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Regal Review 11/20/16 Including Ultimate Ship Tour

CRLess

By CRLess,
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easyboy

easyboy

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Thanks for you review! I am sailing on the Regal in 10 days! And I cannot wait. This is my first Princess cruise, so I am learning all about what princess has to offer.

 

I have heard about the buffet and having sailed on Carnival and Royal, the buffet is nothing special. So, I am excited to hear how awesome the buffet on the Regal is. What items do they serve at lunch and dinner? I am really excited to try alfredos.

Check this previous thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2191195

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CRLess

CRLess

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The next course was a White Bean and Chorizo Veloutte with Langoustine Flambe’ and Calvados. Simply put, it is a white bean soup with sausage and lobster bits in it, with some apple brandy on top.

 

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Next was the Asiago Cheese stuffed Gnocchi with a Portobello Mushroom Cream Sauce. As an added bonus, they added some pumpkin spice to the sauce.

 

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The Main course was Tournedos “Rossini” which is a filet mignon served atop a crouton and top with a slice of foie gras terrine and finished with a truffled madiera demi-glace sauce. This course was paired with the Spellbound Petit Syrah.

 

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Dessert was a Napoleon of Three Mousses – Chocolate, Coffee, and Cointreau. This was served with various coffee drinks and unlimited Limoncello.

 

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The staff also surprised the two anniversary couples with their own mini cakes to take back to their cabin. The Winemaker’s Dinner is a $40/pp upcharge, and I feel it is a great value as compared to the Chef’s Table. We have now done the Chef’s Table 3 times and the Winemaker’s Dinner 3 times and love them both, but prefer the Winemaker’s Dinner.

 

We were all stuffed to the gills and in a food coma, so we did not make it to see the Exceptional Music and Comedy of John Bressler in the Princess Theater. He is a 2016 Princess Entertainer of the Year Nominee, so we wish we had seen him.

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CRLess

CRLess

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Thank you , I'm enjoying this review. The formal nights where on the third night and the 6th night or 7th (last night)?

 

On the itinerary we did, Formal nights were the first sea day (Tuesday) and Thanksgiving (Grand Cayman day)

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Elevatorman

Elevatorman

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On the itinerary we did, Formal nights were the first sea day (Tuesday) and Thanksgiving (Grand Cayman day)

 

Interesting, only one day between formals. We are boarding on Jan 29 th and talking about past cruises on Princess, we are Elite and don't remember ever having this schedule for Formal nights.

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Bimmer09 "Live from...." Rare

Bimmer09

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Thanks to Norris (Bimmer09), I finally got this figured out....

 

Here is the picture of the seas the day we missed Jamaica

 

30995430700_c5e3a867b1_z.jpg

 

Chris I should tell your readers that I have a red phone in our loft and that at 5.30 a.m it started to glow and I had to leap into action as you are the only person with the number.

 

Glad I could help!

 

Norris

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CRLess

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Chris I should tell your readers that I have a red phone in our loft and that at 5.30 a.m it started to glow and I had to leap into action as you are the only person with the number.

 

Glad I could help!

 

Norris

 

Always nice to know the Bat Phone rings when needed! Thanks for your guidance at early hours this morning Norris!

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caribill

caribill

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On the itinerary we did, Formal nights were the first sea day (Tuesday) and Thanksgiving (Grand Cayman day)

 

Interesting, only one day between formals. We are boarding on Jan 29 th and talking about past cruises on Princess, we are Elite and don't remember ever having this schedule for Formal nights.

 

I do not know whether or not that is the normal schedule. It could be that for this cruise it was Grand Cayman day since it was Thanksgiving Day.

 

Sort of like New Year's Eve will always be a formal evening (except embarkation day).

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Elevatorman

Elevatorman

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I do not know whether or not that is the normal schedule. It could be that for this cruise it was Grand Cayman day since it was Thanksgiving Day.

 

Sort of like New Year's Eve will always be a formal evening (except embarkation day).

 

Yes, that makes sense.

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CRLess

CRLess

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Thursday dawned and we were already at anchor in Georgetown Grand Cayman when I woke up. I went downstairs to the International Café to get our morning coffee and the Piazza was beautifully decorated for Thanksgiving. The display included carved fruit and vegetables, several turkeys and all sorts of other “goodies”. I apologize for not taking pictures as I didn’t have my phone or camera with me at the time, and never ventured through the Piazza the rest of the day.

