Regal Princess

The 2014-built Regal Princess cruise ship is the 2nd Royal-class vessel in the Princess Cruises fleet, with fleetmates Royal Princess (2013), Majestic Princess (2017), Sky Princess (2019), Enchanted Princess (2020) and Discovery Princess (2021). One more boat of the same class will be constructed for Princess, with a scheduled launch in 2022. From the same class is also the P&O UK's liner Britannia (2015).

History - construction and ownership

Princess Cruises is a US shipping company headquartered in Beverly Hills CA. A former subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (1977-founded), in 2003, the company merged with Carnival Corporation - world's largest passenger shipping company. Among Princess Cruises assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays (on Bahamas Eleuthera Island's southern end), located approx 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.

The 3600-passenger ship Regal Princess is among the largest cruise ships sailing the seas. The vessel was built at Fincantieri shipyard, Italy and has 19 decks. Regal Princess features an impressive number (16) of bars and restaurants and a luxury spa. Regal offers unique features to her guests, such as a glass-enclosed walkway over the ocean known as the SeaWalk.

The first sailing season of Regal Princess started in the Mediterranean on October 17, 2014, when the ship headed for Fort Lauderdale, FL. A curious fact is that in 2016 Princess Cruises starred in a new 6-part ITV documentary "The Cruise". On March 3 the show aired for the first time in the United Kingdom. It focused on the life of cruise passengers and crew as they sailed through Northern Europe and Russia onboard the Regal Princess. The line featured in a TV documentary for the second year. In 2014, sister ship Royal Princess was featured in reality show "The Cruise Ship".

Cruise itinerary program

Regal Princess itinerary program is based on Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale Florida. During summer months, the ship cruises in Europe with either Mediterranean or Baltic Sea itineraries, with Transatlantic repositioning voyages.

For winter 2020-2021 was planned an inaugural Australian season (December 2020 through April 2021) based on roundtrips from Sydney NSW. However, due to the Coronavirus crisis, the deployment was canceled.

Decks and Cabins

Regal Princess staterooms (1780 total, in 38 categories) include 350 Suites, 1088 Balcony and 342 Inside cabins, in 38 categories. The ship has no Oceanview cabins. Most outside accommodations (1438) have private step-out balconies. The ship also has 36 wheelchair-accessible cabins. The largest are the Balcony Suites (470 ft2 / 44 m2 plus 210 ft2 / 20 m2 terrace).

The boat has 19 decks, of which 15 passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

There are many for-fee dining options onboard Regal Princess, but guests who would rather not pay are offered enough quality and variety to satisfy. Those who prefer tradition will choose between the three main dining rooms: Allegro, Concerto and Symphony.

Horizon Court and Horizon Bistro are the buffet options, providing a more casual vibe. Passengers who want to have lunch in their swimsuits can take a burger from Trident Grill or a slice at Prego Pizzeria. Indoors, Alfredo's features delicious calzones, salads and thin-crust pizza. Allegro Dining Room is the only option for free dinner with traditional set dining. Passengers can eat at 5:45 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. Allegro's menus are diverse and offer a soup or salad course, an appetizer, pasta and an entree. There is also a special dessert menu.

Follows the complete list of Regal Princess restaurants and food bars.

• Sabatini’s Restaurant (Italian speciality restaurant, a la carte: offers 3-course Italian/seafood menu; open between 6 p.m. -11 p.m., reservations recommended)
• Symphony Restaurant (midship location; offers “Anytime Dining” for Dinner; with “Wine Cellar” area serving “Wine Maker’s Dinner” for $40, capacity 12 guests)
• Alfredo’s Pizzeria (121-seat; the largest complimentary pizzeria at sea)
• Concerto Restaurant (forward Dining Room; offers “Anytime Dining” 5:30 p.m. -10 p.m.; serves “Wine Maker’s Dinner” package for $40)
• Allegro Restaurant (aft Dining Room; offers formal dining and two fixed dinner seatings at 6 p.m. or 8:15 p.m.; “Chef’s Table” private dining for $115, 12 guests)
• Ocean Terrace (speciality seafood bar)
• Crown Grill (160-seat steakhouse/seafood restaurant, reservations recommended; on select days serves British Pub Lunch, complimentary)
• Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self-service, complimentary fast food bar)
• Calypso Cabana (food bar offering picnic baskets, desserts, champagne and wine packages)
• Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary); Horizon Buffet and Horizon Terrace
• Swirls Bar (ice cream).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The bulk of performance action takes place in Regal's Princess Theater, situated on decks 6 and 7. The theatre features palladium-style seating; it's deep, and if you don't arrive early, you might find yourself in the back, which is far from the stage. However, there aren't any obstacles or bad sightlines.

