Royal vs Regal-similar or not?

[Mary Jane 711]

I just took a 15 day on the Regal and loved her. However a great opportunity has arisen on the Royal. I see she is small, which I dont mind. Its the itinerary I am really intersted in. Just curious on any comments regarding the Royal.

[katisdale]

I have been on the crown (sister to the regal) and the royal. I liked both ships. The Royal does have smaller cabins but larger bathrooms with a tub. Both had plenty of storage in the room. In May, 2004 our cabin had new carpet, drapes and spreads although I read that others said their cabins had dated decor. The ship was clean but is older than the regal. There was plenty to do both during the day and night. There is no personal choice dining, just the two traditional sittings. The food was good, the waiters and stewards excellent. I would go again anytime. I did not use the casino or spa and cannot comment on those. If you have any specific questions I would try to answer.

[Druke I]

Have been on the Regal twice, with a third trip booked, and on the Royal Princess 4 times.

 

I am one who is very sorry to see Royal Princess leave the fleet. She has a very easy-to-navigate deck plan, and is a wonderful "sea boat" should you hit rough water.

 

Royal does not have all the "bells and whistles" of the newer ships in the fleet, but she has the necessary basics. Biggest disadvantge (my opinion) of the Royal is the relatively small cabins compared to her fleet-mates.

[JohnLauben]

The ROYAL and the REGAL are not very similar at all.

 

a) Both have a LIDO deck buffet area. The LIDO CAFE on the ROYAL is quite a bit smaller than the CAFE DEL SOL on the REGAL. Both turn into a bistro late in the evening.

b) The pizzeria is a separate area on the REGAL; it is located within the LIDO CAFE on the ROYAL.

c) Both ships have only 1 dinig room; therefore, no personal choice dining. The ROYAL's dining room is slightly better laid out; the REGAL's dining room has the entryway to the galley in the center of the room, creating the feeling of 2 separate dining areas. There is a fair bit of vibration in the dining rooms of both ships, owing to their (aft) locations; more so on the ROYAL, since the dining room is located on deck 3, as opposed to deck 7 on the REGAL.

d) The ROYAL is much narrower than the REGAL, owing to the fact that there are NO inside cabins on the ROYAL. (Actually, there are inside quarters for the crew, but these are out of sight from the passengers.)

e) Both ships have separate movie theaters.

f) The showroom on the REGAL is larger, and 2 decks tall. This allows for a greater variety of the show productions that PRINCESS can offer. The room on the ROYAL is just too small for certain shows.

g) Cabins on the REGAL are larger than on the ROYAL. The standard cabins on the ROYAL feature 1 bed that folds out of the side wall. You CAN make a queen bed on the ROYAL, but it blocks access to the balcony (if you have one). Bathrooms on the ROYAL are larger, and have a full (well, almost full) bathtub.

h) The REGAL contains more shop space, and a larger casino area, than the ROYAL.

i) The REGAL has a disco (STAGE DOOR). The ROYAL really doesn't have a separate disco; but, dancing is accomodated in one of the lounges.

j) Both ships have 2 passenger laundry rooms.

k) Shipboard activities hare handled by a dedicated cruise staff on the REGAL. On the ROYAL, the (show) dancers handle the activities usually handled by the ACDs.

l) The ROYAL handles rough seas MUCH BETTER than the REGAL. Not to say that the REGAL is poor in this regard; it's just that the ROYAL is that much better.

 

On the subject of food, I have always stated that this varies widely from ship to ship, and the opinion of the food varies from diner to diner. PRINCESS has expanded quite a bit over the last several years, leading to the hiring of a large number of new people for all areas of the operation. Sometimes you will see a less-seasoned staff, but, as a general rule, the trainees are usually assigned to ships along with veteran crews. However, this isn't always possible, and food preparation (such as rind left on fruits) can vary from ship to ship (and month to month on board the same ship). I can't imagine this bothering anyone; but, I have seen it, so I know what some are talking about.

 

For years, the ROYAL has always been assigned the better personnel in the PRINCESS fleet. This may have changed, since the ROYAL is due to leave the fleet this year. But, knowing that the ROYAL has had (and probably still has) a very dedicated following, I would find it hard to believe that PRINCESS is downgrading the ROYAL for this reason.

[Pam in CA]

John, good summary of the differences between the Royal and Regal. A few other minor points:

 

* The Royal's safe has a manual closure and is smaller than on the Regal (unless this has changed in the past three years).

 

* The Royal's shower is a full-sized tub -- a real tub whereas the Regal's shower (this is for standard outside cabins) is in a tub-like space but it's not a "tub" you can use.

 

* The Royal's movie theater is a real, albeit small, dedicated movie theater. To be honest, I didn't see the movie theater on the Regal -- the movies were all in the large "auditorium" with a converted drop-down screen.

 

It's true that the Royal is smaller and has fewer amenities but then it also has 1/3 fewer passengers. We're on the Royal for the Manaus > Rome cruise and I can't wait to sail her again.