Cruise report: Regal Princess - Jan. 7-14, 2024: Galveston, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan

[nazpaz]

 

We decided to take a Caribbean Cruise out of Galveston. This was our second cruise but our first in several years.

 

Cruise Planning – picking a cruise, selecting a room

After spending a lot of time researching forums and checking out prices from various sources online, we decided the Regal Princess would fit the bill! We had a few specifics in mind. We wanted:
1. a balcony room
2. mid-ship and on one of the lower decks
3. an unobstructed view
4. to visit places aside from Mexico (just for the fun of adding a couple of new countries to our “visited” list)

 

After shopping around, I phoned Princess and spoke to a booking agent. We were slightly less than 90 days before cruising, so, in the cruising world we were booking last minute. On the Princess website I had picked a cabin slightly forward of mid-ships. When I told him what we are looking for he typed away at the computer for a while and offered us a “premier balcony” right in the middle of the ship on deck 9, which is the second lowest level with cabins. The cost was only slightly higher than the standard balcony I had found so we took it on the spot.

 

A note on the different balcony cabins: the Deluxe cabins have a love seat couch that makes into a small bed in them that the regular cabins do not. We really liked having that love seat as it gave us a place to sit rather than on the bed.

 

The balconies aren’t very big on these ships. While it was interesting to go out on the balcony while in port or to go out for a few minutes while at sea, we actually didn’t use our balcony nearly as much as we thought we might. Of course, your mileage will vary. On the Regal Princess there are no window rooms – it’s either balcony or interior, but for future reference, I’d be satisfied with a window cabin rather than a balcony. After all, there are places to sit and enjoy the ocean views everywhere on the ship.

 

Ports of Call

We aren’t as physical as we used to be, so our focus was on sightseeing rather than adventuring (although I kind of wish I’d gone snorkeling). At Cozumel we walked off the ship and checked out the shops in the area. We then returned to the ship and enjoyed the quieter atmosphere on board for the afternoon. I know people don’t want to miss anything, but I think everyone should experience having the ship “to yourself” somewhere along the journey.

 

At Belize we took an excursion to the Altun Ha Mayan site followed by a wildlife spotting river tour. Just leaving the ship at Belize City is an adventure. Ships anchor about 5 miles out and passengers board tethers to the port. From there we were ushered onto a nice bus that traveled about an hour to Altrun Ha. It’s an interesting place. You can climb up on top of some of the pyramids. We learned a bit about the culture and took photos. After a short ride to a place where lunch was served, we got on a boat for the Belize River excursion. We saw lots of iguanas, a few howler monkeys, some crocodiles, and just the snouts of some manatees. We had a bit more of an adventure than we expected when one of the engines of our boat died. Another boat was sent for us and we changed boats out in the middle of the river – a bit of a challenge for several! Our trip back to the ship was an ordeal because the line to get on a tether was over an hour long! I think there were four cruise ships there and that stretched the resources of the port to the limit. We thought Belize was a neat place to visit, but because of the tether situation we’d likely pass on a shore trip there in the future. Even better, I’d pick a cruise that offered a different set of ports all together.

 

Roatan, Honduras, though, is a Caribbean visitor’s dream. Mahogany Bay is private to Carnival and Princess ships. You walk off the ship to a nice shopping area, then can either ride a chair lift or walk a few minutes to a beautiful private beach. We strolled down to that beach, found some beach chairs and watched all the people. Then we took a nature path back to the ship. There are a lot of fun excursions available, but that beach is great and in walking distance of the ship. If you ever wanted to skip excursions and just enjoy the beach, Mahogany Bay is the place to do it.

 

On Board

Our journey had four sea days. As did most everyone else, we spent time exploring the ship – and there’s a lot to see! There are many comfortable seating areas. In the big four-story plaza area at the center of the ship there’s often someone playing, singing, or hosting a public game. There are plenty of places to get refreshments. There’s no need for me to try to describe everything as the internet is full of videos of the ship.

 

We ate most of our meals at the Horizon food court, although we also ate in one of the main dining rooms on some evenings. We tried the hamburger place, and it was okay. We also splurged at the Gelato place for some very good ice cream.

 

We attended a few of the big productions in the theater and heard some talented singers and musicians and saw some impressive dancers in the shows. There are also smaller productions in Princess Live. We watched an ice sculpting demonstration and checked out over activities. Depending on your tastes, during sea days you could literally go from one thing to the next all day long. We aren’t gamblers, so can’t tell you a thing about the casino.

 

The ship, itself, is an entertaining experience. On the last day of the cruise, we were still discovering areas we’d missed.

 

If you can’t find a thing to do you can always go to your cabin and watch movies on TV. Or follow my example and take a nice nap.

 

Odds and Ends

We had a bit of rocking the first night and second day of the cruise. Then, as we traveled back to Galveston the ship rocked a little. We never felt ill but did use Sea Bands. Not sure, but I think they did help. I took a Bonine the second evening. Slept like a log, then, the next day at Cozumel between sightseeing and exploring the ship I took not one, but two naps. In the future I’ll save taking the pills for more extreme conditions.

 

We made reservations for evening dining but each evening they moved us to a different table, so we never experienced the “the waiter knows us” dining experience. Then, later on, we decided we liked the buffet and settled on eating there most of the time. I do suggest eating breakfast at one of the main dining rooms at least once. It’s a different sort of dining experience. Here’s a tip: you can order off menu if you want. No promises, but we were happily served.

Our cabin steward took good care of us and cheerfully responded to all requests.

