Ship Review Regal Empress

Regal Empress Ship Review

On June 2nd, your Editor and Mrs. Cruiseman sailed from Wilmington, NC aboard the Regal Empress. This was a five night cruise to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. This was a delightful getaway, especially for those living here in North Carolina!! There were a little over 700 passengers aboard this 925 passenger ship.

The Ship

The Regal Empress is an old ship. Her hull was built to become a US aircraft carrier in 1948. However the war ended and she sat incomplete until 1952 when Aristotle Onasis bought the hull and created a brand new luxury ocean liner. He operated her from NY to Europe for many years. Over the years she has changed owners several times. She has also been known as the Caribe I

and the Olympia. She carries 925 passengers and is rated at 21,900 GRT. The ship has been maintained in good condition, with periodic refurbishments. For those that enjoy the feel of an older ship, the Regal Empress is about it. With the recent demise of Premier and Commodore, The Regal Empress is just about the last of a dying breed in the US market. As is typical on an older ship, our cabin was rather small. However it was square rather than rectangular. This made navigating around the king size bed much easier. The bathroom was typical of an old ship: It was designed on a postage stamp. Don't plan any parties in your bathroom! OK, so we know she is an old ship. That cannot be changed. So what things can Regal do to provide its clients a delightful cruise experience? How about Food, Service and Entertainment ?? These can be good or bad on any ship. How did Regal do?

The Food

Dining aboard the Regal Empress was a real pleasure! We found the meals to be very tasty, well presented, and there was a good variety on each evenings menu. Meats were cooked properly according to how they were ordered, and the sea food was excellent also. The deserts were good, and of course, we had baked alaska (along with the parade) as a special treat!

The buffet is located on the Promenade Deck, near the pool area, and it had many of the same items being served in the dining room at the same time. The food was kept fresh and hot. The fellows that took care of the buffet really seemed to enjoy their work! They didn't mind posing for this photo, either!

The Service

Pictured on the left are our waiter Satiavan Naik, and our busboy Raju Naik -- yep! Brothers! (from India) They worked together as a great team, and they gave us wonderful service. They were excited when I told them that I was going to put their picture on the internet! You made it boys!! Thanks for the great service and personal attention. You made our cruise a delight! We plan on seeing you again on the October 9th Cruise!

Here's the waiters singing "Happy Anniversary To You" to your editor and Mrs. Cruiseman. It was our 1st Anniversary! We learned that many of the staff on the Regal Empress have worked on this same ship for many years. Apparently Regal understands and values the importance of keeping good people on their staff.

On the left is Satiavan doing his bit in the Baked Alaska Parade. On the right is one of the cooks at the pool-side bar-b-que grilling up chicken, hamburgers and sausage. This was a very popular option to lunch in the dining room or the buffet. Good Job!

Entertainment

We don't have any photos for you of the entertainment. As is true on most ships, photography is prohibited in the show-lounge. Those that have sailed on a ship of this size will understand the size limitations for the show-lounge. There just is not the room for a huge Vegas Style show like you would expect on one of the new mega-ships. On these smaller ships the show-lounge area is a much smaller, intimate area. Here solo and small troupes flourish. We had two different soloists from Canada. One; Paul, had in his resume over 600 lead performances in the Phantom of the Opera!! Paul has spent his life in the theater and you could see his love for performing. The other soloist; Claude Eric was a much younger, but very talented man. There was also a female soloist from the US and England. Turns out that she is the Cruise Director's wife. Apparently she visits the ship occasionally (to see her husband, I hope!) and performs while on board. I would give all three soloists an A. There was also a comic-magician from Canada. I would give him a C. The Regal Dancers, a troupe of 4 energetic dancing girls, get a B. OK... a B+ !!

Midnight Buffet

No ship review would be complete without some pictures from the Midnight Buffet! (These pictures are what makes this page load so slow!)

The Gala Midnight Buffet was very colorful, well planned, and a tasters delight!!

Loafing!!!!

Mrs. Cruiseman made me include these pictures she took of your editor while I was trying to take a nap! On the Sun Deck are some excellent spots for loafing and napping, away from the music and noise of the pool area, but still near enough to the buffet and pool grill!!! :) (Relaxation is an important part of cruising, you know!!!) And what a view!!!

Taking a Nap!

