Regal Princess

Fantastic cruise on the Regal

Ill start by saying the main reason for writing this review is to give credit to princess and the Regal staff and to not believe all the nasty reviews where the writer is looking for things to complain about. Is the regal a bit older - Yes Could it use a little refresh - Yes, and it will happen soon Is it the downfall of princess - Absolutely not! Pros- Very friendly and accomodating staff. All staff seemed happy to help and happy to have us onboard. We absolutely love princess service. They are there if you need them, without being pushy or hassled. Hardly any on-board sales pressure, no daily announcements in your cabin. Bar staff worked hard all week and even on a busy sea day was able to get all the drinks we wanted with minimal wait times. Pro Tip: Use the oceannow app to order drinks if you want service away from the bar. This is what the princess demand system is based on with adequate servers to complete the orders. The days of expecting dozens of roaming servers around the pool are over, replaced with technolgy and efficiency. Many that complain, referencing the "days of old", are reluctant to rely on technology to better their experience opting to complain about it "not being the way it used to be" instead of embracing modern service. This was our fourth medallion cruise, and I have to say it worked better than any other ship weve been on. This includes the oceannow app which we had abolutely no issues with this time around. Internet was very reliable and decent speeds as well. Buffet was full and fresh with plenty of varietey. Not everything in the buffet is going to be gourmet on any cruise line! We never had a problem finding something to eat and it was all good at the least. Plenty of clean tables anyime a day including extrememly busy times. Never waited for more than a minute after sitting to be delivered waters/coffee/juice or anything you needed. After reading a few bad reviews prior to the cruise, i saw nothing but fantastic service, food, and cleanliness in the buffet the entire trip. Pool chairs were plentiful almost any time of day. Staff was good at cleaning up old towels and monitoring the chair hogs. We heard/witnessed this consistently throughout the trip. Embarkation was 35 min from curb to cabin, disembarkation started 40 min late, but was also a speedy 17 min from cabin to curb. We were impressed. Areas for improvement that did not ruin my cruise even in the slightest- quality of meat througout the ship has declined, but not inedible in any way. Food was good every night, but i cant think of any memorable meals that made us say "wow". Pool bars are obviously going to be crowded on warm weather itineraries. Maybe a seperate line for mixed cocktails and another for beer/soda/water would have sped things up. Embarkation day had roaming bar carts with beer/soda/water that really helped keep the bar lines down, however that was the only day we saw the carts. We also had a couple problems with our cabin, that our room steward gladly addressed. Lightbulb in bathroom was replaced within an hour after reporting. We also had a foul smelling (not sewage, probably gray water) persistant leak outside our bathroom door that our room steward helped take care of every day, doing everything possible to minimize its affect on our trip. Problems happen, and i admire the ownership and solutions that our room stew/princess delivered on. Movies under the stars shows too many long concerts with little to no passenger engagement. 2 hr rolling stones follwed up by a 1.5 hr shania twain doesnt make for a very exciting sea day. However, The greatest showman movie had the entire full pool deck capitvated. Now for my only real complaint that princess can control : Main Pools often got taken over by rowdy children/teens. Jumping, diving, pushing, screaming, using towels in the pool. Pool staff did absolutely nothing to adress this. Most parents of the rowdy ones nowhere to be found, leading to other parents disciplining children that were not their own. Overall it was another fantastic cruise and we will not hesitate to consider princess in the future. Side bar: ship engines seem to be fixed, we did not notice any excessive exhaust and we cruised around 20-22knts almost the entire trip, exceeded 24 knts on the last day.

