Christmas cruise on the Regal!

[h-sar]

After a very port intensive Mediterranean cruise on the Regal this past August, DH, DD 15, DS 17, and I were looking very much forward to a more relaxing Caribbean Christmas cruise. Along for the ride was my childhood friend Suzy. Unfortunately, two days prior to our departure from Edmonton, Canada for Fort L., my husband's business partner called from India stating that he was fogged in and would not be able to return for another few days. Sadly, this meant that my husband would have to stay back - there was simply no other alternative, as the next available flight for the partner might not happen for a couple of days or even a week, weather dependent.

 

With my husband not going, Suzy and I shared one cabin, well DS and DD shared the one next door (originally, DS was going to bunk with DH and I). I had been planning on surprising my husband, once we boarded, with the news that our TA had managed to secure 2 deluxe balcony upgrades for us from Princess a few weeks before the cruise; we had two insides booked. I had noticed that the rates for our cruise had come down by a hundred per person about 6 weeks out. As it was past our final payment date, Princess would not lower the rates, but told our travel agent that to reward us for booking almost a year in advance, they would upgrade our two insides to two deluxe side-by-side balconies. The rooms were incredibly spacious, with a small sofa between the beds and the balcony. While I was afraid at the onset of the cruise that being in a balcony would spoil me for insides from this point on, I think I will not have a problem going back to insides as we really don't tend to spend too much time in our cabins. We really enjoyed the balconies, especially first thing in the morning, but tended to spend most of our time on one of the upper decks reading or lounging. The kids, of course, spent all of their time hanging out with their new friends. I cannot thank Princess enough for the upgrades which they really did not have to provide.

 

The question of whether to arrive on the day of the cruise or the day before the cruise is always a hot topic on CC; however, it is a moot point for us in Edmonton. We have a total travel day, including at least one layover, of approximately 10 to 12 hours. As always, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise, took a free shuttle to our hotel, Quality Choice by Oakwood Plaza, about 10 min from the airport. After unloading our bags, we walked across the street for a delicious meal at Chipotle which, sadly, we do not have in Canada. Chipotle is always a must stop for us whenever we are in the States. The next stop was to hit the neighboring Ross and pick up my traditional ‘bought at Ross the night before the cruise formal dress’. I got a beautiful full length one for $17.99! The next morning we took the hotel’s free shuttle at 11:00 AM to Port Everglades. Once we arrived, I remembered that I was platinum status as of two cruises ago, and moved our group over to the priority line. I have to confess that it felt great to bypass what was now a fairly longish line outside and head right inside with nobody in front of us. The check-in procedure took about 10 minutes; we then waited about 20 minutes in the waiting area, and were able to board approximately 12:10 PM.

 

The Regal was looking absolutely stunning in all of its Christmas colors. The decorations were tasteful and elegant. Princess really does Christmas well! We unloaded our knapsacks in the cabins, and after checking out our balconies (Suzy was VERRRY pleasantly surprised by the upgrade – I’d managed to keep it a secret from her, but hadn’t hidden the info from the travel agent well enough from my kids), headed right over to Alfredo's for lunch. We had eaten at Alfredo 3-4 times on the Mediterranean cruise and it had quickly become a favorite of ours. In fact, when we entered the restaurant, one of the waiters recognized my kids and asked where my husband was! He actually seated us at the same table we’d always requested on the Med cruise. Everything we had was delicious. We ate there twice during this cruise and the service was always impeccable; the servers always aim to please, look like they are happy to be working there, and are very efficient. The pizzas are wonderful and there are quite a few varieties. My favorite is the vegetarian. The antipasto vegetarian salad is also not to be missed. It has fresh mozzarella and is sort of a half caprese salad, half grilled vegetable salad. Do ask for olive oil and balsamic vinegar to be drizzled on top. The two pasta dishes are heavenly, albeit very small in portion. Over the course of the cruise I noticed that Alfredo's would be entirely dead during nonpeak hours, but quite busy at noon. Try to go during off times and you might find that there are only one or two other tables being served. When it is very busy, the kitchen will be very slow in bringing out your food. We didn’t mind – we were on a ship and weren’t looking for anywhere else to go! There are some great views of the water in Alfredo’s. They do have a drink menu and I believe the servers go across to a very close by bar to get the drinks – Bellini’s?? As of now, Alfedo’s is free of charge, except for alcoholic beverages. My children had the tiramisu, one of their absolute favorite desserts, and they are still raving about it. I have never managed to eat a dessert at Alfredo's as I gorge myself on the pizza, salads, and pasta!

