9-Day Caribbean Cruise Aboard the REGAL PRINCESS, Visiting Amber Cove and Grand Turk Island, Among Others

This was my first time sailing on a Princess cruise (3rd cruise ever) and it will be my last time. Overall, our cruise was fine. It was the discrimination experienced from some of the staff/team members that has led to us never going on another Princess Cruise unfortunately. Listed below are my pros/cons of my recent sailing.

Pros:

- The food was GREAT! We ate at the Horizon buffet the majority of the time during our cruise, and the food was really good. Each night, they had a theme for various types of cuisines and all of it was good every time. There was a variety of foods to choose from so all three of us were satisfied with what we ate each day. My son and I did eat at the Crown Grille and it was okay. We both had filet mignons. The meat could've been seasoned better because it was bland to me. My son enjoyed his whole meal, including the two desserts he gobbled down! Our waiter was very nice and attentive as well.

- The activities, lives, etc. were great! Sam, the Activities Director, did an excellent job of making sure there was something fun for everyone to do. Rachel and he made a great team on our ship, and they both had me cackling at their antics and bantering with each other.

- Our mini-suite was pretty nice. There was more than enough space for my son and I to have where we weren't bumping into each other. The curtains to separate his space from mine was very nice. I didn't even sit on our balcony a lot like I did on my other cruises; and that's because I was too busy enjoying the activities on the ship.

- Our attendant Ricky was great and took care of our room! I didn't find any hairs on my sheets or towels. That's a requirement for me; I don't want other peoples' hairs on my body or me sleeping on them. That's gross.

- The ship had a mixture of age groups. It seemed to be predominantly Boomers and older Gen Xers; I'm a young Gen X.

Cons:

Some of the team members discriminated against us at various times.

- The first instance was when we went to one of the pool deck bars on embarkation day. We were not served at all by the bartenders yet they were quick to serve several other cruisers who arrived AFTER us. Strike 1. Of course, we left and went to the bar by Trident Grill and were served according to our position in line. There were drunk cruisers attempting to be served immediately, but the bartender informed them that they had to wait in line after other cruisers, including us, were served. And THAT is how you serve people, according to their place in line.

- The second instance came when I went to the Future Cruise Credit office to see about an Alaskan cruise. I was not acknowledged at all. There were three team members in there; two were talking amongst themselves while the third was watching them talk. Never even stopped to help me. Strike 2.

- The final instance was -- and I brought my friend down to make sure I wasn't crazy -- when I went back to that office to see about booking my Alaskan cruise that day. Two team members in the office not doing anything but on their computers. I was never acknowledged yet again and not one person got up to assist me. A white couple came down and was immediately greeted and assisted as I stood there. My friend shook her head and confirmed what I had experienced. Strike 3.

- My friend experienced the same thing when she sat down at the casino bar while I stood in line to collect winnings. The bartenders NEVER served her and were serving people walking up well after her. I even was about to be served when I finally walked up to the bar, and she still hadn't been served. I made it a point to tell them that she was sitting there before me and another couple, and they had not served her. Pathetic.

- You cannot hear announcements in your room. They only play them in the hallways, which is asinine to me. The other two cruises I've been on, you could hear the messages in your cabin. Not sure why this line chose to do it differently.

- Their MedallionNet wifi was slow, and it was included in our package. I understand that many people were probably using it, but I've not had slow, paid wifi on the other two ships I sailed.

In spite of those issues, we made our cruise fun! Met and mingled with many people. My son definitely made a name for himself playing and winning runner-up in ping-pong the whole duration of the cruise. I found one duck on the cruise, hidden in a pamphlet box! Lol!

I will not sail on Princess Cruise Lines again, though, due to the lack of training some of their staff apparently had. You don't pick and choose who you want to help based on what color their skin is and your belief that some are more worthy than others.

We have sailed many days with Princess (Elite) and have sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Cunard, and Disney. We love cruising and have thought we are quite easy to please. However, our last cruise with Princess was disappointing. We sailed on Regal for a 2-week Caribbean back-to-back cruise (Eastern, then Western). Our major disappointments were 1) Food; 2) Musical entertainment/Lack of it; and 3) The ceiling leaked almost everywhere. The food choices were not as appealing as on previous Princess ships (Island Princess was the best!!) Side Note: The Lasagna tasted like it was made with mashed potatoes rather than pasta. The music was lacking in talent, variety, and abundance. Most annoying of all was the leaking ceiling! People had to check to see if their seat was soaked before sitting down. There were several leaks in the buffet. I had a drip in my drink that I saw drip, but it makes me wonder how many times food or drinks received drips that people did not see. I politely told one of the attending chefs about it, thinking he may want to put a caution cone out so people would avoid that spot, and he rudely brushed it off. Going to try Holland America next. :-)

We cruised the eastern Caribbean. The ship was beautiful and very friendly staff all around. One thing that made this cruise so great is what we learned from her sister ship the enchanted princess. The secret to navigating these ships with ease is to stay forward or mid ship. If you stay in the aft of the ship you can only go down to the 7th floor then walk to mid ship or forward to get down to lower decks. Another tip is if you like a larger balcony look a the ones on deck 8 we booked and had plenty of room for 2 loungers and a table. The only thing is they call it an obstructed view because it’s steel at the end instead of glass. The only reason we give this ship a 4 star is with all the food buffet room they have there was very little selection especially for breakfast. The quality was very good but I ended up just waiting fur lunch and skipping breakfast. The main dining room was definitely the better option. I did have the princess plus package and used all 4 at the sushi bar it was great well worth the money with the WiFi and drinks included! Can’t wait to cruise princess again wonderful friendly staff all around we loved it highly recommend!