NEED desperate help deciding

[lgmg]

:confused: I want to cruise Alaska this summer. Should I book on the Diamond, Coral or Island Princess? All the costs and ports are the same. Which is the better ship to sail on?:o

[Murrah Miss]

Our only cruise experience has been on Princess, on our Alaska trip/cruise. We were on the Coral and just LOVED it. It and the Island carry fewer passengers. Regardless of the ship you choose, you will LOVE the cruise! :)

 

Enjoy!

[Alessandrina]

Coral or Island. Beautiful ships.

Cheers.

[Starlaker]

We have done the cruise on both the Diamond and the Coral. Both were great, but I preferred the smaller ship (Coral). You can't go wrong on any of them. Great cruise. Be sure to get a balcony. Lots of beautiful cruising time.

[princessmargaret]

Just to give you a bit more info, the Coral and Island are twins. There is virtually no difference between them. They are great ships where you never feel crowded. The covered pool is lovely. The Diamond is also very nice; larger with more passengers, but still not overwhelming.

 

My husband and I were on the Coral to the Panama Canal and Diamond to the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii. We've been cruising the larger ships lately-- Crown, Emerald, and upcoming Ruby. Mostly because we want the Caribbean in the winter.

 

If you want a smaller ship feel that still has plenty of amenities, book the Coral or Island. If you want more variety of spaces, book the Diamond. You won't be disappointed with any of them.

[Coral]

I would suggest Coral Princess besides being my favorite ship, the naturalist who has been on the ship for years (and hopefully next year) is excellent.

 

I would also suggest Southbound.

 

If you can't get on the Coral - the Island Princess would be my next choice (identical to Coral).

[Iafarmer]

I too, would have to endorse the Coral....we thoroughly enjoyed the naturalist onboard...she made a huge contribution to the enjoyment of our trip. Our trip was NB, but looking at timing, think maybe contributors are correct in that the SB might be preferred, if an option.

Either way, it appears the Diamond or Coral are great ships/trips.....look to the itineraries and what you want to see to help decide.

I highly recommend Glacier Bay...which I think many Princess itinieraries include.

Enjoy!

[Coral]

I too, would have to endorse the Coral....we thoroughly enjoyed the naturalist onboard...she made a huge contribution to the enjoyment of our trip. Our trip was NB, but looking at timing, think maybe contributors are correct in that the SB might be preferred, if an option.

Either way, it appears the Diamond or Coral are great ships/trips.....look to the itineraries and what you want to see to help decide.

I highly recommend Glacier Bay...which I think many Princess itinieraries include.

Enjoy!

 

I suggested Southbound because it goes to GB and Hubbard Glacier this year. In the past, I really didn't have a preference as the itineraries were the same.

 

Barbara is great!

[BobT172]

I've been on all three.... did Alaska last August on the Island...great ship... got us in real close to the glaciers... great crew...

 

Did the Mexican Riviera three years ago on the Diamond.. was not really impressed with the crew and didn't care much for the ship... seemed like while most Princess ships have two large anytime dining rooms on Deck 5 and 6, on the Diamond it was broken into 4 smaller rooms... I think they lost alot of seating space by dividing it... anytime dining became a hassle on some nights.... never had that problem on other Princess ships.

[Pam in CA]

I suggested Southbound because it goes to GB and Hubbard Glacier this year. In the past, I really didn't have a preference as the itineraries were the same.

I, too, would prefer the southbound on the Coral or Island but for another reason. We did the southbound a few years ago on the Coral and it was so nice getting the long flights over with before boarding. We relaxed on the cruise and flying home from Vancouver to Boston (where I lived at the time) was just a 5-hour flight, not the 18+ hours it took to get to Fairbanks (we did a pre-cruise tour.) I'm on the Coral again in less than two weeks and am really looking forward to her. While actually longer than the Diamond, the Coral is narrower and has 1,000 fewer passengers. In other words, fewer passengers crowding the public viewing areas.

[Stevesan]

To Desperate:

 

Alaska is about the magnificent scenery and wildlife more so than the ship. Book the schedule that best fits yours.

 

P.S. The Princess web site has excllent descriptions and depictions of its ship. They're great for making comparisons. Have you visited there yet?

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/

 

They're all good. :D

[Woobstr112G]

Either one you choose will afford you a great cruise.....:):):)

 

Bob

[bookworm1]

I've sailed The Diamond to the mexican riviera. It was good.

I've sailed the Coral - full Panama Canal Cruise

 

Hands down TAKE THE CORAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[highheel girl]

The Island/Coral.

Southbound due to air schedule.

[kruisey]

These are all great ships but the only thing that put me off Island Princess was tobacco smoke.Maybe there were more smokers on board that time 3 years ago? On the Fiesta deck to reach Photo Gallery,Explorers Lounge ,Universal Lounge one has to walk past the side of the Casino which has no door and open the smoke is there in that corridor.

This I also noticed on the main staircase climbing up from Fiesta to just above Promenade deck.

Have never noticed this on any other ship.And again maybe not as many smoke now.

Know I will get flack about this as I did once before but that was my true experience at that time.

I love all Princess ships each one has her special charm.....:)