Short Review of Regal Princess Cruise out of Galveston Jan 28, 2024

[SAKay]

We returned from our Regal Princess 7 day cruise this past Sunday, 4 Feb.  We were a group of 3, 60 year olds, doing our 7th Princess Cruise.  We stopped at Costa Maya,  Roatan, and Cozumel.  We stopped at all 3 ports.  Overall, we enjoyed the cruise.  As everyone on here says, any cruise is better than being at home cooking, cleaning, and working !  It was our first time on the Regal.  It was newer than any other Princess ship we'd been on, and it was very pretty and clean.   Last year we were on the Caribbean and the Ruby.  I actually enjoyed many things on them more than the Regal.  

 

Before leaving on our cruise, I read many Live and Reviews of the Regal cruises.  I will just comment on our likes and dislikes of this cruise for anyone going on a future cruise.   

 

Embarkation - It was easy.  After having read about long lines to get on, we arrived around 10:30, and were onboard by about 11:05 I think.  We sat in the Platinum/Elite/Suite area for about 10 min after checking in, and then right on the ship.  On the ship, someone said you could drop off your bags in your rooms, but not stay in them yet.  We went and dropped off our bags.  The stewards were still working on the rooms and the doors were all open, but we left our carry on size bags anyway.  A little hesitant since the doors were open, but all was OK.   Just an FYI.  I tried to bring on a 6 pack of waters.  I had read on here people saying you could bring them, and I'm pretty sure I've brought them on in Galveston before.  I know the website says you can't but I've read on here people saying you can.  They confiscated them, along with the 6 pack of bottled Diet Coke I tried to bring.  We also brought 2 cases of soda in our carry on.  No problem with those.  I read on here right before the cruise a lady said that at Galveston they actually opened her soda cases and took out her sodas to inspect.  They did not do that to us.

 

Entertainment:  We enjoyed all 3 production shows.  The singers and dancers were very good.  They had a guest soprano for Bravo, Carolyn ??.  That was my favorite show !  We also saw the other shows each night.  We enjoyed them all, the illusionist less.  We also enjoyed the comedians this cruise.  We really enjoyed the games and shows put on by the Cruise Directors staff.  They were mostly all Brits and Australians and quite fun. We enjoyed the game shows after the Production shows each night that were held in the Princess Live Lounge.  Unfortunately, as many others say, the chairs and room are horrible !  The chairs are so small and uncomfortable and too close together.  The Explorer's lounge on Ruby and other ships is so much nicer !  I wish they'd change the chairs at least. They also have the Vista Lounge which is bigger and more like Explorers.  They used it during the day for Bingo and meetings occasionally, and for Comedians at night.  I don't know why they can't use it for the game shows as that would be better.

 

Internet:  Slow

 

Food:  As always, food is subjective.  We usually eat dinner in the MDR on each cruise.  We again did this.  I had booked us the same time and restaurant for the entire cruise on the App.  When I did this in Apr 2023,  I was able to speak with the Maitre' d after dinner the first night and get the same corner table and wait staff we had that night.   This time we arrived the first night and found we had been assigned a table for the entire cruise.  Unfortunately, it was not a table we liked - in the center of the room, surrounded by many people.  I asked to switch to a corner table as far from people as possible.  They took us to another table, in an equally crowded area.  They didn't seem to understand what corner meant !  We sat there anyway.  After dinner I asked the Dining mgr to change our table to a less crowded area with a corner table.  He assured me he would for the next night and rest of the cruise.  Unfortunately he did nothing and we arrived the next night and were given the same bad table from the night before.  We eventually ended up with the 2nd table we got the first night.  We weren't happy about it and did not enjoy our dinners for the rest of the cruise.  We did have the same wait staff the entire time and they were very nice and did a great job.  Food in the MDR was OK.  As others say, you can always find something on there to eat.  Just some nights there was only one thing I liked.  The beef on this ship was not very good.  I'd say low quality.  The tenderloin on the first day lunch was very good, the only day it was good.  I don't think we had tenderloin again.  On our Ruby cruise last year, they had tenderloin almost every other day.  We were surprised.  This time there was strip loin one day, prime rib one day, and beef Wellington.  None of them were particularly good.  And it is pointless to ask for your beef to be cooked a particular way.  I don't know why they bother asking - you get what you get !   We didn't go to any specialty restaurants on this cruise, so I can't comment on them.  The layout of the buffet was nicer on this ship with many choices.  We don't usually eat at the buffet but had lunch there a couple of times.  It was OK. Service was quite slow in the buffet area.  If we asked for something, sometimes it never came or we had to ask a second server.   One thing I found interesting was they have things behind the counter they don't put out, but if you ask them they will give you some.  For instance, one day they had Mexican food out, but no guacamole.  I asked if they had any.  The guy said yes, pulled out a big bowl of it from under the counter, gave me some then put it under the counter.  I'm not sure what that was about. Same with cookies another day.   Food at the pool, pizza and grill, was good, but sometimes quite a wait to get it.

