Club Class Regal Style 3/5-3/12/17

[carefreebee]

"Welcome back home!" These were the words our Club Class wait staff greeted us with every day as we entered CC dining and honestly, the Regal has felt that way to us for a long time now. Having first sailed on her on the Caribbeanmaiden voyagein 2014 with the Love Boat gang and being back again after just a few months away, the Regal Princess is home. This time we had the pleasure of enjoying the new Club Class.

The shining star in Club Class is the exclusive dining benefits. We found the CC Anytime MDRservice to have been far and above anything we've experienced in the 10 years we've been sailing with Princess. CC guest are more or less attached to a dedicated wait staff vs assigned to a table. Though by week's end many dinners seemed to gravitate to their same tables. On the Regal, the Club Class MDRis in the Concerto, deck 6, starboard side. CC passengers enter through the right side doors to where the Hostess is waiting to greet guest by name and escort you into the CC space, immediately on the right and delivers you to your waiter. Who greets you with a lovely "Welcome Home". In an instant yourjrwaiter appears with your preferred drink, fresh bread & 2 butter flowers (additional pads were always offered). He delivers pipping hot food from the galley...every time. All this is under the watch of a Headwaiter hovering over his nearby work station ready to prepare the meals' special offerings.

The CC diner menu offered something exclusive to the menu to select from, often prepared by the Headwaiter. We had Vasco, (from Portugal!) who made omelets and crepes in the mornings and pastas, fish and sauces in the evening. Our waiter did an excellent job of recommending the highlights on the regular menu and suggesting the specials. Service was prompt and proper with our team of Crismar & Osbert, who both worked their guest tables with great charm and skill. The food arrived piping hot and each course was served at a nice pace. Crismar took great pride in the food he served and becomes quite concerned if your plate was not completely clean. Both Crismar and Osbert asked after our day, what we liked about the islands or what we did on the ship. They are both nice young men who are looking forward to a long career with Princess.

The small MDR area dedicated to Club Class is ringed by two bench seating walls sporting 2 tops. The remaining space was a mix of 2 tops, several rounds for 6, and 4 tops. I'd say seating for 60-70, maybe. All the tables are covered in nice grey tablecloths with CC monogrammed napkins, lanterns and pretty orchids. It was evident during the afternoon teas held in this same space that these tables are arranged, covered and configured to meet the needs of both the tea and CC dining. Big groups are welcome along with plenty of close or far spaced dining for two.

We ate in the MDR 5 out of the 7 nights, arriving between 7:30-8:00 with 8-9 other tables occupied in CC dining during that time. The traditional space for the Anytime MDR was never full with many tables ready and waiting. Even so, each night a line would form on the Anytime side. When passing through the Concerto at 6:30 one evening I made the same observation: Lines forming for MDR Anytime Dining have less to do with CC taking up space and more to do with selective seating by the Head Waiters. The other two nights we enjoyed the perfect Ultimate Balcony Dinner while in St Thomas and on the Italian Night we attended the Wine Makers Table in the Concerto's Wine Cellar space. Both excellent and highly recommended.

The new Princess Luxury beds are wonderful and we were glad we had them this trip. The seas were exceptionally rough and we battled high winds for 6 out of the 7 days. Having a nice cozy bed to snuggle down in during the rocking & rolling nights helped. CC Minis come with two bottles of Mondavi wine, one red, one white. We ended up bringing them both home along with most of the liquor bottles from our Elite mini bar (they will become door prizes for the family reunion this summer). We had switched out all the stuff we don't like and added in some pop and water to balance it all out. We found between the afternoon BOGO and the Elite/Captain's Circle we didn't need to drink in the room. I may be in the minority but I love the little canapes from room service. CC is offered the same selections of canapes every night as Suite passengers.

We've sailed on the Regal Princess five times now, giving us just over 40 days on her. We love the Royal Class ships and happily sail on them. We've had cabins all over the ship, this time was our first mid-ship. I can understand a little bit about the central stairs, but I was just fine with my options of walking or waiting. FYI we could hear them doing some pre-dry dock work on the new passenger stairs. It's coming folks!

Our mid-ship mini was on Baja deck with the extended balcony under the SeaView bar walk. Nice room, great balcony and being under the bar side, it's less invasive. However, sky and stargazing is hard with the walk overhead and blue accent lighting from under the sea walk aglow all night.

I also understand missing the promenade deck but to be honest I dread the Promenade runners on other ships. Sorry runners, but I often feel in the way and that I need to be on the lookout for when one of you would come sweeping down the deck politely forcing me to yield my walk path or my butt space when I'm at the rail. The running/walking track that the Regal & Royal offer are very nice and whether you're walking or running you're not forcing yourself through other people's space. We managed to walk a few windy miles up on the 18th Deck as the Captain was dodging rain on our sea days. For a quite place in the sun I like the loungers and chairs and open rail you can find out on the Aft Promenade Deck. It's a nice spot to take in the sea and sky.

The service throughout the ship was great. Our room Steward was one of the most stealthy guys ever. I only saw him on embarkation day when he brought the champagne and I gave him my written list of must haves... 2 extra towels, fresh evening ice & Lotus Spa robes to replace room robes. Everything was provided and the cabin was clean and tided twice each day without so much as a sighting of his cleaning cart!

We like the BRAVO and FIERA shows and have seen them several times. The current group is fine and work it very hard but the troupe that left in November had to be the best we've seen on ship or in Broadway productions. They set the bar high and it'll take me a while to shake those (future) super stars from my heart. The big Piazza's shows were very good. The new GAGA show showcased the dancers and the last night at sea the World's Orchestra Piazza show is a great way to bring the ship's musical talents together.