 

When DW woke up, she was still not feeling well, so I told her I would take a tender ashore to find a pharmacy to get her some meds. After short tender ride over, I got directions to the nearest pharmacy and procured the needed meds. On my way back to the tender, I stopped in one of the shops at the pier and bought two bottles of Stoli (Citrus and Jalapeño) which were delivered to our room on the last night. The Jalapeno should make for some interesting Bloody Mary's!

 

We had pre-reserved the Sanctuary for today, so we spent the whole day up there reading, napping and having a few cocktails. Princess showed both afternoon NFL games on MUTS, so I popped in over there several times to check the scores. Despite it being a port day, there were plenty of people around the pool today watching the games.

 

We made an executive decision to forego formal night tonight, and instead opted to have Thanksgiving dinner in the Horizon Court…and are we glad we did! The bulk of our group had dinner in the Dining Room and didn’t have the same dining experience we did. The buffet had so many choices, it was somewhat overwhelming! They had the usual Thanksgiving proteins (turkey and ham) but also had a steamship roast and a few seafood options. They had two kinds of stuffing (chestnut and fruit), several styles of potatoes, various vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, etc), and at least 6 different desserts. We have done several Thanksgiving cruises, but this one stood out with the options at the buffet….Well done Princess!

 

Pro Tip: Forego the Main Dining Room on Thanksgiving and head up to the buffet!

 

The only Patter that I don’t have is the one from tonight, so I don’t recall what the entertainment was in the Princess Theater, but I believe it was a production show. We spent the evening in our stateroom playing Sequence (board game) and called it an early night.

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CRLess

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Friday was a full day in Cozumel…the longest stay we have every experienced there (we were there from 10 AM until 10 PM). We love this port as the water is crystal clear, and we can always find something fun to do.

 

The bulk of our group had an all-day excursion booked with Cozumel Sailing (website is same as the name). We chartered their trimaran for a six hour adventure for the 12 of us. We grabbed two taxis to the Puerto Abrigo Marina, where the boat was docked, and were directed to the office to pay. Once everyone paid, we set off on our adventure. The original plan was to head North toward Passion Island (the beach in the Corona commercials), so we set our course and put out a few fishing lines. With the wind direction today, the seas were a little “lumpy”, so a decision was made to alter the itinerary and head South past the cruise ship piers and snorkel on a reef down there, then moor up for lunch. As we made our way South, we caught a small barracuda (about 10 lbs), and hooked a small dolphin (mahi) that jumped off. The whole time, the crew did a great job making sure everyone had a drink (beer, margaritas, rum punches, etc). We made our way to a beautiful snorkeling spot, that was obviously VERY popular as there were hundreds of people there. Our guide suggested we “hang back” until the crowds thinned, and it proved to be a wise decision. The reef was teeming with fish, and we fed them with tortillas from the boat and we were surrounded by hundreds of fish.

 

After snorkeling, we headed back North while the crew prepared lunch for us. We tied up to an anchor buoy where we settled in for lunch and more cocktails. Lunch consisted of grilled skirt steak, chicken legs/wings, and king mackerel (fish) in a cream sauce. All the fixings were available to make soft tacos, and there were sides of black beans and coleslaw. The food was all great and not a morsel was left over.

 

Once we untied from the buoy, spinnaker rides were offered to anyone that wanted. The only problem was that the wind had died down, and nobody was getting airborne beyond a few feet off the water due to the forward momentum of the boat with the motor in gear. We made our way back into Puerto Abrigo and were surprised to see taxis waiting there for us to take us back to the port (the crew called ahead!). I would recommend this company to anyone. They did a great job and catered to all our needs!

 

Back at the port, DW and I veered off and headed to our favorite watering hole, Pancho’s Backyard for some Margaritas and a few appetizers. This is one of our Cozumel traditions and we were glad that the ship’s departure time allowed us the time to keep it going.

 

Once back on the ship, we showered and noshed at the buffet. The show tonight was “Spectacular”, which is the third production show offered this cruise. We decided to have another night of Sequence in the room, followed by an early bedtime, as tomorrow was the day we were waiting for…The Ultimate Ship’s Tour….and a very early wake up call.