 

Things we particularly didn't like:

 - No real promenade deck.  Deck 7, promenade deck had just a little bit of walking space.  It was not wide like on other Princess ships.  The walking space didn't even run the entire length of the ship.  The lifeboats hang down in the way, so in some places the walking width is barely wide enough for one person.  You of course can't go all the way around on it.  We particularly didn't like that they don't have chairs along the sides to sit and look out after walking for a while.  On deck 7 they did have a few spots where they just had straight chairs lined up by the rail, but it wasn't like a normal Promenade deck.  They had a walking/running track on Deck 17, but it wasn't very good for just a leisurely walk or sit.  And it was not covered.

 

 - Piazza.  While bigger than the one on Ruby is was not laid out like Ruby's.  And it was always so LOUD and crowded !  They had many games, classes, and activities going on there all day long that on other ships are in different locations.  You couldn't sit and just talk and enjoy a drink, it was so loud.  Also, even the background music was loud with singing, as opposed to MUSAK type music.  We found it difficult to find anywhere on the ship to just have some quiet to sit and read.  We really missed Skywalkers on the Ruby.  We liked going up there on sea days and reading and having lunch or a snack.  There was really no where on this ship to do that.  Really missed that ! 

 

- Service.  Everything was Ok, but we didn't feel it was as good as on other Princess ships.  We found ourselves having to ask multiple times for things.  For example I tipped our room steward on the first day and asked him to keep our ice bucket full and give us 2 Patters each day.  He did it the first day, but didn't do either the next 2 days.  I said to him I meant every day, not the day I tipped you !   As I said we had to ask multiple times in the buffet for things.  Another thing that we noticed were the stewards in the hall.  On all our other cruises, they would always say hello or how's your day going, etc.  On the Regal I felt like some of them looked the other way not to have to speak to you.  They are usually so friendly !  Not a big deal, but an observation.  

 

Disembarkation.  They had said they'd clear the ship at 8:00.  We went to breakfast in the MDR at 7:00 thinking we'd be done and ready to get off at 8:00.  At around 7:15 they announced people carrying their own bags could now get off.  We were off the ship and on the way by 8:05.  Easy ! 

 

That's all I can think of right now that might help others.  Overall, we enjoyed our cruise.  If you have any questions, I"ll be glad to answer ! 

 

 

[dog]

Thanks for sharing. We leave in a week and sail Feb.18 th on the Regal.

What did you do in the ports?

[Paula_MacFan]

4 hours ago, SAKay said:

 I read on here right before the cruise a lady said that at Galveston they actually opened her soda cases and took out her sodas to inspect. 

 

We enjoyed the game shows after the Production shows each night that were held in the Princess Live Lounge.  Unfortunately, as many others say, the chairs and room are horrible !  The chairs are so small and uncomfortable and too close together.  The Explorer's lounge on Ruby and other ships is so much nicer !  I wish they'd change the chairs at least. They also have the Vista Lounge which is bigger and more like Explorers.  They used it during the day for Bingo and meetings occasionally, and for Comedians at night.  I don't know why they can't use it for the game shows as that would be better!

