OUR REGAL HOLIDAY
For those of you who have read these sometimes interesting rambles in the past, welcome back. For those newcomers who have yet to peruse their very likely inconsistent recollections, welcome to you also. This missive contains the memories of a quite enjoyable voyage upon the fair ship Regal Princess as she made her way from Galveston, Texas, through the friendly waters of the southern Caribbean and on to the sunny shores of Florida at Ft. Lauderdale. We undertook this adventure starting on the 23rd of March, 2023, and concluded it on April 5th. It consisted of a lot of ups and a couple semi-downs. All things considered it was a rousing success. If you’re interested in travelogues of this kind, please read on. I pledge all the words forthcoming to be true to the best of my knowledge. And memory.
Let’s begin, shall we?
Our trip began on the Saturday morning of March 23. We’d booked an afternoon flight out of Columbus, Ohio that day. Why afternoon and why Columbus when we live an hour and a half northeast of there? The time was selected due to cost (it’s always that at the core, isn’t it?) and the place? Cost again. I of course examined other ports of departure, but they were even more expensive. So the choice became obvious. Mid-afternoon it was and Columbus was the starting line. So, for a change, our day did NOT start at the crack of dawn like it usually does, but a gentle goodbye at noon was the order of the day. The drive to the state capital was fine. We arrived quite early to the airport – one of my quirks I suppose. Judy had messed up her left leg several months earlier, so we were for the first time, requesting wheelchair accomodations in the terminal for her. Those needs were met accordingly and yours truly had to huff and puff to keep up with the athletic wheelchair pusher supplied from the check-in gate, through TSA and on to the departure gate. We had a lengthy wait, during which we fidgeted, fussed and did all in our power to make the minutes and hours pass quicker. Finally – after an hours delay for who knows exactly what reason – we were airborne and heading southward! After a decent flight we landed at George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas. Houston was the closest airport to our departure port of Galveston. That city has two major airports – the Bush one (IAH) we were going to and one called Hobby which was actually quite a bit closer to the coast. But, as luck would have it, cost and scheduling again were paramount, and we were left with one to Bush. We contracted an Uber for the lengthy onward trip and the gentleman who drove us was courteous and efficient. And definitely well paid for his lengthy journey. We had left for this trip a day early, so our first stop was at a hotel for the night before. We certainly didn’t want to “miss the boat” for any arcane reason like weather, strikes at airlines, yadda-yadda. The hotel we stayed at was in Texas City, Texas which was about a 15-minute ride from our port on Galveston Island. Once again, when you compared the cost of this hotel there versus one on the island, the savings was very apparent.
On this upcoming trip we were joined by my brother Chuck and his friend Dave. We’d traveled with them a number of times before and were looking forward to their company for this voyage. They met us at the hotel that evening with a hot pizza, a cold beer and some convivial conversation. They’d traveled from San Jose, California for this one and, after some recounting of our individual travels thus far, we bid adieu for the night and settled in.
Sunday. Since the sail away wasn’t until 3 pm, we took our time departing the hotel. Our Uber arrived around midday and, after a very good and speedy embarkation process, we were onboard quite quickly. As many of you cruisers know, your stateroom is not ready for your occupancy until a bit later in the afternoon on arrival day. This is to facilitate the cleaning of said room because of the previous guest who no doubt just departed that morning. So we enjoyed lunch in the huge buffet on deck 16. Our staterooms were on deck 15, so we were close. The announcement that the staterooms were available was around 1:30 as normal. We’d booked a balcony cabin this trip so we immediately took a seat out there and enjoyed watching the port activity.
Some facts about our ship. She’s named the Regal Princess and can hold more than 3,500 passengers and 1350 crew. (we weren’t at quite capacity this trip) There are more than 1,400 balcony staterooms aboard. She was built in 2014 and was the original “Love Boat” in the TV series. (She blows the Loveboat theme on the ship’s horn when leaving every port. It’s quite iconic.) There are 19 decks and she’s 1,083 feet long and 217 feet high. Her registry is Bermuda and her crew is VERY international.
