First Cruise ever

[mamalady]

My husband and I are going on our very first cruise ever in April, onboard the Regal Empress. Has anyone heard of them and what can we expect from their cruise line? We are kind of nervous about it and don't want to look foolish when we get to the ship. What can anyone tell us about thiem?

Nervous to sail.

mamalady (aka Angie Carlisle) :rolleyes:

[Dan]

Jeff (Dacruznut) has sailed this ship several times. When he gets on here, I'm sure he'll have lots of good info for you. I think this is the one he calls one of his favourite ships.

[DaCruzNut]

"The friendliest cruise community online!"

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The best advice I can give you is, don't worry about what to expect. The real thrill of your first cruise is all the discoveries you make. Remember, most of your fellow passengers are first-time passengers, also.

As far as the Regal Empress, she's a nostalgic reminder of what cruising was in its earlier days. She started life as the Olympia, became the Caribe I and then the Regal Empress.

I sailed her when she was the caribe I for a one week cruise. I have sailed her several times, as the Regal Empress, and some friends and I are planning on an April, or May, jaunt aboard her.

She's tiny, by today's standards, but still has enough public rooms to offer a number of entertainment; production show room, karaoke, piano bar, disco, etc; etc; and a nice, friendly, casino.

The cabins tend to be a little "tight," but, it's only two nights.

The food is very good and the service is, also, good.

The entertainment is limited, because the main show room is only one deck high. Not much room for fancy dancing. But, it works well.

The thing to remember is that this cruise is a throwback and, in no way, resembles today's cruising. The Regal Empress has made some concessions to modern cruising, but is still different.

Board the ship with a positive attitude. Take note of all the brass ornaments and different woods around the ship; mahogany; teak; etc; Todays ships are chrome and mirrors. Enjoy the warmth of the ship; the beautiful, if not a little worn, carpeting, especially in front of the Purser's desk and the Shore Excursion desk, one deck up. Relax on an overstuffed loveseat in the glass enclosed promenade, with the potted palms and hanging baskets, and watch the ocean. Imn other words, relax and enjoy the ship. Don't worry about what to expect, but, rather, enjoy the excitement of discovering something else about cruising. Oh, and don't miss the 10 foot long model of the ship inside the Purser's lobby.

Have a great trip!

[DaCruzNut]

Oh, by the way, when in April are you going? If it's the end of the month, I may wind up on the ship with you.....

[mamalady]

We will be going on April 17th thru the 19th. We got our Docs three days ago and got really excited about it. This trip is my 30th anniversary present from my husband. We are counting down the days until we go. Can hardly wait to get on the way.

[JoeyandDavid]

mamalady, Welcome to CruiseCrazies.......

What a great anniversary present!....I know the excitement.. aint nothing like it..

I am sure the Regal Empress will just wet your appetite for more cruising…please make sure you stop back and give us your thoughts on vacationing that has gotten us all to become the CruiseCrazies we are!

[Joanandjoe]

Welcome to Cruise Crazies, Angie.

Your initial cruise has two interesting parallels with our first two cruises. Our first, on the old Noordam to Alaska, was eight years ago, in celebration of our 30th anniversary. Our second cruise was a Canada/New England cruise on the Regal Empress.

As Jeff points out, the Regal Empress is a grand old lady that is unlike today's ships. There's lots of wood, very little glitz, and the staterooms are smaller than on most ships. On the other hand, the public spaces are gorgeous, the crew is freindly, and the food is good.

Two days will only give you a small taste of cruising. Hopefully you'll become hooked, and will try longer intineraries on newer ships.

Smooth sailing and calm seas to you!

[Tut]

Congratulations on your anniversary and on your first ever cruise. There isn't anything like it. And welcome to CruiseCrazies - the best BBoard around.

Our first cruise was a 3-day cruise to Nassau (for my 50th b-day) and we were hooked. There are plenty of people around to answer any of your questions and bear in mind that you're not going to be the only ones on their first cruise.

Everyone is friendly and helpful. Make sure you follow all the instructions on your docs or whatever else you have and, once you drop off your bags, you'll be amazed at how wonderful everything is. To me, that's one of the starting points of our vacations. Drop the bags off and have a ball.

[Mebert]

mamalady,

The Regal Empress is one of the older ships but she's still in relatively good condition. You'll have a great time but when you see the newer ships I'm sure you'll be astounded.

[mamalady]

We are very excited about this vacation. We just found out that our son, a marine, just back from Iraq, will be in Ft Lauderdale the same time we will be returning from our cruise. We will have 2 great vacations now. We'll take lots of pix to share.

MAMALADY