 

 - Piazza.  And it was always so LOUD and crowded !  We really missed Skywalkers on the Ruby. 

 

 

I think I may the 'lady' that said they actually opened my soda in Galveston 🙂  We were on the Regal 2 weeks ago and I reported that upon boarding.

 

We completely agree with you about the Princess Live venue being horrible and that Explorers is sorely missed.  The Vista Lounge isn't used to its full potential on the Regal which is a shame.  Also agree with the volume in the Piazza during the day for games and activities, and missing Skywalkers like the Grand class ships.

 

Overall it sounds like you had a good cruise and thanks for taking the time to write up your review!

[eclue]

I will respond to this post since we are going on the Regal again on Feb 18th - obviously I love this ship. We were on the sailing from FLL to Galveston - Oct to Nov, 2023, then again Dec 10 to 17th and again Dec 27th  to Jan 7th so many , many trips on this ship. We are counting the days to return on the 18th of Feb.

On every one of them, I have found the room stewards always to be super friendly even when one is just walking by, exp the ones on Caribe deck. We were on Emerald deck last time but often went back to say hello to the steward on Caribe.... We never tip the steward on the first day - it is totally unnecessary...they always do a great job  - we tip on the last day!!

 

The piazza is a great fun place to be - we enjoy the diversity and the music....It is quiet in the area off the Crown Grill near the library - often people will be found there sitting and reading. It is quiet up at the Retreat pool for adults only.....The Vista Lounge is open when there are non events and it is quiet there.

 

We are not foodies so we are more than happy to eat at the buffet or the International Cafe. On sea days, the grill is open inside the buffet and the food is wonderful.... it is gyro type meat with wonderful grilled veggies..On the Friday before the cruise ends, they have a phenomenal dessert

buffet on at the Lido buffet...they also had longostino lobsters and other seafood...it was great.

 

Regarding the Internet - it was great. The new Starlink provides excellent internet access.

 

So her is my differing opinion from the original poster.  We are not crazy about these western caribbean ports -we just like to cruise- obviously after 53 on Princess. I do recommend the Tabayana beach excursion - the snorkle site is great and a nice buffet lunch on the beach...Massages are inexpensive and it is a short 30 min ride from port. The beach at Mahogany Bay is wonderful...a trip to French Key is nice.

We have been to Belize so manyh times taht we just stay on the ship but if you like to snorkle, the reef there is very nice. We have a special place we go to in Cozumel - not willing to share it.

See you on the next one!!!

[eclue]

I will also add it is well documented that plastic water bottle cases are not allowed. You are only allowed to bring on canned sodas and they will check. You may order your water by the case prior to boarding on your personalizer - it is $7.08 for a case of 12 bottles and much easier than trying to lug a case on board.

[like2cruise]

Did the Regal have canned diet coke as part of the Princess Plus?  I know the Discovery & the Royal did for us last year, but wanted to double check.  I am a canned diet coke addict and will bring my own if not.  It is my one and only bad habit...wink-wink!  

Edited February 9 by like2cruise

[Paula_MacFan]

22 minutes ago, like2cruise said:

Did the Regal have canned diet coke as part of the Princess Plus?  I know the Discovery & the Royal did for us last year, but wanted to double check.  I am a canned diet coke addict and will bring my own if not.  It is my one and only bad habit...wink-wink!  

Yes, we got it as part of the Plus package 2 weeks ago.  

[SAKay]

Wow @eclue  You certainly have a different opinion !  And expressed so politely !!  I guess to each their own. I merely expressed my opinion. 
 

As I  stated, I said I know it is written that you aren’t supposed to take bottled drinks on Princess ships. But I also said I’ve done it before at Galveston & read on here other people have also. It was a 6 pack. I wasn’t “lugging” anything  around. I merely was passing on info to others of what happened to me. 
 