 

During our Mediterranean cruise, I had been very disappointed with the MDR food, but was very pleasantly surprised by all of the dinners we had on this trip. Our waiter was Rosebern from India and our junior waiter was Aristeo from the Philippines, I believe. The head waiter, whose name I unfortunately cannot recall, did a wonderful job of looking after Suzy once he found out she was gluten free. He would come to our table every night and sit with her going through the next evening's menu. He would always squeeze into the booth next to her, saying that he needed a little break from all of his work. Although I see very little of my children during the day on board, we have always dressed up for dinner and met in the dining room each night, a tradition the kids really seem to enjoy even at the ages of 15 and 17. We were in the anytime Symphony dining room and had a wonderful table, number 101, at the far back right of the dining room, away from all of the noise and bustle of the main area of the dining room. We were one table away from a window and were situated against the back wall. I will definitely attempt to get this area again when we sail on the Regal next Christmas. We absolutely loved our one and a half hour dinners with Rosebern and Aristeo, often lingering over dessert and coffee. The desserts created by Norman Love for Princess were absolutely exquisite, particularly the raspberry heart-shaped cake, (sorry, that’s a really poor description of it!) It was exquisite to look at and just as exquisite to eat.

 

We found the crew of the Regal to be topnotch as they had been on our Mediterranean cruise. Ron Goodman was our CD once again, something that always makes the whole family happy, and he had a great entertainment crew. They would get things rocking in one area and then go start something new somewhere else. Suzy and I loved hanging out in the Piazza in the evenings, watching Evolution or the other band on board, whose name I cannot remember, play a wonderfully eclectic mix of music. I have loved Evolution for years (just found out on this cruise that the two leads from Indonesia have been married to each other for over a dozen years!) and having them on my Princess Cruise is always a highlight for me. The other band was equally great. People on this cruise really seemed to love dancing in the Piazza area and we love to sit back and watch them. They were many older couples who entertained us each night with their magnificent style. From the servers, to our stewards, to the bartenders, everyone was extremely friendly, polite, and went out of their way to ensure we had a great cruise.

 

I have to say this was one of the most relaxing cruises I have ever had. We only had three ports: Princess Cays, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Princess Cays for me is an absolute must on a Princess itinerary. I love being there and sort of consider it as another bonus sea day. While Suzy and the kids got ready, I went off on one of the first tenders and claimed some good, shaded seating by the beach, close to the buffet. That time between 9:30-11:00 is a great, quiet lounging and reading opportunity before the masses descend.

 

The weather throughout our cruise was wonderful. There was a short burst of showers as we sailed away from St. Maarten, but it was very brief. In St. Thomas, we took a taxi for $10 per person each way to Secret Harbor Beach, a favorite haunt of ours. Unfortunately, it has become much more crowded since we were there last about two years ago, and the beach seems to have decreased in size as well. I am afraid that we will have to find another quiet, and undiscovered, beach stop the next time we are in St. Thomas. If you know of any, please let me know! Suzy and I spent a lot of time in the open air restaurant/bar having some great shrimp and hamburgers while the kids enjoyed the water. We must have sat there for about three hours enjoying our food and watching the kids cavort, but the waitress did not mind as we kept ordering more and more food, especially when the kids joined us. The one thing about Secret Harbor that might also prevent me from coming back is that the beach and the bar seem to have been taken over by iguanas and I am absolutely terrified of them. We actually ended up leaving a bit earlier than planned because three very large iguanas circled my chair and would not leave. Coming from the cold, north of Canada, scaly creatures are foreign to me and absolutely terrifying, even the tiniest of little geckos! Aside from the iguanas, it was an absolutely gorgeous day at the beach.

