Coral Review Panama Canal - Nov. 7-22 2015

[wishIwascruising]

We boarded in Ft. Lauderdale. Boarding took about 30-40 minutes and we were on the ship. We immediately went to the Passenger’s Service Desk to sign up for the Ultimate Ship’s Tour. More about the UST later.

 

We checked out our room on the Caribe Deck Midship - Balcony, good location. Temperature - comfortable. View - perfect!

 

We didn’t want to fight the crowds at the Buffet and had already missed the Dining Room lunch. We had a hotdog, fries and a coke for our first onboard meal from the Outdoor Grill. Gotta say I love their hotdogs & hamburgers.

 

The first Patter lists all the entertainment for the week, formal nights, MUTS, etc. We downloaded the Princess@Sea App which is GREAT! We could message friends onboard, check daily activities & our daily charges.

 

We had traditional dining (table of 4) in the Bordeaux @ 5:30. That worked for us. We thought the food was really good on this cruise with the exception of the fish/salmon dishes for some reason. They always seemed dry and flavorless. The beef on the other hand was delicious (which was a surprise to us because it was not good on our last Princess cruise). The desserts were very good, especially the special 50th Anniversary Norman Love chocolate desserts. We didn’t go to any specialty restaurants but did go to Crab Shack. We ate at the Bayou Café for the British Style Pub Lunches. It’s good! We had breakfast and many lunches at Horizon Food Court. We were disappointed in the Cronuts! They were not fresh no matter when we got them. I asked when they were put out in the AM. I was told 4:00 AM & 6:00 AM. They just didn’t live up to past Cronuts from previous cruises.

 

The entertainment was hit & miss. The only production shows we really enjoyed were “Motor City & “On the Bayou“ We really enjoyed music in the Atrium, specifically the Fiore Duo. These 2 lovely young women entertained all the passengers were their beautiful music throughout the cruise. We also really enjoyed Guitar Melodies in the Atrium. You can hear it the music from the Atrium in the Game Room. Especially enjoyed shows of Travis Turpin and Karen Grainger. We saw them both twice! Also enjoyed Chris Contillo, pianist. He was very good. Less talking, more playing.

 

We attended most of the onboard lectures about our destination ports of call. We didn‘t lay out by the pool so don‘t know about chair hogs etc., didn’t spend any time in the Casino.

 

We spent time in the Game Room, playing cards many afternoons & evenings. Towards the end of the cruise it really smelled like cigar or cigarette smoke perhaps from the Churchill Lounge? The Card Room was a busy place. When there were no tables we often ended up in Wheelhouse during the afternoon and got to listen to the Princess Pop Choir rehearsal. (They were really good!)

 

Aruba - just walked around (hardly time to do much more, such a short stop). Enjoyed the beach and the flea market. Cartagena - had a wonderful tour with Dora@Cartegenatour.com, Mercedes was our guide, exceptional! Roomy, a/c bus. Lots of street vendors that don’t understand “personal space”. I actually would have loved to shop but if you gave any interest, 10 others came up and tried to ply you with their items. Cartegena is a beautiful city rich with history. Panama Canal - Amazing! Make sure you take advantage of destination lectures and Panama Canal video presentations. Go forward on deck 10 & 11 for a better view, less crowded. Puntarenas, Costa Rica - Booked a wonderful tour with Odyssey Tours “10 in 1” tour. Rob was our tour guide, private tour of 4. Pura Vida. It was perfect, saw monkeys, crocs, beaches, shopping, dining, rainforest, resorts, flowers, fruits, local artisans etc. San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua - Nicaragua was the biggest surprise. It was so beautiful. We booked the Amayo Hacienda Experience through Princess. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday! It was a highlight of our trip. Cabo San Lucas - Glass Bottom Boat tour, just booked after we got off the Tender.

 

The weather was PERFECTION. We only had about 5 minutes of light rain in Costa Rica and another 5 minutes of light rain during the Panama Canal. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions.

 

Ultimate Ship Tour - it is worth the $150 charge. We had a behind the scenes tour of the ship. It was held on our last sea day. There were about 14 passengers included in the tour. The letter informing us we would be on the tour said “NO photographs“, so we didn’t take a camera. First stop, the Bridge. We met with the Captain and the Officers on the Bridge. It was fascinating. The Captain said “you may take photos, but no video.” So, we all got out our cellphones and snapped away. Another highlight was the laundry room. It’s amazing! Also saw backstage at the Princess Theater, Print Shop, Engineering Room, Medical Center, Kitchens & prep areas, Food Storage, Rubbish area, Crew areas, and much more. The parting gifts were: Waffle weave bathrobes, picture frames, Princess notepads, photos, and I can’t remember what else. They were brought to our rooms.

 

We bought the Soda Cards and the Princess Soda Cups were in our room when we boarded. We didn’t use the cups but our kids like them.

 

The ship was showing some wear but a wonderful home for 15 days nonetheless. We found the crew & staff to be very cheerful, pleasant & accommodating. The passengers seemed very cordial. It was an older demographic but it appeared as if most were having an enjoyable time.

 

The Coral may be our new favorite ship.

Edited December 10, 2015 by wishIwascruising

[jean s]

Thanks so much for your review. We are planning to book this for next year so your review was a great help.

[js4rq]

Sounds like you had an amazing cruise!

 

What time were the shows onboard?

 

What was the flea market like in Aruba - were there souvenirs etc?

[Woobstr112G]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading it.....:):):)

 

Bob

Edited December 10, 2015 by Woobstr112G
Review

[wishIwascruising]

The shows in the Princess Theater were usually at 7:45pm & 9:30 pm. The shows in the Universe Lounge were usually at 9:00 pm & 10:30 pm.

 

The flea market in Aruba was fun. I think a multitude of women on the ship all bought the same dress there, different colors (including me). I used mine for a swimsuit coverup but others wore it around the ship. The vendors were very friendly and were just setting up when we got there. There is a high-end mall nearby as well but that didn't interest me, I can find that at home. I was looking for Dutch Chocolate and found it at the nearby market.

[yoyosma]

Nice review. I just got off the Coral on Monday. It is a very nice ship.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[kokoko]

Thanks for the review we go in feb. Love reading other people's experiences.