathrooms are roomy and also have lots of storage. The showers are converted from tubs so they're roomy.

* It's not new -- you're not going to find the glitz or internet cafes that you'll find on the new ships. It's going into drydock in November and I don't know what's planned. There are frequent complaints about creaking in the cabins but I assume that'll be fixed in November.

$1099 is a good price for a 10-day cruise. I'd go for it.

Song of Norway & Song of America, 1986-88; Royal Princess 2/99; Sun Princess 1/00; Ocean Princess 12/00; Royal Princess 4/01; Grand Princess 12/23/01; Sea Princess 2/9/02; Explorer of the Seas 12/21/02; Coral Princess 8/9/03; Nordic Empress 12/27/03.

-- Regal Princess (4/20/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=2573008957)
-- Caribbean Princess (12/26/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=9323078957)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2004;12;26;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800
-- Royal Princess (4/21/05)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2005;04;21;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> . There are frequent complaints about creaking in the cabins but I assume that'll be fixed in November. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Did you experience any creaking in the cabin? I'm on her in August and never noticed anything on the last two sailings I did on her.

-------------------------
Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

[GloriaF]

I have to agree with everything Pam said. I was on the cruise just prior to Pam's, and I would go on her again also.

The ship does creak. The seas were rocking and rolling, and I think any ship would creak in the same conditions -- being twisted and turned and bounced on the sea. It is just the building materials rubbing together.

I wrote a review of our personal experience, but didn't really touch on the ship that much. I intended to write a part 3 that would tell about the ship, but it never was done. Regal is much smaller than the Grand class ships, but there are a lot of activities going on. You will not realize that she is an older ship once onboard. The dome casino is a great place for observing the sights (you have the same view as the bridge does) and I would think it would be excellent for Alaska.

Gloria

Grand Princess, Eastern, April 2001
Grand Princess, Western,April 2002
Regal to Hawaii, April 5-20, 2004

[MVPinBoynton]

We did the Crown on a Baltic cruise. My only concern for an Alaska cruise is that there isn't much railing space that you can use to watch the beauty go by. It is really limited. Since there aren't a lot of balconies, I think it would make it a poor choice for Alaska. We thoroughly enjoyed the Crown, but since our cruise didn't have much to look at until you got off the ship, it wasn't an issue.

Mike


See our reviews and pictures at Mike and Carol's Website (http://www.thepreismans.com/)

Costa Classica 3/94
Celebrity Mercury 4/98
Carnival Destiny 4/99
Crown Princess 7/01
Norwegian Star 11/01
Grand Princess 12/01
Sun Princess 3/02
Celebrity Constellation 11/02
Brilliance of the Seas 6/03
Navigator of the Seas 11/03
Jewel of the Seas 06/04
Tahitian Princess 02/05

[DcnLee]

Pam, you say the Regal is going into drydock in November. We are signed up for November 24 to December 9 cruise Fort Lauderdale to San Diego via Panama Canal. Just when is the drydock stint, do you know?

[jhannah]

We were on board last year in the Baltic and I must echo what Pam said. I found the Regal to be a regal ship indeed. Not too big ... not too small ... with spacious living accommodations. I also would sail her again.

'Vegas Jim

[SharkieRools]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>My only concern for an Alaska cruise is that there isn't much railing space that you can use to watch the beauty go by. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pam in MA touched on this, there are large open areas on decks 8 - 12 which provde plenty of viewing areas for watching scenery, wildlife, etc. They will usually open up the crew only area in the front and cover the crew pool for more viewing areas when you are cruising by glaciers, etc. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

You can see part of them at:
Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glaciers (http://home.comcast.net/~bobholio/tracyarm/TracyArm.html) (the 6th and 9th picture with the people in them)

[GloriaF]

Hmm, I didn't notice a lack of railing space.

There's the Promenade on deck 7; Aft on Caribe(9) is small and enclosed balcony style; both forward and aft on Baja (10); aft on Aloha (11) with hot tubs; 12 with the buffet and pools; and 14 with the walking/jogging track. The baja and caribe decks were never crowded. Plus the dome casino with all the windows looking forward adn to the sides.

Gloria

Grand Princess, Eastern, April 2001
Grand Princess, Western,April 2002
Regal to Hawaii, April 5-20, 2004

[Pam in CA]

If you don't have a balcony, there's far more railing space on the Regal than on the other ships. Plus, there's quite a bit on the aft upper decks which are at least partially-covered and are less windy than the Promenade deck, something you want in Alaska.

