LIVE - Regal Princess 11/20/16

[CRLess]

Nice recap.

 

Do you know if there is Zumba on sea days, and in what venue?

 

I'll be on Regal 12/4.

 

Zumba yesterday (sea day) was at 9AM in Center Court, deck 18 aft.

[CRLess]

HI there CRLess!

Quick question on the Sanctuary - can you let me know the pricing per person please? I've just read a report that Sanctuary was $80 pp per day and $40 for half day? Frankly, I was quite surprised.. So thought I'd ask, see if you could she'd some light for us... Thank you!

 

Sanctuary was $60/pp per day if booked by the day. For half days, they charge $40. If you book for the whole cruise it's $50/day.

[CRLess]

I will post some follow-up thoughts and a review of our Ultimate Ship's Tour in the coming days. Just getting settled back in at home and getting caught up with life.

 

Bottom line is that we had a great cruise (as always), and we thoroughly enjoyed the UST and would highly recommend it.

[reedprincess]

Sanctuary was $60/pp per day if booked by the day. For half days, they charge $40. If you book for the whole cruise it's $50/day.

 

Wow, that's a major price jump from just a few short weeks ago.. I'm quite surprised there hasn't bee hue and outcry here regarding such a major jump in pricing. Has been $40 per full day, $20 per half day or $30 per day if for the full cruise. That's a huge jump, to go up half as much again per day.... And quite different than what another forum had listed also, they had listed even higher pricing....interesting...

Thanks for the info......Definitely puts the Sanctuary off the table for us...

[4cats4me]

Wow, that's a major price jump from just a few short weeks ago.. I'm quite surprised there hasn't bee hue and outcry here regarding such a major jump in pricing. Has been $40 per full day, $20 per half day or $30 per day if for the full cruise. That's a huge jump, to go up half as much again per day.... And quite different than what another forum had listed also, they had listed even higher pricing....interesting...

 

Thanks for the info......Definitely puts the Sanctuary off the table for us...

 

 

 

OUCH!

 

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

So, How do the buffets compare?

 

Quality?

Variety?

Lines?

Seating?

 

Will be on the Regal 12/4/16

 

The buffet on the Regal has very good quality and variety of foods. I was disappointed in Oasis Windjammer buffet which had completely inadequate seating and quality and variety of foods was also disappointing. On the Regal Seating is generally not hard to find, and there is a lovely terrace at the back of the Horizon Court with covered outdoor seating. One thing I love about eating in Princess buffet is that napkin and silverware is put on the table after it is cleaned, and waiters bring drinks to you. Not the case on Royal Caribbean.

 

The Regal has spoiled me and set the bar very high for buffets!

[smixsell]

Correct...I just saw the "quartet" in the patter and didn't pay close enough attention. The string quartet is Polonia.

 

Thanks! we love Polonia!

[Yukonbear]

Wow, that's a major price jump from just a few short weeks ago.. I'm quite surprised there hasn't bee hue and outcry here regarding such a major jump in pricing. Has been $40 per full day, $20 per half day or $30 per day if for the full cruise. That's a huge jump, to go up half as much again per day.... And quite different than what another forum had listed also, they had listed even higher pricing....interesting...

Thanks for the info......Definitely puts the Sanctuary off the table for us...

 

Is it possible the price depends on location. My wife did sanctuary for several of the days and the invoice showed 1@ $40 and 4@$20. She only did one full day and the rest were half days. She booked it the first day of the cruise and this was the same one with Chris and Brenda.

[CRLess]

Is it possible the price depends on location. My wife did sanctuary for several of the days and the invoice showed 1@ $40 and 4@$20. She only did one full day and the rest were half days. She booked it the first day of the cruise and this was the same one with Chris and Brenda.

 

I think I may have misstated the pricing....in looking at my stateroom account, I see a credit posted for the Sanctuary...I guess they over-charged me on the first day. Graham's pricing is correct. In the end, we were charged $40/day for each seat we used.

[reedprincess]

Is it possible the price depends on location. My wife did sanctuary for several of the days and the invoice showed 1@ $40 and 4@$20. She only did one full day and the rest were half days. She booked it the first day of the cruise and this was the same one with Chris and Brenda.

Thanks for the update. And yes, there's very often higher pricing depending on location - usually for special days, ie Canal transit or Glacier Bay day. Not usually for normal days in the Caribbean or such.

