#1winelover

Hi Chris! Glad to see the "Live from" launched. I'll be following you thru this and the next leg. My turn on the Royal starts 1/9/16.

Thanks Dave. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is very powerful and moving

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using Tapatalk

Yes it is, even when I'm reviewing it via your coverage. I wept!

Hello friends! After nearly a year since my last cruise the time is finally here... I'm back to present to you my adventure aboard the stunning and new Quantum of the Seas sailing this Sunday!

 

I am excited once again to provide you all hopefully some great photos and a chance to sail along with many friends and I virtually as we head for a 12 night sailing to the eastern and southern Caribbean! This of course will also include my pre cruise fun leading up to the big day.

 

For those of you not familiar with me my friend and fellow CC member Radio inspired me to do my first ever "live" from the beautiful Oasis of the Seas back in October 2012 and since then I also shared my travels aboard Celebrity Silhouette and twice aboard Allure of the Seas. I hope to improve among each review and this will be no exception. As many of you know I love to take photos and share them with you all here.

 

LIVE reviews do take a lot of time and effort, but I feel the end result is well worth it especially seeing the excitement from my fellow cruisers as I share the journey with them.

 

So kick back and relax and join me for what is sure to be a great cruise aboard Quantum and what will be her second to last sailing from North America! As Radio would say, "thanks for tuning in everyone!" :)

 

I get back from my retreat the day you sail, and hopefully in time for your sail away! I'll be with you, my friend. Have a great voyage.

So glad to see so many people already eagerly awaiting my upcoming LIVE from Quantum. I promise to try and deliver the best photos and an entertaining and informative live review possible.

 

One small request, actually an understanding...

 

While I enjoy doing these live reviews a lot, they can be very tiring and frustrating. So this time around I would like to actually enjoy some of my vacation, just kick back and relax.

 

By that I mean on some days you won't see me much on the review. I will post some photos those days and answer a few questions but just would like to feel like the pressure is not on me to be there all the time. None of you put that kind of pressure on me, it's my own doing.... well not this time.

 

I can promise you on days like my day trip to Manhattan, embarkation day, Labadee(since it's one of my favorite stops) and the 3 new ports of call there will be plenty of photos. :D

 

I hope everyone understands where I am coming from on this and definitely will appreciate your understanding.

 

Time to kick back and let the excitement build up even more as we count the days down to April 9th, when LIVE from Quantum of the Seas officially begins!

I can certainly agree with your wishes, Chris. I've always wondered how you could find time to enjoy your cruise with all the time you put into your live broadcasts! Enjloy this vacation!! You more than deserve it!!

Note that this is not the actual live review but a preview.

 

Hello friends! In just 5 weeks I will be sailing on Quantum of the Seas and here is a preview of my next LIVE to start on April 9th! I'm long overdue for a cruise and a live review since my last one took place nearly a year ago aboard Allure of the Seas! This thread will be a preview and a look into my next live as I am getting very excited about once again hitting the sea for a 12 night adventure!

 

My first ever LIVE from a cruise longer than a week!

 

There will be some changes made to this live which will be explained as we go along. Why I am starting the preview so early? Because:

 

1. I'm excited!

2. This will hopefully help avoid having to give a long drawn out explanation of things on the actual "live" thread

3. This will also give all of you the opportunity to let me know anything you would like to specifically see on board and during the course of this cruise

 

This sailing will take on a special meaning to me as this will be Quantum's second to last second before she heads for China. This will be my only chance to experience the first ship in the Quantum Class lineup.

 

This will be not only a review but also a preview of sorts of the next ship, Anthem, as I imagine they will be pretty similar. This will also be a review of 3 new ports for me: Martinique, Barbados, and St. Kitts and also a chance for everyone to travel along with my friends and I, people from the MONSTER of a roll call we had, which is now on PART 5!

 

I booked this cruise the first day bookings started which is was on May 28th, 2013 and started the roll call for it 2 weeks before we were even able to book!

 

In this thread I will preview the camera equipment I will be using, my dining and entertainment schedule, and any other things I can think of before I sail away on Quantum!

 

So join me for the fun, and let me know any questions or things you would like to see on this cruise. Stay tuned for more info on this preview to LIVE from Quantum of the Seas!

 

In just 5 weeks, the adventure begins....

 

I will be following you as an avid fan, Chris! Looking forward with anticipation of a great "live from!"

maiden TransAtlantic

I just had to chuckle over that one! ;) It's like some foreign words that are pronounced/spelled the same but have different meanings depending on their use in a sentence. Then there are acronyms!!!! I don't even want to go there!! (work with them everyday at the office). :eek:

If it were, only because it was the best two weeks I have ever spent on a cruise ship. The combination of friends, food, and a stunning ship surpassed anything I have been a part of in 50 cruises.

