Before embarkation from the Brooklyn port, we stayed at the Nu Hotel in Brooklyn which is a small boutique hotel. What a treat! Very well appointed, the staff was amazing, the other guests made for great people watching, and there is a gourmet pizza place half a block away. Sign us up for another stay!

The Regal is a beautiful ship with the public areas being exceptionally nice. As artists, we appreciated the quiet, tasteful glitz which was a common theme. Our mini suite was sweet. Breakfast for two on the balcony is manageable, but not for a third person who may be in the party...stay in bed as the balcony really only accommodates two.

We tried to dine at a majority of the restaurants on board...besides the fact that I didn't have to do the cooking, we found them very good. We chose traditional dining and enjoyed our tablemates. Always a diversity of people which we enjoy...even their (and ours?) quirkiness at times. The lamb at the Crown Grill was a real treat. Pizza was fun, but wish they had spinach...maybe next time.

We chose to utilize the Princess shore excursions and found them of a high standard. We particularly enjoyed the Bay of Fundy Coastal Photography Tour. Our guide gave us photo tips and suggested sights of which to photograph. Peggy's Cove was very interesting and I wish we could have spent more time there. We found the area a bit crowded as we were told September and October are busy times. I know the Princess company's excursions are more expensive, but they are backed by the company, and are very reliable. No worries.

Ship shops are well appointed. We did a lot of looking with little buying. Expensive, of course. We were able to find a some small gift for our friends who gave us a beautiful bottle of wine to enjoy on board.

On board activities were many and varied. The cruise had a majority of port days so the activities didn't seem to be a high priority (only one sea day). Few people utilized the pools, though the hot tubs were busy, mostly with men which was interesting. I used the spa twice and could probably spend more of my time and life savings there. It is well appointed and the staff was quietly pleasant and professional. Expensive as we all know, but love, love, love being pampered! Many folks in the casino. I don't know if others won, but we participated in a "slot pull" one day, Everyone contributed money and we took turns pulling the slot machine. Predictably, we didn't win. Fun though. Notably, I couldn't find a "fourth for bridge" while many other games were offered. Not Princess's fault, just a sign of the times. .Many, many things to do, and so little time. I want to go back just to check it all out.

The Regal is one of the biggest ships in Princess's fleet. We live in a small western town and I think that influenced us as to our attitude towards the size of the ship. (the population of our town is equal to the population of the ship!) We found it very crowded on embarkation and when we left the ship for ports. During daily and evening activities the number of guests didn't seem to be an issue. We prefer a smaller ship.

In my opinion, the greatest asset of the ship is the crew who are welcoming and very pleasant. Our cabin steward kept our home away from home in top "ship shape." And our wait staff at dinner were professional while being a bit entertaining which added to a pleasant experience. Kudos to the entire staff who made our cruise a memorable vacation.

"So many ship experiences, so little time." Yes, we have already signed up for our next cruise on Princess.