What an amazing experience for first time cruisers

This was the first cruise for most of my family (my parents had been on the same cruise about 14 years ago), so we were unsure what to expect. My mother recently passed away, and this cruise was something that she really wanted for our family. Our vacation truly was an unforgettable experience. We sailed out of Galveston (first time for most of us there), and stayed in a hotel right on the water the night before. We booked an amazing transportation company from the hotel to the port, and our driver gave us lots of good insider knowledge about the area and the cruise line. Coming into the security area, it was a bit overwhelming. You hear 3,500 people can sail on this ship, but you don't think about how busy that can make things. However, we never stopped moving the entire time we were going through the security process. From the time we walked into the area until we were walking the gangway to the ship was maybe 15 minutes at most. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating to us from the moment we walked in. You could tell that they really enjoy their jobs. The hosts that greeted us upon arrival were very cheerful as well. What a ship! It truly was breathtaking seeing everything for the first time. We quickly dropped off our luggage in the Concerto dining room, and we were off to explore the ship. I made a beeline for the Lido deck poolside to soak up that Texas sun. After a trip through the line to grab a burger, fries from Trident Grille and a soft drink from the (we had the Princess Plus package, so soda was included) we sat down at a shaded table and just took everything in. You could really feel the energy of the ship and the people around. We stayed on the Lido deck for the cast-off party (which was VERY high energy, I don't know where Giuseppe the cruise director gets his spunk from) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were seated next to a window, so we were able to watch as the ship sailed out from port, passing by a smaller Carnival ship and a much larger Royal Caribbean ship. Then it was open water. We decided to check if our room was ready, and were surprised to see that it was. The room was compact (we had a standard balcony room), but didn't feel closed in or crowded. The deck area was a little on the smaller side, but it comfortably fit my aunt and myself. We were in a room next to my father, so we had the stewards open the balcony up for us so that we could visit each other. That helped a bit with the size. The bathroom was a bit larger than I expected, which was a big plus (my brother and sister-in-law travel in a camper, and their bathroom seemed much smaller than this). We went to pick up our bags, only to discover that they were already on the way to our staterooms. On our way back, we met our steward Jeffrey. He was simply fantastic. Very attentive and always had a smile. And our room was always immaculate when we returned. We spent most of the first day getting a good look around the ship, including doing our muster station drill. That evening we had dinner in the Allegro dining room, and it was wonderful. Some of the best fettuccini alfredo I've ever had. The service was impeccable. We had several people waiting on us, so keeping the names straight was a bit of a challenge (I know Anjenette was one of them, because her name is close to my mother's). After dinner we walked around the ship a bit, but were too tired to really do much of anything. The bed in our stateroom was absolutely heavenly. One of the softest beds I've ever slept on. Day 2 was a continuation of exploring the ship and getting our bearings (we never did quite get it all right). We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Horizon buffet restaurant, and were impressed. It was a bit crowded, but the food was hot and delicious, and the service was great. So much food (this would be a theme throughout our trip). My brother and sister-in-law checked out the casino area for a while, and really enjoyed their time there. We sat to listen to the music in the Atrium area, which was really good. My aunt, sister-in-law, and I all decided to do afternoon tea. A fun experience that everyone should try at least once. We were a small party, so we were seated with another party and enjoyed our chat with them. It was a really relaxing day, and another great night of sleep. On day 3, we docked in Costa Maya (Mahahual). If you've never been, listen to what you hear online about the area. It is very touristy. You're never far enough away that you don't hear someone trying to get you to buy something, unless you do one of the excursions (we did not). After perhaps an hour on land, we decided to go back to the ship and relax some more. We went to the adults-only Oasis, which was quite nice (there really weren't very many children on the ship, but it was still nice to have the more laid back and quiet area). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Horizon again. Mid-day snack at Preggo pizza on Lido deck, which was quite yummy and really not very busy. Took advantage of the OceanNow room service a couple of times during the day to get drinks, which were delivered promptly with a smile wherever we were on the ship. We attempted to see the production show at 7:30, but it was completely filled by the time we got there. The later showing was just too late for us to go, but it sounded amazing. Day 4 was the day we had all been waiting for: Roatan, Honduras. My parents had loved this stop on their cruise, and it did not disappoint. A very different feel from Costa Maya. We only saw one shop (the duty free shop), and a couple of restaurants. The white sand beach was perfect, and the crystal clear water just the right thing to keep you cooled off. We snorkeled a bit in the swimming area off Mahogany Bay beach, while the older adults soaked up the beach vibe in loungers. Too soon it was time to go back to the ship. We didn't pay for any excursions on this stop, either. However, the beach is free and so are the loungers if they are available. There is a roped off area that you can rent beach chairs and have a more intimate experience, although it's in the middle of the open area. The beach area has wifi throughout that can be purchased for $5 a day. Depending on where we were on the beach, we sometimes were able to pick up the wifi from the ship. We did dinner on our own that evening (Horizon again, never got tired of it). Day 5 was Cozumel, Mexico. My parents really weren't too keen on this during their cruise before, so we opted to enjoy the much less crowded ship during dock time. We booked a time for the exclusive Sanctuary adults-only area, and were not disappointed. There were only a couple of other people in the area, so it was a great way to relax and sun ourselves. Breakfast and lunch in Horizon, but dinner was at Allegro dining room. I had the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as a vegetable medley. Starter was a seafood stew that was very good. Dessert was crepes suzette (delicious, but a bit boozy tasting...I'd skip this if you're sensitive to the taste). We turned in after watching some live music in the Atrium. Day 6 was a sea day heading back to Galveston. We did the culinary demonstration with galley tour, as well as a presentation by the Second Officer Giuseppe that was very enlightening. It was incredible to hear some of the behind the scenes things that go on to cater to 3,500 passengers. We had breakfast and lunch in Horizon, but booked the farewell dinner in Allegro dining room. Dinner did not let us down: prime rib, baked potato, haricot veres, and a vegetable medley. During dinner, the galley crew and servers did a Baked Alaska parade throughout the dining room, with lively music playing. It was a great way to cap off our meal and a wonderful trip. Disembarkation day arrived, and we were in Horizon for breakfast by 7:30 (along with practically every other person on the ship). It was VERY crowded, but the food was perfect again. We waited for them to call our disembarkation station, and before you knew it we were heading off the ship. Other than a slight snafu with my aunt unknowingly dropping her passport, disembarkation was just as smooth as embarkation. Once again, the line really never stopped moving and we breezed through Customs in practically no time. We had arranged to be picked up by the same company that brought us to the port at noon on disembarkation day, so we decided to head over to a restaurant and hang out. Our driver back to Houston airport was very friendly and engaging, which was nice considering how busy traffic was. This trip was a breath of fresh air after a long, depressing winter. We have already talked about the possibility of cruising again, and were pretty much all in agreement that it has to be with Princess. I'd recommend to anybody. 10/10

