Regal questions

Seriously considering October Cruise on Regal and have a few questions. Have aft facing cabin # B738 on Baja Deck on hold. Any thoughts on that cabin location? Also, how does the Balcony dining deal work? The offer of the drink package surprised me. $68.99 per person per day! Can anyone tell me what some of the prices of drinks are, beer and rum and coke mainly?

I am not the expert.... I have a question of my own about the Regal.

Many people really love those AFT cabins.

You might want to find out how much cover is over those balconies, as they seem to be tiered with each deck, not evenly stacked.

Here is a recent video if it is okay to post the link:

I know that the Regal will not be back to the U.S, until Fall....

I have been hoping upon hope that they might begin bringing the new beds/mattresses onboard.

I am interested in any rumors or whispers that might be out there.

If the current mattresses are like some of the older Princess mattresses... this would be a huge improvement.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You won't hear anything but "great choice" for a stern-facing deluxe balcony cabin. Better location than most of the mini-suites on board.

If you haven't seen the online description of the balcony dining options (not sure if you are asking about the breakfast or dinner):

Enjoy an intimate, romantic dining experience with breathtaking views and a special meal served by your own dedicated waitstaff on your stateroom balcony. Ultimate Balcony Dining features a hosted cocktail party, fresh flowers, champagne and a deluxe four-course meal featuring delicate sweet lobster tail or juicy steak among many available delicacies.

For those who want to start the day with a romantic meal, opt for a breakfast which includes specialty pastries, fresh fruits, quiche, smoked salmon and other special treats served with a half bottle of chilled sparkling wine. This item may be ordered onboard by contacting room service or pre-purchased as a special service item (item #3009).

Available on all ships, the Ultimate Balcony Dinner is a unique Princess dining experience. This item may be ordered onboard by contacting room service or pre-purchased as a special service item (item #3011).

One update not in the online description is that you no longer have to order them from Gifts and Services, once you have a booking you can simply pre-pay through your Cruise Personalizer. Or if you have some OBC just wait until you board, ordering then allows you to confirm the date on the spot.

Lots more info about dining on Regal on the ship-specific page from the Princess website:

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/gp-regal-princess/index.html

As for the Premium Beverage Package: the Princess price of $59.00 + 15% gratuity (thus $68.99/pp/pd) is quite fair compared to some other lines which approach $90/day with their 18-20% gratuity. If you drink more than 5 alcoholic beverages plus assorted premium coffees, sodas and bottled waters you can easily come out ahead (or at least make it worth the convenience). Bottles beers are around $6 each, well brand cocktails $8, premium between $9-10. Someone may post a link to a member's Excel spreadsheet which you can use to estimate the value of your daily consumption.

I know that the Regal will not be back to the U.S, until Fall....

I have been hoping upon hope that they might begin bringing the new beds/mattresses onboard.

I am interested in any rumors or whispers that might be out there.

If the current mattresses are like some of the older Princess mattresses... this would be a huge improvement.

I was on Royal Princess last year but I believe this also applies to Regal. The new "Princess Luxury (sic) Beds" have not been implemented on those ships because they received much better standard mattresses than the rest of the fleet was using before the current "uprgades". Having slept on the "new" mattress on Emerald and the current mattress on Royal, the so-called Luxury Bed is a pile of mush. Believe me you want Regal to keep its current mattresses--not just better than the older ones but the newer ones as well.

Here are aft cabin photos from the Royal which would be the same on the Regal.

Here are a few annotated pictures from the 'Everything' thread showing the aft facing balconies:

 

 

 

I have been on the Regal 3x in the past year. I don’t know what kind of mattresses it has but they can’t be more than 4 years old at most even if original and when the topic arose everyone agreed the beds were very comfortable. Mike

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Thanks for the response to my questions. I would appreciate the spread sheet on the drinks if someone would be so kind as to post it.

Thanks, you guys, for the off-topic additional insight on the Mattresses on the Regal...

Maybe not a big deal after all !

We had D728 on our Regal cruise in the Baltic three years ago. We really enjoyed that cabin. What a great place to watch the sea on the sea days. You won’t be disappointed with an aft facing cabin.

I was on the Regal in Nov., 2017 in D726. Fantastic suite with a balcony that was enormous and very private! Quiet and so nice that we spent lots of time relaxing and eating on the balcony. I would book this cabin again in a heartbeat.

Our steward said that our beds were the new ones and they were FAR more comfortable than any other Princess beds we've slept in. They seemed shorter, though.

I can’t tell you much about liquor since the only thing I drink other than water and coffee is soda (and wine with dinner). I always get the speciality coffee card (which is changing...a whole thread devoted to that) and the soda sticker.

