A Coronation and Live From 12 Day British Isles on the Regal

[PrincessDano]

That’s awesome you got to see the King and Queen go by.  Glad you made it safely and it all worked out for you.  Enjoy your cruise. 

[ehogan]

So glad all went well for you.  We made do with  watching  the coronation at home, but we will be in London on the 13th and on the Regal the week after you.  Following your kind reports till then.  Enjoy your cruise.

[catgirl411]

On 5/4/2023 at 9:50 AM, wowzz said:

Just because you have booked the same time every night,  it does not automatically follow that you will have the same staff. On our recent cruise, we had a standing 8pm reservation, and only had the same staff twice.

Edited May 6, 2023 by catgirl411

[catgirl411]

On 5/4/2023 at 10:08 AM, Lady Arwen said:

Following!  Doing this exact sailing in September and looking forward to your take on things.  We’ve also booked the Princess excursions for every port, so it will be interesting to read all about your daily adventures.  
 

 

I also would ask that you change your font size if possible.  Even with glasses I’m having a hard time reading it and I don’t want to miss anything!

I’m on a CC roll call where a regular poster uses a lilac fancy handwriting font. Talk about hard to read! So far no one (me included) has had the heart to ask them to change it.

[MOTY12022]

On 5/4/2023 at 9:34 AM, Steelers0854 said:

Welcome to our Live From British Isles 12 Day round trip from Southhampton cruise!  We are so excited for this trip as we had this sailing originally planned for Spring 2021 and of course that got cancelled because of “he who shall not be named.”

 

We are DINKS in our 30s and DW has several food allergies (gluten, dairy and eggs) so expect some commentary on how easy it is for her to find things abroad.  We have been to other parts of Europe but this is our first foray into the UK and France so we are hoping its as easy for her as it was in other parts of Europe.  Fingers crossed!

 

We booked this trip well over a year ago.  Originally it was planned for the Emerald, which we have sailed previously and do enjoy the older ships with their layout, but several months ago they changed the ship to the Regal Princess, which is a great ship so we aren’t too disappointed.  But we haven’t been on one of the Grand Class ships in quite a while and do miss them.

 

Here is our itinerary for the upcoming cruise.

 

So we are starting our journey a little early.  Our plan is going to London 2 days before we board and stay a full extra day in Paris before heading home.  So when we booked our plans we land on Saturday May 5, which was perfect as we can leave after work on Friday and land in the morning on Saturday.  That was until they announced King Charles’ coronation date…….. Saturday May 5.  Thankfully we are planners and booked our hotels well in advance otherwise we would have been in pretty deep trouble or broke.  Even more exciting we are staying a literal block away from Westminster Abbey.  So it should be VERY interesting with all the goings-on and we have packed extra pairs of our patience pants.

 

When we do excursions we generally book through the cruise line.  Yup, totally realize we can save money by booking on our own, and that those options offer greater flexibility and potentially even more choices.  But, i am generally risk adverse, and the fact that if something happens and I miss the ship, especially on excursions that are hours away from the port, that I have to worry about nothing, that for me is worth the small drawbacks.  So here is what we have planned for this trip:

 

Portland, England: Stonehenge

Cork, Ireland: Best of Cork and Countryside (Blarney Castle & Kinsale)

Dublin, Ireland: Best of Dublin (St Patricks Cathedral, Trinity College, Dublin Castle)

Belfast, Northern Ireland: Best of Giants Causeway and Atrium Coast

Invergordon, Scotland: Loch Ness, Urquhart & Cawdor Castles

Edinburgh, Scotland: Best of Edinburgh (Holyrood Palace, Royal Mile & Edinburgh Castle, Princess Street)

Le Havre, France: Normandy Landing Beaches

 

We started this journey with a blunder on my part.  I am still not used to the new dining system, so Ive never given it a second thought as we have always elected to do a traditional early seating.  We did have to select our dining on our last cruise in June but I just plain forgot for this one.  So about 2 weeks before sailing I finally remembered and was only able to get a 7:40 standing reservation.  Kind of late for us, but not horrible, we have some later excursions but I still would have preferred a 7.  I know we can just not book anything and show up, but with DW’s allergies its just easier to have the same wait staff each night, plus we really enjoy having the same staff throughout the cruise.  But i kept checking back in the app periodically and it finally gave me more options about 8 days before boarding and i got us a 7pm dining time, perfect.

 

We switched to T-Mobile last year from ATT.  Best decision we have made.  We get 5GB of data and unlimited texting (voice calls $0.25 per min) while overseas for no extra charge.  This is honestly game changing.  I did pay for this trip for the 15GB add on for 30 days since we are gone for so long, but even at $50 thats also well worth it and it gives me all my calls for free.  Best phone plan ever, plus it was less expensive than we paid for ATT.  I used to have Google Fi for when we traveled overseas, this is so much easier and cheaper as well.  Amazing.