Your editor in front of the Maasdam in Nassau.

Your editor at Fatman's Nephew restaurant in Pt. Lucaya

Mrs. Cruiseman doing what all lady cruisers love to do - shop!

Final Thoughts

Yes, we acknowledge that the Regal Empress is not the Explorer of the Seas, the Grand Princess, or the Carnival Spirit. Yes, she is an old ship, being operated by a budget cruise line. We happen to believe that there is (or should be) a market for ships like this. While we were in Freeport we saw a shocking sight that reminded us of the cold facts of life of the Cruise business: Tied to piers were the Rembrandt and Big Red Boats II & III (of the defunct Premier Cruise Line) and the Dolphin IV (of the defunct Cape Canaveral Cruise Line). These ships were just sitting there, probably awaiting a sale by the bankruptcy courts. They will probably end up in Europe or the Far East somewhere, or perhaps be sold for scrap metal. Some would say "good riddance". Others that appreciate the old ships would have been saddened by the sight. Unfortunately I did not have my trusty camera with me at the time, so I was not able to get a picture for you of this Cruise Ship Graveyard. Just think... some day the Voyager of the Seas will be 50 years old, and she will be owned by some budget operator, too! Just a thought. According to our information, Regal Cruises is running at near full capacity for most sailings, and the company is financially sound. They will be around for quite a while!

	The Regal Empress is an old ship. Her hull was built to become a US aircraft carrier in 1948. However the war ended and she sat incomplete until 1952 when Aristotle Onasis bought the hull and created a brand new luxury ocean liner. He operated her from NY to Europe for many years. Over the years she has changed owners several times. She has also been known as the Caribe I
and the Olympia. She carries 925 passengers and is rated at 21,900 GRT. The ship has been maintained in good condition, with periodic refurbishments. For those that enjoy the feel of an older ship, the Regal Empress is about it. With the recent demise of Premier and Commodore, The Regal Empress is just about the last of a dying breed in the US market. As is typical on an older ship, our cabin was rather small. However it was square rather than rectangular. This made navigating around the king size bed much easier. The bathroom was typical of an old ship: It was designed on a postage stamp. Don't plan any parties in your bathroom! OK, so we know she is an old ship. That cannot be changed. So what things can Regal do to provide its clients a delightful cruise experience? How about Food, Service and Entertainment ?? These can be good or bad on any ship. How did Regal do?
	The Food

	Dining aboard the Regal Empress was a real pleasure! We found the meals to be very tasty, well presented, and there was a good variety on each evenings menu. Meats were cooked properly according to how they were ordered, and the sea food was excellent also. The deserts were good, and of course, we had baked alaska (along with the parade) as a special treat!

	The buffet is located on the Promenade Deck, near the pool area, and it had many of the same items being served in the dining room at the same time. The food was kept fresh and hot. The fellows that took care of the buffet really seemed to enjoy their work! They didn't mind posing for this photo, either!

	Pictured on the left are our waiter Satiavan Naik, and our busboy Raju Naik -- yep! Brothers! (from India) They worked together as a great team, and they gave us wonderful service. They were excited when I told them that I was going to put their picture on the internet! You made it boys!! Thanks for the great service and personal attention. You made our cruise a delight! We plan on seeing you again on the October 9th Cruise!
Here's the waiters singing "Happy Anniversary To You" to your editor and Mrs. Cruiseman. It was our 1st Anniversary! We learned that many of the staff on the Regal Empress have worked on this same ship for many years. Apparently Regal understands and values the importance of keeping good people on their staff.
	On the left is Satiavan doing his bit in the Baked Alaska Parade. On the right is one of the cooks at the pool-side bar-b-que grilling up chicken, hamburgers and sausage. This was a very popular option to lunch in the dining room or the buffet. Good Job!

	Mrs. Cruiseman made me include these pictures she took of your editor while I was trying to take a nap! On the Sun Deck are some excellent spots for loafing and napping, away from the music and noise of the pool area, but still near enough to the buffet and pool grill!!! :) (Relaxation is an important part of cruising, you know!!!) And what a view!!!
Taking a Nap!
Your editor in front of the Maasdam in Nassau.	Your editor at Fatman's Nephew restaurant in Pt. Lucaya	Mrs. Cruiseman doing what all lady cruisers love to do - shop!