The Cruiser: How I Snapped the Perfect Sea Selfie Aboard the New Regal Princess
No doubt about it, the new Regal Princess is proud of the SeaWalk — its ocean-bound version of the traditional skywalk. This glass-bottomed walkway adorns the Regal, Princess Cruises’ newest ship. (You can also find one on the Regal’s sister ship, the Royal Princess).
Regal’s 60-foot-long take on the traditional skywalk juts out about 30 feet from the side of the ship. The floors and walls are completely enclosed in glass, giving you a breathtaking view of the ocean 128 feet below. The cruise line frequently touts a review calling the SeaWalk one of the “Top Gee-Whiz Features at Sea.”
I ran around the entire length of the brand new Regal Princess to look for the perfect selfie spot — and I found it (Photo: Princess Cruises)
So when I boarded the Regal in Fort Lauderdale for a Caribbean cruise (which the Regal will be offering during its first winter season in operation), my first thought upon seeing the SeaWalk was, “I need to get all up in that for a selfie.”
Check out my tour:
On this sea voyage, my white whale was getting that selfie. I imagined a lovely shot of me lying down on the glass floor, looking as if I were levitating above the ocean below. Not only would it look great on Instagram, the images would certainly trigger a hilarious panic attack by my Yahoo Travel colleague, Leah, who’s so afraid of heights she freaks out walking down the clear stairs at the Apple store. It was a win-win.
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The following afternoon, I got my selfie chance. As this was a mostly media cruise, the ship wasn’t very crowded (which, by the way, is the only circumstance in which one should snap selfies on the floor of a popular cruise-ship walking spot. Don’t try this at home … or, I should say, at sea during your cruise). I lay down on the glass and, with the ocean below my head, took out my trusty iPhone and happily snapped away.
This is what the SeaWalk looks like from the outside. (Flickr)
Fun fact: people tend to notice a grown man lying on the floor. During my one-man photo shoot, unbeknownst to me at the time, Simon Duvall of Cruise Chat passed by and actually snapped a picture of my selfie moment and tweeted it to his 3,400 followers.
Simon says: “Best selfie ever.” Seriously, that’s what he said to me after he shot this pic of me. (Photo: Twitter/@SimonTravels)
Yes, Simon’s pic makes me look like I was trying to shield my eyes from the sun after getting shot. Still, having my selfie game recognized by a then-stranger was a banner moment.
Yes, there are plenty of other things to see aboard the Regal. It’s a spacious, well-appointed ship with some truly awe-inspiring sights, like its stunning atrium, which highlights the ship’s multitude of shops, bars, and restaurants.
Watch: A High-Speed Walk-through of Regal Princess’s Stunning Atrium
A voyage on the spacious and classy Regal, like trips on many Princess cruises, is a refreshing change from the childlike party atmosphere that pervades some other cruise lines. Garish sea-themed adornments like anchors or fish carpeting are kept to a respectable minimum. This is a cruise ship for grownups.
That is, if you can define “grownup” as someone who lies on the floor to snap selfies.
My floating selfie. Unless you’re on a lightly attended preview cruise, as I was, please don’t lie down on the floor in a crowded cruise’s main attraction. (Photo: Sid Lipsey)
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