 

In St. Maarten, we once again took a taxi, this time for seven dollars per person each way, to Orient Beach. I asked the driver where the most family friendly portion of the beach was as I did not want to end up in the topless area, and he led us toward Bikini Beach. This was a perfect location with many small restaurants and bars behind us and gorgeous blue waters in front of us. We rented some very comfortable loungers and umbrellas and wiled away the afternoon under the hot Caribbean sun. My son and daughter rented a Sea-Doo for half an hour and my son also did a 20 minute excursion on a flyboard which was a first for him and he thoroughly enjoyed. While he did bring his driver’s license with him, DS was not asked for any ID. I believe I had to sign for them both, but the attendant did not seem overly concerned about experience or age. There were many locals selling their wares up and down the beach, but they were all very polite and moved on quickly when told ‘no, thank you.’ I did end up buying a gauzy, colorful cover up, negotiating the price from 25 to 15, and then got a wonderful 10 minute foot and leg massage on the beach for $10, negotiating that down from 20. It was well worth every penny! I would suggest waiting until the end of the day to make any purchases from the vendors or getting a massage as they are more willing to negotiate than they are earlier in the morning. If anyone has any other suggestions for a better location then Bikini Beach for a family with teens, I would love to hear about your experiences for our next visit there (we didn’t really explore the other parts of Orient).

 

Our deluxe balconies were on the Emerald deck, deck number eight, on the port side, about five or six cabins down from the very aft of the ship. It was a wonderful location. We heard no noise coming into our cabin from any part of the ship, day or night. My kids always request that we be aft as then it is a quick trip upstairs to the Horizon Court or to the sports’ court. Fortunately, our balcony upgrades ended up being aft as well. We asked our room steward to open up our balcony door between the two cabins and it remained open for the entire length of the cruise. This really opened up the space. As someone who has only ever sailed on insides over nine cruises, I am not the best authority on balcony size, but I will wade into the debate over the size of the Regal balconies. As we ended up spending very little time on our balconies, the size was not an issue for us. However, if you are a couple or a family that likes to spend a lot of time lounging on your balcony, the Regal balconies are extremely small, particularly if you want to lounge with your feet facing the water. We spent most of the time on our balcony standing and looking at the ports or gazing over the side. My big fear about the upgrade was that it might spoil me for my next cruise when finances would dictate inside cabins once again. However, I do not think I will have any problem going back to an inside, given how little time we actually spent on the balcony. In fact, I will miss the extra space we had inside the cabin more so then the balcony itself. The larger room just allowed for more ease of movement.

 

I had pre-ordered a soda package for myself and the kids ultimate drink package for my son from home. The advantage of this was that the cruise cards already had the stickers on them when we boarded, but more importantly, when I received my Visa statement, I was charged in Canadian (the same price as what was on board) - whenever I’ve waited to purchase on board, I’ve always had to pay the US conversion rate on my credit card. Our travel agent gave us $50 per cabin OBC and we used that toward a Crown Grill dinner. I had forgotten to go to the Crown Grill desk to make the reservation immediately upon boarding and ended up there around 6:00 pm instead. By that time, the only reservations that were left for the week were at 9:30 PM on the second last night or 5:30 PM on the last night. I took the 5:30 reservation although that was far too early for us, but felt that eating at 9:30 would mean that we would be done by 11, far too late. Our head waiter came to the rescue for us once again, by personally changing our reservation from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Suzy was not able to enjoy most of the desserts in the dining room as very few were gluten-free. Rosebern took it as a challenge and each night would present her with a surprise gluten-free dessert. He was so enthusiastic and happy to bring her something that we never had the heart to tell him that most of them weren't that great. It just about killed Suzy that she was not able to enjoy any of Norman Love’s creations as they do not come gluten-free.

