Live from the Regal - July 2-23 - Med Cruise - R/T Barcelona

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s a fun internet service fact. This morning in our cabin I did a speed test and the download speed was 0.46 mbps. Then I did a test in the theater and it was 0.76 mbps. Then, after the port lecture, I went by the Internet Cafe to ask about the service speed in different parts of the ship. While waiting for my turn, I did a test and it was 1.76 mbps. Then when I spoke to the rep about the differences, he said the bandwidth speed was the same around the ship. As I was walking away towards the stairs, I did another test and it read at 0.56 mbps. Which got me to thinking, so I walked back to the Internet Cafe and did another test in the same spot where I got the 1.76 mbps results. This time it was 0.28 mbps.

 

So the bottom line is this IMHO. The speed changes constantly and with 3,200+ passengers and 1,265 crew members onboard, the download speed will definitely vary greatly depending on usage at any given moment. But so far, even though the speed has been super slow on occasion, we have only experienced an outage for a short while when we left Gibraltar back on July 4th.

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Esprit]

Yesterday’s “horn off” against Captain Kate on Celebrity Beyond in Naples was great to hear.

I videoed  it but each time I tried to download it onto CC it would fail part way through 🙄

[Jeter02]

2 hours ago, Esprit said:

Yesterday’s “horn off” against Captain Kate on Celebrity Beyond in Naples was great to hear.

I videoed  it but each time I tried to download it onto CC it would fail part way through 🙄

She's fun to be in a horn off battle with.

[Esprit]

The filming on board is unobtrusive.

 

This maybe obvious to most but if you want to use the Sanctuary  on sea days then book as early as you can. There’s no availability for the rest of this two week cruise.

Book early for Crown Grill and Sabatini’s too.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Esprit

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, Esprit said:

The filming on board is unobtrusive.

 

This maybe obvious to most but if you want to use the Sanctuary  on sea days then book as early as you can. There’s no availability for the rest of this two week cruise.

Book early for Crown Grill and Sabatini’s too.

Ugh I'm sorry to see and hear on how obtrusive filming can be while you're just trying to enjoy a vacation you paid for in such a beautiful setting. 

[Ken the cruiser]

We had a ”learning day” today. First, we went to a lecture about our first Turkey stop in a couple of days, Kusadasi (Ephesus).
 

 

Then two enrichment lectures by Angela Kelly, with the first one about spices. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Followed by one about the British and Greek royal families. Both were quite informative. 
 

 

 

[Esprit]

Ken,

We must be like ships that pass in the night!!

Whilst  you were enriching yourself about our Monarchy, we were trying to improve our Salsa moves in the Princess Live class

 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 7/8/2022 at 2:33 AM, wowzz said:

When you have the next formal night,  I would be interested to hear your observations as to how the gentlemen dress up

Obviously, it would not be a scientific survey (!) but I'd be interested if my guess that 25% of men wore a tuxedo when I was on Regal in June matches your opinion.

OK, my DW did the Formal Night dress code scan as we were leaving CC Dining around 7:20 tonight. She noticed that about 50% wore at least a sport coat with one person in a tux, 30% wore a collared shirt and tie, and about 20% wore a collared shirt with no tie. When the maitre d’ came by we asked him what the rules were for formal night. Basically, he said no one would get turned away if they weren’t wearing a tie. However, you would definitely get turned away if you wore shorts.

 

He also said a lot of folks flying into Rome did not receive their luggage. He specifically pointed out that 12 couples coming from California arrived in that situation. But the airlines found the luggage and are flying it to Istanbul where a Princess rep will pick it up and deliver it to the ship.

[Sunny_li21]

Ok, as preparing my first cruise over Mediterranean, patron me to ask this "here we go again" question, I know it can be totally personal option. 

 

During your trip, is there any case the passport really in need? I plan to take copy ( digital and paper ), but the passport stay in cabin safe UNLESS  absolutely in need at someplace offshore.  I figured my chance to miss boat then need travel with passport is wayyyy less than lost it during extrusion. 

[pamps2801]

6 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

Ugh I'm sorry to see and hear on how obtrusive filming can be while you're just trying to enjoy a vacation you paid for in such a beautiful setting. 

Sorry to interrupt here, but the poster indicated that the filming was, “ Unobtrusive “.

[Ken the cruiser]

This evening after our formal night dinner, we passed on going to watch the production show, Bravo, as we have come to the conclusion we are just not opera lovers. But we did go to the Liars Club Show in the Princess Live which was super funny!

