Live from the Regal: Christmas Edition!

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

4 hours ago, tillys mom said:

Thanks for the movie info. I am enjoying your continuing report and really looking forward to our cruise. We had our family over the weekend, so now I am sitting here in my robe looking forward to leftovers for lunch. I will add that we took our family of 10 on an Alaskan cruise in June, and with friends that tagged along, we had a group of 20.😳 It was like herding cats.

Yes, it is like herding cats! Throw in some strong willed kids and adults, an emotional holiday, moving the clocks forward an hour, and some teens/preteens who think matching pajamas are stupid and a blow up was bound to happen. 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

4 hours ago, tillys mom said:

Thanks for the movie info. I am enjoying your continuing report and really looking forward to our cruise. We had our family over the weekend, so now I am sitting here in my robe looking forward to leftovers for lunch. I will add that we took our family of 10 on an Alaskan cruise in June, and with friends that tagged along, we had a group of 20.😳 It was like herding cats.

Yes, it is like herding cats! Throw in some strong willed kids and adults, an emotional holiday, moving the clocks forward an hour, and some teens/preteens who think matching pajamas are stupid and a blow up was bound to happen. 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

So after our grumpy Christmas breakfast, a few of us sat at the International Café and got coffees. At 9:45 Amanda and I went to pick up our book club selections and then we joined the Christmas Origami crafting class in the Crown Grill. I always try to attempt the crafting classes but I’m very bad at it. Origami is tricky if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t, it’s almost impossible and frustrating. I was still upset from the morning and was near tears trying to fold the paper. It was pathetic! Eventually we just started laughing and finished the craft. It didn’t turn out too badly. 

I then went up to the pool deck and found a chair in the shade to take a nap in. The sea is a little rough today and it’s very windy. Around noon I met my sister in the buffet for lunch. Then kids all showed up and so did the husbands, so we ate together at a big table and a tenuous peace seemed to be achieved. The food at the buffet was good today. There was a nacho/taco bar and all the gyro meat you could eat.

Some in our group are participating in the Gingerbread House Building Competition right now. Stay tuned for our insane Christmas outfits tonight...hopefully getting dressed for dinner isn’t as volatile as breakfast! 

[DaneObsession]

On 12/23/2018 at 5:54 PM, tawlaw1526 said:

I’ve been on a few cruises already with the band Xcite and in my opinion, they are excellent.   Every time I saw them, the dance floor was packed. 

Completely agree re: the band Xcite. We just got off the Regal December 23rd after a wonderful week long cruise!

Edited December 25, 2018 by DaneObsession
grammar

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

This afternoon four of us went to afternoon tea and it was very good. I especially loved the little shrimp sandwiches. It does get to the point that you think, “Are we actually eating again?!?!”

 

After tea, I did some laundry (I don’t use the elite laundry service anymore after they lost a bunch of my underwear on our last cruise). We got ready for formal night in our Christmas outfits. Dinner tasted delicious but the service continues to be off, which I hate to say. I had such high hopes the first night. I’m pretty sure my brother in law is done with the MDR after tonight, but we will see. My beef tenderloin was so tender and cooked perfectly medium, but service is a big part of the meal too.  

After dinner a few of us went to the holiday show, which was good and entertaining. There is a lot of talent on this ship! Here are some food and menu pics. 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

After the show Billy and I took Gemma up to swim. She had the pool all to her herself but did get cold quickly. Of course we had to sample some pizza (for research purposes) and I would like to say officially that Princess pizza is just as delicious as it always has been. The debate is over. 😂

We ran into Amanda and Clint and sat down for a chat over some hot fries. More pizza may have been consumed. Then we headed to the buffet for something sweet. Lord help me, they are going to have to roll me off of this ship! 

 

Tomorrow is St Thomas! I have booked a private tour for the 13 of us so stay tuned...it should be interesting. 

 

[Cinerama]

On 12/24/2018 at 10:45 PM, tillys mom said:

We will be on the Regal on Jan 13. Would you mind telling me what movies they are showing. Thanks for the menu and all the other great pictures. I wish you all Merry Christmas!

 

See the second picture in post #12. They list the movie titles under MUTS.

[geoherb]

I noticed the fettuccini alfredo in one of your early posts. A recent reviewer said he was able to get it in the Parmesan basket like Princess used to serve it by ordering it the night before. 

[karabear15]

We are boarding the Royal on Saturday, have you noticed the cabanas being utilized/booked for your sea days at the retreat pool?  I'm trying to gauge if this is something we need to take care of as soon as we get onboard.

 

Through all of the bumps in the road, it looks like your vacation is shaping up quite nicely!  Merry Christmas!!

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

4 hours ago, karabear15 said:

We are boarding the Royal on Saturday, have you noticed the cabanas being utilized/booked for your sea days at the retreat pool?  I'm trying to gauge if this is something we need to take care of as soon as we get onboard.