The theatre doesn't offer tables or drink holders, so if you order one preshow or come with a drink, you'll have to hold it. The entertainment is excellent and varied, with a beat that is quite innovative. In addition to the production shows, the Princess theatre hosts other acts including vocalists and instrumentalists.

Follows the complete list of Regal Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Limelight photo studio; Platinum Studio
• International Cafe (24-hour speciality coffee bar and patisserie)
• Vines Bar (wine/seafood/sushi bar)
• Gelato (the largest ice cream bar at sea)
• Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Princess Regal Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
• Celebrations Shop; Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
• Club 6 Disco & Bar; Churchill’s Lounge & Bar (cigar bar); Bellini’s Bar; Crooners Lounge & Bar; Princess Live Lounge; Vista Lounge; Concierge Lounge (Suite guests only); SkyLight Bar; Seaview Bar
• Princess Regal Casino
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
• Regal’s Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
• Wedding Chapel
• Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• The Game Lounge (Video Games Arcade); Teen Center; Youth Center; Remix Disco & Lounge (teen club)
• The Sanctuary (adult-only open-air area)
• SeaWalk (glass-bottomed cantilevered walkway, 18 m/60 ft long)
• Fountain Pool area; Retreat Pool area
• Princess Regal Sports Central - Center Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Tennis Tables, Game Lounge virtual gaming, The Greens golf nets, Golfing Cage, Laser Shooting; Jogging Track.

The shipbuilding order was placed on February 17, 2010. The shipbuilding contract with Fincantieri was signed on May 4, 2010.The vessel's keel was laid down in August 2012. The launch (float-out from drydock) was on March 26, 2013. Sea trials were in the Adriatic Sea (April 16-21, 2014). The boat was officially delivered on May 11, 2014.

The 4-day pre-Inaugural Cruise (May 16-20, 2014) was to Kotor Montenegro from Trieste Italy. The itinerary was operated prior to the Maiden Voyage from Venice (May 20, 2014).

Fun facts: It takes 3 million man-hours to build a Royal-class cruise ship. For its construction are used 37,000 tons of steel. For instance, about 12,000 tons of steel were used for constructing the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The paint used for the vessel is 95,000 gallons (360,000 L), which is two times more than the quantity consumed for Golden Gate Bridge (re-painted annually). The electrical cables wiring the whole vessel are long 2484 ml (4000 km) which is enough to link NYC with LA.

Regal was Carnival Corporation's first liner with installed Ocean Medallion technology. The ship also hosted the company's largest gambling/slot tournament (USD 200,000) via a partnership with Scientific Games Corporation. The themed "Monopoly Cruise for Cash" onboard casino campaign was offered throughout 2018 (fleetwide). It culminated on the Regal ship in December, during the 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Dec 9-16) roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to St Maarten, Princess Cays and St Thomas.

In July 2019, Carnival Corporation placed to the Finnish marine engine producer Wartsila an equipment order for delivery and installation of a waste gasification system on Regal Princess. The technology is based on a self-fuelling thermal decomposition unit that provides safe (and sustainable) disposal of vessel's waste (contaminated, dry-burnable and hazardous materials) which is usually offloaded at seaport facilities. The new gasification system recovers energy from ship's waste heat (produced by thermal destruction) which additionally results in lower green gas emissions and energy savings. The system reduces vessel’s waste to ~5% (of its original volume) and produces a sterilized material (BioChar) which is recycled within the unit as fuel.