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floridalover5623

floridalover5623

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We made an executive decision to forego formal night tonight, and instead opted to have Thanksgiving dinner in the Horizon Court…and are we glad we did! The bulk of our group had dinner in the Dining Room and didn’t have the same dining experience we did. The buffet had so many choices, it was somewhat overwhelming! They had the usual Thanksgiving proteins (turkey and ham) but also had a steamship roast and a few seafood options. They had two kinds of stuffing (chestnut and fruit), several styles of potatoes, various vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, etc), and at least 6 different desserts. We have done several Thanksgiving cruises, but this one stood out with the options at the buffet….Well done Princess!

 

Pro Tip: Forego the Main Dining Room on Thanksgiving and head up to the buffet!

 

Did they have a whole roasted turkey or just sliced turkey breast & dark meat?

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CRLess

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Saturday was our final sea day. We had a full day booked in the Sanctuary, but more importantly we had booked The Ultimate Ship’s Tour (TUTS) for the two of us. This was something that DW has wanted to do for the last several cruises, but I was lukewarm on it. The cost of $150/pp is enough to scare most people off, and until now, it had stopped me from booking it. I have read past reviews that fellow CC members have posted, and I have always been intrigued, but just couldn’t pull the trigger. This cruise, we decided to make it happen, and are we ever glad we did!

 

We received our official invitation a few days back, requesting that we meet at the Princess Theater at 8:15AM. We were required to wear long pants and also closed-toed shoes, and cameras were prohibited. They also suggested we not drink too much water or coffee beforehand, as there would not be time for bathroom breaks. The tour was expected to last 3-1/2 hours.

 

We met at our designated time, along with 10 other people joining us. Our host was Jose from the cruise director’s staff. The tour began with a visit to the stage in the Princess Theater. The Production Manager showed us how the stage operates, including the 4 elevators, how the lighting works, and how the set changes are managed. It takes a LOT of coordination to keep the show running smoothly, especially with holes in the floor suddenly appearing and disappearing. With three production shows on the ship, there is a ton of scenery to move around each night. One other interesting thing we learned is that the theater department coordinates with the bridge to ensure safety of the performers. If the seas are “sporty”, the bridge may alter course to ensure the smoother seas during the show, and then resume proper heading once the show is over. If no smoother course can be found, the show could be canceled, or the performance routines altered for performer safety.

 

Our next stop was in the performer dressing room. On the Regal, the dressing room was two stories tall. Each performer has their own designated area, with their accessories within their space. Their costumes are all hung on a two story “dry cleaner” style conveyor rack. One of the performers met with us and went over all that was involved in being a cruise ship performer. They go through several months of rehearsals in LA prior to boarding the ship, and learn all the shows they will perform on their designated ship. The performer told us that her most stressful thing is that during Bravo, she has 29 seconds to do a complete costume change before she has to be back on stage for the next number…and yes, modesty is thrown out the window as a performer. They all change in front of each other.

 

The next stop was at the Medical Center on deck 4. The ship’s doctor took us on a full tour of the entire facility, including the Operating Room (yes, they actually have an OR), and the triage room complete with all sorts of diagnostics equipment. I forget exactly how many patient rooms were on the ship, but I do remember it was more than I would have figured….over 10. Also, contrary to what you have heard before, there is a morgue on the ship, but it is inside the Medical Center, not down in the food chillers.

 

After leaving the Medical Center, we were led down the M1 (on some ships they call it I-95), the main thoroughfare for the staff to use below decks. We passed several “business” offices, including Personnel and Human Resources. Lining the hallways were emergency procedure charts by deck, job postings, and employee recognition awards, like you would see in a typical back office environment. We took one of the exits into the galley, where we assembled at the bar station for our first drink of the day. We were served a champagne cocktail, while one of the chefs gave us a run-down on how they operate. From there, we moved to an area where the three workers did nothing but make chocolate coverd desserts….you name it, they made it. We watched them make chocolate covered strawberries and petit fours .

 

From there, we passed through the area where they make all of the soups, broths, and sauces. Needless to say, the “vats” that they make everything in are huge…picture your kitchen sink…and then picture a sink the size of your entire kitchen! Next, we went into the bakery area where ALL the bread on the ship was made. There is not a single piece of bread served on the ship, that is not made on the ship…hamburger and hot dog buns, bread at your dining room table, bread on the sandwiches at the International Café….all made from scratch on the ship.

