Regal Princess, Grand Mediterranean itinerary - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[dmc511]

On board the Regal Princess, on our third port.

 

What I love - pretty much everything.

The ship is gorgeous, especially the piazza, and they have many events with three levels of seating to enjoy the activity.

The entertainment is at a much higher level.

The mini suite layout is much better streamlined. Love the long full size comfortable couch, the flat screen TVs, the wonderful linens, the curtain between the beds and the living room. The curtain is just shy of being wide enough to cover the space, and black out the light, but hey, there is a curtain!

 

The Bad and The Ugly

Whatever you do, do not book on the Marina deck (deck15), mid ship. Or any room on Marina deck for the matter. Personally, I would cancel my trip versus staying in one of these rooms.

We are in room M415

The noise transfer into the rooms is absolutely horrible. I have never experienced anything like it.

The large screen is so loud that it is as if the the movie is playing inside the room. There is no way to have peace in the room. And movies often start at 10pm and go to after midnight.

You can hear every person that walks across the deck.

There is no rest for the weary in our room.

 

There is no staircase in the mid ship elevators. Because of this, waiting for elevators is worse than other ships. And you have no way to quickly go up or down a few flights of stairs to reach your destination.

 

Booking mid ship should be given a discount versus more expensive.

 

The tours continue to be mostly disappointing. It is impossible to hear the tour guide on walking tours without audio assistance. I would recommend only booking those tours where audio devices are provided. One tour not to miss is the gondola ride in Venice. Magical!

 

Will I travel on the Regal or Royal Princess again. Yes, probably, but only with a mid deck room and forward or aft situation.

 

 

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[jean s]

I would love to cruise on the Regal but really use the promenade deck daily when I cruise. Is the promenade deck walkable on the Regal?

[Avalon35]

Thanks for the succinct comments on the minisuite location. You have solved my dilemma about where to book on the Royal. Although, i thought the midship larger balcony would be worth the higher $, I think I will just wait for a "sale" on the cruise I like and book a more aft mini. So what if we play kneesies on the balcony.

 

 

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[akeasley]

Very sorry to hear about the noise issue you experienced on the Marina deck. Your cabin should be a quiet place to get away from the crowds and it's a shame you couldn't get that.

 

I know people have their favorite decks and on the Royal, we stayed on the Lido and very much enjoyed it...didn't experience any noise from MUTS, etc.

[HRPro]

We were in a midship minisuite on Royal but on Baja deck--no problem at all with noise, so I think the secret is to stay away from the Marina deck. We're on Caribe and Lido decks for our next two cruises on the Royal, so hopefully they'll also be quiet. Glad you're enjoying your cruise, and hope the cabin location won't be too much of a bother. It's hard when you can't get good rest at night especially on a port intensive cruise like the Mediterranean.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the heads up on Marina deck, that would be a deal breaker for us.

Its similar on the Riviera deck on Grand class ships with the noise from the pool area. :( Actually the Regal sounds worse. :eek:

[CI66774]

Glad you loved the ship - sorry about the noise! I agree - I've cruised on the Royal twice now and I wouldn't book a mid-ship Marina. I had a forward Marina mini-suite (like 204 or 210), and no noise whatsoever. Then I had one of those premium forward mini-suites (L108) - absolutely no noise from other paxs, etc., but lots of noise from the wind on windy days (and vibration, too). I wouldn't book any cabin under the pool deck unless it's one of those forward cabins on Lido and there isn't much in terms of scraping, etc. above you.

[Denali2003]

Hello. We will be on the Regal in Oct for their Maiden Trans-Atlantic sailing. I have a few questions:

 

#1 - when booking / renting a Gondola - any recommendations? We will be in Venice for 2 days before boarding the ship and would like to do this. We have contacted Princess and sadly they are not offering any Pre-Cruise excursions in Venice. :(

 

#2 - Can you confirm if you can get Milk Shakes on the Regal? I've heard Rumors that the Royal & Regal do not serve them anywhere on the ship? Is this true?

 

#3 - How crowded are the seating areas the Horizon Terrace? Looks like a great place to relax, read, talk, etc.

 

Now that the ship has a few sailings under it's belt, how is the service? Food? Production Shows? I heard the shows in the Theatre are only 30 minutes long and that you have to get there 45-60 BEFORE the show starts to even get a seat (never mind a good one). Is this true?

 

Thank you for posting, for your opinion and your help!! :D

[downsmead]

 

#1 - when booking / renting a Gondola - any recommendations? We will be in Venice for 2 days before boarding the ship and would like to do this. We have contacted Princess and sadly they are not offering any Pre-Cruise excursions in Venice. :( The gondalas in Venice do a set price of 80 euros for a daytime ride and 100 euros at night carrying up to 6 people. I believe it lasts for ~30mins but am not sure since we did not do a gondala ride.