I think I may have misstated the pricing....in looking at my stateroom account, I see a credit posted for the Sanctuary...I guess they over-charged me on the first day. Graham's pricing is correct. In the end, we were charged $40/day for each seat we used.

Phew - thanks for the update! I really appreciate it...I was prepared to be quite surprised if Princess had raised the price and no one was complaining! Glad you got the appropriate credit also for the overcharge.

Thanks again!!

[Meadoway]

We are in count down mode to our cruise on the Regal on February 19th. This is our 9th cruise on Princess and looking forward to travelling with our friends again.

[markf]

Interesting to note while the Regal buffet was exceptional, I was on the Caribbean Princess 2 years ago and it was not the same experience as far as quality , or variety.

I do not know if all ships are now similar to Regal , or since Regal is a newer ship it has better food etc

[JF - retired RRT]

Interesting to note while the Regal buffet was exceptional, I was on the Caribbean Princess 2 years ago and it was not the same experience as far as quality , or variety.

I do not know if all ships are now similar to Regal , or since Regal is a newer ship it has better food etc

 

Just the new Royal class ships... more's the pity.

[4cats4me]

So, How do the buffets compare?

 

Quality?

Variety?

Lines?

Seating?

 

Will be on the Regal 12/4/16

 

 

 

The buffet on the Regal is incomparable to all the other ships I've been on in the Princess fleet and other cruise lines. The only thing that came close was the Celebrity S class buffet, and after sailing on the Regal, the Regal is the clear winner. It wacko hard for us on the Grand last month having to go to their buffet. We kept saying we missed the Regal's buffet. However, the main dining room more than made up for the lack of buffet items.

On the Regal there was a lot of cook to order dishes at the Asian food station. Many different fresh pastas to pick from, and I do mean fresh! Many sauces to choose from

Salad bar has everything you can think of, all the usual veggies as well as fennel, bocconcini mozzarella cheese, fresh chunks of Parmesan, pecorino cheeses, the largest cheese assortment we've ever seen at sea, freshly roasted chicken, tandoori chicken,

Chicken and beef satay, several soups to choose from, lots of Indian food, at lunch they had a taco bar every day, (so-so but still tasty)

And desserts are in an entirely separate section.

We love the buffet so much, we never bother going into the dining room for dinner, choosing to go to the buffet, Alfredo's or Crown Grill instead. The Crown Grill on the regal is excellent, unlike the Grand, where it was so poor we cancelled our reservation for the second formal night. Alfredo's has a full menu, unlike Grand, which only offers pizzas.

 

 

 

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[Kingofcool1947]

The buffet on the Regal is incomparable to all the other ships I've been on in the Princess fleet and other cruise lines. The only thing that came close was the Celebrity S class buffet, and after sailing on the Regal, the Regal is the clear winner. It wacko hard for us on the Grand last month having to go to their buffet. We kept saying we missed the Regal's buffet. However, the main dining room more than made up for the lack of buffet items.

On the Regal there was a lot of cook to order dishes at the Asian food station. Many different fresh pastas to pick from, and I do mean fresh! Many sauces to choose from

Salad bar has everything you can think of, all the usual veggies as well as fennel, bocconcini mozzarella cheese, fresh chunks of Parmesan, pecorino cheeses, the largest cheese assortment we've ever seen at sea, freshly roasted chicken, tandoori chicken,

Chicken and beef satay, several soups to choose from, lots of Indian food, at lunch they had a taco bar every day, (so-so but still tasty)

And desserts are in an entirely separate section.

We love the buffet so much, we never bother going into the dining room for dinner, choosing to go to the buffet, Alfredo's or Crown Grill instead. The Crown Grill on the regal is excellent, unlike the Grand, where it was so poor we cancelled our reservation for the second formal night. Alfredo's has a full menu, unlike Grand, which only offers pizzas.

 

 

 

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Thank you! The HC dinner buffet variety you describe sounds awesome. :)

 

To be honest, we've never had dinner in the HC (Grand, Crown, Star, and Golden), preferring instead to have TD in MDR.

 

Does HC dinner buffet have the same or similar menu selections as in that evenings MDR?