 

We truly could not have been happier with the service we received from the Princess personnel on this cruise. We wrote out quite a few wow cards and also did up a number of recommendations on the email survey once we returned home. For Suzy’s dietary issues, we had informed Princess via the cruise personalizer, but you really do need to speak to the Head Waiter on your first night in the dining room. Suzy did not have a problem finding something on the menu to eat that first night, and then was able to consult with our Head Waiter for the forthcoming meals. It was also nice for the kids and I to see the next day’s menu in advance. Suzy also went to Alfredo's and requested a gluten-free pizza, something that needs to be done 24 hours in advance as they need to prepare the dough. They do not actually make the pizza until you are seated and order it. I had a small taste of it, but it definitely was not the same as the regular crust. Susie said it tasted a lot like cornmeal so corn must have been one of the main ingredients in the dough. As usual, I spent a lot of my calories at the poolside grill and pizza places, enjoying the best fries and the best poolside pizza on the high seas. Having experienced pizza on Princess, the Oasis, Carnival, and Holland America, Princess has the best pizza, hands down. And Alfredo's definitely takes it up a notch. The two specialty poolside pizzas I enjoyed the most were the four cheese white pizza and the vegetarian.

 

During our Mediterranean cruise, I had been somewhat skeptical about the Regal’s pool situation for a Caribbean cruise. However, it all seemed to work out, even on sea days. While the pool areas were crowded, they did not seem any more crowded than any other ship on a sea day in the Caribbean. However, I am not a pool person, so maybe not the best to comment! However, Suzy and I did use the retreat hot tub in the evenings after supper two or three times. The retreat hot tub experience is something that I have enjoyed on every Princess cruise to this point. The first time, we had the entire Retreat area to ourselves (around 9:30 PM) and it was a wonderful time spent in the hot tub. On the second night, one of the tubs was overtaken by eight young teens who were being pretty loud and obnoxious. While I love teenagers, have two of my own, and have spent 25 wonderful years educating teens at the junior high level, I really relish a quiet retreat hot tub late in the evening. A few security officers and attendants walked through, but said nothing to the young teens about being in an adult section. We did not spend any time at all in the retreat section during the day as there never seems to be much shade. My favorite place to lounge and read was on the starboard side behind Muts on deck 17. It was a quieter area that afforded sun and shade and was close enough to hear Evolution when they were playing mid-afternoon.

 

All four of us had smart phones, so were able to communicate with each other using the Regal messenger service via the intranet. Once you go through a few short, but confusing steps to hook yourself up, it is very easy to use. You have to know the ID number of each person you want to add to your contacts’ list and this ID is assigned to each individual when they connect on their phone or iPad. The only glitch is that you do not get an alert when you have a new message. It does not work well for spontaneous messages, but does work if you have all agreed to check your phones at certain times. For example, the kids always knew that they needed to check their text messenger before supper so that I could let them know of final dinner plans. It’s really a great, free feature and I hope that an alert of some kind can be added in so that you don’t have to get into messenger before you see that you have a new message.

 

Princess has never failed to give my family a wonderfully relaxing vacation, okay I guess the Mediterranean was not exactly really relaxing, but that is no fault of princess! We could not have asked for a more relaxing, stress free holiday. In fact, although we thoroughly enjoyed our week in Fort Lauderdale, post cruise, we kept saying that we should have done a second cruise.

