Soloing the Caribbean: Live from the Regal - 22 Jan to 05 Feb 2017

OK, I don't actually board the Regal until Sunday but since my travels have begun today -- and I'm currently cooling my heels in the Atlanta airport waiting for my connection to Ft. Lauderdale -- I figured I'd get the ball rolling on a "Live From" thread.

By most people's standards, this is probably going to be a dull cruise. I've not booked any excursions and I haven't made any grand plans. This is my first cruise as a solo and my plan is to just "go with the flow" for 14 days. I'll attempt take in all that the ship has to offer, with mission one being to get myself onto the list for the Ultimate Ships Tour.

I will serve as your onboard investigator. Want to know who the Maitre 'd is? Just ask. Need to know how Club Class dining is affecting those of us in steerage? I'll whine about it right here.

But first, I've got to actually get to Florida. That mission started early this morning when my alarm went off at 0300hrs. The shuttle to the airport picked me up at 0400hrs for my early departure from Toronto. Kudos to the Delta crew who got us going on time and even managed to get us to Atlanta 30 mins early! ATL has multiple runways operating and it was fun to watch a sister Delta flight on a parallel approach to a runway to our left. We tracked each other all the way to landing.

So now I'm just waiting to board flight number two from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale and then my vacation can officially begin. Probably with a nap. I know that I'm tired because I sat here watching a distant aircraft on approach to land for 5 minutes before I realised that it was actually just a smudge on the lounge window.

See you all in Florida!

Bon Voyage!

Have a good cruise.:)

John,

Bon Voyage! She is a fabulous ship. You are in for a real treat. Thank you for taking us along.

Marie

Happy sailing! Looking forward to your live updates.

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Bon Voyage!

Hi..see you soon..we will be aboard this sailing as well with CC dining.

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Looking forward to the updates as we will be on the ship on the 26th of February.

Bon voyage! I love the Regal

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Looking forward to your posts!

Another uneventful Delta flight took me from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale. I tried to nap a bit on the flight but I never seem to sleep on airplanes so I stared out the window, through clouds that resembled wads of cotton balls, watching as the greens and browns of the Everglades gave way to the urban sprawl of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. As we descended, we tracked east, out over the Atlantic and popped out of a cloud to view of a blue ocean bearing the long, thin white scars of dozens of tiny-looking ships plying their trade (or just cruising for fun) up and down the coast. Then we turned back west and descended into FLL.

Point of useless trivia: as our aircraft descended through 1400m, the outside temperature on the flight tracker in the seatback was already reporting as 12 degrees C making it more than 12 degrees warmer than the temperature I'd left behind in Toronto in the wee hours this morning. :)

A short walk through Terminal 2 and down the escalator brought me to baggage claim where I had a few minutes of quiet contemplation and remembrance of the tragic events of just a few short weeks ago. It still makes me sad.

Once I had my bag, it was out to the curb where -- based partly on recommendation here on CC -- I decided to give Uber a try for the first time. I must say, I understand the appeal of the service but my first experience was less than satisfactory. The first driver contacted me shortly after I submitted my ride request and asked me to cancel my request claiming that he was actually at the Miami airport rather than FLL. The second driver explained to me that this is a common tactic employed by drivers when they feel that the destination is not sufficiently far enough away to warrant their time. In my case, I was going to the Riverside Hotel, a scant 8 kms away, and thus a less than desireable fare I guess.

This second driver took me to the hotel but was more concerned with texting and chatting with someone on her phone than she was with watching the road. But we did eventually pull up to the Riverside without incident and for that I'm thankful. But I think I'll probably opt for a taxi or a shuttle to get me to the port on Sunday.

But enough whining about Uber. I'm in Florida. And besides, I promised to save my whinging about Club Class diners and their effect on ATD.

Check-in at the Riverside was smooth and in no time, I had my room and was able to ditch my luggage, change into suitable summer-type attire and go for a wander down Las Olas Blvd to see the sights. However, I only made it to the western edge of the canals before realising just how tired and hungry I was so I turned around and headed back to the hotel, grabbed a quick bite at the Cheesecake Factory (I know but I'm too tired to pick something good!) and am now settling in for a nap.

Maybe tomorrow morning, I'll head out for a run and see if I can make it all the way out to the coast for a glance at the beach.

John,

We adore the Riverside Hotel. They have a fabulous happy hour! It is at the Golden Lyon Vintage Pub at the hotel. ENJOY. It includes certain appetizers and drinks. You may sit on the patio or in the bar.

Marie

We adore the Riverside Hotel. They have a fabulous happy hour! It is at the Golden Lyon Vintage Pub at the hotel. ENJOY. It includes certain appetizers and drinks. You may sit on the patio or in the bar.

Thanks for the tip about happy hour, Marie. I'll have to check it out.