 

#2 - Can you confirm if you can get Milk Shakes on the Regal? I've heard Rumors that the Royal & Regal do not serve them anywhere on the ship? Is this true? - Milk shakes are not available on the Regal, you can get smoothies and cold chocolate milk but no milk shakes.

 

#3 - How crowded are the seating areas the Horizon Terrace? Looks like a great place to relax, read, talk, etc. - we always managed to find a place out there to sit, great at breakfast time and also lovely and relaxing in the evening.

 

Now that the ship has a few sailings under it's belt, how is the service? Food? Production Shows? I heard the shows in the Theatre are only 30 minutes long and that you have to get there 45-60 BEFORE the show starts to even get a seat (never mind a good one). Is this true? - the production shows are only 30 mins long but we always managed to find a group of 4 seats arriving just as the show was due to start of even after it had started. They do vary in how good they are, a bit up and down. Food was very good in the MDR and Horizon Court and at other eating places on the ship. Service was good with staff in the MDR very willing to please (extra potatoes, can you substitute a for b) and all the staff were very friendly, greeting you as they passed you, officers noticably present around the ship. Horizon Court had a good varied selection though you did have to have a good look round all the serving counters to see what was on off. On the last night, we felt that there was a very limited menu on offer though.

 

Thank you for posting, for your opinion and your help!! :D

 

We have just come off the Regal sailing from Barcelona to Venice and have put some answers to your questions above, hope you don't mind me adding my comments.

 

We loved the ship and would book on her again. Yes the lack of a central staircase is annoying and the lifts had a mind of their own!! However we had a fabulous time.

[Rick-cruiser]

On board the Regal Princess, on our third port.

 

What I love - pretty much everything.

The ship is gorgeous, especially the piazza, and they have many events with three levels of seating to enjoy the activity.

The entertainment is at a much higher level.

The mini suite layout is much better streamlined. Love the long full size comfortable couch, the flat screen TVs, the wonderful linens, the curtain between the beds and the living room. The curtain is just shy of being wide enough to cover the space, and black out the light, but hey, there is a curtain!

 

The Bad and The Ugly

Whatever you do, do not book on the Marina deck (deck15), mid ship. Or any room on Marina deck for the matter. Personally, I would cancel my trip versus staying in one of these rooms.

We are in room M415

The noise transfer into the rooms is absolutely horrible. I have never experienced anything like it.

The large screen is so loud that it is as if the the movie is playing inside the room. There is no way to have peace in the room. And movies often start at 10pm and go to after midnight.

You can hear every person that walks across the deck.

There is no rest for the weary in our room.

 

There is no staircase in the mid ship elevators. Because of this, waiting for elevators is worse than other ships. And you have no way to quickly go up or down a few flights of stairs to reach your destination.

 

Booking mid ship should be given a discount versus more expensive.

 

The tours continue to be mostly disappointing. It is impossible to hear the tour guide on walking tours without audio assistance. I would recommend only booking those tours where audio devices are provided. One tour not to miss is the gondola ride in Venice. Magical!

 

Will I travel on the Regal or Royal Princess again. Yes, probably, but only with a mid deck room and forward or aft situation.

 

Gee..... what a shock that this is still a major problem and source of frustrations on the Royal and Regal ships..

 

What do the naysayers say now?

.

[Mom33]

OP- Thanks for reporting in and sharing your thoughts. Others have complained of the noise on Marina deck on the Royal also.

We were midships on Dolphin on the Royal and had no noise problems. We will be in the same area on the Regal. We always book between two passenger decks.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.:D

[sckal]

Hello. We will be on the Regal in Oct for their Maiden Trans-Atlantic sailing. I have a few questions:

 

#1 - when booking / renting a Gondola - any recommendations? We will be in Venice for 2 days before boarding the ship and would like to do this. We have contacted Princess and sadly they are not offering any Pre-Cruise excursions in Venice. :(

 

#2 - Can you confirm if you can get Milk Shakes on the Regal? I've heard Rumors that the Royal & Regal do not serve them anywhere on the ship? Is this true?

 

#3 - How crowded are the seating areas the Horizon Terrace? Looks like a great place to relax, read, talk, etc.

 

Now that the ship has a few sailings under it's belt, how is the service? Food? Production Shows? I heard the shows in the Theatre are only 30 minutes long and that you have to get there 45-60 BEFORE the show starts to even get a seat (never mind a good one). Is this true?

 

Thank you for posting, for your opinion and your help!! :D

 

 

Pardon my slight venting on this, but the above question about seating at the Horizon Terrace is a real sore point for us. I travel w/ an elderly parent who uses a walker. I cannot tell you how many times we've gone to the Horizon to actually, you know, eat and table after table after table are filled w/ folks who've long ago finished their meal and are now just taking up available table space talking, reading, playing cards. So my elderly parent often has to walk a much longer than necessary distance. Same goes for folks using the tables by the MUTS for the entire day. All I ask folks, is be considerate. If you're a party of 2 at a table for 4 in either place, how bout noticing people w/ trays looking for a place to eat and inviting them to join you?