We unpacked as soon as our bags arrived (they transport them from the loading dock as we arrived and deposited them outside our stateroom) and soon our new little home was set up. Dave and Chuck were ensconced right next door. We had our room steward open the divider between our balconies so we now had a shared larger one. We did our muster drill (now days it consists of watching a video on your TV, walking to your muster station and checking in and making sure you know where your life jacket was. Pretty simplified compared to how we had to do it “back in the day.”) We met our room steward – a lady named Sarah May Taay from the Philippines sometime that day also. Although we didn’t see her very often, she took good care of us cleaning our room daily.
Couple more facts for ya. This was a “Medallion” cruise. This means all passengers had a medallion which they wore. It was an electronic devise that coupled with an app on your phone and allowed you to do many things on the ship. It was also tracked by the ship and you could find your shipmates that way! Also, we had bought what they called the “Plus” package which allowed you to drink up to 15 $15 drinks per day, special desserts, crew gratuity, internet access and a bunch of other benefits while onboard. It made bookkeeping simple. It was an add-on to the basic cost of the cruise, but quite useful. The cruise was also what’s called in the business a “Repo” cruise. Repo in this context does NOT mean repossession, but reposition. Most cruising fleets reposition a lot of their ships in the spring and fall. Spring you repo to the Mediterranean and in the fall to the Caribbean. This was the first half of a repo to the British Isles.
We made our way to our dining room – it was called the Symphony. There were three such main dining rooms (MDR’s) on the ship. We met the waiters that would take care of us through the cruise and began to know these men. Our drink steward was named Katlego and he was from South Africa and our food steward was named Arnel and he was from the Philippines. Both became friends during our 12 days together. They were very skilled in their duties and we enjoyed our dinners much more through their great personalities. There were a number of lounges and theaters throughout the ship where you could enjoy entertainment of various sorts. We took advantage of a lot of them. This evening we sat in several trivia contests in one of the lounges and enjoyed a few drinks. The Gulf of Mexico was a little rough this first day. I – due probably to the anti-sea-sick meds I took – enjoyed the “motion of the ocean” and, after retiring around 11, slept the sleep of the innocent. We did hear some of the coat hangers in our closet rattling around a bit during the night due to the swaying of the ship, but the “hanger bangers” didn’t bother me hardly at all.
We noticed during our ambles around the ship that a LOT of the passengers are disabled to one degree or another. There are LOTS and LOTS of motorized scooters, walkers, rollators and canes by the hundreds. Judy making her way around with a cane was almost a ship standard! Yes there were younger cruisers clear down to babies. But not many. Most were like us – gray haired and possessing many years under our belts.
Monday. Today was a sea day while the ship sailed toward Mexico. Slept well and arose around 8. When I parted the curtains to our balcony I saw quite a few whitecaps. It was windy. Plus the sky was cloudy and hazy. We had nothing specific planned. Went to the buffet a bit later and had our eggs, bacon, potatoes, pastry, juice and coffee. Later Judy and I went to an open area of deck 16 – Lido – and chatted with Dave and Chuck who were sitting there. At a bit after noon I went to a veteran’s gathering at one of the lounges. There were many vets on this cruise! They gave all of us a glass of champagne and we toasted each other. Then they passed the microphone and we ALL had a chance to comment on our time in the service. By the time we all had our say, we’d run 15 minutes over! Dinner tonight was formal which means, in the Princess lexicon, “Dress to Impress.” The definition has degraded a bit from the “old days.” Back then it was dark suits or tuxes – ladies in evening wear. Now… not so much. Most showed up in long pants and a better shirt. Some suits and ties. Even a few tuxes here and there. But I just had long pants, dress shirt and a tie. Sea is calmer and it’s easier to walk. Food quite good. Then to the theater for a singer/dancer show. Judy and I agreed it was the same show we saw last year! Good though. Later we saw a comedian in the stern lounge. We experimented with different drinks during this cruise and found some we particularly enjoy. For Judy it was a “Dirty Banana”. For me… “Pineapple Mojito.” We rarely drink at home, but during a cruise? Hmmm… Then to bed and pleasant dreams.
