Live diary from the Regal Princess - Jan 14-28, 2018

[Cathy t]

Thank you! (how did you do that?)

[lor74]

It has been a good sea day so far, but the officer of the watch's announcement stated that the sea conditions will deteriorate throughout the day and will remain rough tomorrow. More repetition as the Santana concert has aired for the 2nd time this week, and Wonder Woman will be on tonight for the 2nd time [emoji850]

 

The band is getting ready to play poolside...you never know if they will show up or not. BIG will be on MUTS afterwards [emoji850]

 

The rear of the lunch buffet had some interesting vegetarian choices today including some tofu related items. There was also more meats and assorted fries...just what I needed, more meat! There was brisket, Peking duck, ribs [emoji15]

 

 

 

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[lor74]

After dinner we went to see how the theatre was looking, and 45 minutes before showtime, the room was already 3/4 full. We ended up walking around and eventually got lucky with 2 seats in Live, and saw the marriage match show. One more day to go....hope the weather isn't too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

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[dchip]

Thank you! (how did you do that?)

 

A wonderful gentleman has compilied photos of obstructed view cabins. The website is below. That is where the OP went. :D

 

Cheers, Denise

 

https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/

[lor74]

 

 

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[Amy G]

Ew, that doesn't look pleasant!

[floridalover5623]

Ew, that doesn't look pleasant!

Just a typical, beautiful day at sea.

[lor74]

The sun has come out. Going to have a look if they opened the pool...

 

 

 

 

 

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[Woobstr112G]

Ew, that doesn't look pleasant!

 

Worst day at sea is better than the best day on land.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

 

 

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One of the best parts of cruising when there’s nothing but ocean to see. I can literally stare out to sea for for hours as I absolutely love sea days.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Amy G]

Worst day at sea is better than the best day on land.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

 

Of course... but not always great for people prone to seasickness. :)

[lor74]

The sun is out and we are going slow enough that the rocking is not too bad. We are not happy at all that they refuse to open the pool. We have had open pools in conditions way worse than this! Ice carving and pool games cancelled...nothing to replace it. People sitting in chairs watching pictures of fish....nothing to do but eat cake

 

X marks the spot...open the pool!

 

 

 

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[lor74]

Ahhh they saw the X....the pool is opening [emoji1303]

 

 

 

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[floridalover5623]

Of course... but not always great for people prone to seasickness. :)

We go on a ship to experience some rough weather every now & then.

If I wanted it calm all the time I could sit on my lining room couch & watch TV. ;)

[JF - retired RRT]

nothing to do but eat cake

 

Waaay better than fish on the screen or swimming.

Altho' with all the food your eating, you NEED to swim.;p

[lor74]

For a

day that started out pretty dreary, the sun came out (and the moon), and the pool was opened, and it ended up being a good sea day! We are enjoying what is left of the daytime and ocean view on our balcony, and will prob go see the late show comedian tonight. Also have to pack...

 

 

 

 

 

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[Woobstr112G]

Of course... but not always great for people prone to seasickness. :)

 

Ok, I’ll give you that.....:D:D:D

Bob

[molme]

Have really enjoyed your posts. WE will be on the Regal next Sunday and can't wait. This will be our first cruise on the Regal, but ninth with Princess. Thanks for keeping us all informed.

[Drews_Cruise]

Thanks for taking us on your journey! It was great.

[lor74]

I came on to this cruise very looking forward to the much needed vacation. I am leaving the ship with a different perspective on what I want out of a Caribbean cruise & Princess. My point of view is from someone who has already been to most of the islands many times, and who has sailed a lot over the past decade, with the bulk being on Princess.....and I do have the P&O cruise that started it all off, which gave me a glimpse of how things really used to be. My priority is the ship itself vs the ports of call. I know that my point of view is definitely not the same as someone who has never cruised before, not been on Princess multiple times, or even as simple as someone not doing a b2b.

 

I am choosing my words carefully as I don't want this to come off as an anti Princess rant. I have been a huge Princess cheerleader since my very first sailing....which is why it pains me to be feeling this way.

 

Let me start with the positive aspects of this b2b sailing:

 

Embarkation = A+. There was no line, we were quickly checked in and up in the elite lounge. Wifi, food, drink, and walking on board before 11am....it doesn't get any better. Getting off the ship on turn around day, and getting back on board at 11:30am "in transit" after a noro cleanup...could have been a lot worse!

 

The ship = A+. No signs of wear, everything in working order, no funny smells. Nothing negative to say here

 

Cabin E429 = A+. An obstructed cabin value with no real obstruction. Mid-ship, no motion, no noise, close to the elevators & stairs, large covered balcony. I would book it again without hesitation!

 

Cabin steward = A+. Paul got us whatever we needed. We never came back to the cabin having not been cleaned yet. Always smiling.

 

Staff = A+. Princess always has the best all around crew. Almost everyone is smiling and helpful. You really learn to appreciate this when you go on the more family friendly lines!

 

Food: I am not giving this a grade as it is different for everyone. It has been many cruises since we stopped eating in the MDR on Princess. We like the freedom of choice and time that the buffet gives us, especially on this class of ship with an awesome salad selection. The hot food generally satisfies our needs. I can say that I have only heard positive feedback from other passengers throughout the past 2 weeks in regards to the MDR. There was nothing terrible about the buffet this time around which would make me re-think eating there, but it was not as good as the previous sailings. There was less variety as many of the stations had the same items everyday, which was not how it had been. The same can be said of the IC. It used to be fun to go there and see what was being offered. This time it seemed that very little changed day to day, and seeing the same cake sitting there for 3 days in a row is not exciting. They also removed the cheese & nuts plate. This goes the same for the dessert area and the IC for breakfast. Less variety and more repetition. So looking forward to my daily chocolate glazed donut...which has always been an every morning item....it only showed up on this trip in the embarkation lounge and on the chocolate buffet [emoji22]. I will speak of the CG later.