A Gret Cruise on Regal Princess

We are on our last day headed back to Galveston so I thought I would take time to give my thoughts on our experience. The ship is in decent shape given her age. There are places she is showing the need for a little TLC but nothing major. My biggest complaint is the smell of mildew on deck 5 near the midship elevators. Other than that no real issues. The staff is awesome. Very friendly and helpful. We were always greeted with a smile and a friendly hello. Our cabin steward was the best. He took care of our needs and requests and kept the cabin clean and neat. The food was good especially in the MDR and Alfredo’s. We loved the honey pie. I am not really a buffet person so I can’t speak to the food there. We had dinner in Sabatini’s one night and were disappointed with the food there. The ports were as expected. We got off in Costa Maya just long enough to check out the cruise port. It was way too crowded and touristy for us. I did a snorkel trip in Belize which I enjoyed. We were picked up at the ship and taken directly to Rendezvous Caye. The snorkeling was good but not great. The excursion folks were great. Very funny and accommodating. We stayed on board in Cozumel since we have been there several times. Having the ship nearly empty was nice. Entertainment was very good. We enjoyed The Mighty Quinn. He is very funny and amazing. Live music on the ship was excellent. Everlasting Now and Asian Soul kept the ship rocking the entire trip. The comedians were good enough and the allusionist was ok. This was our first time on Princess and we found it to be a very fun and relaxing cruise.

Great cruise.

We had a mini suite, and this was our 4th cruise with Princess. This is a royal class ship and the layout is almost identical as the other royal class ships. Great cruise to the western caribbean. Roatan was my favorite port. Great staff, not overly crowded and the food was great. The only downside was we couldn't stop in Costa Maya, because of high winds. Wasn't safe to dock the ship. We ate breakfast one time in the Allegro dining room and the omelet had Swiss cheese and didn't taste that great. Other than that the food was really good. We had the premiere package and ate dinner in the Crown Grill and Sabatinis several times. Crown Grill is my absolute favorite. Well worth the price. Alfredo pizza is awesome, pizza and calzones are awesome. We were able to see country artist and ACM member Drew Baldridge. And the show was fantastic. We really enjoyed the ship.