LIVE - Coral Princess - Circle the Pacific - 09-19-2018

Enjoying your review. I like the Coral very much have cruised on her twice, Alaska 7 day and 10 day Partial Panama. We didn’t particularly select the ship as trips were itinerary and date driven. But, what a pleasure to sail on her. I never felt crowded and both cruises were very relaxing !

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09-21-2018 –

The bands are pretty darn good! (Yeah! I can eat again!) The Sound is the party band. A five piece band with a lead female singer. Good rhythm. Not a lot of ‘my way’ with songs. Good selection. The dance floor in Explorer’s was reasonable occupied with experience social dancers. Everyone kept to their ‘lanes’, no leaping or flying lifts and everyone had a great time! The other band, Blue Jade Quartet, plays to a packed dance floor in Wheelhouse, but still, good selection, good rhythm and experienced social dancers. Several we recognize from prior cruises.

Later!

We spent 21 days aboard the Sapphire Princess in Europe this last July and August. The party band was The Sound. We loved them and planned most evenings around where they were performing. The selection of music was different each night. We did not get to enjoy watching good dancers on the Med cruise. The dance floor was always occupied by small children running and jumping in their version of dancing. Then the was the father who played soccer on the dance floor with his toddler son. Lots of parents aboard who failed to teach children to have respect for others. The captain made many announcements telling parents they needed to take responsibility for their children....all to no avail.

We were on the Coral this past May/June in Alaska -- it's now my favorite Princess ship! May have to look into booking a Panama Canal cruise...

Interestingly, only the Maitre D'Hotel is the same of the officers that we had. Not that I usually pay too much attention to who's who.

Have a great time!

We were on the Coral this past May/June in Alaska -- it's now my favorite Princess ship! May have to look into booking a Panama Canal cruise...!

You definitely must do the Panama Canal on the Coral!!!

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You definitely must do the Panama Canal on the Coral!!!

 

 

 

 

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Since you insist, we will, September 2019 :D:D:confused::D:D:D

09-22-2018 – At Sea Northbound to Ketchikan

Yesterday dawned almost breezeless with a glassy sea and almost no motion. Last night was a broadside 30kt wind with moderate seas. Wind whistled through the door and several gusts woke me up shaking the bed. Still blowing this morning. Cloudy skies, very little blue, but typical along the Pacific Coast in September with the marine layer up pretty high.

CC ROLL CALL MEMBER ACTIVITY ANNOUNCEMENTS –

Chef’s Table – Jean Paul has gotten the letter and lists of the roll call members signing up. When they get the schedule sorted out they will send out letters to the cabins with the dates. Don’t expect any Chef’s Tables until after Kodiak.

Left, Center, Right – Games will be started in the Horizon Court around 1400 in the afternoons on sea days.

Knitters and Knatters are meeting as shown in the Patter. Mah Jong and Bridge are being held as announced in the Patter. Today is 1-4 in Bayou for Bridge.

Icy Strait Point – Fellow drivers – We will get together as soon as we dock on Deck 5 to decide how to proceed. Heavy rain, we wait for Ed @ 0830. Light rain to no rain, we drivers can shuttle or walk to town and pick up the vehicles, come back and pick up everybody else. We can pickup the vehicles starting at 0800 at the Lodge. If its clear, let’s plan on getting supplies for a wilderness picnic in town before heading out. I’m going to try and put notices in your mailboxes.

END OF ANNOUNCEMENTS

Yesterday was also the first formal day, of three for this segment to Shanghai. We decided to do Bayou Café instead of winging it. It was OK. Not fantastic like dinner in the Bayou last October on the Island, or many of the Crown Grill dinners we’ve had, but ok. Nothing to rave about. The meat was cooked very well and it was tasty without that ‘Princess’ unique flavor that we don’t care for. They did not have the Alaskan menu available, but did have lamb chops as a special. Two bite chops. Nothing like Elways in Denver with their huge double Rocky Mtn Lamb chops. But like I said, just ok.

Lunch in the HC was disappointing though. It was ‘sushi’ for lunch and the rice was dry to the point of needed to be cooked again. On the other hand, the Mexican soup was great. Spicy and very flavorful. The cupcakes are very good as well. They need more of them. Yesterday was maple with walnut icing.

A couple of interesting lectures – one on whales and one on the Aleutian Ballard, a crab boat on the 2nd season of Deadliest Catch that has been turned into an attraction for the Alaskan ports.

I miss the Diamond VOD system! We have studiously avoided going to the movies for 6 months to ‘save’ movies for this cruise. Sure enough they have Infinity Wars, Black Panther and a bunch of ones we want to see on MUTS and they replay them the next day, but without VOD or a schedule, its catch as catch can, so we spent time watching bits and pieces of infinity wars yesterday. Hopefully they will replay it on MUTS on nights that are not freezing cold!

I’m glad to see that Mike (the ED) has continued the practice of placing the ‘special’ HC items in the Patter where the opening and closing times are printed. That’s how we knew about the sushi and oriental lunch. Tonight is Fajita’s.

We did miss Encore last night because of dinner, but hopefully they will replay that one as well during the cruise. We have a lot of sea days on this cruise.