Maybe in the future it would be more beneficial to everyone if you wrote your own review vs coming on here to contradict everything I had to say. I merely expressed what we experienced. 
 

Thanks @Paula_MacFan  We did have fun. I didn’t mean to contradict you about the cases of soda ; just reporting it didn’t happen to us. I was worried it would after reading your review. I wouldn’t have liked that. 
 

Hi @dog  We didn’t do much in the ports as we’d been to all of them before. In Costa Maya we just got off the ship and walked around the port. At the port talk onboard they had said the chairs at the pool in the port were free. But they weren’t. So we just walked around and shopped a little. In Roatan we purchased the ship “tour” for the chairlift to the beach. It was $12 each, cheaper than buying a ticket at the port.  It was nice, better  for us than walking. They were nice and stopped it for a minute for you to have time to get off & on. At the beach we rented 2 chairs with an umbrella for $30, the going rate. The beach was nice, but the water was too cold for us. In Cozumel my friend wanted to go on an excursion to see the ruins as she’d never seen them before. I can’t find the name of the tour right now but it was through the ship. $59. We picked it because it had the shortest ride to the ruins. The guide was nice but I wouldn’t do it again. We drove around town a little bit, then about 20 min to the ruins I think. The  entry fee to the ruins was only $5 and we saw people arriving in taxis, if you are adventurous, I think you could do it on your own. We had a stop at a beach lookout with opportunity to buy a drink and a stop at a supposed chocolate factory. Not much to see there except opportunity to buy $9 candy bar. Very expensive. Like I said, I wouldn’t recommend this excursion. We didn’t go to Belize as I said,  so not sure why it was mentioned above. 

 

[Paula_MacFan]

32 minutes ago, SAKay said:

Thanks @Paula_MacFan  We did have fun. I didn’t mean to contradict you about the cases of soda ; just reporting it didn’t happen to us. I was worried it would after reading your review. I wouldn’t have liked that. 
 

No worries!  I didn't take your comments as contradictory at all 🙂  I just wanted to share that info with others as it had never happened to us before either and we've sailed from Galveston many times since 2004. 

[dog]

34 minutes ago, SAKay said:

Wow @eclue  You certainly have a different opinion !  And expressed so politely !!  I guess to each their own. I merely expressed my opinion. 
 

As I  stated, I said I know it is written that you aren’t supposed to take bottled drinks on Princess ships. But I also said I’ve done it before at Galveston & read on here other people have also. It was a 6 pack. I wasn’t “lugging” anything  around. I merely was passing on info to others of what happened to me. 
 

Maybe in the future it would be more beneficial to everyone if you wrote your own review vs coming on here to contradict everything I had to say. I merely expressed what we experienced. 
 

Thanks @Paula_MacFan  We did have fun. I didn’t mean to contradict you about the cases of soda ; just reporting it didn’t happen to us. I was worried it would after reading your review. I wouldn’t have liked that. 
 

Hi @dog  We didn’t do much in the ports as we’d been to all of them before. In Costa Maya we just got off the ship and walked around the port. At the port talk onboard they had said the chairs at the pool in the port were free. But they weren’t. So we just walked around and shopped a little. In Roatan we purchased the ship “tour” for the chairlift to the beach. It was $12 each, cheaper than buying a ticket at the port.  It was nice, better  for us than walking. They were nice and stopped it for a minute for you to have time to get off & on. At the beach we rented 2 chairs with an umbrella for $30, the going rate. The beach was nice, but the water was too cold for us. In Cozumel my friend wanted to go on an excursion to see the ruins as she’d never seen them before. I can’t find the name of the tour right now but it was through the ship. $59. We picked it because it had the shortest ride to the ruins. The guide was nice but I wouldn’t do it again. We drove around town a little bit, then about 20 min to the ruins I think. The  entry fee to the ruins was only $5 and we saw people arriving in taxis, if you are adventurous, I think you could do it on your own. We had a stop at a beach lookout with opportunity to buy a drink and a stop at a supposed chocolate factory. Not much to see there except opportunity to buy $9 candy bar. Very expensive. Like I said, I wouldn’t recommend this excursion. We didn’t go to Belize as I said,  so not sure why it was mentioned above. 

