Regal Princess October 14 to 21, 2017 New England/Canada

[Bimmer09]

The balloon drop for later tonight is already prepped



 

 

The descent from deck 7 down into the casino



 

 



 

More....

[Bimmer09]

Crooners again

 

 



 

 

And the Crooners view after one too many Martinis



 

 

Be careful walking down these stairs-stick to the outside and hold on to the railings



 

 



 

 



 

More...

[Bimmer09]

We had 150 free minutes each but neither of us used more than 50 for the week as it was slow in our cabin. I used it to look at e mail and CC a few times. I took a break from watching Cat videos on Facebook for a week.

Next time, on the Crown, I'll do one of those download speed tests and report my findings .



 

 



 

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

Piazza is an Italian word I had to look up. It's basically a big round dough platform with crusty edges, cooked in a very hot oven with a lot of cheese and pepperoni and eaten by the slice.

I don't quite get the connection but on this ship it is the hub, or village square surrounded by restaurants, shops and bars.

 

 

It has balloons that could drop and hurt somebody



 

 

It has a little Gelato shop which didn't have any for consumption as I was there before 11 a.m. The gelato server was building this edible obelisk. It was a tower of profiteroles and when I asked what it was for he answered "my breakfast".



 

 

Passenger Services has moved away from the Piazza towards the forward elevators



 

There is a priority line at PS for Elites and Suites and the one time I went there, to get cards to nominate staff for going above and beyond in pampering me, there was a long line but I was ushered forward when I stepped into the Elite line and a heavenly light was cast upon my raiment, to the chagrin of a lady who thought I should wait. The desk clerk wagged his finger and told her "no soup for you!" and crushed her spirit.

[Bimmer09]

 

We always book our excursions on Princess well in advance, online. Now you have to pay for these at the time of booking whereas they used to be charged the day before you took them.

The same applies on Celebrity.

Lotus Spa has moved down from deck 16 on the Grand Class to deck 5 on Royal Class

 

Neither of us use it.

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

It seems to me that the decor on the Regal is similar to the Solstice class ships on Celebrity. Would that be a good comparison?

Also, I found this pic that you'll like when I was uploading to Flickr. Look at the base of the statue. It will be part of my Dublin post. Enjoying this review so much.

Trip

 

Trip, the Celebrity S Class was a thinking outside the box design and doubtless Princess people sail the competition for comparison, look for ideas or seeing what does and doesn't work. They certainly have been inspired to make a more upscale-looking ship and have used a lighter color palette in some areas. The Regal has a beautiful interior as does the S Class. Sailing both lines I can't lose.

Thanks for the photo-always good to see a Guinness, even one not in a glass.

Norris

 

[flockerisch]

Could you please upload the video of the balloon drop if you filmed it on youtube? best regards

[Niagarawine]

Norris,

It seems to me that the decor on the Regal is similar to the Solstice class ships on Celebrity. Would that be a good comparison?

Also, I found this pic that you'll like when I was uploading to Flickr. Look at the base of the statue. It will be part of my Dublin post. Enjoying this review so much.

Trip

 

Trip, the Celebrity S Class was a thinking outside the box design and doubtless Princess people sail the competition for comparison, look for ideas or seeing what does and doesn't work. They certainly have been inspired to make a more upscale-looking ship and have used a lighter color palette in some areas. The Regal has a beautiful interior as does the S Class. Sailing both lines I can't lose.

Thanks for the photo-always good to see a Guinness, even one not in a glass.

Norris

 

Norris I am of the Irish persuasion and really share your love of Guinness and cruise ships. I am sailing next weekend and will have a Guinness for you,Kathi

[Bimmer09]

Could you please upload the video of the balloon drop if you filmed it on youtube? best regards

 

You really are into the balloon drops, aren't you?

I have never video taped one but am going on the Crown in 7 weeks and will try and get a video clip for you. It will probably be taken from above (deck 7) so I don't get trampled when they fall.

Bis später!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris I am of the Irish persuasion and really share your love of Guinness and cruise ships. I am sailing next weekend and will have a Guinness for you,Kathi

 

Kathi, where are you sailing and on which ship?

