Best Balcony Choice on Coral for Panama Canal?

[mrsbojamp]

My husband and I will be doing Panama Canal in April 2017 on the Coral with another couple. We would like 2 balcony cabins next to each other so we can open the balconies to connect. I'm interested in the Caribe cabins that are 1/2 covered. Are these balconies larger than the standard ones, as they appear on the deck plans? Also, if they are close to an area where there is a "bump out" is the view significantly impacted? Is it better to have a smaller balcony that is on the bump?

 

Thank you to all my fellow cruise critics! I always get such great info here!

[Cruise Raider]

We sailed on the Coral and love these cabins -- mainly because they are on the Caribe deck so the balcony is quite nice, especially if travelling with another couple. You can just move your chairs over and there is room to all sit out on one balcony.

C315 and C317 or C314 and C316

 

The balconies are half covered and seat 4 comfortably ... we moved the other chairs outside and so seated 6 out there but it gets a little tight with anything more than that. It is also nice as half the balcony is covered so in case of rain, you can always sit on the protected half.

 

Best of all, these are a much smaller price than the ones just aft -- or those that are considered the premium balcony cabins. They are also close to the forward stairwells but not too close so never had any noise issues. If you are in the cabins just forward of these, your view will be restricted quite a bit and not too bad at all in these cabins mentioned above but you will not have an unobstructed view if wanting to watch the chamber doors open while in the locks. But, it probably wouldn't be all that much better in the midship cabins either.

 

While I usually like aft cabins, this ship doesn't have any true aft balcony cabins but rather a public deck. If you are at one of the very aft cabins on either the port or starboard side of the ship, you would have good views of the canal's workings but you would also have a public deck right next to your cabin and it is my understanding people can (probably won't) look in onto your private space. I would only imagine that there will be a lot of people using that deck while going through the canal....on and off, course. Plus, the balconies are not the larger ones.

[Wishing on a star]

I believe that all of the mid-ship cabins between the bumpouts are the larger balconies and are halfway covered.

 

If I am remembering correctly, the midship cabins, mid-forward and mid-aft, that are next to the bump-outs are more receded, and this would probably affect your views.

 

There is a web page that a great poster had put together, showing all the details of these cabins, like which are covered, uncovered, etc. Search for 'covered balconies' and you will find the link.

 

Also, I do not see any actual adjoining cabins on what I am looking at.

But, of course, you should be able to open the balconies.

 

There are a few cabins in this mid-ship section that have bunks for 4 passengers. Deck plans on other cruise web-sites show this. I am thinking that on the Coral, these bunks might be on the walls and affect the space in the cabin. According to the one I am seeing, cabins C314, C318, C321, C322, C325, C329, C330, C333, C334, C401, C404, C405, C518, C522, C533, C537, C606, C607, C610, C615 will take 4 passengers. (Hope I got these listed right!) When on the Princess web-site, if you act like you are putting in for 4 passengers, it will show you these staterooms.

 

I have seen amazing photographs taken from the forward viewing decks on the Coral, I think these are decks 9 and 10. These are just below the bridge, and you can look up and see the bridge.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Wishing on a star

[mrsbojamp]

Thank you so much for the info! It's very helpful. We'll probably reserve tonight!