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 11 - July 12 - Heraklion, Crete

 

 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, Sunny_li21 said:

Ok, as preparing my first cruise over Mediterranean, patron me to ask this "here we go again" question, I know it can be totally personal option. 

 

During your trip, is there any case the passport really in need? I plan to take copy ( digital and paper ), but the passport stay in cabin safe UNLESS  absolutely in need at someplace offshore.  I figured my chance to miss boat then need travel with passport is wayyyy less than lost it during extrusion. 

Absolutely no need to take your pasport ashore.

As you say, it is safer in your safe than in your pocket !

 

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, Esprit said:

The filming on board is unobtrusive.

 

This maybe obvious to most but if you want to use the Sanctuary  on sea days then book as early as you can. There’s no availability for the rest of this two week cruise.

Book early for Crown Grill and Sabatini’s too.

My son just talked with one of the cameramen who was filming this scene on the aft. Supposedly, from the way it was explained to him (and subsequently to me), they film a two week “reality type” cruise show where 20 year olds try to find love. They just finished the Australian version and now they’re filming the US version on this cruise.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

OK, my DW did the Formal Night dress code scan as we were leaving CC Dining around 7:20 tonight. She noticed that about 50% wore at least a sport coat with one person in a tux, 30% wore a collared shirt and tie, and about 20% wore a collared shirt with no tie. When the maitre d’ came by we asked him what the rules were for formal night. Basically, he said no one would get turned away if they weren’t wearing a tie. However, you would definitely get turned away if you wore shorts.

 

He also said a lot of folks flying into Rome did not receive their luggage. He specifically pointed out that 12 couples coming from California arrived in that situation. But the airlines found the luggage and are flying it to Istanbul where a Princess rep will pick it up and deliver it to the ship.

Thanks for the update.  Good to hear about the shorts rule being enforced.

[PacnGoNow]

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

My son just talked with one of the cameramen who was filming this scene on the aft. Supposedly, from the way it was explained to him (and subsequently to me), they film a two week “reality type” cruise show where 20 year olds try to find love. They just finished the Australian version and now they’re filming the US version on this cruise.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27075-new-dating-show-to-be-filmed-on-princess-cruises-fleet.html
 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Sunny_li21 said:

Ok, as preparing my first cruise over Mediterranean, patron me to ask this "here we go again" question, I know it can be totally personal option. 

 

During your trip, is there any case the passport really in need? I plan to take copy ( digital and paper ), but the passport stay in cabin safe UNLESS  absolutely in need at someplace offshore.  I figured my chance to miss boat then need travel with passport is wayyyy less than lost it during extrusion. 

We have only been required so far to take a government issued picture ID. In our case we take our state drivers license and leave our passports in the safe. We also have photo copies of our CDC cards on our phones just in case.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Esprit]

Add me please to the number wearing a tuxedo (dinner jacket in my speak) 

I didn’t leave our cabin until 7 50 pm🙄

Also add two guys wearing kilts. I only saw them when they both came into the toilet outside the Vista lounge.

That’s  the first time I’ve seen a man at a urinal taking a pee in a skirt😂

[tml1230]

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

Add me please to the number wearing a tuxedo (dinner jacket in my speak) 

I didn’t leave our cabin until 7 50 pm🙄

good to know, thanks for sharing...

 

Ken,  as mentioned before ..... YOUR report is most informative and helpful for future Regal passengers, thanks much!

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

😂

 

[Mary loves to travel]

Ken,

 

really enjoying your report!    

Quick Q:   you mentioned you prefer to seat near the back of the bus on tours -- might I ask  why that is?

 

thanks,

Mary

[karabear15]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But we did go to the Liars Club Show in the Princess Live which was super funny!

 

We love liars club! I hope it's one of our evening entertainment opportunities. 

[Manderius]

Ken are you waiting to book your excursions the day before or have them booked with princess already? Just asking because your reference to no doing one in Naples 

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived in Heraklion, Crete. After eating breakfast in CC Dining, because we got up before they close at 9 this morning, we’re going to walk to 20 minutes to town and just enjoy the sites on our own today. 😁

 

[Ken the cruiser]

5 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

Ken,

 

really enjoying your report!    

Quick Q:   you mentioned you prefer to seat near the back of the bus on tours -- might I ask  why that is?

 

thanks,

Mary

The short answer is it’s easier to social distance from others as most folks like to sit towards the front of the bus. If you look at the two bus tour pictures we took, you can see this, especially on the one to the Vatican. 

[Esprit]

We had a late night in the Vista lounge. The band Xcite played a 70’s set and were really good.

We are dining in the Allegro restaurant and at 8  pm the line to get in was quite long. Those without reservations had to wait a while!