 

People change, as do our lives, but there are other reasons for which we won't get into here. ;)

 

 

:D

David! I must add my 2 cents here on this thread or I wouldn't be me! :rolleyes: Thanks for all that you have given to CC and the Princess threads, and to me personally! I guess that in my mind and heart, when the 7 original cast members of The Love Boat gather on the stage to christen the Regal, I will feel and sense an 8th member whom I know will be there in spirit! Thanks David!! I'll keep an eye out for you! :)

I just saw on the CC news page that the entire cast of Love Boat will be named the godparents of Regal Princess in a ceremony on 11/5/14!

Yup! I am SO happy for the cast that brought us so many happy viewings. AND the cast that put Princess Cruises ON THE MAP! Princess announced it on their Facebook page last week and it's been all over the 11/6 and 11/9 threads ever since.

Hope all is well with you two!!

Larry

Deluxe balcony cabins are just a bit larger than standard balcony cabins. They have a love seat that folds out to a single bed on one wall with a desk & refrigerator on the opposite wall. Standard balconies have a 3-drawer desk (where the loveseat is in deluxes) and a refrigerator with 3 small side shelves on the opposite wall plus an extra chair. Unless you get one of the "special" balconies under the sea-walk/sea-view, there is no difference in the actual size of the balconies between standard balcony cabins and deluxe balcony cabins. It just boils down to what you desire more, a loveseat and a bit more space (sacrificing drawer and shelf space) in the deluxe or more storage capability sacrificing the loveseat in the standard.

 

Deluxe Balcony Cabin - Small fold-out love seat next to bed/nightstand

 

Deluxe Balcony Desk, Refrigerator and drawer with hair drier in it. This balcony is a bit larger than normal as it's on the aft side of the forward point extension under the sea-walk.

 

 

Standard Balcony Cabin - Three drawer desk instead of loveseat

 

 

Standard Balcony Refrigerator with 3 side shelves

FANTASTIC comparison pictures! Thanks!

Av8tor -- your answers to my questions from earlier were helpful. Thank you :D

The Promenade looks interesting and has some nice chairs (open area under sea walk). The Aft Promenade looks interesting with the few chairs on the corner / edge.

Love the pics! We leave 4 months from tomorrow (10-17-14)!!! I soooooo need a vacation :D

Did you happen to have any drinks at Bellini's? If so, how much are they?

Kelley! I recall seeing some menus from the Royal's early sailings that showed drinks from Bellini's and they ranged from the $7 to the $15 range depending on ingredients. That's pretty normal for ANY bar ANYWHERE! The area is quite well set up and very comfortable chairs! Pretty much like Crooners! :eek: Drink ranges (martini bar) ran about the same there, and the wine prices were in the average range for most selections. By "average" range I mean that most of the prices were under $10 per glass, so they would fit well into the All Inclusive Card very nicely! That's what I plan to get on my 11/6 and 11/9 cruises!!

Thanks Grammyluvs, and thanks again to all of you who have posted such kind comments.

 

I took a camera on this trip, but rarely used it. The battery on my iPhone lasts much longer, and I could upload photos to Facebook, etc. immediately while on board. And really, I think the pictures are as good as those I can take with my camera.

Just wanted to jump in here and let you know that I am NOT ignoring you! I'm saving this valuable space for your intensive comments and really great pictures. I've been following along since post #1. Keep up the great work! :D

I did have a problem with the first day's review and yes, the photos were too large. That problem was resolved with the other daily reviews I have posted. Are you seeing large photos for all the reviews posted today? :confused:

I went back and EDITED my previous comment to include the improvements made to your later posts. Thank you very much!! The shots are beautiful and your reporting is top-notch! Keep up the great work! :D

I’ll warn everyone in advance now that I tend to write very long reviews. Some people love long reviews, the more detail the better. Others prefer a more short, succinct and high level overview. If you fall into the latter camp, you should probably not read any further :).

 

SNIP

 

For sail away we headed up to the Sea View bar. It was a l

If I could make ONE suggestion! Please resize your posts so they fit on a standard screen. I'm at full screen and still have to scroll left-right to see the entire post (pictures and text). This is very disconcerting! Otherwise your posts are very interesting and thoughtful!

ADDING to my post AFTER I have seen the improvement/corrections made to the photo formats. MUCH, MUCH better! These are great! Keep up the great reporting!

you are absolutely correct!! The crew works so hard to please the passengers...do not take it out on them... While the majority of the complaint is about the fee in alfredos, what about the room service extra cost...i am sure more vacationers utilize room service than alfredos.

 

Let's see how this plays out at corporate, as if they really care//

the kids

A response from Princess posted on another thread (also deeply involved in "thread-drift!").