 

The Bar staff in Club Six during the well attended Captain's Circle/Elite Lounge was the best we've ever had on the Regal. We noticed the room was constantly being watched and managed by the Bar Manager. He would scan the room, see a need and get it serviced or take care of it himself. Huge, huge difference in drink service. Having been on the Regal in November it was nice to see some of or favorite bar staff still on board and it's especially nice to find they remember you by name, too. I think that shows they enjoy their job and the people they meet during their time with the ship.

In searching for any negatives to report about the ship or crew I found myself lacking evidence of any, really. The seas were rough, that can't be helped and the Captain did his best to keep us stable. It rained a lot but that can't be changed and the Captain did try to aim for the dry spots at sea. It was windy on the ship and on the islands but it was windy back home too.

 

I guess I could complain about what happened after disembarkation. After Customs we exited the building, before sunrise, at 7:15am to a pitch black walkway and made our way down the length of the building to the steps to the airport buses. It seems Port Everglades had not set the timers for the overhead lights to the Daylight Savings Time switch that happened 5 (?4?6?) hours before. The moans continued as we climb on board our bus to the airport and find it's overhead interior lights are only working at the very front. The back of the bus is in complete darkness. It was surreal, after a week in a beautifully bright and shiny space we were dumped into a world of inky blackness.

As for any real criticism it goes to Princess corporate management and some cost cutting measures. The biggest most ridiculous is the elimination of the Princess bags. I have worked in organizations who use these bag as promotional tools and know they cost pennies! Our port visit to St Thomas, the Regal Princess shared the island with a huge Royal Caribbean Ship and the new big HAL ship. At Magens Bay we were surrounded by 100s of proud RCCL and HAL cruisers sporting their ship's brand; leaving us Princess cruiser without our team logo! I take pride and comfort in seeing my fellow passengers in a throng of tourist and felt a bit sad we were not visibly represented in port! Eliminating the Parmesan cheese bowl for the fettuccine, again what's the goal here? Voice of The Ocean...it's cute, it's trendy, it's cheap, it's time to go.

 

The shrinking crew staffing continues to be noticeable in some areas. We sailed on the Regal Princess in September and November. The bar service seems to have improved due to the Bar Supervisors managing the staff well. The MDR staffing however seems to be struggling. My seat in the CC dining area provided me with a view of the entrance and a fairly good view of several areas in the MDR. The line that Anytime dining passengers had to wait in were due to the limited staff, not tables.Our friends in Traditional Dining noted longer than required waiting between courses, causing their to meals to last a full two hours.

 

We did have a bit of nautical drama when on the last Sea Day, minutes before sundown, the Regal Princess encountered a small battered "cargo" ship signaling for aid. We were in Club 6 enjoying the company of fellow passengers when we spotted this ratty boat, with no lights, just bobbing about. It looked like it was held together by paint chips and a prayer. Several passengers in Club 6 jumped up and dashed for the window to see a boat that close. This sparked some interesting tales of sailing in real Somalian pirate waters from the very seasoned B2B2B2B2B... world cruisers that had collected us this voyage. Anyway, the ship immediately and dramatically slowed as the Captain announced we were now on a rescue mission! As the bridge swung back around and pointed us straight at a beautiful sunset, we quickly realized it could yield a green flash! You never seen so many old people jump up on run out of Club 6 at once! The Promenade deck had been sealed by security due to the needy boat but we made it Crooners windows in time to see a mini flash! This location also gave us the perfect vantage point to see the rescue operation happening yards away. The Captain announced this boat and the crew of 5 had been at sea for 10 days, the last 3 being with one engine and very little fuel. So little fuel that they had no running lights and just enough juice in their radio to SOS the ship. It was eventually decided that a small supply of fuel to get them to Freeport was all that the little cargo ship's Captain required. We watched as big spot lights were directed from the Regal as the small rescue launch was lowered and two crew hauled fuel to the little boat. Our crew returned and the little cargo boat puttered away north. The Bridge kept is informed with an update every 10 minutes during the whole adventure and by 8:00 we were back on our way!

For the most part we had great shore excursions. We had a safety concern on St Thomas with a Shore Excursion vendor but the Regal Princess Shore Excursion team is top notch and took care of us and I have complete faith they will handle the vendor brilliantly. Highlights this trip were the Volunteer Experience at the Paper Co-op in the Dominican Republic and the Plantation visit/island tour/beach time in St. Kitts. The excursion to the RePapel Co-op in Dominican Republic is part of the Fathom Impact Travel program. On this very rainy day we traveled to the nearby village of El Javillar to help the ladies make paper beads, necklaces and hand-made sheets of paper. When volunteers work the co-op doubles their production and increases revenue. It was very well run and super fun and I will do this again! In St. Kitts our tour included a visit to Clay Villa, established in 1763 as the only Carib-owned and free man sugar plantation on the island. It has now been turned into an animal rehab/sanctuary and lush gardens. This tour included a well-guided tour of the island's highlights on our way to Cockshell Beach and it's sweeping views of St Nevis Peak.

All these words to basically say...it was a fantastic cruise! Club Class dining rocks! The Regal Princess is beautiful and her Captain, Officers and crew are the best!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Wow great review, Club Class sounds wonderful. We were on the Regal for the February 19 sailing and had no issues with Anytime Dining at the 6th floor dining room, however we arrived at 7:45 which worked well. We love the Regal too!

 

 

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[cruiserking]

Thank you for your beautifully written Regal review Carefreebee. Club Class sounds terrific we look forward to trying it out on September 23 and climbing back on board the glorious Regal.

 

Jonathan

 

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[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your wonderful review. The Regal is a wonderful ship. I love any ship I'm on but I think I will definitely miss some of the beautiful features that are on the Regal on my upcoming Grand Class ships.

 

Club class sounds great.

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.