To add to what Gloria mentioned, there's also a public balcony aft on Deck 8. It's small and covered but you'd have good viewing.

Song of Norway & Song of America, 1986-88; Royal Princess 2/99; Sun Princess 1/00; Ocean Princess 12/00; Royal Princess 4/01; Grand Princess 12/23/01; Sea Princess 2/9/02; Explorer of the Seas 12/21/02; Coral Princess 8/9/03; Nordic Empress 12/27/03.

-- Regal Princess (4/20/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=2573008957)
-- Caribbean Princess (12/26/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=9323078957)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2004;12;26;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800
-- Royal Princess (4/21/05)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2005;04;21;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

[Pam in CA]

Lee,

I don't know the exact date the Regal is scheduled for drydock other than the crew said, "November." My guess is that it would be after the New England cruises and before yours.

You can tell from the Princess Cruise Atlas which lists the sail date for each of the ships. If you see a blank time period in November, that's when it'll be. I'll look when I get home.

Song of Norway & Song of America, 1986-88; Royal Princess 2/99; Sun Princess 1/00; Ocean Princess 12/00; Royal Princess 4/01; Grand Princess 12/23/01; Sea Princess 2/9/02; Explorer of the Seas 12/21/02; Coral Princess 8/9/03; Nordic Empress 12/27/03.

-- Regal Princess (4/20/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=2573008957)
-- Caribbean Princess (12/26/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=9323078957)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2004;12;26;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800
-- Royal Princess (4/21/05)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2005;04;21;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

[Tallcruiser]

I also just gt off the Regal princess. I would say go for it! It is a wonderful ship for Alaska. We were able to see the lava flow one evening as we were leaving Hilo for Kona. There was plenty of viewing space on the decks as well as a perfect view from our cabin window p131. I would sail on the Regal Princess in a heart beat. The cabins are the largest I have seen. The service is wonderful. There are things for everyone to do if you are looking for excitement.
Our cabin did not creak. We did hit 14 ft swells for a couple days. We found the ship to be very comfortable.
Go and enjoy!

Jubilee 95
Song of America 96
Holiday 97
Viking Seranade 98
Holiday 99
Triumph 01
Elation 02
Ecstacy 02
ecstacy 03
Regal Princess 04

[UVaWiseGuy]

There are a couple of different roll call threads with one or two for each Alaska sailing. We are going 6/25. An update will follow in one of the threads. Delores from one of the other threads sailed out this past Tuesday.

happy hunting,
the stanger

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until our first cruise! Regal Princess to Alaska.

[cindersue]

When was this cruise? My Sis and I are booked For the Regal Alaska for 8/14 and our price was $1349. I think including $75 shipboard credit! Good price maybe we can get a beeter deal too we are Capt circle members as well. Cindy

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;08;14;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800
Cruisin with Sis,Clark,& Lana Inside Passage Regal

[DesrtDrmr]

We were on the Regal to Alaska (Inside Passage) cruise years ago, and really enjoyed it. We had an outside cabin, no balcony, but had a great view. There was also a small forward deck............I think on Baja, and accessible only from one side.......port, I think.........that was kind of a "secret" viewing spot. Only it wasn't a secret when we got to Glacier Bay! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif The promenade deck also offered good viewing with a bit of shelter, and of course, the top decks. As someone also posted, the dome had a great view from inside.....and that's where the ranger was, pointing out sights in Glacier Bay.
The cabins were very comfortable, and we had a great time............hope you do too!

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Hawaii - On the Island

[kathylynnt]

Hi Cindy-
My husband and I are on the 8/14 Regal. We were on the wait-list and got on last Monday. We are on the Emerald deck and have an outside cabin. We are Capt. Cir. members and got the price $1245.00 each. I had checked for a cabin on a higher deck and it was considerably more $$.We were just happy to get on the ship!!Are you going to spend the night in SF the night before? Looking forward to meeting you and your family. This will be our first cruise without our kids-so we are pretty excited. Have you gone to Alaska before? Kathy & Ed

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I don't know the exact date the Regal is scheduled for drydock other than the crew said, "November." My guess is that it would be after the New England cruises and before yours. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Right-o. Regal Princess leaves New England for Ft. Lauderdale at the end of October, goes into dry dock upon arriving in Ft. Lauderdale and then starts the Panama Canal itneraries.

-------------------------
Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993