R427 is a mini-suite on the right side of the ship.  It was close enough to the lifts that is was convenient but far enough away that we were not bothered by people entering or exiting the lifts.  We loved the fact that there was a bathtub, not because we used the tub, but because it meant we had more room to shower.

We did not see our cabin steward as often as we have seen stewards on other cruises.  He did respond, however, when we asked him to do something for us.

The room itself was not spectacular, but it wasn't bad, either.  We qualified for 2 (small) bottles of wine for the sail-away, so that was a nice touch.

This is quite the gimmick.  The Ice Bar is in a hotel.  You arrive at the hotel and wander around the lobby until it is your tour's time to enter.  There is what I will call a dressing room between the hotel lobby and the actual bar.  This is where helpers place a one-size fits all poncho with mittens attached over your head.  The ponchos are a bit sticky, and I would challenge that one size fits all for me at 5'4&quot; and my hubby at 6'3".  Once inside you see a bar carved of ice and snow along with art work also made of ice and snow.  You are served 1 drink (you choose with or without alcohol).  It is served in an ice shot glass that is kind of hard to drink from.

The evening at the Catherine Palace was OK, but there were 2 issues: (1) We departed at 6:30 PM, and we incorrectly assumed this meant we'd be served dinner.  That was not the case, so by the time we got home around 10:30 we were very hungry.  Princess should have advised us the eat before we left. (2) It was raining, and many of the guests were not prepared (we were).  Given the conditions Princess should have had some umbrellas on the bus.  

There were not a lot of options in Tallin.  We both love beer, so this seemed like the thing to do.  We were not disappointed.  There is a tour of the brewery followed by beer tastings (I think there were 5 different types of beer).  Now, when I say beer I don't mean you get a shot glass.  They put the beer in containers like those you see in the lobby of a nice hotel that has flavored water in it, and you take what you want.  You also get a small dish of hors d'oeuvres to eat.  It happened that the day we were there there was a kind of flea market in town, and I bought some lovely earrings there.


Absolute must is the Hermitage.  This was my 2nd time there, and neither time allowed me enough time to see even a portion of what I wanted to see.  It is really very special.

This excursion included watching some chefs cook a traditional Russian food (but a guide had to translate what the chef said he/she was doing, and it was clear there were some translation issues), then all of the guests were served whatever the chef was making.  I would say the food was so-so.  The 2 things I liked were (1) we all got to make and then eat a small pasta stuffed with meat and (2) there were different kinds of vodka served with each course.

We really enjoyed both museums (the Kon-Tiki and Viking Museums; they are across a parking lot from one another).  I'd give this a thumbs up.

You use it to enter and exit the ship, to enter your room, and, when you get close to a bar, the bartender can see who you are without you having to present your key (although my experience is they requested it the first few times we ordered a drink or they ask for your room number).We all had issues with it at one time or another, but it allowed us to find one another on the ship (we were traveling with another couple) and communicate with one another without incurring texting or data use.

Regal Princess Review

A good time was had by all

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Mini-Suite with Balcony

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