Celebrate with Princess Cruises

PHOTO: The new Terrace Pool on Deck 17 of the Regal Princess aft.

Princess Cruises christened its newest ship, Regal Princess, with a blow-out party that also kicked off the line’s 50th anniversary celebration, which continues all year.

The festivities featured everybody’s favorite TV stars from “The Love Boat,” which ushered Princess and cruising into the living rooms of Americans.

It was great fun and shows the enduring affection people have for a light-hearted TV program, but it was one that ultimately helped establish the modern cruise industry as a viable vacation option.

The cruise ship itself, however, took second stage to the high-wattage celebrities (Charo! Dick Van Patten! Loni Anderson!) at least during its celebratory three-day christening voyage from Fort Lauderdale.

But the 3,560-guest, 141,000-ton Regal Princess shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a beautiful ship, one that will appeal to a wide range of cruise customers and prospects.

It is sister to the Royal Princess, itself christened in June 2013 by none other than Kate Middleton, the duchess of Cambridge, wife to Princess William and mother to the little prince George.

There are some changes on the Regal Princess, although they are mostly “very subtle,” according to Brian O’Connor, vice president of sales-North America for Princess.

One structural change resulted in a new feature, the Terrace Pool, located on Deck 17 aft. “What I love about it is that it adds another pool for the trade to use when they book a group,” O’Connor says. “It’s an additional place that a group can take over for a function. We’ve had a few that do that already.”

It appears to be a popular spot for cruisers seeking sun and a place to cool off that is quieter than the main pool on Deck 16 midships. And it is just a quick walk to restrooms and the Outrigger Bar down one deck.

Another change on the Regal Princess is the reconfigured entrance to Princess Live!, the 300-seat television studio used not only to record the daily “Wake Show” with the cruise director, but also to host trivia contests, karaoke and shopping talks.

“One thing we did a little different was to reconfigure the entrance and exterior wall of the Princess Live TV studio,” O’Connor says. “On the Royal Princess, it’s beautifully designed but you didn’t have a reason to go in there. On Regal Princess, we put in windows so you can look in when there’s a TV show or lecture.” And more people might be inclined to walk in and join the fun.

Returning features include the water-and-light show in the top-deck fountains and the SeaWalk, a top-deck, glass-bottomed enclosed walkway that extends more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel and 128 feet above the sea.

Here is an overview of the ship’s features.

PHOTO: The Regal Princess at sea.

Accommodations

While essentially the same as those on Royal Princess, staterooms on Regal Princess have a more contemporary décor as well as some new features, such as larger showers with hand-held shower heads, pillow-top mattresses, upholstered headboards, bigger wall-mounted television screens with on-demand programming (including movies and “The Love Boat” episodes!), and energy-efficient lighting that clicks on when a plastic card is inserted into a slot. Electrical sockets are spaced farther apart to accommodate multiple plugs.

Bathrooms have square sinks designed to provide more vanity space, and mirrors with vanity lighting.

Another new option, aimed at families, is the 50 adjoining staterooms.

The ship has 1,780 staterooms in all, including 342 inside cabins of 161 to 240 square feet and 730 balcony staterooms measuring 222 to 333 square feet, including the balcony.

A new category is the deluxe balcony stateroom, of which there are 358 measuring 233 to 312 square feet. The deluxe balcony also has a sofa bed and some of the upgraded amenities found in a mini-suite, including enhanced bathroom amenities, a waffle bathrobe and an upgraded duvet.

The 314 mini-suites measure 299 to 465 square feet and include a decorative lighting fixture, a privacy curtain between the bed and sitting area, and marble-topped counters.

The 36 suites encompass 440 to 705 square feet and have larger televisions, two sinks in the bathroom, accent lighting and a glass-paneled shower. Plus, they have access to a concierge lounge, which is something new on a Princess ship. This exclusive lounge offers full front-desk services, light snacks and beverages, and a staff to assist with making shore excursion, specialty dining or Lotus Spa reservations. It also is used as a private disembarkation lounge for suite guests.

Dining

PHOTO: International Café on the Regal Princess is open 24 hours and serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches

The Regal Princess has three main dining rooms named Allegro, Symphony and Concerto. Allegro is devoted to traditional dinner sittings while the other two have anytime dining.

Allegro also has the Chef’s Table experience called Lumiere for its dramatic curtain of shimmering light that surrounds the custom-made glass table. The specially prepared meal carries a cover charge of $115 per person.

The Regal Princess has several of the line’s signature special restaurants, including the Crown Grill, which serves chops, seafood and steaks for $25 per person. Sabatini’s, the Tuscan-inspired restaurant, features Italian favorites for $25 per person.

Regal Princess also has a delicious 121-seat Italian eatery called Alfredo’s, which is complimentary. It serves hand-tossed Neapolitan-style pizzas, antipasti, soup and salads, calzones and baked pastas.

The Horizon Court now offers a wide assortment of foods, available on buffets and in action stations. For lunch on a port day, the Horizon Bistro features fresh fruit, salad bar, taco bar, hibachi grill with selections such as grilled veggies and lamb riblets, rotisserie chicken, roast turkey and sirloin sliced to order, soups, a deli sandwich bar, and ready-made sandwiches including tuna salad. There’s also a full pastry shop with shelves stocked with fruit tarts, slices of double-chocolate cream cake, apple cobbler, mini cream puffs and key lime pie.

The buffet in the Horizon Court serves up international selections including Asian cuisine, Mediterranean dishes, a pasta corner and salad-tossing stations.

In the evening, the Horizon Court offers themed events, such as Brazilian churrascaria, a German beer fest, a European bistro or British pub.

There also are two specialty dining options in Horizon Court. The Crab Shack serves up a crawfish boil, peel-and-eat shrimp, and a steamer pot with crab, shrimp, clams and mussels. Guests dig in with mallets while wearing bibs. The cover charge is $20.

The other option in Horizon Court is Fondues, which includes a classic Swiss fondue along with German and French options. Cover charge is $20.

Another complimentary option is the pub lunch served in the combined space in the Wheelhouse Bar and the Crown Grill. Regal Princess offers the full traditional pub-style lunch on all sea days and fish-and-chips and a ploughman’s lunch on port days.

Other options include the Ocean Terrace seafood bar, which has a menu of oysters, fresh sushi and sashimi, ahi tuna poke, king crab cocktail, chili and lime crab margarita, and renowned smoked Balik salmon, all individually priced.

Open 24 hours, the International Café serves pastries and sandwiches.

Public Areas

PHOTO: The soaring Piazza in the center of the Regal Princess.

The heart of the Regal Princess is the Piazza, the atrium surrounded by restaurants, shops and lounges and the spot for seemingly never-ending entertainment. Shows in the Princess Theater include two new productions — “Fiera!” is a journey to the fairground, and “Bravo … A Regal Celebration” celebrates light opera and musical theater.

The Vista Lounge hosts bingo, live bands, comedians and illusionists, plus themed parties and special events.

The ship also has a disco called Club 6, the Crooners piano and martini bar, and Bellini’s, which serves a variety of bubbly beverages.

Itineraries

The Regal Princess is operating seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale through April 5, calling at Princess Cays, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Then it heads to Europe to operate 10- and 11-day Scandinavia & Russia voyages.