 

We did the base price for this cruise, when we booked it (over 14 months ago) I think they may have just started the original Plus program, but we wouldn’t get the benefit from it so just went with the base fare.  Our medallions shipped for free and we got them about 2 weeks ahead of boarding, which is great as I was hoping we would get them somewhat early since we are leaving early for the trip.

 

We depart tomorrow, so we will pick up then

following

[Steelers0854]

Day -1 London

 

We wrapped up yesterday with some walking around the area which with the crowds and street closures was challenging but not impossible. We did swing by the hop on hop off cruise port and because we booked directly with them they were wonderful and moved our ticket to today. Which was great.

 

Dinner was at Scarlett Green and it was great. I didn’t get photos but I got a salmon dish and DW got risotto. They had a grilled pineapple and coconut sorbet desserts that DW said was delicious. We called it a night after that as we were exhausted.

 

We got up and grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. It’s a glorious day out. Not a drop of rain in sight and we even are getting brief views of the sun. The temperature is perfect for pants and a short sleeved shirt.

 

We got to the palace around 10:20 and it was fairly busy already but we got a great spot right along the fence line. I think we got a great spot, while we didn’t see the procession on the street coming in we were right by the entrance and exit point for several of the personnel and got great up close looks of the individuals.

 

 

The process actually starts at 10:45 (a lot of sites say 11) and it was a great experience. I thought it was funny as the band was playing modern music during the changing of the guard like Michael Buble’s haven’t met you yet. It lasted just a bit over 45 minutes.

 

 

We walked around to some of the various sites in the city before heading to tea. We had tea scheduled for the Drawing Room at the Brown hotel. I read that this places handles food allergies really well and can do a nice tea service for those that need a restrictive diet. So we put notes in our reservation when we made it. The hotel and the restaurant are beautiful old architecture.

 

 

 

I’ve included the menu. They have a traditional and a plant based menu all the time. Because we let them know of DW’s allergies ahead of time they made her bread she could eat and essentially replicated the traditional menu with her allergy restrictions. She said it was the best bread she has had.  I thought mine was exceptional. The bread was soft and delicate and each sandwich was full of flavor. You could order as many sandwiches as you wish.

 

 

 

After the sandwich course they bring you scones and dessert.  They also had a special coronation beehive pastry complete with honey from Highroad. They even made DW her own special version of that dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

The lengths the Drawing Room goes to in order to replicate the regular menu for DW is staggering. It’s impossible to tell the visual difference between them. DW said her scones were very good and flavorful with a cake like consistency. She also said her desserts were the best thing she has eaten in a long time. Her favorite was the chocolate tower. She said it’s the best dessert she has ever had.

 

You finish your meal with a piece of loaf cake. This was the only item they didn’t have a version for DW, but it wasn’t a big deal we were so full at this point!

 

 

The service here has been outstanding. Never once do you feel rushed. If you leave hungry it’s your own fault.

 

We headed from here to our hop on hop off cruise.  Unfortunately we were too late to catch the trip to Greenwich but we caught the trip to Tower Bridge.  They narrated the journey in a very nice boat.  We got off and walked across Tower Bridge and towards Borough Market.  Unfortunately they are closed on Sunday, fail on my part which DW let me know repeatedly lol.  We caught the Tube back to the hotel to relax for as bit as it was a hike to the pier and we would have just traveled back the same way we came.

 

 

 

After a brief rest at the hotel we walked back to the palace as we wanted to get some more photos without the major crowd that was there for the changing of the guard.

 

 

 

We walked back to the hotel and I felt that I couldn’t leave London without getting fish and chips and a pint.  Luckily right next door to the hotel is a pub, The Feathers.  Kuddos to them, they have an entire online menu showing every allergen in everything they make.  They asked for allergies when I placed my order.  That’s fantastic, I wish every place was like this.  I wasn’t all that hungry but I couldn’t leave without trying it, so I got the fish and chips and DW got chips.

 

 

After that we called it a night.  I think we have beat the jet lag and we wanted to get situated for the day ahead, boarding day!

 

 

the-english-garden-afternoon-tea.pdf

Edited May 7, 2023 by Steelers0854

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

Day -1 London

 

We wrapped up yesterday with some walking around the area which with the crowds and street closures was challenging but not impossible. We did swing by the hop on hop off cruise port and because we booked directly with them they were wonderful and moved our ticket to today. Which was great.

 

Dinner was at Scarlett Green and it was great. I didn’t get photos but I got a salmon dish and DW got risotto. They had a grilled pineapple and coconut sorbet desserts that DW said was delicious. We called it a night after that as we were exhausted.