[remydiva]

Pardon my slight venting on this, but the above question about seating at the Horizon Terrace is a real sore point for us. I travel w/ an elderly parent who uses a walker. I cannot tell you how many times we've gone to the Horizon to actually, you know, eat and table after table after table are filled w/ folks who've long ago finished their meal and are now just taking up available table space talking, reading, playing cards. So my elderly parent often has to walk a much longer than necessary distance. Same goes for folks using the tables by the MUTS for the entire day. All I ask folks, is be considerate. If you're a party of 2 at a table for 4 in either place, how bout noticing people w/ trays looking for a place to eat and inviting them to join you?

 

When a full Horizons happens to us, we just smile and ask a partially filled table if those empty seats are available. We always get a cheery welcome to " sure, join us. " We then usually say something like it was nice of them to save us a seat etc as these trays are sure heavy just to keep things light and friendly.

 

A smile goes a long way :)

Edited July 18, 2014 by remydiva

[PescadoAmarillo]

All I ask folks, is be considerate. If you're a party of 2 at a table for 4 in either place, how bout noticing people w/ trays looking for a place to eat and inviting them to join you?

I agree with the consideration part (especially when traveling with a child or older parent) but I think it's the responsibility of those looking for a seat to ask. Once seated and eating, I'm rarely aware of people coming and going around me. When asked, we always share.

[Colo Cruiser]

Anyone have Regal Patters?

[Denali2003]

Generally when we are in the Horizon Court eating, and see people looking for a table, I ask if they would like to join us. I think it's a great way to meet people. I've met some really nice people that way. Then when you see them around the ship, you say HI. :) If we are looking for a table and I see one that only has 1 or 2 people sitting at it, I will ask if anyone else is sitting there and if they would mind if we joined them. I've gotten both Yes and No answers.

 

The seating area I was asking about are the wicker looking sofas. I saw a picture of some that were near the Fountain. It seemed to be covered. Not the cabanas.

[Colo Cruiser]

OP did you visit Dubrovnik?

If so did you tender?

Or did they decide to dock?

 

Thanks.

[FritzG]

I agree with the consideration part (especially when traveling with a child or older parent) but I think it's the responsibility of those looking for a seat to ask. Once seated and eating, I'm rarely aware of people coming and going around me. When asked, we always share.

 

If someone offers you empty seats at their table it would be nice to at least engage in some friendly conversation. Most of the time when we offer seats we get to meet new people. In fact, we've met many people who we later see all over the ship this way. But sometimes the people sit down and simply ignore us after we say hello or good morning. I don't expect to make lifelong friends or anything, but I don't think a simple hello is too much to ask.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting your thoughts. I have read other comments about the Marina deck cabins. It definitely seems these cabins are not great to book. I tend to stay away from cabins under public spaces. The only exception is that I loved my aft facing balcony on Aloha deck on the Sapphire. Above me was the aft pool area but only loungers above me and I never really heard anything.

[NSWP]

Pardon my slight venting on this, but the above question about seating at the Horizon Terrace is a real sore point for us. I travel w/ an elderly parent who uses a walker. I cannot tell you how many times we've gone to the Horizon to actually, you know, eat and table after table after table are filled w/ folks who've long ago finished their meal and are now just taking up available table space talking, reading, playing cards. So my elderly parent often has to walk a much longer than necessary distance. Same goes for folks using the tables by the MUTS for the entire day. All I ask folks, is be considerate. If you're a party of 2 at a table for 4 in either place, how bout noticing people w/ trays looking for a place to eat and inviting them to join you?

Exactly, that is why HC staff should get these non eaters out. HC is for eating not for card playing or reading, plenty of other places for that.

 

Come on Princess, establish the HC Police !!!

Edited July 19, 2014 by NSWP

[senior lady]

I personally would never book a cabin under the pool, horizon court area. Always to noisy!!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the information about your cruise.

[gailjen]

DMC511 thanks for your report. I'm getting on Regal next week and wondered if you could help.

We are on an overnight in Venice, we want to get off the first night however we have 2 teens 15 & 16 who want to attend the teen club

 

Do you you know what time this starts or have a Patter from the first day you could check on for me please x

 

Also a list if movies/concerts shown. Thanks

[princess2go]

Anyone have Regal Patters?

We also are on the Sept. 23rd Med. Cruise porting out of Venice, we are also staying in Venice 2days prior!! Very excited, however we are wondering which way would be best of transport from the airport? Does anyone have a suggestion?

[princess2go]

We are on the Sept. 23rd Med. Cruise porting out of Venice, we are also staying in Venice 2days prior!! Very excited, however we are wondering which way would be best of transport from the airport? Does anyone have a suggestion?