 

But will definitely give HC dinner buffet a try on Regal. :)

 

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. 5 days to Sail Away. ;)

Edited November 29, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[big al]

The buffet on the Regal is incomparable to all the other ships I've been on in the Princess fleet and other cruise lines. The only thing that came close was the Celebrity S class buffet, and after sailing on the Regal, the Regal is the clear winner. It wacko hard for us on the Grand last month having to go to their buffet. We kept saying we missed the Regal's buffet. However, the main dining room more than made up for the lack of buffet items.

On the Regal there was a lot of cook to order dishes at the Asian food station. Many different fresh pastas to pick from, and I do mean fresh! Many sauces to choose from

Salad bar has everything you can think of, all the usual veggies as well as fennel, bocconcini mozzarella cheese, fresh chunks of Parmesan, pecorino cheeses, the largest cheese assortment we've ever seen at sea, freshly roasted chicken, tandoori chicken,

Chicken and beef satay, several soups to choose from, lots of Indian food, at lunch they had a taco bar every day, (so-so but still tasty)

And desserts are in an entirely separate section.

We love the buffet so much, we never bother going into the dining room for dinner, choosing to go to the buffet, Alfredo's or Crown Grill instead. The Crown Grill on the regal is excellent, unlike the Grand, where it was so poor we cancelled our reservation for the second formal night. Alfredo's has a full menu, unlike Grand, which only offers pizzas.

 

 

 

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I thought the buffet in Cabanas on the Disney Dream was the best I ever had...shrimp cocktail..coconut fried shrimp...you must be kidding..Regal's was very good..Disney's was outstanding IMO....and for the record, my NY Strip in Cagney's on the Regal was very fatty...good thing was our waiter brought me unlimited lobster tails when he saw I was not happy..also interesting- a shouting match broke out between a table of drunken 40 somethings and a table of more elderly passengers in the Crown Grill..it got so bad, all 10 people were asked to leave after they finished their meal..never seen anything like it in 34 cruises...I thought the manager lt it go to far..I would've gone up to both tables just as the shouting escalated and told them to tone it down or else....

 

Big Al

[Colo Cruiser]

I thought the buffet in Cabanas on the Disney Dream was the best I ever had...shrimp cocktail..coconut fried shrimp...you must be kidding..Regal's was very good..Disney's was outstanding IMO....and for the record, my NY Strip in Cagney's on the Regal was very fatty...good thing was our waiter brought me unlimited lobster tails when he saw I was not happy..also interesting- a shouting match broke out between a table of drunken 40 somethings and a table of more elderly passengers in the Crown Grill..it got so bad, all 10 people were asked to leave after they finished their meal..never seen anything like it in 34 cruises...I thought the manager lt it go to far..I would've gone up to both tables just as the shouting escalated and told them to tone it down or else....

 

Big Al

 

 

Cagneys? Think you have the wrong cruiseline.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[JF - retired RRT]

I thought the buffet in Cabanas on the Disney Dream was the best I ever had...shrimp cocktail..coconut fried shrimp...you must be kidding..Regal's was very good..Disney's was outstanding IMO....and for the record, my NY Strip in Cagney's on the Regal was very fatty...good thing was our waiter brought me unlimited lobster tails when he saw I was not happy.

 

Cagney's??? Where is that located?

[big al]

Cagneys? Think you have the wrong cruiseline.

 

Cagney's??? Where is that located?

 

Sorry guys, I meant the CROWN GRILL,LOL...Cagney's is NCL....

 

Big Al

[CRLess]

Could you please let me know about the "gifts" you get with this tour? I would like to do it when I go on the Regal in January and I have heard different stories on what they give you. It is a chef's coat or an apron? Is it a big, thick, plush robe or the waffle robe? Thank you!

 

I am about to start a review on another thread, but didn't want to leave you hanging. The "swag" from the tour was delivered to our room just before dinner. We each got a waffle robe, but it was different than the ones they give you in the spa, probably because it was brand new still and super soft. We also got aprons, not Chef's jackets, 8X12 picture frames (I think that's the size), 5 pictures, and personalized stationary.