 

We got up and grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. It’s a glorious day out. Not a drop of rain in sight and we even are getting brief views of the sun. The temperature is perfect for pants and a short sleeved shirt.

 

We got to the palace around 10:20 and it was fairly busy already but we got a great spot right along the fence line. I think we got a great spot, while we didn’t see the procession on the street coming in we were right by the entrance and exit point for several of the personnel and got great up close looks of the individuals.

 

 

The process actually starts at 10:45 (a lot of sites say 11) and it was a great experience. I thought it was funny as the band was playing modern music during the changing of the guard like Michael Buble’s haven’t met you yet. It lasted just a bit over 45 minutes.

 

 

We walked around to some of the various sites in the city before heading to tea. We had tea scheduled for the Drawing Room at the Brown hotel. I read that this places handles food allergies really well and can do a nice tea service for those that need a restrictive diet. So we put notes in our reservation when we made it. The hotel and the restaurant are beautiful old architecture.

 

 

 

I’ve included the menu. They have a traditional and a plant based menu all the time. Because we let them know of DW’s allergies ahead of time they made her bread she could eat and essentially replicated the traditional menu with her allergy restrictions. She said it was the best bread she has had.  I thought mine was exceptional. The bread was soft and delicate and each sandwich was full of flavor. You could order as many sandwiches as you wish.

 

 

 

After the sandwich course they bring you scones and dessert.  They also had a special coronation beehive pastry complete with honey from Highroad. They even made DW her own special version of that dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

The lengths the Drawing Room goes to in order to replicate the regular menu for DW is staggering. It’s impossible to tell the visual difference between them. DW said her scones were very good and flavorful with a cake like consistency. She also said her desserts were the best thing she has eaten in a long time. Her favorite was the chocolate tower. She said it’s the best dessert she has ever had.

 

You finish your meal with a piece of loaf cake. This was the only item they didn’t have a version for DW, but it wasn’t a big deal we were so full at this point!

 

 

The service here has been outstanding. Never once do you feel rushed. If you leave hungry it’s your own fault.

 

We headed from here to our hop on hop off cruise.  Unfortunately we were too late to catch the trip to Greenwich but we caught the trip to Tower Bridge.  They narrated the journey in a very nice boat.  We got off and walked across Tower Bridge and towards Borough Market.  Unfortunately they are closed on Sunday, fail on my part which DW let me know repeatedly lol.  We caught the Tube back to the hotel to relax for as bit as it was a hike to the pier and we would have just traveled back the same way we came.

 

 

 

After a brief rest at the hotel we walked back to the palace as we wanted to get some more photos without the major crowd that was there for the changing of the guard.

 

 

 

We walked back to the hotel and I felt that I couldn’t leave London without getting fish and chips and a pint.  Luckily right next door to the hotel is a pub, The Feathers.  Kuddos to them, they have an entire online menu showing every allergen in everything they make.  They asked for allergies when I placed my order.  That’s fantastic, I wish every place was like this.  I wasn’t all that hungry but I couldn’t leave without trying it, so I got the fish and chips and DW got chips.

 

 

After that we called it a night.  I think we have beat the jet lag and we wanted to get situated for the day ahead, boarding day!

 

 

the-english-garden-afternoon-tea.pdf 133.55 kB · 17 downloads

Thanks for a great post. Made me feel glad to be a Brit.

Your comments about allergies, intolerances etc were interesting.  Even our local pub will ask about any dietary issues.

It is virtually always the case that you will be asked about any allergies when ordering a meal here in the UK. I guess that because it always happens,  we tend to gloss over it.

[nini]

It sure would be nice if food establishments in the states were as conscientious and pro-active regarding food allergies and diet preferences.

[wowzz]

37 minutes ago, nini said:

It sure would be nice if food establishments in the states were as conscientious and pro-active regarding food allergies and diet preferences.

Even when we go into our local coffee bar, we cannot sit down without being asked if we have any allergies!

 

[Lady Arwen]

17 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Even when we go into our local coffee bar, we cannot sit down without being asked if we have any allergies!

 

The UK is the best!  We can’t wait to be back.

[Ellipooh]

Tea at Brown’s. Sigh. Now I’m jealous and you haven’t even boarded yet!

[Steelers0854]

Day 1 Boarding Day

 

We booked a Princess transfer from Victoria Coach Station (thanks to a fellow CC member for letting us know this existed).  This is hopefully going to be MUCH easier then trekking all the way back to Heathrow to catch one from the airport.  We meet at the station at 10am and departures from from 10:30 to 11:30am.