 

Next we went into an area where all of the vegetables and fruit served on the ship were peeled and trimmed. We watched one guy that was solely responsible for peeling and trimming every carrot served on the ship….and it was his full time job! We watched two guys trimming watermelons….it took them less than 30 seconds to take a full watermelon and turn it into watermelon meat. Another guy was taking whole oranges and turning them into peeled orange slices in seconds. From there we went into the butcher shop….this was fascinating. There were two guys taking whole beef tenderloins and removing the silverskins, fat, and arms. The fat and tough cuts were tossed into a bin for use in broths and sauces. The arms were tossed into another bin for use in stir fry dishes. At the next station, were guys cutting up whole chickens and trimming chicken breasts. And next to them were guys taking other beef cuts and running them through the hamburger press…they make ALL the hamburgers served on the ship…nothing is bought pre-made or frozen!

 

Our final stops on the tour of the food service area were the crew buffet and the vegetable refrigeration unit. The crew buffet was a very busy place and we only poked our heads in there. The vegetable refrigeration unit was similar to what they have at Costco, but on a much grander scale…probably three times the size. We were told that they also had similar sized units for the fruits, meats, seafood, etc….all kept separate.

 

Next up we visited the photo processing studio, where all the photos on the ship are printed. They go through a gajillion photos per cruise, and recycle all the photos not purchased. The cynic in me says if you lower the photo prices, or offer a deal like has been reported on the Royal Princess ($49 for every photo you can find that you are in), then maybe sales may increase???? Directly across the hall from there, we went to the print shop. It is here that every Patter, menu, countless sales promotion flyers, etc are spit out on a daily basis. They only have two production machines, with a few smaller scale machines, so if one machine croaks, they have big problems.

 

Our next stop was the Engineering Room, where all of the ship’s systems are monitored. This room was fascinating, at least to me (DW was very bored). Picture a sports bar with giant TVs everywhere showing a different game on each TV. That is the Engineering Room. This is the ship’s geek Nirvana. I went into information overload during this part of the tour…so much to see, so much to take in. Each TV in the room monitored something different. There are 4 engines on the Regal. While we were on our tour, only 3 engines were being used. Two were propelling the ship, one was running the rest of the systems. Rudder angle, prop shaft speed, ship’s speed, A/C load, amount of fresh water being made, pool ph…you name it…Everything you can think of was monitored here. We spent at least 20 minutes in here, while the Chief Engineer gave us a full presentation. One thing that I picked up here that I never thought about….when the ship is in a colder weather destination such as the Baltic, they can make better speed between ports…up to 25 knots. In the Caribbean, they purposely have to slow down to a maximum of 21-22 knots, so they can dedicate more engine power to making more air conditioning. There is a huge difference in sea temperature from the Caribbean to the Baltic, so it requires a lot more energy to keep the passengers cooler.

 

On our way to the next stop at the laundry area, we passed through the incinerator area. They recycle what they can and burn everything else. As an example, they have bailers on board that they take all of the cardboard generated and compress it, then turn it into a giant bail of cardboard. From there, it is recycled back in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

The laundry area is another area where we were amazed. Everything is so automated! We watched them process bedsheets into the washer, which automatically feeds them into a pre-dryer when completed. From there, a worker takes the damp sheets and loads them onto a rack, which is then given to another worker in charge of this “machine” which blew my mind. He takes two corners of one end of the sheet and puts one side in one clamp, and the other side into another and then hits a button that spreads the two clamps apart, and thus the sheet. From there, the sheet flows into this really hot dryer/press rollers, thus drying and pressing it at the same time. At the other end of the machine, a completely dry, pressed AND folded bed sheet is spit out! There was another station where a worker was pressing tuxedo shirts on some automated mannequin thingy ….at the rate of about 2 per minute. Another worker was pressing pants at about a rate of 3 pairs a minute. Another was “dry cleaning” clothes at a rate of 2-3 a minute. We saw a worker in the repair shop (translation, sewing stuff), a worker doing nothing but working on delicates (silks?), and a worker doing nothing but logging in customer items. This part of the tour was quite an eye opener as to the capabilities on the ship.