 

We did go to one show, Fiera, and it was an entertaining show and relatively short. Suzy and I also went to the cooking demonstration led by the head chef Naveen from India and the maître d', Silvio, from Italy. This was conducted in the Princess theater at 10:00 am and was well attended. The two men were very entertaining; Silvio was hilarious, and Naveen did his best to remain professional in light of Silvio's antics! They cooked three dishes and then we were led on a galley tour which was very interesting. The entire process took about one hour 15 minutes. Suzy and I both felt, however, that the main intent of the morning was to sell the Princess cookbook. However, it was a very entertaining morning and I am glad that we went.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on drinks or any of the bars as neither Suzy nor I drink. I did make many, many trips to the poolside bars to get my frequent diet Coke fills. I rarily had to wait more than a minute or two for service and that was really only on the very busy sea days. Suzy did buy the coffee card and enjoyed her specialty drinks – she said it was well worth it. We used the self serve laundry on three occasions and really enjoyed having the convenience of it. It costs $3 per machine and runs about a 35 min cycle for each. You have to use your room card to purchase tokens inside the laundry room, so quarters no longer work as on the older ships. I never felt the need to babysit my clothing for fear of having it taken, and I did ensure that I returned to empty the machines in a timely fashion so that no one would have to wait for a machine. All in all, I probably spent 15 min on the laundry process for those three occasions. I really enjoyed looking at the photographs that are on in the cabin deck hallways that were taken by Princess cruisers. In fact, we sometimes deliberately went up to other levels to walk to the elevator so that we could see as many of the photos as possible.

 

This review might make me come across as a Princess cheerleader, but I truly was being objective in writing it. In looking back, there truly was nothing more that Princess could have done than what they did in terms of service, the ship itself, or the food. Yes, we did have an issue with our room safe getting cranky about 4 times, but someone was sent down right away to fix it. Definitely not something that impacted us in any way. Yes, there were some people who pushed and shoved their way into elevators or into the buffet line, but they were very few and far between. On the whole, the passengers were very polite, friendly, and respectful to each other and to the crew! I saw absolutely no issue with the kids and teens (other than the one night in the Retreat hot tub) and was pretty impressed with how well mannered all of them were. Good job, parents!

 

We asked for a late disembarkation time (9:30) and it was a breeze. We hung out on the terrace behind the Horizon Ct and had a nice breakfast. The taxi line was quite long, taking us nearly ½ an hour to get through.

 

Thank you, Princess, for another wonderful vacation. (Did I mention that we left Florida last Saturday to temps of plus 27 degrees, arriving home 12 hours later to -34??!!) Yup, have the Oasis and the Regal booked back to back already for next Christmas! :p

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review!

[richstowe]

Thanx for the review . Sorry your DH missed a good cruise. You must have a very good

TA to get upgraded to balcony for both cabins. Hoping for the same (but not counting on it).

[h-sar]

Thanx for the review . Sorry your DH missed a good cruise. You must have a very good

TA to get upgraded to balcony for both cabins. Hoping for the same (but not counting on it).

 

I have to confess, I was beyond shocked. Ten cruises, 7 with Princess, and I've never received any upgrades, nor did I ever expect to in the future. It was a wonderful Christmas present and we are beyond gratified to Princess. Sadly, the person who would have enjoyed it the most was unable to travel!

 

The TA is a local one whose company is affiliated with a large online company which deals with all types of travel. She actually took over my booking a few weeks out from the cruise from our old TA, with the same company, who was out sick for quite some time. I notice that, in the new TA's signature line, she has been awarded National Consultant of the Year and multiple times as Western Canada Consultant of the Year. Not sure how much that means.

[riclop]

Great review and thanks for sharing.

[Mom33]

Thanks for your review.Glad you had a good time. We found the cruise very relaxing also. :D

[michelle028]

Thanks for putting in so much time to write a positive review!

 

I'm happy to know that there is a cooking demo on board - did you have to pay for it? Was it listed in the Patters? Thanks for your reply!

[eandj]

We'll be boarding Sunday. After this bitter weather, NOTHING I can imagine could be disappointing.:)

[h-sar]

A few observations I forgot about...