 

It was 1 tube stop away from our hotel and a short walk. It couldn’t have been easier. It was much busier than I thought it would be. I don’t think this option was widely advertised so I was surprised so many were here. I believe there were 3 buses here for us. Everything is easily marked, easy to find and there was plenty of staff on hand. We showed up right after 10 and I feel like we were some of the last to arrive. A bunch of overachievers. Lol.

 

They started boarding just before 10:30am. We left 15 minutes later in a well organized process. It took us 2 hours on the nose to get to Southampton. From the time I stepped off the bus til boarding was 15 minutes. Interestingly security comes after checkin. Their security people are very strict, pretty sure my belt that passes American TSA will be fine here but they insist everything comes off which just makes the process take much longer. But no big deal.

 

We went to our muster station and then our stateroom to drop our bags off. And this view will never get tiring.

 

we did have another ship in port with us, the Mein Schiff. 
 

 

Today we hand over our passports til after day 7 with Ireland. We headed up to the buffet. Always love the buffet on the royal class ships.

 

They are doing a better job of marking things in the buffet. Still not as good as celebrity but they are marking both vegetarian and vegan options, sadly not gluten. But DW had no issues finding someone to walk her through what she can eat and she got a salad with a new honey mustard dressing she can eat and 2 bowls of soup. There was plenty of other stuff she could have gotten but soup is her absolute favorite.

 

A word of warning, ships internet will probably dictate how often I can post and how many photos etc. but I’ll try and keep as up to date as possible without burning through my cell data plan 😜

 

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

Interestingly security comes after checkin.

Isn't that always the case, same as with airports ?

Apart from those periods when there were terrorist threats,  I'm struggling to think of a time or place when you passed through security prior to check in.

[chrysalis]

12 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Isn't that always the case, same as with airports ?

Apart from those periods when there were terrorist threats,  I'm struggling to think of a time or place when you passed through security prior to check in.

I think checking in to Princess in Barcelona...security first

 

Security first in Port Everglades

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by chrysalis

[david63]

22 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I'm struggling to think of a time or place when you passed through security prior to check in.

If I'm not mistaken it used to be that way round at City Terminal, but haven't been from there in years.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

I think checking in to Princess in Barcelona...security first

 

Security first in Port Everglades

 

Interesting.

I was pretty sure that examples would soon be given of security first. 

Seems a bit strange, in that everyone entering the terminal, even if not embarking, would have to be screened.

[Steelers0854]

So I’m not sure if they updated things or n board with the internet. But they completely block access to Speedtest.net and they also have blocked all the typical VPN protocols. I’ll try again later but I don’t think it will change. 
 

the PES lounge is alive and well. 
 

 

here is some other info including the patter for today. 

 

 

 

[Guest ldtr]

I was able to access speedtest.net for both of the last 2 cruises on Regal.

[azbirdmom]

Thank you for sharing the Patter and also the port info.  We will be visiting most of the same ports next month and have some DIY stuff planned so it's very helpful.

 

Also interested in hearing how the Wifi is and if they have implemented Starlink yet.  Enjoy your cruise!

[Steelers0854]

The internet issues appear to be a limited hiccup. Everything is working fine now. 
 

they appear to have Starlink on board. But the current connection speeds don’t bode well. Maybe once we get underway it will change. 
 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

The internet issues appear to be a limited hiccup. Everything is working fine now. 
 

they appear to have Starlink on board. But the current connection speeds don’t bode well. Maybe once we get underway it will change. 
 

Pretty sure they do not have Starlink on Regal. I was on the transatlantic and the internet performance  varied as they went from one satellite zone to another. Performance remained pretty consistent once they entered the area around the UK and access to the satellites there, including on the last Brotish Isles cruise.

[Steelers0854]

48 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Pretty sure they do not have Starlink on Regal. I was on the transatlantic and the internet performance  varied as they went from one satellite zone to another. Performance remained pretty consistent once they entered the area around the UK and access to the satellites there, including on the last Brotish Isles cruise.

If you look at my speed test it identified the network as Starlink. 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

If you look at my speed test it identified the network as Starlink. 

Not sure why it is saying that because the internet Cafe folks said that they were still using the same system as they have been. it was pretty dead for two days mid cruise then came back to about the same as what you were showing. Which was about the same as the first two days after leaving fll.

 

 

[Steelers0854]

PES lounge offerings. It’s been a hot minute since we have been to one but I was impressed with the spread here. DW likes to swing in as they almost always have the guacamole and it’s safe for her to eat. She loves olives too so she was excited to see those out. 
 

 

[Steelers0854]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

Not sure why it is saying that because the internet Cafe folks said that they were still using the same system as they have been. it was pretty dead for two days mid cruise then came back to about the same as what you were showing. Which was about the same as the first two days after leaving fll.

 

 

I believe these are the Starlink antennas?