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Regal Empress Cruise

February 5, 2014 - 0 Comments

February 8-10, 2008

My first cruise was on the amazing Regal Empress back in 2006. I was fortunate enough to do 3 cruises on this grand liner one each year in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The last cruise was just a month or so before she left service to be scrapped. Here are a few photos of that third and final cruise. As usual, the service was excellent, and the food was outstanding. The menu had recently been upgraded and included Chateaubriand and Salmon. It was among the best food I’ve ever had on any ship (not counting Crystal Cruises). Top notch service as well.

Having recently come back from dry dock (this was only her second trip since her return), the ship did not look her 50-odd years.

The weather likewise was perfect, the temperature was in the low 80’s, and the sea was smooth. She moved so little that, if you didn’t know you were on a ship, you would swear you were on land. The last morning, the sea became a touch choppy so it was nice to feel a bit of movement to the ship.

We received an invitation from Alain Chabot, the hotel manager, to join him on the bridge as we left Nassau. It was amazing and is an experience you almost never get on a larger ship because of all the corporate rules and regulations.

Sadly she is gone now, however, I wanted to leave my recommendation to sail on her up as a sort of tribute. She was a great ship and is missed by many.

If you want to see a larger version of each photo, just click on it.

: The Regal Empress, formerly the Greek Line flagship Olympia.

: Imperial Majesty. The ship from the gangway while boarding.

: “But why can’t I have one?”

: Brian, Angela, and Alex in Suite U-90.

: Upon arrival at their cabin, Angela and Alex found that the President of Imperial Majesty had sent them a fruit basket.

: The corridor to suite U-91. This area used to be a second-class public room, but it was converted into cabins. Fortunately, they left much of the original paneling.

: Suite U-91 was my cabin on all three cruises. I booked this cabin based on the recommendation of my friend Peter Knego. This space used to be part of the second-class Card Room.

: An original painting in U-91 left over from her days with the Greek Line. I have no regrets about sailing in this interesting cabin, but I do wish I had tried one of her original Sun Deck staterooms.

: Her lifeboat davits were made by the Welin company, which made them for Titanic.

: Her boat deck was a small version of that on liners like Queen Mary.

: Lifeboat drill.

: Creating a lee.

: Brian, Angela, and Alex.

: Getting ready to drop the pilot.

: The wake.

: During her recent dry docking, new carpet was installed throughout much of the ship, including this Imperial Majesty logo.

: An invitation from Brian to cocktails in the Commodore Lounge. The cover art was taken from an original Greek Line menu.

: Brian, Angela, and Alex having cocktails in the Commodore Lounge before dinner on the first night out.

: During dinner, Alain, the hotel manager, regaled us with stories about his many years at sea.

: Heading down to dinner the next night.

: One of the few real promenade decks left at sea.

: So many halmarks of British shipbuilding.

: Baked Alaska! They did the full parade just like cruise ships of the 1960s. It was campy but infectiously fun.

: The Olympia dining room. One of the most beautiful rooms on any ship and still mostly original to her Greek Line days.

: Note the superb veneer.

: A table set for dinner. Her original chairs were removed only a couple of years before this photo was taken. Much panneling, artwork, and light fixtures from this room were happily saved from the scrap heap.

: One of about eight marquetry panels in the dining room.

: The original acid-etched mirrors are peach-plate glass. It seems these stunning mirrors were taken off the ship before she went to the scrappers. Their whereabouts today are unknown.

: The sideboard in the dining room.

: The main staircase. Tell me she isn’t a mini Queen Mary! The woodwork on the doors is likely Makore, a rare African hardwood. I bought 4 panels of it when she was scrapped to mount in my home.