It costs me a few $ a day more but I like the convenience and fountain soda rather than canned. Bottles of wine at dinner generally run $28-40and can of course be saved. Fancy drinks with umbrellas etc and 15% auto tip run around $10....others around $7. Of course everything depends on brand. Beer I have no idea since I don’t drink it. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific. Mid to heavy drinkers tend to find the package worthwhile....as a general rule. A thread, which I can’t remember, has an example of what you would have to drink to get your money’s worth. Convenience is also to be factored in. Mike

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This looks like it might be some current info on drinks and prices???

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show....php?t=2626819

I believe that suites do have the actual new princess bed.

We had a nearly brand new on on the CORAL when we sailed Alaska!!!

We had a nearly brand new on on the CORAL when we sailed Alaska!!!

We also had the new beds on Coral in February. They are far too soft for me, but I liked the old beds that everyone complained about.

Maybe now they are already starting to get soft and saggy??? : o

My back likes a firmer. (but not 'hard') mattress!

We really enjoy the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. We always do it when we have an occasion to celebrate.

I was on the Regal in Nov., 2017 in D726. Fantastic suite with a balcony that was enormous and very private! Quiet and so nice that we spent lots of time relaxing and eating on the balcony. I would book this cabin again in a heartbeat.

 

Our steward said that our beds were the new ones and they were FAR more comfortable than any other Princess beds we've slept in. They seemed shorter, though.

We were in that cabin in January! Spoiled now. We hosted a cocktail party on the balcony with plenty of room and food service went out of their way to suggest nibbles and set up the party. Will book that cabin again in a minute

Again, thank you for all the responses to my previous questions. As far as the UBD deal, we will be on board on a “special” date and would love to have a special dinner. However, beings we are sailing in mid to late October, I fear dining on our balcony might not be possible. Question....is it possible to move that inside? 1. Will they do that and 2. Would there be space enough in our cabin?

Also, after looking at the drink prices, it would appear that an individual would need to consume approximately 6-7 mixed drinks or 10 beers to break even with the drink package. Is a glass of wine at dinner covered in paackage? Still would love to see the drink spreadsheet.

PBP - also includes specialty coffees, water, sodas and other non-alcoholic drinks

so factor that in also...

I drink a lot of beverages during the day - so it easily pays off for me...my wife, not so much as long as Princess does not require all adults 21 and over in the same cabin to purchase the package

Again, thank you for all the responses to my previous questions. As far as the UBD deal, we will be on board on a “special” date and would love to have a special dinner. However, beings we are sailing in mid to late October, I fear dining on our balcony might not be possible. Question....is it possible to move that inside? 1. Will they do that and 2. Would there be space enough in our cabin?

Having the UBD inside a balcony cabin worked well for us! :D

During a December sailaway from Santorini it was too blustery to have on our balcony so it was moved inside. We still had the view through our balcony’s window & it was much better than the cold windy conditions on the balcony.

For an October sailaway from Barcelona on the Royal Princess the balcony conditions were perfect as were our other cruises sailing from Puntarenas Costa Rica & during a late evening in Honolulu.

If you’re unaware of the option to modify the UBD that is easily done because they want to provide your best dining experience. If there’s something on the nightly menu or a special request they’ll include it for you. While it may vary, each time we’ve requested a full bottle of red wine which had the same $32 value as the half bottle of champagne & we received the wine.

It’s a wonderful experience & provides nearly $100 in extras so it’s like the great meal & service are free! ;)

Again, thank you for all the responses to my previous questions. As far as the UBD deal, we will be on board on a “special” date and would love to have a special dinner. However, beings we are sailing in mid to late October, I fear dining on our balcony might not be possible. Question....is it possible to move that inside? 1. Will they do that and 2. Would there be space enough in our cabin?

Also, after looking at the drink prices, it would appear that an individual would need to consume approximately 6-7 mixed drinks or 10 beers to break even with the drink package. Is a glass of wine at dinner covered in paackage? Still would love to see the drink spreadsheet.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2494198&highlight=princess+drink+spread+sheet

Check the bottom of post #1

Is a glass of wine at dinner covered in package?

Yes, as long as it is within the allowed price range (and almost all the wines available by the glass in the dining room are in that range).

I have been on the Regal 3x in the past year. I don’t know what kind of mattresses it has but they can’t be more than 4 years old at most even if original and when the topic arose everyone agreed the beds were very comfortable. Mike

 

 

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My kid and my DH didn't care either way, but I found Regal's beds to be awful - they are very firm to the point of being rock hard. We were in the inside cabin the first time, and deluxe balcony the second time. I found the pull out sofa in the deluxe balcony cabin to be more comfortable than the regular bed.

My kid and my DH didn't care either way, but I found Regal's beds to be awful - they are very firm to the point of being rock hard. We were in the inside cabin the first time, and deluxe balcony the second time. I found the pull out sofa in the deluxe balcony cabin to be more comfortable than the regular bed.

We requested an extra pillowtop pad (not the useless broken down eggcrate pad) which improved my comfort & something you might consider in the future.

When new the Royal & Regal beds were more comfortable for me however they need replacement but that’s not due until next year.