[CRLess]

When on Princess Cays, be forewarned that the Bahamian Government is now imposing a VAT of 7.5% on all purchases…so if you have the AIBP, your account will be charged this tax

 

so you are saying for every single drink you get on your package, they are going to charge you an extra 7.5%? That is nuts! Never heard of that before. I know it is not that way on Royal's private island CocoCay, wonder why it is that way on Princess Cays? Oh well, it is what it is. We have plenty of OBC to use so if we get charged the VAT tax really is not going to affect anything

 

Cannot wait to go, so ready! got a couple bags already packed. We are on the cruise the 4th!

 

Just looked at my final bill and did not see any VAT added on Princess Cays day. I suspect that if you were not under the AIBP that you got hit with it. This is the first time I ever remember seeing those signs, and they were everywhere you could buy a drink.

[karena1]

Just looked at my final bill and did not see any VAT added on Princess Cays day. I suspect that if you were not under the AIBP that you got hit with it. This is the first time I ever remember seeing those signs, and they were everywhere you could buy a drink.

 

Cool, glad to hear it since we have the AIBP then maybe won't have to pay that. 4 days and counting!

[4cats4me]

I thought the buffet in Cabanas on the Disney Dream was the best I ever had...shrimp cocktail..coconut fried shrimp...you must be kidding..Regal's was very good..Disney's was outstanding IMO....and for the record, my NY Strip in Cagney's on the Regal was very fatty...good thing was our waiter brought me unlimited lobster tails when he saw I was not happy..also interesting- a shouting match broke out between a table of drunken 40 somethings and a table of more elderly passengers in the Crown Grill..it got so bad, all 10 people were asked to leave after they finished their meal..never seen anything like it in 34 cruises...I thought the manager lt it go to far..I would've gone up to both tables just as the shouting escalated and told them to tone it down or else....

 

 

 

Big Al

 

 

Well, Big Al, all i can say is WE had 4 excellent experiences at the Crown Grille onboard the Regal the two times we sailed on her crown Grill on the Grand wasn't so great I stand by my comments regarding the buffet being the best that I've had, and naturally, since i haven't been on DCL , i can't throw that into the equation when comparing buffets, but all i know is after 25 years of cruising on a few lines, the Regal buffet stood out for us, even if they don't have coconut shrimp.

I will be sure to give a full report again when we return from the Regal in March

[emoji6][emoji16]

 

 

 

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[big al]

Well, Big Al, all i can say is WE had 4 excellent experiences at the Crown Grille onboard the Regal the two times we sailed on her crown Grill on the Grand wasn't so great I stand by my comments regarding the buffet being the best that I've had, and naturally, since i haven't been on DCL , i can't throw that into the equation when comparing buffets, but all i know is after 25 years of cruising on a few lines, the Regal buffet stood out for us, even if they don't have coconut shrimp.

I will be sure to give a full report again when we return from the Regal in March

[emoji6][emoji16]

 

 

 

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Like I said..I thought the buffet in the Horizon Court was VERY good, just not as good as Disney's..NOT only coconut fried shrimp, they had SHRIMP COCKTAIL, one of my favs , along with the coconut shrimp...BUT, keep in mind Disney is a lot more $$ than Princess, or all the other mainstream lines, so it should be better..for the record, I also thought they had the best MDR food, best cabins ( TWO Bathrooms-wonderful!) , best entertainment ( along with NCL & RCI), best service & best private island ( Castaway Cay ) BY FAR...but, of course , it is not for everyone, even though the Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy are ranked # 1 & 2 by CC as the best ships in the world for mainstream lines ( you can find all the top ships on this site)...I am looking forward to my Regal cruise in January quite a lot!!!

 

 

Big Al

[4cats4me]

Like I said..I thought the buffet in the Horizon Court was VERY good, just not as good as Disney's..NOT only coconut fried shrimp, they had SHRIMP COCKTAIL, one of my favs , along with the coconut shrimp...BUT, keep in mind Disney is a lot more $$ than Princess, or all the other mainstream lines, so it should be better..for the record, I also thought they had the best MDR food, best cabins ( TWO Bathrooms-wonderful!) , best entertainment ( along with NCL & RCI), best service & best private island ( Castaway Cay ) BY FAR...but, of course , it is not for everyone, even though the Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy are ranked # 1 & 2 by CC as the best ships in the world for mainstream lines ( you can find all the top ships on this site)...I am looking forward to my Regal cruise in January quite a lot!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Big Al

 

 

 

Have a great cruise [emoji3]

 

 

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