I love that the cruise ships I sail have the Guinness in cans with the Nitrogen capsule.

I had to buy a bottle somewhere recently and it was dull. Has to have that rich foamy head.

 

 

Bon voyage and cheers!

Norris

[flockerisch]

You really are into the balloon drops, aren't you?

I have never video taped one but am going on the Crown in 7 weeks and will try and get a video clip for you. It will probably be taken from above (deck 7) so I don't get trampled when they fall.

Bis später!

Norris

 

 

that would be really nice of them if you take the balloon dro from above. we would be very happy about it. Do you have a youtube accont where you can upload the video ?? if not i would provide you with my channel to upload the video. many greetings from us

[Niagarawine]

 

Kathi, where are you sailing and on which ship?

I love that the cruise ships I sail have the Guinness in cans with the Nitrogen capsule.

I had to buy a bottle somewhere recently and it was dull. Has to have that rich foamy head.

 

 

 

Bon voyage and cheers!

Norris

Thanks Norris I am on Eurodam on Sunday , we usually sail,Silhouette but I wanted to,try BB Kings for the music and I prefer my Guinness from the taps. I think after reading your most excellent review that we should try this ship, have been on Caribbean Princess years ago when she was new. slainte,Kathi Flynn

[Bimmer09]

You really are into the balloon drops, aren't you?

I have never video taped one but am going on the Crown in 7 weeks and will try and get a video clip for you. It will probably be taken from above (deck 7) so I don't get trampled when they fall.

Bis später!

Norris

 

 

that would be really nice of them if you take the balloon dro from above. we would be very happy about it. Do you have a youtube accont where you can upload the video ?? if not i would provide you with my channel to upload the video. many greetings from us

 

Gruss Gott!

Yes I do have my own youtube channel with about 350 videos-some from Germany and Austria too. All of my CC videos going back to 2011 are there.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I've been peppering in some interior shots of the Regal and have many more to come but in the meantime back to the chronology to remind us of the sea and where we are going on this beautiful floating hotel.

It is Wednesday morning now, the beginning of our 5th day on the ship. We are heading towards Saint John, New Brunswick and luckily the ship is going there too.

 

 

 



 

 

Land Ahoy!!



 

 

Looking behind from whence we came



 

 



 

 



 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Daylight come and me wanna go home (NOT)

 

An industrial port by the looks of it so me pulse quickens and something stirs in me vitals!

I know smokestacks and their plumes, oil tanks and cranes aren't the stuff of everyone's dreams but industry has to go somewhere and where better than a port to ship out the results of that industry?

Another ship is ahead of us

 

 

Bora Bora eat your heart out!



 

 

We have a buddy join us to help us



 

 

He's tied to us now and can help us slow down if need be



 

 

"Atlantic Larch" and she is a little beauty who does a valuable job



 

 

 

[jg21]

 

So much great art on this ship-one man's meat etc but I know what I like and I like trains and evocations of times gone by when the world was a different place.

 

 

 

 

Carol and I have taken a few steam train rides-mainly in New Mexico and Colorado and we love them.

 

 

Another video screen



 

 



 

 

The Officers

Great review as usual, Norris. We're heading out on the Royal in January, and I'm sure I'll wonder as I always do after being reminded by your picture of the officers: Why is it that every officers' group photo, on every cruise, on every ship I've ever been on make it appear that everyone is sitting in an uncomfortable tilted chair? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Jim

[Bimmer09]

Harbors are my thing, from an early age if you saw those pics of my hometown (village with a population of 1,000 in the 1960s) until today although there were long stretches of my life when I didn't see much of them. Coming to a city from the water, seeing first just a shadowy shape in the darkness of a sunrise in progress and then getting closer as the light improves to reveal a city in the distance and with each mile seeing the features of that city is very exciting for me and one of the reasons I love port-intensive cruises.

For thousands of years men not wearing flip-flops have experienced what I love but with some trepidation, not knowing whether a friendly welcome was awaiting or a barrage of cannon balls

or hot sewage flung from a catapult. Of course some, like the Vikings, were coming in their longboats to rape and pillage and fridge magnets were the last thing on their minds, whereas in mine they are first and foremost.