 

One cabin irritation is the motion sensor light just outside the cabin bathroom. We mentioned it to our steward, and she applied some silver tape to the sensor. The tape didn’t stick very well, so we kept reapplying it. Still, it lasted most nights and that’s all we needed.

 

The cruise offered such a variety of experiences that I’m sure you can read someone else’s cruise story and it would sound as if they were on a completely different trip!

 

One option when disembarking the ship is “express.” That means you are taking your own luggage off rather than checking it. If you use that option, you get the earliest departure window and can basically leave whenever you are ready. However, there were hundreds of people doing the “express” walk off and we ended up waiting in line about 45 minutes to get off the ship. Once across the gangway, things went much faster with no issues.

 

Overall

We had a good time on the cruise. The food was abundant and good. It was nice having people taking such good care of us and the mixture of being on a luxurious ship and then doing port excursions is a nice combination. I know some people basically go from one cruise to the next. That’s probably not my cup of tea. No doubt, that is due in part to our years of independent travel in the RV and then in Europe. Still, a cruise is a lot of fun. I think it would be even more fun to travel with a group of friends and family. Who knows? That might be in our future.

Edited January 15 by nazpaz

[reedprincess]

So glad you enjoyed! Regal is my absolute favorite Princess ship, although I may be slightly biased having met my husband aboard the old Regal! 

 

One small correction - Premium Balcony cabins do not have a sofa. That would be the Deluxe Balcony cabin.  Premium refers to location and you can have a Premium Balcony or Premium Deluxe or even a premium inside (or oceanview on those ships that have O cabins).   While it seems pedantic, the cabin categories often get mixed up. 

Deluxe Balcony are the ones with the small sofa. Definitely a step up from the Balcony cabins, having a two seater sofa and being slightly larger overall in square footage. Drawback - not as much storage as a Balcony (B) cabin.  

 

Hope you come back and try some new itineraries! Happy travels, wherever they may take you.  

[nazpaz]

11 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

Deluxe Balcony are the ones with the small sofa. Definitely a step up from the Balcony cabins, having a two seater sofa and being slightly larger overall in square footage. Drawback - not as much storage as a Balcony (B) cabin.  

 

 

Thanks - I edited my post to correct the balcony description.

[nazpaz]

PS: I know the shuttle boats are "tenders" and not "tethers" - I got started typing it wrong and just kept doing it.  Didn't realize it before it was too late to fix it.

[Pittypatbr]

Thanks for the nice report - lots of details and information.  The slide show was delightful and added a lot too.  We will be on this cruise Feb. 4.  We will be so glad to escape the cold!

[nini]

It appears that you enjoyed a nice and relaxed cruise.  We have also really enjoyed the Regal.

Please know that:

1. There ARE balconies that are larger which we always book. It helps to look at the deck plans on the Princess website to compare.

2. If you do prefer to sit at the same table each night, that can be arranged by speaking with the dining room manager and/ or you can participate in Traditional dining.

3. The light sensor thingies are a new addition and we abhor them. So, many have just placed some duct tape or paper over the sensors. I placed a throw pillow in front of the bedside table one

 

[PacnGoNow]

5 hours ago, nini said:

It appears that you enjoyed a nice and relaxed cruise.  We have also really enjoyed the Regal.

Please know that:

1. There ARE balconies that are larger which we always book. It helps to look at the deck plans on the Princess website to compare.

2. If you do prefer to sit at the same table each night, that can be arranged by speaking with the dining room manager and/ or you can participate in Traditional dining.

3. The light sensor thingies are a new addition and we abhor them. So, many have just placed some duct tape or paper over the sensors. I placed a throw pillow in front of the bedside table one

 

I wouldn’t use duct tape, leaves a residue.  We take painters tape or masking tape. 🥴  

[PacnGoNow]

So nice to hear you finally had your cruise and enjoyed yourselves.  We like the Regal also.

 

Thank you for the feedback on the new app on another thread and on this cruise.

Edited January 15 by PacnGoNow

[tulok]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

8 hours ago, nini said:

I wouldn’t use duct tape, leaves a residue.  We take painters tape or masking tape.

I always travel with a roll of washi tape as the roll is smaller but works like painters tape. I will just have to bring a dark color to make sure it works on the sensor.

[nini]

7 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

I wouldn’t use duct tape, leaves a residue.  We take painters tape or masking tape. 🥴  

 

We never use any tape. Others have posted that they do. A simple small piece of paper works great!

[LACruiser88]

13 hours ago, nini said:

or you can participate in Traditional dining.

Traditional Dining is no longer available.

[Steelers36]

4 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Traditional Dining is no longer available.

Well, you might say that technically as it is not offered like it used to be, but a savvy guest can still get the TD experience by working with DR Mgmt or Host.

[nini]

17 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Traditional Dining is no longer available.

 

Sorry if I missed to be clear that you can "create your own" with the management.

[beshears]

I just "discovered" your review on the Regal, and the 8 of us are to take it the 25th of February. Since it is after 9:00PM, I am going to try to catch up on the rest of this before long. I try to READ everything on the cruise that I plan to take. 🙂

[helenb]

8 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Traditional Dining is no longer available.

 

And it is mourned by our family.

 

However, we were able to book the same dining room at the same time every night. On the first night, we liked our table and waiters. On the way out of the dining room, we asked if we could stay there for the entire cruise. The staff hemmed and hawed, but eventually did book us there and it was basically the same as traditional dining. But we really had to work for it.

[Paparam]

I was able to book a table for 6 same dining room and same time for our cruise in March. in my experience giving a tip to the Maitre D upfront makes a huge difference