 

Dinner at the Crown Grill was incredible. Everything, from the family style sides (creamed spinach, the most incredible, seasoned fries, sautéed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes) to the main courses, to the desserts, was out of this world. I had the black and blue onion soup and it, too, was delicious.

 

The new aft pool, missing on the Royal, had me scratching my head. Virtually the size of a hot tub and with water a few inches high surrounding it. I'm sure there were people who enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the smoking section was right next to this, so we avoided the area. I have to say that the smokers on this cruise were very respectful of the rules and we really never smelled any smoke unless we crossed through the deck 17 aft area.

 

Loved the chocolate fondue that I saw on two occasions, one in the afternoon and one at breakfast, both in the pastry shop. Appreciated that a server had to actually give you what you requested, as chocolate fondues can often become a hygienic nightmare, especially when little hands get into them.:eek:

 

Just an FYI: One evening, when Suzy was not able to find anything on the dinner menu for the next night that would come gluten free, the head waiter happily obliged her request for a steak instead. In fact, DS asked for one as well at the same time and they accommodated his request, too. They said it was good, not great. When you've been eating Alberta beef your whole life, anything else pales :).

 

In the early part of the cruise, DS received an email from a local university that he had been granted early admission into the university's Engineering faculty. As this was a cause for celebration, I asked the head waiter to bring a small dessert off the regular menu to the table with the word congratulations written on the plate in chocolate. Instead, he had the waiter bring out a small chocolate cake that is used for special occasions. It was a lovely touch on their part. What was even nicer was the head waiter, the waiter , the junior winter, and the other head waiter all came to our table to wish my son congratulations.

Edited January 9, 2015 by h-sar

[h-sar]

Thanks for putting in so much time to write a positive review!

 

I'm happy to know that there is a cooking demo on board - did you have to pay for it? Was it listed in the Patters? Thanks for your reply!

 

It was no charge and was apparently in the Patter, but we didn't see it. In fact, our head waiter mentioned it to us the night before. Sit up close, it's a great demo.

[h-sar]

Thanks for your review.Glad you had a good time. We found the cruise very relaxing also. :D

 

I wonder if we ever unknowingly ran into each other! I think you also posted on my Med report?

 

Oh, looks like you got off a week before.

Edited January 9, 2015 by h-sar

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the wonderful review of your Regal Christmas cruise.

[h-sar]

We'll be boarding Sunday. After this bitter weather, NOTHING I can imagine could be disappointing.:)

 

We're still in the midst of a deep freeze here. I envy you! Have a wonderful cruise.

[jovisoul]

Thank you for your review! We will be sailing on the Regal in December!

[h-sar]

Thank you for your review! We will be sailing on the Regal in December!

 

We are also returning to the Regal next New Year's. You will have a wonderful time!

Edited January 10, 2015 by h-sar

[Boatingmom]

I too will be traveling with my 15 year old daughter and 17 year old son. The difference is we are going for Easter/Passover Break. It sounds like your children also enjoyed the cruise. Can you report on what they liked and some of the teen activities? Did they meet others? Was the club crowded? Anything you can report on so I can prepare myself.:(

[h-sar]

I too will be traveling with my 15 year old daughter and 17 year old son. The difference is we are going for Easter/Passover Break. It sounds like your children also enjoyed the cruise. Can you report on what they liked and some of the teen activities? Did they meet others? Was the club crowded? Anything you can report on so I can prepare myself.:(

 

Your kids will absolutely love the Regal. After 9 cruises, my kids now tend to use the teen club only as a means of getting to know kids their own age. They always make a point of attending the first evening's teen mixer, so that they can meet up with other kids. They both say that it is crucial to make it to that first evening in the teen club. Otherwise, kids have already broken up into groups and it becomes difficult to make friends.