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42882952&postcount=150

Hi All

 

Princess says, , from time to time, we re-evaluate our onboard pricing, also taking into account guest demand for certain offerings and services. Two changes that have occurred as a result, first occurring on Regal Princess, are a $3 delivery charge for room service, and $10 per guest charge for Alfredo's Pizzeria, which now also includes a beverage. The intent is to introduce these charges across the fleet.

 

 

yours Shogun

Having lived within 30 miles of Walt Disney World since before Epcot opened, and watching the changes since Walt's death, and how the GREED took over the corporation, I am reminded of that tradition with Princess going from a "creep" to a "gallop!"

This makes it extremely difficult to PLAN for a cruise and budget for same, when out of the blue some EXEC decides it's time to raise prices! I have already booked my cruises on the Royal, budgeted my expenses based on what they were a mere year ago, and now I am introduced to NEW expenses that appeared like "magic". From the same Greed Machine as they did from Disney?? I sure hope not. Mickey Arison, IMHO, has never been a very astute businessman. He got his start from his dad, who was in fact, a very keen businessman. Way back when Mickey was a kid I worked with a computer company that helped put Arison Shipping and their first cruise ship online.

But that is all beside the point. When business decisions are made in the middle of the "game" that impacts the initial game plan, something is missing in the business planning process! Observe, evaluate and assess, decide if change is needed, then implement, if necessary, with adequate advance notice! Adding an additional charge in the middle of a cruise is more BAIT and SWITCH than it is business planning.

And that's my 5 cents worth. (Oh, I had a slight increase in prices during my post and regret any inconvenience this additional 3-cents may cause!)

Be well, Shogun! I always enjoy and appreciate your input.

Larry

Doubling the prices at The Sanctuary resulted in less crowds...on a good weather sea day my wife was the only person there with 3 attendants to assist her. Princess has raised the price to the point where too many times it's empty which will be the same thing at Alfredo's Pizzeria. Then it would look like the adjacent Vines Shop/Celebrations which rarely has anybody in it and is another underutilized location.

 

Overcrowding? During traditional meal times ALL dining locations are overcrowded! What's next...a fee for eating at popular times to reduce overcrowding? My experience during 18 days (10 sea days) on the Royal last fall was there were many times when hardly anyone was at Alfredo's. Be honest Princess because it's a way to force people to buy an alcoholic drink or even worse to pay for it and to get nothing! :mad:

Shhh, don't talk so loud. I don't want them to start using them darn token from the laundry room in the public bathrooms!!! :eek:

Based on the comments that the $10 Alfredo charge is included in the drink package, can I assume the drink package is available on the Regal? The web site still says the drink package is not available on the Regal.

If the $3 charge for room service goes to the staff as a tip I have no issue with it. If the $3 goes to corp and we are still expected to tip, I probably won't order much room service.

You know what "assume" means! I would not assume ANYTHING with Princess' pricing policies at this time. They seem as stable as .... well, let's not go there!

I agree with your assessment/evaluation of the room service charge. If it goes to the room service STAFF, OK with me!

Let's keep up the good fight!

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Well that may be true for the sanctuary but even there since doubling the price I haven't seen the sanctuary busy.

I think the excuse that it's getting too popular is just a way for Princess to try to rationalize why changes are made & to me is a bunch of garbage.

GARBAGE is a mild word. Reminds me of the handling of the Veteran's Administration (VA). Great plan, bad administration, everyone suffers! :mad:

I'm all for a mutiny! If they get away with charging for Alfredo's will they then start charging for the IC?:(

The only way to get an official response from Princess to determine if the there has been an official policy change on Alfredo's cover charge and room service charges is by email to customerrelations@princesscruises.com (or by snail mail to the same address at Princess HQ)

 

The telephone call center personnel are not in the appropriate level to respond officially.

Works for me!! I think the email or formal letter is the better way to go and you will automatically have a record of your transaction. I was planning to eat at Alfredo's a LOT during my b2b in November, but now I'll have to think that over again!! Sounds like "bait and switch" to me!!:mad:

Just a FYI - Much easier - click on Av8tor (on any of his posts). There will be a drop down menu. Select: Find all post by Av8tor -- you will find all of his posts and you can click on the one you are looking for.

 

You can do that for anyone who posts on cruisecritic.

Thanks for that tip, Julie! After you mentioned it, it flooded back to me. Just to many bells and whistles on this forum! :D

Started Regal’s Inaugral Cruise, 13-day Venice to Venice yesterday. Read on for my experiences, observations and opinions…

 

Day 1

 

Got to the cruise terminal at 11:55 am for a scheduled 11pm departure. Published boarding time was to begin at 1pm. No real lines to speak off. Celeberty Equinox was right behind us and P&O Ventura was across the pier. Regal and Equinox seem to be VERY similar in design with Regal appearing a deck or two taller with other subtle differences (no seaview bar/skywalk, twin stacks on X versus single bank of multiple stacks on Regal, huge MUTS on Regal, etc, etc). Ventura looked like a typical Grand-class.

