Day 01 -- 6/1 - Embarkation Day in Southampton

 We packed up our gear and checked out of our AirBnB and did a leisurely stroll down to Terminal 46 (Ocean Terminal) where the Regal Princess was waiting. We dropped off our roll ons and headed for check in even though we were early at 10:45 for a scheduled 1pm check in time.  Nobody asked what our check in time was.  There was no green or blue lane, just a lane for the suite & status passengers and one for everyone else.  We  just presented our passports and 5 minutes later we were checked in and directed to a seating area to queue up. The queue moved quickly and we were onboard at 11:08am.

Unfortunately my medallion would not work at the security so I had to go to the Front Desk for a new one.  Also unfortunately was the fact that the staterooms weren't going to be available until 1:30pm (on HAL they are always always available when we board).  So we went up to the Lido food court to wait a bit.  The lunch food spread was stunning in terms of quantity and variety but it was disappointing that passengers need to touch the serving utensils.  After an hour we decided to see if we could drop off our luggage in our stateroom which we did.  We met our stateroom attendant, Alphonso, from the Philippines.  We then headed to perform the check in at our muster station where once again my medallion would not scan.

Without the encumbrance of our carryon luggage, we headed back to the buffet for a light lunch of calamari, steak, and tandoori chicken.  The server initially couldn't find evidence of having the Princess Plus drink package, but it finally showed up.

We then went exploring a bit and ran into Tony from La Lido Loca and Nate and his wife from ParaDeeJay.  We had good chats with them.  Finally we received an announcement over the very clear to hear PA system that staterooms were available.  So we went to our stateroom and it was cool to experience the door unlocking itself as you approach.  Also there is an electronic screen outside the door with our names on it.

There is a musty mildew smell in the shower area that is a bit unpleasant. Angela tried using the safe reading the instructions which said to enter any 4 digits and the # key.  The only problem was that she didn't remember the numbers. So I called housekeeping twice and she called a third time.  Our roll on luggage arrived and we unpacked while waiting for the safe to be unlocked.  We had a 3pm Medallion class presentation to attend so I left and during that presentation Angela joined me after the safe got unlocked.

At the Medallion Class presentation in the Princess Live theater we met the cruise director, Allie, who was a bundle of energy.  She referred to 'welcome to the party' and I thought "Oh no!  Are we on a Carnival ship?" (We're not, but there's definitely a host of activities starting with the sail-away party around the pool on deck 16.)

After the sail-away party which involved singing and dancing we went to Allegros, one of three main dining rooms.  We don't make dinner reservations but because we were there just after the 5pm opening, we were quickly seated and enjoyed a nice seafood stew dinner as the ship left the dock and headed out towards the English Channel. After dinner we went back to the room and discovered that Angela's medallion wouldn't unlock the room and mine wouldn't still scan at the muster station.  So it was back to the front desk for Angela's second medallion and my third.

The evening entertainment at 7:30 and 9:30 was a Belinda King Productions presentation of a tribute to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Prince. It was called King Queen Prince.  It was a high energy show with 8 singers & dancers accompanied by a live band harkening back to the early days of HAL when Belinda King was provider of the singers and dancers to Holland America. They'll do two more shows which we are looking forward to. Before the show, I met Don Terris from Don's Family Vacations on YouTube.  We had a great conversation. Tony and ParaDeeJay were also there.

We thought we might watch a movie under the stars, but both of us decided we were too tired so we stopped for an ice cream at the Gelato stand (huge by the way) and listened to the Voyagers band and singer do pop tunes.  It was very loud.

Back at the room we called it a day at 10pm. My first impressions of our first Princess Cruise are generally pretty positive although the Medallion issues are a bit frustrating having to stand in line multiple times at the front desk.  The Medallion class app is a bit challenging to use as a first timer, but we are gaining familiarity with it. It's simply not laid out well and is not intuitive especially for me as one with great computer skills.

Our inside stateroom is very comparable to HAL and quite comfortable. However, the flatscreen TV is huge. There are no doors on the hanging closet, and no usb ports. Also the bed has no drawers under it but luggage can still be stored there. There's Lotus body lotion and liquid soaps and shampoo provided. A motion activated light comes on when approaching the bathroom.  I wish it were a bit dimmer.

The Medallion-Net internet is a rebranded Starlink low earth satellite system and not especially fast at 3mpbs. However so far it appears sufficient for our  use.  It came as part of the Princess Plus package.

Tomorrow we are in Guernsey which is a "Water Shuttle" or tender port.  We have an independent shore excursion booked for 9:15am and the ship arrives at 7am.