 

My kids usually have their own group of friends while on board and don't really spend too much time intermingling, unless it is an activity in the teen club they both happen to be involved in. They will usually connect for lunch with their friends on sea days (we do all dinners together as a family but at lunch everyone is pretty dispersed.) My 15-year-old daughter and her friends then might hang out for a bit in the teen club, but they usually spend their time wandering around the ship, lounging by the pool, or taking in some of the age-appropriate comedy shows. My son spends a lot of time on the basketball court with his friends. The Teen club counselors also schedule soccer games there regularly as well. Both kids and their new friends really seemed to use the texting feature of princess@sea a lot, more so than I did, to meet up with each other and make plans. I would venture a guess that the teen crowd will make great use of this feature than will the rest of us.

 

My daughter and her friends really enjoyed the love and marriage type show in Princess Live. They thought it was hilarious and it appeared to be standing room only when I walked by. You should try Alfredo's for lunch with your kids. They have great pizza and calzones. From our two experiences on the Regal (we also did the Med in August), we found that we were able to have our pizzas and our calzones custom made based on the pizza ingredients they have for their regular menu.

 

I noticed that you had a question about fly boarding on one of your other post. My son did it in St. Maarten at Orient Beach this past December. We got the kids half an hour on one Sea-Doo and then 20 minutes for my son on the fly board. The combined cost was $120. My son had a phenomenal time on the fly board even though it was his first time.

 

If you have any questions at all about the Regal or teens, ask on this thread and I will be more than happy to try to answer it for you.

[Boatingmom]

I will make this quick because CC keeps losing my replies:eek: Does the teen mixer interfere with dining?? Did Princess have discovery at sea on Regal for the children. Were teens permitted to use the laser range? Any other teen specific activities we should know about. Also.. since you traveled during the holiday... What were the approximate ages of the people on board? More children, grandparents, family groups etc. Not that it matters but just wondering.

 

Regarding St Martin thanks for the suggestion. I had read on CC of problems with Seaweed at Orient Beach. Can you report on beach conditions there??

Thanks again as you have been most helpful. Its great to dream of our upcoming cruise during the Blizzard of 2015:D

Edited January 27, 2015 by Boatingmom

[Boatingmom]

I wanted to add that I talked my sister in law and her family into this holiday cruise. She was hesitant to book as she had a concern regarding activities for her 13,15 and 17 year old children. She was leaning towards the rock wall, flow rider, bowling alley, ice rink ships. Its such a relief to know your children had a good time.

[h-sar]

I will make this quick because CC keeps losing my replies:eek: Does the teen mixer interfere with dining??"]]Did Princess have discovery at sea on Regal for the children. Were teens permitted to use the laser range? Any other teen specific activities we should know about. Also.. since you traveled during the holiday... What were the approximate ages of the people on board? More children, grandparents, family groups etc. Not that it matters but just wondering.

 

Regarding St Martin thanks for the suggestion. I had read on CC of problems with Seaweed at Orient Beach. Can you report on beach conditions there??

Thanks again as you have been most helpful. Its great to dream of our upcoming cruise during the Blizzard of 2015:D

 

The kids ate with us in the dining room and had plenty of time to spend in the teen club for the mixer after. My kids didn't check out the virtual shooting range, so not sure about age. They said there were hot tub parties (there is an outside section to the teen lounge and it has a hot tub), movie nights, late night disco parties, all organized by the counsellors. They also were able to use playing cards and xbox's at the centre. There were 1000 kids on board at Christmas! Lots, lots of families, many multigenerational. And I believe DS said about 500 were teens. You can actually call Princess shortly before your cruise and they will give you an age breakdown up to that point in time.

 

No seaweed at Orient. It was beautiful. We were by Bikini Beach, no topless bathing there, and it was a great location.

 

Not sure about Discovery at Sea. I did notice there was a group of 10 kids around 7-12 who got their chef's certificates at the culinary demo - adorable! They had been in cooking classes - maybe Scholars at Sea program? Not sure. Hopefully, someone else will know.

[Boatingmom]

I'm glad there were other teens. I think they will have a great time. Thanks for all the good info:D