 

Saw no porter service or bag check outside of the Venice cruise terminal, so we walked our bags (thank-goodness for rollers) inside to the person who put them right on the conveyer taking them deeper into the terminal for delivery to the cabin. Then up one level and right to the preferred check-in counter without any wait. Had just been handed our cruise cards at 12:05 when they announced suite and elite boarding. Whoo Hoo, we were on in record time!

 

Dropped the carry-on bags in the cabin, got the Treasure Hunt cards stamped, hit passenger services to correct an error (I had pre-paid a soda package for my DW and mistakenly got the regular package and not the “Ulltimate”), and then went back out to continue exploring Venice (our first time). While waiting for the People Mover to Plaza Roma, I read in the Princess Patter that Venice authorities required passport s and your cruise card to reboard. Oops, we put our PPs in the safe. DW was worried throughout the whole afternoon that we’d get hassled trying to get back aboard, but I tried to convince her that if there was any difficulties, it souldn’t be too bad and any delay wouldn’t be that long. We did a round trip Grand Canal Vaporetto cruise stopping at St Mark’s Square to confirm the locations where we need to meet for or post-cruise Doges Palace Secret Itineraries and Clock Tower tours. Upon return to the ship we just showed our cruise cards and driver’s licenses and there was no problem re-boarding.

 

Got back to the cabin to find the checked baggage was already in the room along with the pre-ordered floral arrangement and casino cash vouchers and most all of the normal welcome/info cards and letters. What we didn’t get were the card with the dinner “dress code” schedule for the cruise (ie which nights are to be formal) and the Elite Happy Hour drink of the day and hor’s douvers schedule. Guess I’ll be able to track those down later…

 

Went down at 8:15 for late seating traditional dining, only to find that all the dining rooms were providing any-time service. That would’ve been nice to know in advance as we were looking so forward to meeting our table mates and wait staff for the next 13 evenings. Finally got the main course just before 9:30 and had to practically gulp it down to finish eating before the 10:15 muster drill :eek:

 

Muster was quick, but noticed a few “dozers” due to the late hour and long day. Also found it funny that rather than having scanners at the entrance(s) to the Muster Station, they had crew roaming the dining room repeatedly asking if your card had been scanned yet. Seems to work better and provide a more accurate head-count if they just simply scan every card as the people enter.

 

Sail away was delayed until 11:30 pm due to other shipping traffic, but once underway, it was smooth and scenic departure. Venice sure was beautiful but it was a bit too dark that late at night for good photos..

 

More Comments & Observations to follow…

Glad I found this thread. Will follow!

Can anyone post a link to Av8tor's "live from" ... or tell me how to get there? Thanks.

Jane! I just tried to find a "live from" by Av8tor and came up nill! Be sure you have your title correct, or you will need to search using the Roll Call tool on the main page. (gray bar just below the CC logo and ads). Click on Roll Call Tool, then narrow the search down by making additional selections as needed. Scan the list of results and start with the most logical "hits." As I said, I didn't find a "live from" in the list of hits that I got that looked reasonable, but perhaps they got fancy and opted OUT of the normal Roll Calls and put it another category. If you find it, post the link. Thanks. :confused:

I would love to know if there is an additional 110/220 electric outlet behind the bed or the bedside tables on the regal. This is so helpful for DH's CPap machine.

I'm basing my reply on my experience on the ROTAL. Outlets are along the wall close to where the dresser us located. Some outlets associated with the lamps do not always lend themselves to plugging things into them. Just to be on the safe side I always pack a 6-8 foot extension cord (surge suppressor or not) to be on the safe side. That also works great for recharging batteries, cameras, etc.

So this is neither a full review or a live from thread, but I know a lot of you are keen to know everything you can about the Regal; so here goes the observations so far.

 

.... snip ....

 

I'll attempt to upload some pictures when I have a decent 3G reception upon my return to Venice. Thanks for reading :)

An excellent "not a real review" if I do dare to say so! :p Very enlightening viewpoints and pick-ups on the finer points of design, both structural and cultural. Keep it coming!!! :)

Thanks but by the time we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Nov. 3 we will have been on the Regal 29 days.

12 days, Barcelona - Venice, 17 days, Venice - Ft. Lauderdale...both with active roll calls.

 

The Regal will have several inaugurals including our Transatlantic inaugural and the Caribbean inaugural Nov. 6

Funny how that works (multiple INAUGURAL sailings), isn't it? :rolleyes: Oh well, I guess one for each "port" isn't that bad! Enjoy your many days at sea and DO post your impressions and observations, if you can. Thanks!