 

Our next stop was the Mooring Deck, where all the mooring lines and anchors are stored. I particularly enjoyed this portion of the tour as I am a boater and found everything our host had to say interesting. Even though I asked during the tour, I am still not sure how they get the “toss ropes” (which are attached to the mooring ropes) to the outside of the ship, in position, in the right spot to toss to the longshoreman. The openings in the hull where the ropes come out are nowhere near where they toss the lines from….thus my question. They do have an air cannon to shoot the toss lines in high wind, but that still didn’t answer my question. What I found most interesting on this part of the tour was how big the anchor chain links are in person. I was standing next to the anchor wheel and couldn’t put my hands around one link of the chain. If I was a betting man, I would say that one link of chain probably weighs around 25 pounds if not more.

 

Our final stop was on the Bridge, where we were greeted by Capt Perrin with a glass of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. He told us all about how the bridge is run, with a total of 4 people being on watch at all times. There are 2 watchmen (the guys with binnocluars) , along with an Officer of the Watch, and a senior officer. Shifts for each team of 4 are from 8-12, 12-4, and 4-8, with the cycle repeating for the late watch (in other words, the same team works 8-12, 12-4,etc both shifts). We were taken out to one of the bridge wings to see how they maneuver the ship to dock (what a view!), visited the command post (where they steer the ship from) and then had a presentation in the “situation room”. The Situation Room is a conference room just behind the bridge where the senior staff assemble in an emergency. There are giant TV screens and computers everywhere that they use to assess emergencies as they arise. They walked us through a simulated emergency where there was a fire in a passenger cabin. They can isolate in on the smoke alarm in that cabin and evaluate if the smoke level is rising or falling, and then control all fire and water tight doors accordingly for that area. There are also cameras in each hallway that they can access to monitor everything. I was overly impressed with the safety systems as displayed.

 

Our tour concluded with a Q&A session with Capt Perrin. There were several questions asked, but the one that totally caught my attention was “What went into the decision to abort our port call to Montego Bay”. Capt Perrin’s response was awesome…I will do my best to summarize it, as I heard/understood his response. In essence, this was the Regal Princess’ first port call to Montego Bay. It would be the largest cruise ship to ever call on Montego Bay, by a long shot ( I believe the biggest ships to call are around 100K tons). When we approached the pilot station, all of the wind speed sensors on the ship were giving a consistent reading of around 34 knots off our port stern. When the pilot came up to the bridge, the Capt expressed concern about the wind speed, and the pilot’s response was “No problem Mahn, we got 10 knots in the harbor”. The channel into MoBay is 100 meters wide. The Regal is 53 meters wide, so there is plenty of clearance under normal conditions. However, with the 34 kt winds off our port stern, the ship was “crabbing” (meaning that the ship was not steering straight) 3 degrees for every knot we slowed. When you take the length of the ship into account, 3 degrees of crabbing turns the 53 meter wide ship into a 65 meter wide ship. The more we slowed to enter the harbor, the wider the ship’s profile became…so much so, that we would not have enough clearance with those wind speeds to safely traverse the channel. So, before we entered the “point of no return”, Capt Perrin aborted our approach and disembarked the pilot. He also pointed out that a few cruise ships did go into MoBay that day, but they both has AziPods, whereas the Regal does not. AziPods give ships better control in tighter areas. His detailed explanation made total sense, and I had a greater appreciation into what goes into their decisions as it relates to port calls….things we don’t normally think about.

 

Some final thoughts on the TUST – To us, this was worth every bit of the $150/pp…it is one of those things that you have to do once. Once you have done it, there is no need to do it again. So what makes the price worth it? Aside from the 3-1/2 hours of behind the scenes everything tour, you end up with a lot of “swag” when it’s all said and done. While we were getting ready for dinner that night, our cabin steward knocked on the door and presented us each with a ridiculously soft bath robe (the waffle one), a chef’s apron, an 8x10 picture frame (high-end quality), four 8x10 pictures from the tour, and customized stationary (with our names on it).

 

Pro Tip: Do The Ultimate Ship’s Tour one time…you won’t regret it!

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muggo11

muggo11

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TERRIFIC REVIEW, and couldn't agree more about TUST. Worth every penny to do it once. We still use our robes. Tho we got the fluffy ones which were a challenge to pack. We were on Regal in August and going on her again in March. Can't wait.

 

 

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