That’s it this morning. Tomorrow is Ketchikan, the Juneau. Depending on the weather, we are doing end of season shopping in Ketchikan and Juneau with candy and fudge shopping thrown in. The lumberjack show in Ketchikan for sure and the Mt. Roberts tram if the weather is clear. Otherwise, Nugget Falls on the Glacier Express and maybe some late season salmon runs. Never know.

And definitely some fresh halibut, smoked salmon and Alaskan Amber Ale on tap.

Later!

Hi Ccrain

Thank you for taking the time to post your wonderful experiences on this trip.

Can you please post who the Captain Circle hostess/host is? And, who the #1 most passenger is and how many days?

Thanks

Thanks for taking the time to do this, interesting to hear what is happening before we board in Shanghai. Hope your weather is nice in Alaska. Much better here today, we are on the north end of Vancouver Island.

Following along. Your "Live From" posts are always interesting and informative. This looks like a wonderful itinerary.

Alaskan Amber Ale ....... how I miss thee ..............

Following along. Your "Live From" posts are always interesting and informative. This looks like a wonderful itinerary.

Really enjoy following this cruise. Charles does fantastic job of giving us detailed information and we are among CC members who hope that Princess selects to repeat this itinerary. Our 60th wedding anniversary will be in 2020 so this cruise would be the perfect way to celebrate. We are from Apple Valley, CA. and I know there is at least one couple from our area with you We were in Target a week ago getting our flu shots and met the couple: DH was wearing a T-shirt with Panama Canal design so the gentleman asked if we were cruisers. In a senior moment, I forgot their names. Charles, we were with you on the Panama cruise on the Island 9/23/2017.

Really enjoying your report

My husband and I will take our first cruise ever on the Coral in June 2019 to Alaska. Love all the details.

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Really enjoying your report

My husband and I will take our first cruise ever on the Coral in June 2019 to Alaska. Love all the details.

 

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Sounds like a great start to the cruise, we are ready to join everyone in Shanghai! How is the internet? How fast is it? Will we have the ability to pay online bills or download items?

Becky and Neal

Hope you all have a great day today. Looks cold and rainy.

We just rolled into Ketchikan. Yes, it is rainy and misty and cold.

Shopping, lumberjack show, shopping, food, getting wet.

Later!

Sounds like a great start to the cruise, we are ready to join everyone in Shanghai! How is the internet? How fast is it? Will we have the ability to pay online bills or download items?

 

Becky and Neal

Internet sucketh! We will be using high speed on-shore stuff or limiting the important transactions to before 0600 in the morning or between 1500 and 1800..

We just rolled into Ketchikan. Yes, it is rainy and misty and cold.

 

 

 

Shopping, lumberjack show, shopping, food, getting wet.

 

 

 

Later!

Enjoy your Ketchikan day!

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Hi Ccrain

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your wonderful experiences on this trip.

 

Can you please post who the Captain Circle hostess/host is? And, who the #1 most passenger is and how many days?

 

Thanks

CC hostess is Michelle Loubser. Most traveled is above 1800, but below 2000. Cutoff for Most Traveled was north of 990...

Internet sucketh! We will be using high speed on-shore stuff or limiting the important transactions to before 0600 in the morning or between 1500 and 1800..

Great advice. We disembarked the Coral Wednesday and spent a lot of time waiting for anything to load, outside of the

times you mentioned.

VERY IMPORTANT

 

I really hate to do this on the first sea day, but we found something yesterday that could really affect people’s health on the ships. We bring our own shampoo and conditioner for long cruises since Princess started using the bottles in the shower instead of the packaged Lotus Spa stuff. Usually our steward gives us new or empty/cleaned spare bottles and swaps them out for us. This time we had to dump the old stuff out and clean the bottles, but what we found in and around the bottles was GROSS.

 

Behind the bottles on the chrome attachment plate was black moldy goopee gross stuff. We used a healthy dose of Lysol spray and Clorox wipes to clean it up.

 

Even worse though was that the black moldy goopee stuff was in the shampoo/conditioner and the body gel bottle as well. Especially on the cap threads. (Judy had to clean the pump head threads with Q-tips.) After rinsing for several minutes in hot water, we got it all cleaned out, black stuff everywhere.

 

I’m not sure if it was bacteria, fungus or just some kind of chemical reaction between the soaps and the containers. I don’t want to know. I wanted it gone.

 

The reason the stuff is there is pretty clear – these particular areas just don’t get cleaned very often – they probably don’t think its important. But anyone that might be sensitive to mold or fungus might have a reaction to the stuff when the shower is running and dispersing some of this in the air.

 

So pull the caps and look at the threads in bright light and look behind the bottles with a flashlight and see what you see.

OMG that is awful!!!! Did you tell the Hotel General Manager at the meet and greet?

Thanks for the warning!

Enjoy your amazing cruise!!! :D:D:D:D:D

We were on the Coral Sept 5-12, and I am still in vacation withdrawal. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

We were on the Coral Sept 5-12, and I am still in vacation withdrawal. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

Just checked our dispensers and they are mold free.

Just checked our dispensers and they are mold free.

Thank goodness. I will check mine when we board. Or you could go check mine for me. My cabin is.....

Just kidding.

Just checked our dispensers and they are mold free.

Just a question for you (TheRabbit). Noticed somewhere that you are taking a tremendous amount of wine on board ;), if you have any of that wine left after the cruise I wouldn't mind if you leave it in our cabin :D. We will be in C... (# to follow;p).

Theo