 

Thanks to all who are kind enough to share.

 

[fedexretiree]

15 hours ago, eclue said:

I will respond to this post since we are going on the Regal again on Feb 18th - obviously I love this ship. We were on the sailing from FLL to Galveston - Oct to Nov, 2023, then again Dec 10 to 17th and again Dec 27th  to Jan 7th so many , many trips on this ship. We are counting the days to return on the 18th of Feb.

On every one of them, I have found the room stewards always to be super friendly even when one is just walking by, exp the ones on Caribe deck. We were on Emerald deck last time but often went back to say hello to the steward on Caribe.... We never tip the steward on the first day - it is totally unnecessary...they always do a great job  - we tip on the last day!!

 

The piazza is a great fun place to be - we enjoy the diversity and the music....It is quiet in the area off the Crown Grill near the library - often people will be found there sitting and reading. It is quiet up at the Retreat pool for adults only.....The Vista Lounge is open when there are non events and it is quiet there.

 

We are not foodies so we are more than happy to eat at the buffet or the International Cafe. On sea days, the grill is open inside the buffet and the food is wonderful.... it is gyro type meat with wonderful grilled veggies..On the Friday before the cruise ends, they have a phenomenal dessert

buffet on at the Lido buffet...they also had longostino lobsters and other seafood...it was great.

 

Regarding the Internet - it was great. The new Starlink provides excellent internet access.

 

So her is my differing opinion from the original poster.  We are not crazy about these western caribbean ports -we just like to cruise- obviously after 53 on Princess. I do recommend the Tabayana beach excursion - the snorkle site is great and a nice buffet lunch on the beach...Massages are inexpensive and it is a short 30 min ride from port. The beach at Mahogany Bay is wonderful...a trip to French Key is nice.

We have been to Belize so manyh times taht we just stay on the ship but if you like to snorkle, the reef there is very nice. We have a special place we go to in Cozumel - not willing to share it.

See you on the next one!!!

How did you get to French Key and are the beaches nice there?

[eclue]

5 minutes ago, fedexretiree said:

How did you get to French Key and are the beaches nice there?

Go to Littlefrenchkey.com....they offer several packages with transport from the port and back. It is beautiful.

[fedexretiree]

Thanks so much.   How long does it take to get there?  Do shuttles to the island run all day or just at certain times?

[bergie33]

Just got off the Regal yesterday.  I will add one thing.  Get to the shows at least 20 minutes early, whether it is in the Princess Theater, Princess Live or Vista Lounge.  Everything fills up early and there are nowhere near enough seats on the ship in these venues.

[SAKay]

@bergie33  I totally agree ! 

[TexasCruisers2015]

My husband and I enjoyed our 11 day cruise on the Regal Princess in late December.  We had such a good time we are going again on Mar.3 for a week.

 

While we had a good time on the ship, we were sadly disappointed to find out a few weeks prior to embarkation that instead of docking at Mahogany Bay, we would be at Coxen Hole.  And if you know the difference between these two ports, you will know exactly why it was disappointing! The reason given to us by Princess was “Port congestion.”  Now, I’d like to know how a port can be congested when the schedules are made way in advance.

 

So, just today, we received this SAME notification for our Mar.3 cruise. I am livid, and am wondering what the true story is.  When I looked online to see ships scheduled for Mahogany Bay on the day we arrive, only 2 are listed: the Regal Princess and Carnival Spirit.  Of course, that is now obsolete, since it changed.

 

When it happened in December, I just accepted it, but now a second time!?  Something is fishy!  
 

Just curious if this has happened to anyone else since the Regal started out of Galveston in the fall?

 

 

[Paula_MacFan]

2 hours ago, TexasCruisers2015 said:

My husband and I enjoyed our 11 day cruise on the Regal Princess in late December.  We had such a good time we are going again on Mar.3 for a week.

