LIVE from Regal's Inaugaral Cruise

Thank you so much for posting a LIVE thread from the Regal. I look forward to virtually hanging out and sailing vicariously through you. All the best. :D

...enjoy your cruise, have fun!...

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I've also subscribed...look forward to your posts.

Enjoy your cruise!

Absolutely wonderful can't wait for the details!

Looking forward to all your posts and have yourself a wonderful cruise .

Thanks for sharing and using those precious internet minutes to give us a chance to follow along on your adventure.

DH and I were among the lucky cruisers on the Royal last year when she did her 12 day Med/18 day Inaugural Crossing. Sailing in and out of Venice was awesome, but doing it after dark must have been something special.

Hope you'll have a chance to post some photos when you return.

Joanie

I'm also looking forward to your live review of the Regal. Can't wait to board this ship come November 9th. From what I've read on here so far, it sounds like the Regal will be christened in Ft. Lauderdale. It's maiden 3 day Caribbean cruise will begin Nov. 6th, I'm anxious to find out who the godmother will be.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

I wonder if there's a problem with the internet. 48 hours since first post.

I wonder if there's a problem with the internet. 48 hours since first post.

OT - how is Mike?

Day 2 was at Sea with the first formal night. “Took” Princess for a deck of cards and flashlight keychain by being on the winning team for both the morning and afternoon trivia. Explored the ship and took some photos that I hope to post later. Second seating traditional dining service was a tad slow, but otherwise seemed to be OK.

Other observations:

Ship is sailing with only 2500 passengers. None of the venues seem crowded with only 2/3 of the people the ship was designed to hold. I’m not sure why they didn’t fill the boat, but it might have some connection with the cruise being marketed and sold three different ways; 7 nights Venice to Athens, 6 nights Athens to Venice, 13 nights Venice to Venice and finally 20 nights Venice to Barcelona. I’d guess it’d be hard to sell all the cabins for the entire time (all 3 “legs”) if some are only reserved for 1 or two legs.

Tried Alfredo’s pizzeria for lunch. My personal size pizza (about 10”) was very good, but my DW’s was a bit soggy. They also have salads and pasta dishes. The big surprise was a $10pp cover charge! I hadn’t heard before that Alfredo’s had a “cover.” The charge did include one drink from their menu, so $9 glasses of wine took most of the sting out of that surprise. If you have the new All-Inclusive Drink Package, the $10 Alfredo’s cover IS included with that package. Is that Alfredo’s cover charge new, or do they have it on Royal also? Speaking of new surprise charges, they now have a mandatory $3 delivery charge for room service (it’s not just for pizza anymore)! First, they told us it’d be $3 to have the daily fruit delivered like we normally have. The fruit order card was the same as it used to be (no mention of any charge). When they told us about it, we assumed it was just a charge for the fruit, so we told them to just forget it. Then that night we ordered a pot of hot water for tea and that’s when they told us that all room service deliveries now had a $3 charge. I believe this is just on the Regal now, even though the Princess web site still describes room service as “complimentary. Another surprise charge is a .50 charge for “mixer” if you order a cocktail. So, now my Canadian Club and 7-Up drinks are billed as $6.25 alcohol plus .50 mixer for a new price of $6.75. Then the 15% gratuity is added on. I asked about this and one of the bartenders said it’s something new they started just this season. . I think this is a sign of things to come fleet wide.

To commemorate the Inaugural Cruise, they gave us each an 8x10 photo of the ship and an “Italian Leather” luggage tag (stewardess left them in the cabin). I thought it was especially nice of them not to have room service deliver the gifts so we avoided that new $3 delivery fee - ha ha!

Horizon Court and Horizon Bistro flow is nice. Haven’t seen the traffic jams I’ve experienced in the past on other ships. Your experience may vary if your cruise is fully booked. I do like that they have two hand washing stations with round glass vessel sinks at each entrance to Horizon Court/Bistro. Plus, there are multiple hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the court & bistro. Hopefully, that will help cut down on Noro incidents. They also have rectangular porcelain vessel sinks in the public restrooms (well at least the Men’s rooms). Watch out for these! Some have a very strong water stream from the faucet that will push the water right over the far edge and all over you (bet you can guess how I know this!).

Cabin bathrooms are much improved in my book. Sink and counter are a bit larger and the shower is bigger. No more overly friendly shower curtains! Shower head is on a flexible hose with a muti-adjustable mount. There’s also a small “foot shelf” that’s really helpful for storing your own “products” and other items or for easier leg shaving (at least that’s what my DW says). I know others have mentioned that the TP roll holder is in an awkward position and while I’ll admit it could be placed better, I don’t feel it’s that hard to deal with.