Thanks for the tip about happy hour, Marie. I'll have to check it out.

My pleasure! We love the area.

Marie

Looking forward to it.

Croptop, looking forward to following along on your cruise adventure. We will be boarding the beautiful Regal Princess on February 12th for two weeks. Enjoy every moment of your cruise!

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

Great start ...

Should be a fun ride !

Srpilo

Hope you have a great cruise. We were on the CB last month for 8 days--the ABCs. We were jealous of our new friends who were staying on for another 6 days afterward, and some who had been on for the 6 days before our cruise.

John, I look forward to following your journey. I love the Regal and I have sailed solo many, many times. I absolutely love solo travel. Like you, I rarely book any excursions and let my day play out as it may. I am rather friendly so tend to make friends easily. Plus, being on the roll call for my sailing has meant that I've already established relationships with others on the sailing.

I have been sailing the Halloween repo from New York to Ft. Lauderdale for the past 6 Octobers. 10 days, 7 of which are sea day, my favorite. I join the Pop Choir which helps me to meet new people and is probably the #1 place I've met most of the people I have remained friendly with over the years. I know you will love solo sailing. I did Traditional Dining in the beginning but now have done Anytime the last few sailings. I'm back to Traditional for my next repo. I like knowing who I'm dining with each night.

I will check your posts each day. Have an awesome trip!!!

Maureen

Great thread so far !!!!

Hubby and I getting on the Regal tomorrow for the 1-22 sailing...gonna be some rough weather in the evening.. but, any last thoughts from those still aboard?

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John, a little tip about the UST, get on the list before you even go to your cabin. You can sign up at customer services. It's an awesome experience and can fill up quickly. I did it on the CB a few years ago and it was truly memorable. I plan to do it on the Regal this year.

Is your 14 day a true 14 day, or does it go back to Ft. Lauderdale after 7 days and then out again? If it's 2 sailings and there is no UST because the cruise is port heavy or short, or you don't get picked for it (they use a lottery system if more people sign up than they have spaces for), you get a second chance.

And don't forget those double points for sailing solo!

Maureen

Hi all. I am joining you on this cruise as well. I had booked the lowest grade mini suite and found out yesterday we have a complimentary upgrade to a penthouse siote. I am so psyched! I had a suite once before on a upsell. I never saw an upsell offer his time. No idea why the upgrade fairy visited :)

I hope you're doing well. If you haven't yet headed to the port I'd suggest waiting. We have friends onboard for the next three weeks. They're in the terminal now waiting to check in. They've messaged that the power is out in the terminal, so nothing is moving. This is understandably causing problems. Apparently the paramedics are seeing to some. Princess is doing what they can by passing out water, but getting power to the building is out of their control. Good luck.

Embarkation Day!

I checked out of the Riverside and hauled my arse down to Port Everglades, Terminal 2 way too early. By 0915 I had turned my bag over to a porter and was standing close to the front of the already forming embarkation line. I split my time between reading a book and people watching; the constant parade of passengers disembarking from the prior sailing looking for taxis and busses or simply trying to figure out a way to slip into our line and delay their return to reality.

The lines continued to grow and the volume of conversation grew with it. Anticipation grew first as the shore staff moved down the line handing out the health questionnaire and checking our boarding passes to ensure that we were lined up for the right ship - not all of us were - and then ratcheted up another notch as we spotted each of the security scanning lanes become staffed.

Shortly around 1100hrs, the doors opened and we were allowed to begin the check-in process. Showing up early had its benefits as I sailed through security and right up to a check-in agent. Five minutes later, I had my cruise card and was wending my way through the terminal and up the escalator to the waiting area.

I got settled into a seat and watched a parade of travel agents board the ship. Shortly thereafter, the lights went out. Literally. Power in Terminal 2 was no more. Given the limited number of passengers that had made it through check-in and up to the second floor waiting area, things stayed pretty quiet. There was debate between the crew and the shore side staff over whether or not boarding could commence but after about 20 mins, those of us already in the waiting area were allowed to board.

Per my plan, I went straight to Passenger Services and signed up for the UST. I still only managed to be 8th on the list as a bunch of B2B passengers bit there ahead of me. But I'm on the list and the tour is scheduled for the 28th.

Then it was off to Alfredo's for a bite, stopping in the way to pick up my Soda & More package and a coffee card. Ordered the veal ravioli based on the constant raving on this board about it. Was not disappointed. Irwan, my waiter, almost convinced me to order a second helping but I resisted. I've got to pace myself.

As I was eating, an announcement came over stating that embarkation has been halted due to the power failure, so things are still pretty quiet on the ship.

I'm off to find my stateroom, make some Crown Grill reservations and explore the ship a bit. More later.

If you have questions, fire away.

Here is today's Patter for those that might be interested.

Here's hoping that those poor people stuck in the terminal get to board soon .