12/1/22 - 12/10/22 Regal Princess

 12/1/22

We picked up my parents at the airport and headed to Gilbert's 17th Street Grill. They have great specials, great burgers, and great service.

We checked in at that Holiday Inn Express Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port. Our room was ready so we all headed up there to wait for about an hour until my Mom and Dad were able to get a room. We walked over to the Boatyard for dinner. It was great. My favorite dishes were the brussel sprouts and the paella. We called it an early night.

 

12/2

Got up early to film the review of the Holiday Inn Express and walked up the bridge to see the Regal Princess. 

We checked out about 11 am and killed time hanging out in the lobby. We went to Fit Fresh for lunch. It was terrific. The whole restaurant is gluten free. They have great smoothies and salads. We headed to the port. It took around 40 minutes to board. We went right to Sanctuary to try to get a chaise loungers. The sea days were already full, but we booked four full days at $40 each on the port days. We came back and did muster drill, I filmed the spa, and then we hung out at the Horizon bar for sail away. We met Rick and Joy from near Lake Tahoe and had a great chat with them. We went to Vines to hear the violinists. Dinner in Allegro was good. Service was a little slow, but it's the first night. I had the antipasto and the lasagna. We went to Crooner's for an after dinner drink. The pianist was okay. Early to bed.

 

12/3  Sea Day

We had to move our clocks ahead an hour during the night so we didn't leave cabin until about 10 am. We headed to Horizon Bar for a Bloody Mary. We met my parents at Alfredo's for lunch. We love their antipasto, agnolotti, and pizza. 

After lunch, we headed up to the pool deck. Then, down to Vines. I was supposed to have a pedicure, but I got bumped to the next morning. We went to the Elite happy hour before dinner and were very pleased and surprised to find a band playing. We met my parents at Vines. Dinner at Allegro was very good. After dinner, we listed to the guitar player in Crooners Bar.

 

12/4 Amber Cove

I got a pedicure. It was fun watching the ship dock from the Deck 5 spa.  We waited out the rain and then headed into Amber Cove. It's a nice shopping area with a large pool, bar, restaurant, and zip line.

Back onboard and to the Sanctuary for lunch. We were disappointed with the Sanctuary bento boxes. The sesame tuna definitely didn't match the description. The drink service was slow so we ended up heading to the bar. The Retreat pool was nice and refreshing. My parents joined us after their tour. Then we did our normal Elite happy hour, Vines, and then dinner. Dinner was Italian night and it was pretty good. I got my fettuccine Alfredo. The Veal scallopini was decent. The show was Project 5's tribute to Whitney Houston. Wow can the lead singer sing. We called it an early night.

 

12/5 San Juan

We decided to stay onboard. I worked and filmed most of the morning. We headed to the Sanctuary and ordered Ocean Now for lunch. Glenn also grabbed some pizza. It rained a little. We had a nice relaxing day in the Sanctuary. It's always fun when they bring tea time around. I worked in the afternoon. We went to Elite Happy Hour then Vines. 

Dinner was decent. After dinner, we listened to the guitar player in Crooners and then the violins in Vines.

 

12/6 St Kitts

I worked for a couple hours then we headed to Horizon Cafe for breakfast.  The Regal Princess French Toast was very good. Then we headed to Horizon Bar for a Bloody Mary. We had a very relaxing time in the Sanctuary. They even secured a gluten free sandwich and dessert for Mom. Glenn finally got some hot tub time.

 

We headed up to deck for sailaway. We were surprised to find dueling parties with the Enchanted Princess. It was so much fun. 

We dropped lines at the same time and sailed away together.  We went to the Vines and listened to Project 5. Dinner was a bit of a mess. After dinner, we listened to the guitar player in Crooners. We entered and won the Love Boat show in the atrium. We had to move a balloon from between us to our backs, draw each other, make a cocktail, and do a dance. It was hilarious.

 

12/7 St Maarten

I worked for a few hours. We had breakfast in the buffet. The Executive Chef was there so we got to share our appreciation for the Asian breakfast dishes. We headed up to the Sanctuary. The water is always so gorgeous in St Maarten. We had a lovely day in the sun and pool. I worked a little more in the afternoon. We headed to Vined and then dinner. Dinner was less chaotic and the food was pretty good. The vegetable tart was really nice. Arturo, the restaurant manager, arranged for a special gluten free cake for my Mom. We lost Broadway trivia, but did very well with 31/40. We headed up to deck for the Latin Nights party. It seems like this just isn't a deck party crowd. The singers and dancers performed a nice 15 minute show.

 

12/8 Sea Day

Worked until 11 am and then met the family for a slot pull. I won $241 on a bonus. Very exciting. We went to Alfredo's for lunch. Love the eggplant and calzones. After lunch, the boys took naps. Mom and I played cards, went to the jewelry sale, and back to the casino. I won another $85 on a bonus. We had happy hour and our Elite party. Dinner was a bit chaotic again since our Junior Waiter was in training for waiter. We listened to the guitar player and then Project 5. There was a hilarious dance competition where guests were paired up. The winning couple reenacted the Titanic.

 12/9 Sea Day

 We had our buffet Breakfast and Outrigger Bar Bloody Marys. We headed to the casino for another family slot pull. Lunch in the dining room was great. We went to Voice of the Ocean. It was very fun. The seven singers were very good. We played Quirkle in Vines, had a good dinner in Allegro with Renilo and Resty, listened to Christian, the guitar player, and then ended with Project 5 at the Vines.

12/10/22 

Time is disembark and head to Miami for our Carnival Celebration cruise