Tuesday. Due to windy weather crossing the Gulf, we docked at Cozumel, Mexico around 11 am. They extended the “back aboard” time to 7 pm, so we didn’t miss much ashore time. We used a pedicab at the dock (Coz has a LONG dock) as Judy still wasn’t walking well. Got a taxi – the four of us – and went to a day club called Nachi Cocum. Judy and I had been there before on previous cruises. All inclusive – food, drink, beach, palapa (beach umbrella), pool, hot tub, etc. Had a great meal in the open-air pavilion and went into the pool. Dave thought it too cool so slipped into the hot tub. We imbibed at the swim-up bar and chatted most of the afternoon. Beautiful place. Dave conversed with the barmen. He’s fluent in various languages, one of them being Spanish, which was handy in Mexico. Hmmm… Taxi back to the ship 4-ish and had supper in the buffet for a change. Then to a bar for more chatting with Chuck and Dave. Later to the theater for a magician who was darn good, especially with card magic. And, of course, he had GORGEOUS female assistants! Magician stock and trade. Had 5 ships docked in Coz today. We were the last to leave. Hazy and cloudy all day with a high in the 80’s. Nice change from the chilly Ohio weather.
Wednesday. Today was the first of our two sea days before Aruba. Up around 9. Buffet. Starting to get sick of bacon/eggs. (I think the eggs are powdered. Not fond of powdered.) Perused the available activities onboard both on the daily paper and the app on the phone. There were LOTS of things to do. Went to bingo at 3. Didn’t win. (figured that, did ya?) Supper was in “our” dining room, the Allegro. My dinner consisted of cold peach/mango soup (remarkable), shrimp cocktail and a jerk chicken main course. Dessert mixed berry cobbler with ice cream. Make no mistake, we ate WELL this cruise. The dishes I didn’t like could be counted on one hand with a few fingers gone. Watched a comedian later then back to the stateroom. My face is a touch red. Too much Mexican sun through the clouds! Set the clocks forward tonight. Back in EST.
Thursday. Our second sea day. Buffet again. This time pastry and coffee. Not bad. Went to the casino for a little while then met Dave and Chuck near the pool on Lido watching the ice carving demonstration. (a standard on cruises) Had an ice cream cone. Met up with Judy then back to Lido to chat some more. Buffet at 1 pm. Constructed fajitas for ourselves. Tasty. Chips, salsa, jalapenos, cheese, tomatoes. Took a nap. Beautiful supper in the Allegro. Italian-theme night. Veal Scallopini for me, lasagna for Jude. Tiramisu for dessert. There was a movie tonight on Lido “under the stars” that I wanted to see. “The Creator.” Judy didn’t. So at 9 I went upstairs and, wrapped in a Princess-supplied blanket and on a deck chair, watched the movie. (I’d seen it before, but it was good enough to re-watch) Back “home” at 11 and toddled off to bed.
Friday. We docked early in Oranjestaad, Aruba. Ate a bite at the International Cafe on deck 5. Our tour of the island is at 1 pm. Judy decided not to go. Afraid of any tough walking on the tour. She later decided to go anyhow. We caught a bus off the dock which took us down the shore to another dock where we caught a small shuttle boat. This took us to the site of a shipwreck and what they called a semi-submersible ship. We boarded and went below. The walls were of glass and we could see the fish and the wreck below us. It puttered around and we got good views of all the various sea life and the pieces of the wrecked ship. Afterward we rode the bus for a few other sights on Aruba including a lighthouse and a natural rock bridge. Then a cool-looking rock garden. The island is mostly desert with LOTS of various spiny cactus and other thorny plants. The guide said most of the plant life on the island WILL hurt you! Ended up being a 4-hour tour. Nice! Judy hurting bad from the necessary walking she had to do. Supper tonight was a couple pieces of pizza on the Lido along with a coke/beer. We went down to deck 7, drank some libations and did some people watching. Went to a lounge and did some ‘80’s trivia. Had a few more pours, then we weaved our way back “home” and hit the comfy bed.
