PCA | Princess ZoneFest at Sea!

It was an exciting and new adventure onboard the Regal Princess ship (aka “The Real Love Boat”) for nearly 700 PCA members. Several Gold Coast Region members participated in this inaugural PCA | Princess Cruise. The eight-day cruise departed from Port Everglades on December 10, 2022, and toured the Eastern Caribbean, stopping at St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, PR and Grand Turk island of the Turks and Caicos. Beyond the regular cruise activities, there were several PCA specific events including private cocktail hours, presentations, entertainment, two formal dinners, a die-cast model concours and a beach day at a private area.

During the WERKS Reunion at Amelia island in 2022, PCA and Princess Cruises announced their partnership. This newly established relationship allowed PCA members to access special offers when sailing with Princess. The announcement sparked an idea by David Bankston of the Everglades Region. His thought was to celebrate the Everglades Region’s 25th anniversary with a cruise. Working with Leslie Sikorski, Zone 12 Representative for PCA, and members of PCA National and Princess Cruises, the first ZoneFest at Sea was born.

PCA members enjoyed a special VIP check-in section when arriving at the Regal Princess. There, guest cruisers were issued a PCA | Princess lanyard and Medallion. The Medallion is the key to your cabin and a highly useful wearable device. The Medallion, used in tandem with an onboard phone application, allows a person to quickly identify their location on the ship, a huge benefit on such a large vessel. The Medallion and app also allow a passenger to place food & beverage orders and will help find friends on the ship. With nearly 700 PCA members onboard, and many other Princess Cruise passengers, finding your mates can be daunting, and these tools made this process simple. Following check-in shoreside we boarded the Princess Regal.

Sailing out on a beautiful evening, we participated in the Sail Away Ceremony followed by a Welcome Cocktail Social. During the welcome social we met the ship’s captain, Captain Paolo Arrigo. We were also introduced to Ms. Jill Whelan, Princess Ambassador. Ms. Whelan is the actress who played Vicky Stubing, Captain Stubing’s daughter, on the original The Love Boat TV series.

The first two days were spent at sea, enjoying the ocean and the time pass gracefully. During the transit to our first port of call we were treated to several presentations. Captain Paolo provided insight regarding Navigation at Sea. Captain Arrigo’s presentation was followed by a technical based discussion about the Princess Regal by the Ship Engineer. A culinary demonstration was given by Chefs Takashi, Mark, and Clark that offered food prep secrets for life at sea. This event was unique as it also included Jill Whelan, Captain Paolo, and PCA Executive Director, Vu Nguyen. It seems that everyone enjoys talking about food, every bit as much as eating at a ship’s buffet.

Porsche Club of America offered multiple presentations as well. Expertise on various topics was shared by Nathan Merry who presented, “I’ve Loved and Lost Many Porsches”; Tim McNair, who offered “Pebble Beach Detailing Secrets You Can Do”; and Ramsey Potts, who spoke on “Porsche Models at Auction, How You Can Benefit”. One of the really fun and unique events was the Diecast Concours at Sea. This was an at-sea Concours D’Elegance for model Porsches (see sidebar p.13).

While PCA cruisers enjoyed the sharing of all the great information, they also had several fun activities to attend. These included a Mix and Jingle cocktail show by Mixologist Rob Floyd, after-hours socials, and a PCA Exclusive Comedy night with Phil Tag. Additionally, there were two PCA movies under the stars showing Top Gun: Maverick and Fast and Furious 7. Certainly, there were many ways to have fun on the Love Boat, and we still had not made any stops at our ports-o-call.

St. Maarten and St. Kitts were two of our initial ports. PCA members had the opportunity to enjoy individual tours, seeing multiple sights and experiences. A highlight on St. Maarten was a stop at Maho Beach. This beach is situated immediately adjacent to the end of the runway for Princess Juliana International Airport. The beach is famous as planes take off and land right over you. Perhaps you have seen the videos of large jets departing Princess Juliana and blasting the folks on the beach. On St. Kitts the featured visit was made to the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park that offered sweeping views of the beautiful island.

Our next port visit was to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The members of Puerto Rico Region of PCA, a Zone 12 Region, met us with coquitos, pastries, café, and a band. Many of the PR crew brought their Porsches to display and enjoy. The car show was a great sight for those of us who had been separated from our Porsches for the past several days. The afternoon was spent exploring and wandering the beautiful narrow streets of Old San Juan, a very historical and magical city.

Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos was our last port to visit. It was finally time for us to really relax on the beach! PCA members gathered at a private area on Grand Turk which offered a bar (imagine that), the requisite grill, and a band featuring island music. It was an awesome afternoon, yet another fun one, relaxing beside the warm and gorgeous turquoise water.

Our last night offered the Wrap Up Cocktail Reception. PCA members gathered for a group photo and signed two PCA flags commemorating this inaugural cruise. A great time was had by all, from first timers to experienced cruisers. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the Love Boat was spectacular. The Regal Princess was dressed out with holiday decorations. As the song from the The Love Boat TV series goes: “Come aboard. We’re expecting you.”

The Royal Princess staff treated our members as if we were royalty. They rolled out the red carpet for us with PCA | Princess branded signage and banners throughout the ship. Plans are in the works for another PCA | Princess Cruise for later this year.

The First Porsche Diecast Concours At Sea

ZoneFest at Sea featured the Diecast Concours at Sea. Unfortunately, nobody could bring their actual Porsche on the ship as the Princess Regal is not a car transport. It truly is a luxury cruise ship. Not having real Porsches to judge did not prevent PCA from holding a Porsche Concours event. PCA members were encouraged to bring their favorite Porsche diecast model on the cruise. A total of 118 PCA members entered a vehicle for the first Porsche Diecast Concours at Sea. The PCA expert judges included Nathan Merz, Tim McNair, and Ramsey Potts. Guest judges were Captain Paolo, Jill Whelan, and other ship officers. The judging was taken quite seriously.

The concours field was set up in the Piazza, the main interior area of the ship where the judges and guests were able to view and closely examine the incredible collection of die cast PCars. It was a real event albeit without the washing, waxing, polishing and tons of car cleaning tools. Car prep was so very much easier and quicker.

After the concours, the diecast models were moved to display cases in the retail area of the ship for the remainder of the cruise for everyone to enjoy. Concours winners received a ribbon based on the model car achievement, and a scale model of the Regal Princess.