 

Through all of the bumps in the road, it looks like your vacation is shaping up quite nicely!  Merry Christmas!!

Honestly, I haven’t been by the retreat pool yet. If I do before the end of the cruise I’ll get back with you! 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

We had a heck of a day in St Thomas! We didn’t dock until 10, so we were able to sleep a little late. We had breakfast in the buffet with every single passenger on the ship, then headed to meet our tour guide when we docked. After reading extremely good reviews on trip advisor, I booked with David’s Fun Tours back in October. I wanted something different that really showed us the island, not just the tourist areas. That is exactly what we got! We went to all of the usual spots, but also learned a lot about the history of the island and went to many historical sites. We ate lunch at a local establishment where we had fresh, local fish and then we ended the day with some time at Magens Bay. It was great and David is very friendly and knowledgeable. I highly highly recommend his tour. 

The tour lasted around 6.5 hours (could be more or less depending on what you want), so when we got back to the ship we were exhausted. We had dinner in the buffet because we couldn’t face two hours in the dining room. 

Tonight is parrots in the piazza and Rollin Jay Moore in the Princess theatre. I’m under a blanket by the pool watching some kind of symphony concert on MUTS and I might not get up. 

[Colo Cruiser]

We like Rollin Jay Moore!!  😀 

[tawlaw1526]

2 hours ago, Nee Nee and Biddy said:

 

 

 

 

 

You really need to frame this picture.  It is absolutely adorable and you have one of the most beautiful views in the background.   GREAT PHOTO!!!!!!!  Did any of you try the World Famous Banana Daiquiri at the Mountain Top Store?   They are so yummy!!

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

Yes, I forgot to mention that many banana daiquiris were had! 

[tawlaw1526]

2 hours ago, Nee Nee and Biddy said:

Yes, I forgot to mention that many banana daiquiris were had! 

AWESOME!!    So glad you didn’t miss those.   YUMMY!!!!

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

We docked in St Maarten at 7:00 this morning. I slept very deeply last night and feel rested. A few of us had breakfast in the MDR. My children were passed out in bed. The food continues to be excellent and seasoned well. 

 

I’m sitting in the piazza, drinking my second pot of tea and reading. They are playing disco music here today. 😊 I’m thinking maybe lunch at Alfredo’s before our “Under Two Flags” tour at 1:00. 

 

Tonight is Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé night!! Should I just order two in the beginning? 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

[Wishing on a star]

Enjoy the Goat Cheese Souffle!

It was one of the few things that was not so overly full of salt/MSG, way overcooked, over processed, etc. that it was almost inedible, on our recent cruise on the Regal.

 

 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

A few of us took the “Under Two Flags” tour this afternoon. It’s a short two hour tour and we picked it at the last minute so we could see both parts of the island. We may have been spoiled by our great tour yesterday, because this was not great. The tour guide wasn’t personable and with all of the herding and time limits, it reminded me why I don’t like to take Princess tours. So, I wouldn’t recommend it but we did enjoy seeing a little bit of the island. I didn’t take one picture except for a picture of us on the bus. 

When we returned to the ship, we headed up to the pool deck to have a little snack. The pizza continues to be delicious! Don’t believe the naysayers. 😉 We ran into Clint up there and decided to have a few drinks and fries. When we returned to the room, Will announced to us that he won the Soccer Shootout while we were on our tour! Here’s a picture of him with his hard earned prize. 

[bigandlil]

Did I miss the CHristmas DInner matching outfits?

[beckntom]

1 hour ago, bigandlil said:

Did I miss the CHristmas DInner matching outfits?

 

I "missed" them, too, and was so looking forward to that particular photo!

 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

2 hours ago, bigandlil said:

Did I miss the CHristmas DInner matching outfits?

 

1 hour ago, beckntom said:

 

I "missed" them, too, and was so looking forward to that particular photo!

 

I only got a couple because there was a slight blow up at dinner, resulting in 4 people crying and half of the group storming out when dinner was over. Merry Christmas. So when I posted about the meal, I focused on the food instead of my insane family and their insistence of ruining every holiday. But things were ok for about an hour of dinner and I got some cute shots with my grandma and daughter. All of the ladies wore these matching candy cane dresses and the men wore candy cane ties. My sister is going to send me a couple of pictures so I’ll have more. 

[Valiamo]

10 hours ago, Nee Nee and Biddy said:

 

How is this book?    I have always admired Brene Brown and her writings.  I do enjoy her Ted Talks.

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

5 hours ago, Valiamo said:

 

How is this book?    I have always admired Brene Brown and her writings.  I do enjoy her Ted Talks.

The book is good! I may be biased though, because I’m an LMSW too and I love it that she’s a social worker. I will buy a copy for myself.