Saturday. We were in Curacao today. No real plans. Just jump off the ship to get some souvenirs maybe. Judy walked to the end of the gangway and decided not to walk any further. She returned to the ship and I went walking. It was already hot. I took some pictures of the pretty buildings. They were painted all different colors. It’s kind of a tradition on this island. Very striking. Stopped at a little casino on the island on my walk back to the ship and ended up winning $78 on a slot machine! Returned to the ship, recounted my journey and winnings to Judy then went to deck 5 to chit-chat with Dave and Chuck. Had a gelato and a drink. Took a bit of a nap, then it was off to Allegro for dinner. Started with the traditional shrimp cocktail then a marvelous crab soup. Short ribs for a main followed by apple pastry and ice cream. Tonight in the main theater it was native Curacao dancers doing some of their traditional dances to their own music. Then back to the cabin. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and a sea day. Really noticing the preponderance of mobility devices onboard. Scooters, rollators, walkers and canes. We definitely are an older group. Noticed after leaving the theater that the casino was empty. It’s closed when docked. Realized that was the case when we were in port. Don’t want to conflict with the local economy.
Sunday. Another sea day. Our first Easter at sea! Another beautiful day – sunny, hot and calm sea. Went up to the buffet alone – Judy still sleeping. Ate and went down to the Lobby on deck 5 to sit with Chuck and Dave and watch the games they do there. Golf, ring toss, jenga, egg toss, corn hole, etc. Judy joined us later. After a while Judy and I went back to the cabin and gathered up our dirty clothes. It was washing day! We used the laundromat on deck 14 because it had more machines than the one on our deck and also had tokens available. The one on our deck was out. After doing that we should be okey-dokey for the rest of the trip. We adjourned to the Lobby again to grab a sandwich at the International Cafe to hold us (grin) until supper. Again we dined at the Allegro. Started with the shrimp cocktail and a superb mushroom soup. Fried chicken was my main and it was OK. Other offerings were lamb and ham to commemorate Easter. Then some after dinner drinks at the Wheelhouse Bar and a comedian show in the stern lounge. Then back to the room. We have an early excursion tomorrow.
Monday. We docked at Antigua this beautiful morning. We have an excursion booked. Judy is bowing out of this one. Leg. Had a bite on deck 5 – ersatz Egg McMuffin sandwich and a decaf. Then headed to deck 4 for our (my) excursion. Toured some of the island on a mini-bus – about 30 passenger. Had 3 stops. First two were on top of hills looking down on the island scenery. Lovely views of the Atlantic, Caribbean and various other features to see. The last stop was a place called Nelson’s Boatyard. This is where the British navy anchored back “in the day” while they were at war with France and the pirates. (bit hazy on the history here – sorry) Now it contained LOTS of boats and yachts. Quite a popular harbor for the area. Got back to the boat in the early afternoon and napped a bit. We had docked with the starboard side to the dock – the side our balcony was on. We could easily watch all the activity below us on the pier. Judy had wandered around the ship while I was gone. Chuck and Dave also took an island tour with a taxi company. Also enjoyed the island as I had. We joined up out on our balconies and yammered about our adventures for the day before dinner. At the Allegro I thoroughly enjoyed a yummy pea soup for an appetizer and a great dinner. Afterward we went to the theater to see a performance of “Fiera.” Hard to describe. Singing and dancing for sure – kind of a glitzy sideshow theme. Wonderful set decorations. Then Judy and I went up to the Lido for an “under the stars” presentation of the new “Willie Wonka” movie on the big screen. We enjoyed it while wrapped in the Princess blankets. I was struck by the realization that the two of us were sailing across the Caribbean, on a lounger, wrapped in a warm blanket under the stars watching a first run movie! Some moments in life are made to be savored and thoroughly enjoyed. This was surly one. I understood at that moment how GREAT life was for me then and was terribly grateful for the gift. I realized how our folks would probably have thought this a miracle for us and would hardly have believed our story. Only the filthy rich did such things. So, mom and dad… the world is different now… very much so! Then it was back to the cabin and sleep. Another fine cruising day.
