Regal Princess

In this Regal Princess cruise review I share my detailed expereinces on this beautiful Royal Class ship, including lots of photos. I have sailed on the Ruby Princess through the Panama Canal , the Sky Princess along Norway’s coast , the Sapphire Princess around South America and to Antarctica , the Diamond Princess around Japan, and the Island Princess in Alaska. This time, I tried the Regal Princess with a 12-day cruise around the British Isles, and I was very pleased with both the ship and the destinations we visited. After having been on many other Princess ships, the Regal had many familiar spaces that I enjoy: the International Café, Movies Under the Stars, the Enclave, and the Piazza. Yet the ship also had unique design elements that made it fun to explore, like the fountains on deck 16. I like to cruise with Princess because of their unique itineraries, and this one was no exception, as this cruise took me all around the British Isles. With port calls in England, both parts of Ireland, along with Scotland, this was an easy way to get a taste of the different cultures in each country. It was a very busy schedule with only a few of the sea days that I love, but I certainly did get the opportunity to have many unique experiences. My first cruise from Southampton, England, was on the Sky Princess and started with an overnight flight from the USA to Heathrow Airport. I chose to transfer on my own to the cruise dock, which was quite easy. After clearing customs at Heathrow, I went to the National Express information desk and purchased a bus ticket that took me directly from the airport to Southampton. The next day, I walked to the pier where the Princess ships dock (though I could also have taken a taxi). For this trip on the Regal, I arrived in Southampton on a high-speed ferry from the Isle of Wight, where I spent a few days before the cruise, relaxing and enjoying the scenery. Even though the ferry dock was not far from the cruise port, I chose a quick cab ride to get to the Regal Princess rather than shlep my bags for 20 minutes. My balcony cabin was 222 square feet and, for just one person, was sufficiently roomy, with more than enough storage space (most of which I didn’t need). Each of the two nightstands had two drawers and an open shelf. The desk also had three drawers, one of which held a hair dryer. Across from the desk was a credenza that held a small fridge and three open shelves. There was also a small round coffee table, which I actually put into the closet area to get it out of the way because I really didn’t need it. My closet was roomy and came with 35 hangers (yes, I counted) and a floor-to-ceiling cabinet that held the safe and more shelves for storage. The bathroom wasn’t large, but it had enough space for one person to easily maneuver in it. There were three open shelves by the mirror and a large open shelf under the sink. There was also a walk-in shower, which I prefer over a bathtub-shower combo. As I have often encountered on cruise ships, there were not enough outlets and no USB ports. There were only two outlets by the desk: one for an American plug and one for a European plug. This worked fine for just one person in the cabin, but it may not be enough for two people and all their electronic gadgets. There was also an outlet in the bathroom that took a two-pronged American plug or a European plug for razors. To make sure I can charge all my electronics, I bring a cruise ship approved multi outlet power strip with USB ports. Note that surge protectors are not allowed on board. The Regal Princess is the sister ship to the Royal Princess, and both ships are said to be very similar (though I have not been on the Royal yet). As one of the earliest ships in the Royal Class line, I found familiar elements from the Ruby and Sapphire, both of which are Grand Class ships that I had previously sailed on, along with elements that are distinctive to the Royal Class ships. Notably, the Regal Prin