 

Entertainment = rant: This is where it gets negative for me. I feel like the brand is on auto pilot, and that they don't really care about the passenger experience. As cruising became an affordable main stream vacation (although not as affordable now as it was just a few years ago), there are less first timers and more well seasoned travellers...of all age categories. If you want me to keep coming back, how about not showing me the same stuff year after year! It is such a little thing, but seeing the same concerts, 80s movies, and other content over n over makes me so angry. It is an attention to detail item that is so easily fixed...but nobody seems to care. This is nothing new, as people have been mentioning this on cruise critic for years. I still have every Princess Patter going back to my first cruise....it is shocking to see how many times I have been shown the same content over a large period of years! When it comes to the nightly shows, I never had an issue on the older ships. While you could not expect to find a seat if you showed up at the last minute, the venues hold more people and you don't need to be there 30-60 minutes in advance. The Regal holds more passengers, but I am sure the theatre is smaller. There used to be 3 show times, now there are only two, and the shows are only 45 minutes long. I personally don't like the concept of Princess Live. It is a boxed in, uncomfortable space...I just don't see a need for it. Why would you put a headline act in there? Sticking with Live, it had been several years since we last saw the Marriage Match show....I guess I should not have been surprised that they are still asking the exact same questions....is it that hard to come up with 8 new ones every once in a while? A decade of sailing on all these wonderful ships....let's compare the Patters...2 formal nights, champagne waterfall, ballon drop, set time for Zumba, these food items on these days, ice carving, pool games, art auction (why is this still a thing?), bingo....nothing has changed in a decade, and it is the same across the entire fleet...once again, auto pilot! I know that Princess is a brand, and if they were to change it too much that they would lose their identity....but after such a long period of time, the only changes have been the ships themselves. Do something to keep the cruise experience fresh once on board! The CD and their staff.....they used to be much more visible. I assume there are less on the payroll now. It really feels to me like they are just going through the motions. Every week is Groundhog Day for them. There was almost no pool presence during the past 2 weeks. One kid did a single trivia session each week...the same thing both times...common, there are hundreds of b2b people here! Both weeks the only sessions of pool games were cancelled...maybe you shouldn't schedule it on the last day! Very little live music poolside. What happened to the Carribean/reggae bands that they used to have? They would be out multiple times a day, every day, and knew how to work a crowd. During the past 2 weeks, Excite only came out a few times, and for very short sets...3 songs...seriously??? Just going through the motions....It makes me think of a Simpsons episode where they are at their version of Disney, and there is a venue where it is always New Year's Eve. Marge says to a waiter " it must be great celebrating the new year over n over" to which he responds "please kill me!"

 

It hurt writing this part/rant. Am I really asking too much to come on board and look at a Patter and say " hey, that's new, let's go check it out!"? Shouldn't a Caribbean cruise have an outdoor vibe?

 

Crown Grill.....oh boy! The CG was great because you could order whatever and as much as you wanted...with all those lobster tails. I understand raising the price and limiting entrees....but not the lobster! They completely changed the venue by doing this. It never mattered before if some tails were not cooked well...which happened regularly...because you could always get more. Now they consider a solitary, little, over cooked tail alone on a plate as a full entree???? Just remove it completely from the menu already! I am going to walk of this ship with a bad taste in my mouth because of what happened. They made a decision that $29 was of more value than my business....I will just leave it at that...

 

Having a first week of bad weather, and then getting sick did not help, but in the end, I feel that I need a break from Princess. My previous 2 "other" cruises were both positive experiences, and I feel that I need that fresh energy right now. I have until the summer to cancel my Oct cruise, and will see how things play out. I already know without a doubt that I will not do another b2b. My previous b2b experiences also had repetition, but they were not as bad as this time around.

 

Time to pack the bags and go see the final show. Safe travels to everyone else on board. Back to winter ❄️. I'll probably be wishing to be back on board in a few days! [emoji12]

 

Fin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited January 28, 2018 by lor74

[Host CJSKIDS]

Thank you for your live from and your summary. It's been really enjoyable to follow along with you.

 

After having been on the Regal for a week in December, I have to say that I totally agree with just about everything you wrote.

 

Hope you enjoy your last night of your cruise and are feeling better.

[mthomp5]

Thank you very much for taking us along with you and sharing your honest feedback. I understand what you’re saying about the entertainment and I also agree. I also very much agree with you about your assessment of Crown Grill.

[CruiseVA]

I've never cruised them, but, it's my understanding that MSC cruises will status match, they are hungry for some of the US market, and, their new ship looks pretty sweet.

We're getting onboard the Regal tomorrow, this is, in the words of my wife, "their last chance". We're Elite, so if I can status match over to MSC I may give them a shot next time. There are too many cruise lines, and, any company knows that you have to earn loyalty, over and over again.

[RRFan]

I’ve enjoyed following your cruise. I echo your feelings on Princess over the last decade going down, down, down. Nickel & diming passengers until its ridiculous. Nothing new, fewer and fewer activities in exchange for more and more ways to get you a pay for an “elevated” perk that a few years ago was standard fare. We will do our Feb & Mar cruises, but may move permanently to HAL. They still seem focused on customer experiences rather than Princess’s obsession with revenue hunting.

 

 

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[geoherb]

Thanks for all your posts, especially the photos. Glad you felt better on the second cruise. I agree about switching things up from time to time. We took a Holland America cruise to the Panama Canal last February. We had a good time. But when we came back to Princess in August, it felt more like home for us.