Tuesday. We docked at St. Marten/St. Maartin very early today. After a shower we went down to deck 5 for one of the egg sandwiches and some pastry for breakfast. There was a multi-seat golf cart taking the old/weak/disabled/tired down the pier to the shopping area there and back and we took advantage of it. We had docked starboard side again, so we could see our balcony WAY up there when we returned with our island loot. I spent some of the day on deck 5 again watching the games then it was time for another pre-dinner nap. Hell of a vacation, eh? Woke up and watched the sail away from the balcony. Again supper at 5 in the Allegro. Good but not spectacular. Can’t expect that. Then a show in the theater – a singer and fiddle player who was super. Old familiar songs – sing along type. Then we sat outside another lounge and played along on Country Western trivia. And maybe had a drink or three. Chuck and Dave took a tour around the island that morning so Dave could see some of the sights. Chuck and Judy and I had been there before a couple times. This was our last port. Now for two sea days before Florida. God we’re going to miss this life!
Wednesday. First sea day heading home. Sunny skies again and once more blue calm waters slipping by past our balcony. A light breakfast in the buffet and pizza on Lido for lunch. Found Chuck and Dave on deck 5 and sat/talked with them for a while. Watched some shows. Nap then down for “dress to impress” night again at the Allegro. Tonight was lobster and steak for a main and escargot for an appetizer. The waiters and maitre d’ did a line dance for us customers and it was fun and a bit sad. Our voyage together was coming to an end soon. Then to the theater for the night’s show. A good one about choreographers. The staff danced their butts off tonight! We had some more drinks then went to the last comedy show in the aft lounge. Probably the best of the three we’ve seen this trip. Came back to the room to see a sheet of paper with the debarkation information. Another great sea night for sleeping.
Thursday. Last sea day heading home. Up early for a change – shower – went to deck 5 for breakfast. Egg muffin/pastry again. Chuck, Dave and I then went to the theater for a culinary show – head chef for ship and the head maitre d’ doing a cooking/comedy skit for us. A fun show! Then we followed them for a quick tour of the galley. As usual it was immaculately clean and stainless steel everywhere. They do a LOT of meals there. Back to deck 5 for crew vs. guests playing Jenga. Fun. At 2 pm we went to a show starring our marvelous cruise director Allie as she described her job and how she got it. Great talk and a great CD. Next was a talk by one of the bridge officers on how the ship was steered, what went on on the bridge and lots more technical stuff. We asked him lots of questions and it was a fascinating hour. Propulsion, navigating, steering, engineering, ranks of officers, many screens used by them. Learned a ton and it was, at least to me, extremely fascinating. Then back to the cabin to get our suitcases packed and out in the hallway to be whisked away and be given back when we were in port. Another fine dinner in the Allegro and a sad goodbye to our great waiters. Then a farewell show at the theater, more drinks and back to bed.
Friday. We docked at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida pre-dawn. We could hear the docks being attached and the loading/unloading work beginning. (the ship would be continuing the repo cruise by immediately sailing to England after we were off) We were up early – we had to vacate the cabin before 8 am. We finished packing our carry-ons and were in our waiting areas soon after 8. Our debarking was called soon after that and we then crossed the gangway for the last time. Retrieving our bags went smoothly and customs was just a photograph. Then it was on the bus, ride to Ft. Lauderdale airport and wait, wait, wait for our late afternoon flight. The flight was decent and we were in Columbus, Ohio by 9:30 pm. The little shuttle bus took us to the parking lot where our car was awaiting and we were soon on the road home. We arrived there around 11:30 to the waiting arms of our son and dog. Home at last!
A few takeaways…
We debated going on this trip due to Judy’s bad leg, but decided we could make it if we took things a bit easier. It WASN’T as easy as with two more able seniors, but WAS doable. If I had know Judy would be disabled for the trip I’d have booked things differently.
We weren’t the only older disabled couples onboard. As said earlier there were LOTS of folks in the same or much worse conditions than us.
It was great to share the trip with my brother Chuck and his friend Dave. It made the journey MUCH more enjoyable.
12 days MIGHT be a little too long. We agree that a week seems, at least to us, as the ideal time for a cruise to last. Might stretch that to 10.
Cruising might be the ideal vacation. Unpack once, see a lot of new places, be treated superbly, eat well, drink as you like and meet LOTS of like-minded people.
