 |
 |
|
Name: Louis Mares
Email: lnsmares@h2net.net
Age: 46
Occupation: Airline Employee
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Regal
SailingDate: 4/21/98
Itinerary: Panama Canal Repositioning
FoodDiningRoom: 91
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 96
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 88
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 86
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 92
EmbarkDisembark: 88
DiscoNightclubs: 82
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 91
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 May 1998
Time: 00:43:46
Remote Name: 204.227.19.219
Remote User:
Comments
We started our adventure by taking American Airlines to San Juan a day before the cruise.
The flight was uneventful as well it should be. We overnighted
at the Wyndam Old San Juan and what a pleasure this turned out to be. The hotel has only
been open for a few months and still has that 'new car smell'
.The restaurant was very good as also was the staff. We made our compulsory deposits in
the casino on monday afternoon and never returned to retrieve
them. The one really neat thing was, on tuesday morning we looked out our window and saw
the Regal Princess docked across the street. Yes the hotel is
really across the street from the cruise pier ! We had breakfast at the hotel and walked
over to the pier to see if there was anything going on. It was about
11:30 and a line was beginning to form so we went back to the hotel and checked out. We
returned to the pier (12:15) and stood in line about 30 minutes
and the line begin to move quickly. The only negative thing we noticed that was was that
the cab and bus drivers kept dropping people at the start of the
line as opposed to the end of it. This was not that big of a deal but it would have made
more sense to drop people off at the end of the line rather than
making them walk. (There were over a hundred people in line at this point). Embarkation
went quickly at this point and we were on the ship in about an
hour from the time we got in line. We received lots of smiles from the crew as we boarded
the Regal and continued to receive them till the day we left. My
wife and I are not hard to please but we do expect to be treated as guests we are aboard a
ship. Princess had no problem meeting our expectations.
Room- The room was a BA category: outside double with a private balcony. Yes the balcony
was a tad small but none the less it gave the opportunity to
step out and get some 'sea air' right outside our room. Our cabin steward , Costina did an
excellent job of taking care of our room. On one of the first
evenings of the cruise Costina forgot to finish making up our cabin. My wife and I gave
here the benefit of the doubt. We assumed anyone can make a
mistake. When we told her about her mistake she became so upset with herself she said she
wanted to go tell the hotel manager what she had done. We
assured her this was not necessary. The rest of the cruise the cabin was perfect. I'm glad
we gave her the chance to prove herself.
Food- The food was always good to excellent. Our waiter Eduardo and helper Raul were the
best. It was a pleasure to come to the dining room just to see
what antic they would come up with. One night one of the ladies at our table said to the
waiter at least three times she wanted nothing for desert. When
Eduardo served desert, a plate was served to that lady with the word 'NOTHING' written on
it in chocolate syrup. It was episodes like these that made our
cruise special. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the seafood dishes. Of course
remember I don't look for things to test the staff, I'm too busy
enjoying myself. I have to mention that the cappuccino at the La Patisserie was excellent.
I also enjoyed the band Double Scotch as they strolled through
the dining room each night serenading us. Whenever we saw our waiters anywhere on the ship
they always approached us and asked if we were having a
good time.
Entertainment- Ok so this was definitely geared for an older crowd. You have to look at
the logistics of this cruise. Fifteen days , Panama Canal, Princess,
this all leans toward a mature guest list. No problem because we knew that when we booked
it. By the way we're in our 40's. The shows we saw, Pirates
,Odyssea and Swingtime we're all 'entertaining'. We also saw a couple of variety (Jay
Hoyle and juggler Richard Bono) shows. If there was something we
didn't think we would like, we simply did not go ! The Caribbean band 'Pandigenous' was
IMHO great. If fact many passengers were said the same and I
think they sold a very large amount of CD's during the cruise. The lounge bands, Ray Perry
Trio, The Sound Investment and Frankie Desmond (a real
cutup in the sing along) provided just about something for everyone. There was always
something to do on the Regal Princess, in fact more choices than
time to do them all. And if all else fails there were always lounge chairs on the
Promenade deck available for you to read a book or just fall asleep ( and
that's what cruisin is all about).
Panama Canal: Well , we lucked out on this one. It was overcast a great deal of the day. A
few of the bartenders told me that normally during the canal
transit it's only a matter of time before the heat drives everyone but the die hards into
the a/c. We both had read 'The Path Between the Seas' so it was
interesting to see engineering marvel of a time long past. We will always remember it. The
gentleman from the Panama Canal Commission that came
aboard during the transit provided us with lots of information during the day.
Ports-There were quite a few on this cruise. St. Thomas: we just shopped for booze and
jewelry and would you believe our liquor was not hijacked at the
gangway. Princess was totally unconcerned with our liquor purchases. The only liquor
purchases we make are expensive things we wouldn't normally buy
at home. We stayed at the mall and chose not to go into town because I read the prices are
the same in both places (same stores) . St. Martin: tendered
in and looked for more jewelry. My wife scored an anniversary present at this port. We've
been to St. Martin for a land based vacation and think it's a very
friendly place but you have to get away from Philipsburg to discover the real island.
Tortola: We took a non Princess tour on this island. A gentleman by
the name of Elroy provided us with a very nice tour of the island. We were in an open air
safari type vehicle and I always felt safe and comfortable. This
tour was only 10 bucks. The ship sponsored equivalent was 30 dollars. Of course we tipped
him and he deserved it. Cartagena: We took a Princess tour in
this port. The city is very old and has a great deal of history. The wall around the city
is something to see. Also the La Popa Monastery was interesting with
a 22 karat gold statuary. Also check out the fort if you get off the ship here. The worst
thing about this place was the heat and the peddlers.(I told my wife
Cartagena must translate to 'Hey Lady') . We spent our money on coffee here not emeralds.
Costa Rica: Ok there is nothing to see in Puerto Caldera so if
you want to see something take a tour. We took the cloud forest tour. A walk through a
lush tropical rain forest. If you like this type of stuff it's great (we do
!). Nice place. We would like to visit here again. Huatulco: Just bopped into town did a
little trinket hunting and left. Looked like this area was still
developing. We did not go to the beaches but we never heard any complaints from the people
who did. Acapulco: Unfortunately due to an emergency at
home this is where our trip ended. Princess was superb in helping us to get back home as
soon as possible. They changed what could have been a bad
ending to a wonderful trip into memory of some people who truly did their best to help.
This was our second cruise and our first was on Carnival. We
basically enjoyed both. I still think if you are nice to people they will be nice to you.
We all go on cruises for the same basic reasons , relax and have a
great time. Sometimes you have let go and do it. Any questions?
Want to book your cruise at a great rate?
Click here.
Questions or comments? Mail to webmaster@cruiseopinion.com.
Copyright ©1996-2001 CruiseOpinion.com. Last modified: March 23, 2000.