 

 

 

Five more harbor tugs lined up on the right



 

 



 

A byproduct of consumerism...out with the old. Luckily a lot of this scrap can be modified and reused. Every piece of metal ever made on Earth is still here in some form or another even if it has yet to be dug up. Every car, phone, tv, home, human is still here. Anything that was burned, including car tires is still here, only far above us helping to change the climate and weather patterns.

[Bimmer09]

 

MSC has been in the shipping business since 1970, founded in Naples and is the world's second largest container shipping company with almost 500 ships....plus a cruise line.

 

 

 

 

And we are tied up in Saint John.

[Bimmer09]

Great review as usual, Norris. We're heading out on the Royal in January, and I'm sure I'll wonder as I always do after being reminded by your picture of the officers: Why is it that every officers' group photo, on every cruise, on every ship I've ever been on make it appear that everyone is sitting in an uncomfortable tilted chair? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jim

 

Jim, great observation and one I can't explain as I have no interest in portrait photography. It may just be a case of having a chair with two short legs on one side and no money in the budget for a new one. It beats photographing them from knee level looking up with their tatooed arms folded as most celebrity chefs are pictured. It may just be a passing fad in portraiture. They would look silly if they were on horseback for instance as once was the norm.

Food for thought.

Thanks for the comment and I am glad to see you enjoying the review!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

DOCKING IN SAINT JOHN

I shot a short video from deck 7 aft of the ship tying up in Saint John. I hope you like it and please buy my jellies and jams on the way out.

kVzPiPSS0ak

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

In each port I had hoped to get an opportunity to photograph the stern so I could show you where are cabin was but in each port there was a barrier preventing that. Thankfully Ron (needtocruisesoon) has already uploaded one, taken in Brooklyn on embarkation day.

 

Our "deluxe" balcony cabin with loveseat is directly above the letter N in PriNcess, 3rd deck up, just to the right of the thick white metal band that splits the aft into Starboard (us) and Port.

We are docked in Saint John, New Brunswick where it is a sunny 58 degrees



 

Our tour bus leaves at 10.20 a.m and will take us to our excursion which is Kingsbrae gardens and St. Andrews, far from the madding crowd.

We are greeted on the gangway by some local fishermen

 

 

Let's go- the bus is waiting!

[Bimmer09]

On the bus we learned we would stop at the "Reversing Rapids" which was also listed on our tour description and I looked forward to that. When we got there though there was a crowd already and nowhere to park our bus so we had to make do with a drive by, shooting through the window which is different than the kind of drive by shootings we are familiar with in Chicago.

As I had been expecting to get off the bus I had my big camera at the ready so used that to take pics through the window as I had a whole seat to myself and could sit further away from the window.

There's a big paper mill there

 

but not a lot happening on the water where the sea and the Saint John River meet. The difference between high and low tide is an astounding 50 feet!

 

 



 

 



 

"Nothing to see here. Return to your homes!"

Our guide, Bonnie le Blanc told us we would come back later in the afternoon and hopefully get parked. We drove on, or rather our driver Paul did, out of town, past the Walmart and other familiar U.S. businesses that sell hamburgers and onto a highway without a lot of traffic on it. It will take 45 minutes to get to the gardens in the village of St.Andrews by the sea.

[Bimmer09]

Window shots along the way....

 

 



 

 



 

 



 

We came off the highway and onto country roads leading to St. Andrews and arrived at the gardens

[Bimmer09]

KINGSBRAE GARDENS

They are privately owned and this is the main house where we will have lunch after walking the gardens

 

 

They have 50,000 plants but at this time of the year many have gone to seed or died so we will only visit 4 gardens. I think they have 15 total which would take a while to see in summer.

They have restrooms so that's where most people headed before we began our walk while I took a couple of pictures around the Welcome Center.





 





 

Once everyone was back from the restrooms we met our garden guide and went on a leisurely ramble through the gardens in perfect sunshine with no wind. Wonderfully relaxing.

[Bimmer09]

We have sedum in our garden-that dark red one in the foreground

 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 

Yarrow which we also have in our garden in Michigan



 

 



 

 

More...