It sure is nice seeing everything so new. Sheets are very crisp and un-worn, silverware is smooth and shiny, brand new books and games in the library, fresh carpeting and upholstery, etc, etc. TVs have on demand movies, music, a number of television series , some live TV channels, port info guides and the bridge web cam. However, I really do miss not having the channel that shows the ship’s current position, planned route and sea/weather info.

No the internet isn't down, just slow, as usual. Couldn't post as I was busy "enjoying" myself and then forgot my password. Had to wait for internet manager to reset it!

Yes, the ship's horn does play the Love Boat theme. As a matter of fact, it played four or five times leaving Corfu! I'm not sure the locals were even familiar with the tune.

Anyway, gotta SAIL, more later...

If there is a $3 delivery fee for room service (I'm thinking of the usual continental breakfast we have delivered to the room), do we still tip on top of that? Seems like a double charge or something.

Norm

D

Tried Alfredo’s pizzeria for lunch. The big surprise was a $10pp cover charge! I hadn’t heard before that Alfredo’s had a “cover.”

 

First, they told us it’d be $3 to have the daily fruit delivered like we normally have. The fruit order card was the same as it used to be (no mention of any charge). Another surprise charge is a .50 charge for “mixer” if you order a cocktail. So, now my Canadian Club and 7-Up drinks are billed as $6.25 alcohol plus .50 mixer for a new price of $6.75. Then the 15% gratuity is added on. I asked about this and one of the bartenders said it’s something new they started just this season. . I think this is a sign of things to come fleet wide.

.

Thank you so much for your update and please enjoy your trip...we can all wait for updates. But I have to say these new charges/fees are kind of maddening! We go in August and it feels like an unwelcome surprise. I know things are changing and not all inclusive as they used to be long ago, but the nickle and dime thing -- especially when you aren't aware of it -- is frustrating to me. :mad:

We were on the Royal TA this year, no charge in Alfredos and no charge for mixers. Seems they are charging differently on some of the ships. A bit confusing for folks! We also had breakfast delivered twice without any charge.

Thanks again for posting this, I am shocked at the $3 cover charge for room service we really enjoy our coffee on the balcony every morning, seems we might be going to the horizon court to collect it instead.

Could you confirm if they have the all inclusive drinks package on board?

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I'm really upset to hear that they charge you for room service and for pizza. Neither of things were the case when we booked our cruise for this June. How can they change it and not offer what they promised? That doesn't seem right.

Thank you so much for these reports! It's getting me so excited for our trip June 19!

I would suggest anyone interested call the 800 line. She didn't know about any of this, but after checking with another department confirmed that yes, they "may" do a cover charge for Alfredo's. I suggested it is frustrating to add this on without notice and not tell those already booked (like in one of the emails they send booked passengers!).

She also said room service is free except for the delivery of a pizza. So...not sure what happened there!

US Princess # 1-800-774-6237...just in case you want to call. :)

The channel for the weather & ship's position and planned course still exists under one of "tabs" for a sub menu. Not easy to find, but it's there. Also there is the ship's forward cam view.

Hopefully there will be a "mutiny" on the Regal Princess about those extra fees so it's not expanded to other ships. ;)

The last time I sailed on RCCL they had a room service delivery charge however that was only for deliveries made in the middle the night which to me is understandable. Obviously they're trying to make Alfredo's like Vines were they require purchasing a drink to get food.

Hopefully these are "experiments" on the Regal and that they will fail miserably. To add a wonderful complementary dining venue like Alfredo's and then to charge for it because it's popular is wrong to me. :mad:

Boarding the Star in 11 days and now all I want is pizza.:D

DH and I were on another ship that also charged for the mixers. I think it was the Star.:confused: I guess I will find out when we board.

OT - how is Mike?

Better. Thanks, Julie. Now back to the LIVE. :D

I sure hope there is not a $3.00 service charge to bring us more ice.

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!

I'll be exceptionally upset if there is a drink negated service charge for Alfredo's on the Royal in Oct, since I don't drink and will have a soda card.

I understand why an alcohol focused facility would have a drink minimum to get snacks (Vines), but not a food based facility.

I'll be exceptionally upset if there is a drink negated service charge for Alfredo's on the Royal in Oct, since I don't drink and will have a soda card.

 

I understand why an alcohol focused facility would have a drink minimum to get snacks (Vines), but not a food based facility.

I agree & going to write Princess about how this change will screw up Alfredo's! :mad:

Maybe Princess is seeking ways to offset the cost of the few freebies they're giving those on the inaugural cruise by adding all these extra charges...come on Princess! :eek: