Day 3 aboard Regal Princess, and today is being spent at sea as we make our way toward our second port of call, San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we’re scheduled to arrive at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday.
First things first… Let’s talk breakfast.
On a sea day aboard Regal Princess, non-suite guests looking for a sit-down breakfast can head to one of the main dining rooms, while suite guests have the option of breakfast at Sabatini’s, the ship’s Italian specialty restaurant.
And, of course, there’s always the buffet if you’re looking for something quicker and easier than the whole sit-down breakfast experience.
You can see both breakfast menus below.
Lunch works pretty much the same way.
One of the main dining rooms opens for lunch on sea days, and I’ve included that menu below as well. If you don’t feel like sitting down for a full lunch, there’s the buffet, Trident Grill for burgers, hot dogs and chicken, and Prego Pizzeria for freshly made pizza.
And the pizza here is really, really good.
So in other words, if you somehow manage to go hungry on a sea day aboard Regal Princess, I’m not sure I can help you.
How Crowded Does a Sold-Out Ship Feel?
Around lunchtime, I did some wandering around the upper decks to see how a sold-out Regal Princess was handling a sea day when everyone was onboard.
Surprisingly well, at least when it came to finding somewhere to sit outside.
The main pool area on the Lido Deck wasn’t nearly as overrun as I expected. There were still lounge chairs available if you looked around, and the stadium-style seating that rises above the pool had plenty of empty chairs in the sun.

This is also the last cruise before school starts for a lot of families around the country, even though Florida schools are already back in session, so there are definitely plenty of kids onboard.
That meant the pools and hot tubs around the Lido Deck were getting plenty of use.
And I know exactly what some of you cranky cruisers are already thinking:
“Kids shouldn’t be in the hot tubs!”
Here we go again.
If they’re behaving themselves, I really don’t care. It’s their vacation too.
This particular subject seems to send some cruisers into an absolute rage for reasons I’ll never understand, but if you really want to make sure you’re nowhere near anyone under 18, Princess has an answer for that too.
It’s called The Retreat.
The Retreat is an adults-only area with a small pool, bar, loungers and daybeds, along with cabana-style spaces that can be rented. This area today had no empty space, as expected.

It’s worth pointing out that The Retreat is not the same thing as The Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary is a much more upscale, private experience with dedicated seating, cabanas and a higher level of service. When I sailed on Enchanted Princess over Christmas in December 2024, I had a cabana there with a television, dedicated service and pretty much everything I needed to disappear from the rest of the ship for the day.
It was heaven.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t any availability in The Sanctuary for this sailing, so no hiding out there for me this week.
The Bars Are Another Story
Where I did find crowds was at the bars, and understaffing is quickly becoming a recurring theme on this cruise.
I stopped at the Retreat Bar, where two bartenders were working a growing walk-up line while completely ignoring those of us sitting at the bar. No hello, no “I’ll be with you in a minute,” nothing. After about 15 minutes without being acknowledged, I left.
I headed down to the Sea View Bar and found pretty much the same situation. People were sitting at the bar waiting, a line had formed in front of it, and the bartenders were focused entirely on the walk-ups.
Eventually, a bartender who knows me from Wheelhouse spotted me and asked what I wanted.
An Aperol Spritz.
Thank you.
All told, it took nearly half an hour and visits to two bars to get one drink.
I understand sea days are busy, but having only two or three bartenders at high-volume pool bars without any real system for handling seated guests versus walk-ups just doesn’t work.
I asked the bartender if all the bars were understaffed.
She just gave me that smile.
That was enough of an answer.

Let’s Talk Princess Drink Packages
Since I finally had a drink in my hand, this seems like the perfect time to talk about Princess’ beverage packages.
Princess currently sells four standalone beverage packages: two that include alcohol and two that don’t.
- The Plus Beverage Package covers alcoholic drinks priced up to $15 each, along with specialty coffees, soda, bottled water, juice, mocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks. This will set you back $64.99 per person, per day.
- The Premier Beverage Package bumps the drink limit to $20 each and adds a bigger selection of premium spirits, higher-end wines by the glass and premium cocktails. That one clocks in at $84.99 per person, per day.
If you don’t drink alcohol, there are two other choices.
- The Zero-Alcohol Package is $29.99 per person, per day and includes things such as specialty coffees and teas, fountain sodas, hot chocolate, mocktails, bottled water, San Pellegrino, Evian and Red Bull.
- The less expensive Classic Soda Package is $14.99 per person, per day and includes soda, fruit juices, mocktails and smoothies.
Now, if you drink alcohol, forget everything I just said about buying the standalone Plus and Premier Beverage Packages.
Seriously.
Because Princess has two other packages that make a whole lot more sense for most people.
Princess Plus
For 2026 cruises, Princess Plus costs $65 per person, per day when purchased at least four days before sailing, or $70 per day if you buy it onboard.
Hold up a minute… the standalone Plus Beverage Package is listed at $64.99 per day before its added service charge.
Princess Plus is $65 per day pre-cruise.
So for essentially the same base price, you get the drink package plus a bunch of other stuff.
That’s why, if you’re already planning to buy an alcoholic beverage package, buying just the standalone beverage package is a losing proposition.
With Princess Plus, you get the Plus Beverage Package with up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day priced at $15 or less, unlimited specialty coffees and teas, and up to 12 small bottles of water per day.
You also get Wi-Fi for one device per guest, four casual dining meals during the cruise, OceanNow delivery fees waived, room-service delivery included and crew appreciation (daily gratuity) included.
That’s quite a bit more than just drinks.
Princess Premier
Then there’s Princess Premier, which is what I purchased for this cruise.
Premier costs $100 per person, per day when purchased before the cruise and $105 per day onboard.
The beverage portion gets upgraded to the top-shelf stuff.
Premier includes drinks priced up to $20 each and, for the current 2026 version of the package, there is no daily limit on included alcoholic beverages. That doesn’t mean bartenders are going to keep serving someone who has obviously had enough, but the old 15-drink package cap doesn’t apply to Premier.
You also get Wi-Fi for up to four devices per guest, unlimited casual dining and specialty dining up to one meal per mealtime per day.
That specialty dining benefit is a big one.
Crown Grill and Sabatini’s are both $55 per person if you’re paying individually, so it doesn’t take many specialty dinners before Premier starts earning back a good chunk of its daily cost.
Premier also includes crew appreciation, OceanNow and room-service delivery fees, professional photos with unlimited digital downloads plus three prints, reserved seating for production shows and a shore excursion credit. On a seven-day cruise like this one, the Premier shore excursion credit is $100 per guest.
So yes, Premier costs considerably more than a basic drink package. But it’s also not really a drink package. It’s more of an all-in package that happens to include drinks.
So Which One Makes Sense?
If you don’t drink very much, neither Plus nor Premier may make financial sense.
If you’re someone who has a glass of wine at dinner and maybe one cocktail by the pool, you’ll probably spend less simply paying as you go.
Same thing if you don’t care about Wi-Fi, don’t plan on eating in specialty restaurants and aren’t interested in the other benefits.
But if you’re already going to buy an alcoholic beverage package, use Wi-Fi and pay crew appreciation anyway, Princess Plus becomes very easy to justify because those three things alone eat up a significant part of the package price.
Premier takes a little more thought because you’re jumping from $65 to $100 per day.
For me, the value is in the bundling in of the drink package, four-device Wi-Fi, unlimited specialty dining, photos and the other extras.
I’m eating in specialty restaurants multiple times this week. I’m online constantly. I like having several devices connected without constantly logging one off to put another one on. And yes, I’m certainly making use of the beverage package.
So Premier made sense for me.
Whether it makes sense for you really comes down to how you cruise. You can use our handy Princess Cruises Beverage Package Calculator to punch in estimates of how many of each type of drink you may have during the day, and then let it figure out if it’s worth it for you to buy a package, or just pay as you go.
The important thing is not to look at Plus and Premier as simply “drink packages,” because they’re not.
And if you’re thinking about spending $64.99 or $84.99 a day on one of the standalone alcoholic beverage packages, do the math on Plus or Premier first.
Formal Night on Regal Princess
Tonight was formal night aboard Regal Princess, and that meant a few things.
First, it meant the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall in the Piazza, one of those Princess traditions that just feels right on a formal night. The ship’s officers were introduced, the captain made his appearance, and then came the ceremonial bottle pop to get the champagne flowing down the tower of glasses.
Technically, this is supposed to help mark the beginning of the cruise, although we’re already three days in, so apparently we’re just getting officially started now.
The Piazza was absolutely packed for it.
And I mean packed.
People were lined up around all three levels of the atrium, and if you didn’t get there early, you weren’t getting much of a view. I didn’t, so I got more of the “listen to the champagne waterfall” experience than the “watch the champagne waterfall” experience.
Still, this is one of those very Princess things. The cruise line continues to feature the Champagne Waterfall as part of its onboard entertainment and Piazza celebrations, and on a ship like Regal Princess, the three-story atrium is really the perfect place for it.

Formal night also meant people were dressed up.
And it meant some people weren’t.
Princess suggests suits or tuxedos for men and cocktail dresses or evening wear for women, and plenty of people took the opportunity to get dressed up for the night.
Others kept it casual.
And you know what?
That’s fine too. If dressing up is part of the cruise experience for you, go for it. If it isn’t, you can still enjoy your evening..
Formal night also brought a special menu to the main dining rooms, which you can check out below.
For me, however, dinner tonight was going to be something completely different.
Chef’s Table Lumière
I had booked Chef’s Table Lumière, Princess’ special dining experience that currently runs $155 per person plus service charge aboard ships that offer it.
Calling it “dinner” doesn’t really describe it, though.
It’s part behind-the-scenes tour, part tasting menu, part wine dinner, and part “damn, this is a lot of wine!”
The evening started at Sabatini’s, which was our designated meeting point for the night.
Everyone participating gathered around a table, introductions were made, and we were handed glasses of champagne along with a few hors d’oeuvres while we waited for the entire group to arrive.

Once everyone was accounted for, it was time to put on… white coats. No, we weren’t suddenly being asked to help cook dinner. The coats are for the galley tour!
We followed Executive Chef Antonio Barbarotto into the working galley for a look at what actually goes on behind those swinging doors you normally only see servers disappearing through.
Chef Antonio walked us through the different stations, explaining what happens where and how the whole operation comes together during dinner service.
When you’re sitting in the dining room ordering dinner, you don’t really think about the fact that somewhere behind the scenes there are over a hundred people working in the galley prepping, cooking, plating, cleaning, and making feeding 3,000+ people at dinner time look incredibly easy.
Into the Lumière
Once the galley tour was finished, we handed back our white coats and headed into the dining room.
That’s where the “Lumière” part of Chef’s Table Lumière comes into play.
The table sits beneath a chandelier surrounded by a curtain of illuminated strands. Once everyone is seated, that curtain is drawn around the table, essentially creating a private dining room right in the middle of the larger restaurant.

The evening officially kicked off with Veuve Clicquot Champagne, followed by a toast as the chef and sommelier explained how dinner would work.
And this is where things started getting dangerous.
Every course would be paired with wine and your glass was never allowed to become empty! Take two sips and someone appeared out of nowhere to top it off.
Chef’s Table Lumière Menu
The meal started with a trio of amuse-bouche selections rather than one single appetizer.
First was Salmon Gravlax and Caviar, served with a wasabi crystal, a delicate fish-bone-shaped tuile and dill. You ate this almost like a little finger sandwich with the crystal being almost like the texture of bread. The salmon coupled with the saltiness of the caviar made this delicious, not to mention creative.

Then came Foie Gras on Toasted Brioche, paired with caramelized Calvados apple, demi-glace and crisp tortilla threads. Foie Gras is one of those polarizing foods. Restaurants are banned from serving it in California and many people just don’t like to think about eating duck liver, but if cooked right, it’s damn good. And this was. For many at the table tonight, this was their first time having it.

And finally, Seafood Bisque with Brandy Cream, accompanied by oysters Rockefeller and mussels in white wine over Himalayan salt with lavender and pink peppercorn. The bisque was thick, incredibly flavorful and delicious. While I’m definitely not a huge fan of oysters, these topped with caviar were to die for.


Each one was beautifully presented, and each had very different flavors and textures.
Then came the palate cleanser, a Lemon Sorbet with Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

For the entrée, we had a choice between two dishes:
- The first was Roast Salmon Fillet, served with red wine sauce, shingled crisp potato confit, oyster mushrooms and steamed Romanesco.
- The other option was Veal Oscar with Crab Meat, topped with Béarnaise sauce, asparagus and caviar.
I went with the veal and it was excellent!
Veal Oscar is already one of those combinations that’s hard to dislike if it’s prepared properly, but adding crab and (even more) caviar took it over the edge.

Throughout all of this, the wine continued to flow and throughout the evening we had:
- Veuve Clicquot Champagne from France
- Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay
- Mullan Road Cellars Red Blend from Cakebread
- Elderton Botrytis Semillon with dessert.
Dessert was a Lemon Mousse with citrus hazelnut financier, lime crémeux and hazelnut crumble.
It was light enough that after everything we’d already eaten, you could actually finish it without immediately regretting every decision you’d made over the previous two hours.

The evening wrapped up with little desserts delivered to our staterooms – because apparently dessert needed dessert!
Is Chef’s Table Lumière Worth $155?
This is one of those experiences where the answer depends on what you’re looking for.
If all you want is a really good steak or a nice specialty dinner, there are less expensive options onboard. But Chef’s Table Lumière really isn’t competing with Crown Grill or Sabatini’s. You’re paying for a galley tour, meeting the executive chef, a private dining experience, six-course gourmet dinner, wine, wine, and more wine, and a level of service that was impeccable.
Someone was always there exactly when they needed to be, plates appeared and disappeared seamlessly, the chef and sommelier spent time explaining what we were eating and drinking, and somehow the wine glasses continued refilling themselves all night long.
Everything we were served was phenomenal.
At $155 per person, this obviously isn’t an inexpensive dinner.
But it also isn’t simply dinner.
It’s an event.
And if you enjoy food, wine and getting a peek behind the curtain at what goes into serving thousands of meals every night on a cruise ship, this is one of those experiences that’s absolutely worth doing at least once.
Just don’t make any complicated plans afterward at this experience takes about 3 hours from start to finish.
We’re currently sailing towards San Juan, where like I mentioned, we’re scheduled to go ashore around 10am tomorrow. As always, thanks for following along!
Regal Princess Daily Planner – Day 3
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30am | Tai Chi at Sea | Movies Under the Stars, Deck 16 Mid |
| 9:15am | Princess Insider: Explore San Juan | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 9:45am | Speedy Sudoku Challenge | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 10:00am | Let's Get Quizzical | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 10:00am | San Juan Photographs Today! | Regal Princess, Deck 5 Mid |
| 11:00am | Shuffleboard Tournament | Lawn Court, Deck 19 Aft |
| 12:00pm | Bean Bag Toss Challenge | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 1:00pm | Bocce Ball Open Play | Lawn Court, Deck 19 Aft |
| 2:00pm | Topple the Giant Tower | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 2:00pm | Basketball Open Play | Center Court, Deck 18 Aft |
| 3:00pm | Ping Pong Tournament | Princess Photo, Deck 6 Mid |
| 3:00pm | Walking in Comfort | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 3:00pm | Improving Metabolism at Any Age | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 4:00pm | Acupuncture Walk in Clinic | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 4:15pm | Let's Quiz Again | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 4:15pm | Complimentary Walk-in Medi-Spa Consultation | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 4:30pm | The Power of IV | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 5:00pm | 30,000 Years of Art in 30 Minutes | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 5:00pm | Live Music with Vivace Strings Duo | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 5:30pm | Skin Clinic | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 5:30pm | Guess The Weight | Fine Arts Gallery, Deck 7 Fwd |
| 5:45pm | Poolside Music with Dale Duo | Fountain Pool, Deck 16 Mid |
| 6:00pm | Couch Potato Trivia | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 6:00pm | Live Music with Solo Pianist Tiana | Crooners Bar, Deck 7 Mid |
| 6:00pm | Effy's Guess the Price | The Shops: EFFY Jewelry, Deck 7 Mid |
| 6:00pm | Casual Fun Portraits! | Regal Princess, Deck 5 Mid |
| 6:15pm | Live Music with Vivace Strings Duo | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 6:30pm | Last Chance Coupons & Port Guides | Princess Insider, Deck 7 Fwd |
| 6:30pm | Caymus Winemakers Dinner* | Symphony Dining Room, Deck 5 Mid |
| 6:30pm | Chef's Table Lumiere Experience Sign-Ups* | Allegro Dining Room, Deck 6 Aft |
| 6:45pm | Big Band Ballroom | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 6:45pm | Sailaway Music with Dale Duo | Fountain Pool, Deck 16 Mid |
| 7:00pm | 70s & 80s Music Trivia | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 7:00pm | Family Dodgeball | Center Court, Deck 18 Aft |
| 7:00pm | Showtime: An Intimate Evening of Magic | Princess Theater, Deck 7 Fwd |
| 7:00pm | Iris Photography: Your Eyes, Your Art | Princess Photo, Deck 6 Mid |
| 7:15pm | Live Music with Solo Pianist Tiana | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 7:30pm | The Art of Timekeeping with Seiko | The Shops: Watches, Deck 7 Mid |
| 7:30pm | Create your own Photo Souvenir Session | Princess Photo, Deck 6 Mid |
| 7:30pm | The Love Boat: Charm of the day #1 | The Shops: Essentials, Deck 5 Mid |
| 7:45pm | Couples Massage Workshop | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 7:45pm | Let's Party with Static | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 8:00pm | Prize Pack Giveaway | Fine Arts Gallery, Deck 7 Fwd |
| 8:00pm | Twilight Skincare Routine | The Shops: Beauty, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:00pm | A Tribute to the Music of The Blues Guitar Legends | Vista Lounge, Deck 7 Aft |
| 8:00pm | Celebrations Party at Effy | The Shops: EFFY Jewelry, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:00pm | Fashion Jewelry Event | The Shops: Accessories, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:00pm | Game Show: Majority Rules (PG-16) | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:00pm | MONOPOLY Multiplier Scratch Cards | Princess Casino, Deck 6 Fwd |
| 8:00pm | Ladies Night at the Spa* | Lotus Spa, Deck 5 Fwd |
| 8:15pm | Piano and Vocal Entertainer Don Juan | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 8:30pm | Let's Party with Dale Duo | Fountain Pool, Deck 16 Mid |
| 8:30pm | Designer of the Day | The Shops: Watches, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:45pm | Effy Collector's Club Giveaway | The Shops: EFFY Jewelry, Deck 7 Mid |
| 8:45pm | Bourbon Street Jazz with your House Band | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 9:00pm | Karaoke Roulette | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 9:00pm | Showtime: An Intimate Evening of Magic | Princess Theater, Deck 7 Fwd |
| 9:00pm | Caribbean White Sands Party | Fountain Pool, Deck 16 Mid |
| 9:15pm | Piano and Vocal Entertainer Don Juan | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 9:30pm | Spotlight Karaoke | Princess Live!, Deck 7 Mid |
| 9:45pm | Guitar & Vocals with Arma Gideon | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 10:15pm | Live Jazz with your House Band | Wheelhouse Bar, Deck 7 Aft |
| 10:45pm | Piano and Vocal Entertainer Don Juan | The Piazza, Deck 5 Mid |
| 11:00pm | Over $600,000 Paradise Lotto Draw | Princess Casino, Deck 6 Fwd |
| 11:00pm | 20s & 30s Get-Together | Vista Lounge, Deck 7 Aft |
| 11:00pm | Club Princess with DJ Brian | Vista Lounge, Deck 7 Aft |