 

While we had a good time on the ship, we were sadly disappointed to find out a few weeks prior to embarkation that instead of docking at Mahogany Bay, we would be at Coxen Hole.  And if you know the difference between these two ports, you will know exactly why it was disappointing! The reason given to us by Princess was “Port congestion.”  Now, I’d like to know how a port can be congested when the schedules are made way in advance.

 

So, just today, we received this SAME notification for our Mar.3 cruise. I am livid, and am wondering what the true story is.  When I looked online to see ships scheduled for Mahogany Bay on the day we arrive, only 2 are listed: the Regal Princess and Carnival Spirit.  Of course, that is now obsolete, since it changed.

 

When it happened in December, I just accepted it, but now a second time!?  Something is fishy!  
 

Just curious if this has happened to anyone else since the Regal started out of Galveston in the fall?

 

 

We were on the Regal the week of Jan 21 - 28 and the same thing happened to us.  From reports it's happened quite a few times.  Our port was replaced with Belize which IMO was even worse that Coxen Hole.  Belize is a tender port with no easy beach access contrary to Mahogany Bay. To make it worse we missed Costa Maya too due to high winds.  So we only got 2 ports, and only 1 was on the original itinerary (Cozumel).

 

There have been a few threads with upset people about this 'port congestion' excuse, wondering the same as you -- how does this happen when the schedules are published months in advance.  

[beshears]

Thank you for your review of the Regal, as the 8 of us will be doing it for the first time, in less than 2 weeks. I know this was YOUR review, with some negativity, as you were comparing it to other Princess ships, which is fine too. As for myself, I always like to READ everyone's opinions when it is in regard to a ship that I have never done, good or bad, and then I go with my "thinking" (I have been blessed to do over 20 cruises on different cruise lines) that this IS going to be a great cruise, and if something happens, we just deal with it. 🙂

[MissP22]

On 2/8/2024 at 7:27 PM, eclue said:

I will also add it is well documented that plastic water bottle cases are not allowed. You are only allowed to bring on canned sodas and they will check. You may order your water by the case prior to boarding on your personalizer - it is $7.08 for a case of 12 bottles and much easier than trying to lug a case on board.

Not true in Ft Lauderdale.

Every time we board we have numerous plastic bottles in our suitcases & breeze right through security. 

[MissP22]

On 2/8/2024 at 2:45 PM, SAKay said:

 Unfortunately, it was not a table we liked - in the center of the room, surrounded by many people.  I asked to switch to a corner table as far from people as possible.

Many of the tables you wanted could have been reserved on the first day by others, thereby limiting the head waiter from reassigning one to you.

[SAKay]

Thank you @MissP22 for your comment about plastic bottles. I know I’ve seen others comment that they too have no problem bringing plastic bottles on. That’s why I wrote my comment on what happened to us at Galveston. 
 

I agree about the tables being reserved in the dining room. But I was asking at 5:00 on the first night, hoping there would be a corner table available that they could change us to. On our next cruise in 6 weeks on the Regal I’m going to try and check at lunch on the first day to see what table we’ve been assigned. If it’s not to our liking, maybe they can change it at that time. Worth a try !  The assistant head waiter helping us on the last cruise took our info for the next cruise and said he’d arrange us a corner table for the next one, but I’m not holding my breath ! He was very nice and tried to help. 
 

@TexasCruisers2015  I guess we were lucky that we did get to stop at Roatan, as scheduled. I’m sorry you’ll miss it again. I agree it’s hard to see what’s going on. 

[eclue]

4 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Not true in Ft Lauderdale.

Every time we board we have numerous plastic bottles in our suitcases & breeze right through security. 

I was referring to a case of plastic water bottles. Whatever...security seems to be a toss up in different ports....

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, eclue said:

I was referring to a case of plastic water bottles. Whatever...security seems to be a toss up in different ports....

A case of water is a little much to carry for us. At that point I'd consider buying it on the ship.