Regal Princess Review
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We have travelled on many cruises over the past three decades, once favouring Princess but more recently the smaller, upscale lines Azamara Club and Crystal. We decided to try the big ship experience for a change, thus the Regal, and Princess once more, with the idea of a future world cruise on a Princess ship. Well, I doubt we’ll do either the Regal again or the Princess world.
The itinerary wasn’t of primary importance. We’d done the Caribbean a lot in the 1990s. Hadn’t been to the Dominican Republic, tho' – unfortunately bad weather, heavy winds, cancelled that particular port. The other port of interest was Cozumel in Mexico, and that proved a pleasant visit, though much changed from 20 years ago. The one problem with nearly all ports in the Caribbean is the clutter of big cruise ships: so, with three or more cruises in one port, what you see the most is other passengers.
The Regal Princess has definite virtues. The stateroom, in our case a balcony cabin designed for someone with mobility difficulties, was fine: spacious, airy, pleasing, an excellent bathroom and shower. It was indeed a place of refuge, peaceful, away from the hurly-burly and the noise that filled too many common spaces. The public areas were well-appointed and handsome. The fitness centre was full of exercise machines to serve a lot of users. The movie under the stars, the giant screen, worked well, and the ship offered a diversity of movies, from Jason Bourne to Pavarotti to Circe de Soleil. I was particularly taken with the Horizon Court and Bistro (the buffet): attractive, well-organized, the eating area spacious and clean. Likewise the entertainment areas, lounges and theatre, were fine venues for shows or parties. The two dining rooms we visited, the Allegro and the Concerto, were both pretty, almost elegant, the Concerto more pleasant because the colour scheme quieter – and seemingly more airy than the Allegro. The Piazza, that signature space of Princess, was impressive though we found it too noisy whenever there was a scheduled event. The staff were usually friendly and efficient, tho' not as friendly as on Azamara or as efficient as on Crystal. Indeed the staff were always prepared to help out people with a question – and, note, with a mobility problem.