Trying Princess for the 1st time - previously all Royal Caribbean

[CRUISEFAN0001]

After really enjoying our various Royal Caribbean cruises all over the world, we focussed on a Panama Canal cruise.

 

That brought us to Coral Princess early next year.

 

Having done a fair amount of research, Coral appears to please many of its cruise passengers, and the 10-day Panama Canal round trip appears to be a very special itinerary.

 

Any suggestions or insights on Coral Princess and/or the Canal experience even more enjoyable would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

[keithm]

After really enjoying our various Royal Caribbean cruises all over the world, we focussed on a Panama Canal cruise.

 

That brought us to Coral Princess early next year.

 

Having done a fair amount of research, Coral appears to please many of its cruise passengers, and the 10-day Panama Canal round trip appears to be a very special itinerary.

 

Any suggestions or insights on Coral Princess and/or the Canal experience even more enjoyable would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

We've done Cunard/Celebrity mostly. We did a 14 day B2B last Feb. on the Regal. An extremely elegant ship. Food was good, though not as good as Cunard/Celebrity. The staff was outstanding. As the Regal is "currently" Princess's flag ship, I think they went above & beyond to impress. Overall I'd guess you'll have a good cruise. The dress is a little more formal than RCL, but not like Cunard. We did a Panama Canal trip on the Queen Victoria in 2012. It was a good overall trip, but not to Cunard's usual standard. You'll have a good time but it will be extremely hot & humid in the canal zone, When you go through the canal have your camera ready. It's quite a site to see the ships guided through into Gateau lake. You should be able to see the new expanded canal area, where the large ships should be able to transit shortly. Quite the engineering marvel.

[skynight]

After really enjoying our various Royal Caribbean cruises all over the world, we focussed on a Panama Canal cruise.

That brought us to Coral Princess early next year.

Having done a fair amount of research, Coral appears to please many of its cruise passengers, and the 10-day Panama Canal round trip appears to be a very special itinerary.

Any suggestions or insights on Coral Princess and/or the Canal experience even more enjoyable would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

 

The Coral is a really nicely designed ship with lots of lounges and activities. Panama Canal is great. The best views are from the upper decks and not from cabin balconies. The upper decks give you the opportunity of walking around and getting 360 degree views.

 

The ship arrives at the locks very early in the morning, you will be provided a schedule. It takes an hour or two to transit the Atlantic locks. The ship then sits in Gatun Lake until it receives clearance to exit the lake and dock at Colon. There are no private tours in Panama. Only those that book a Princess tour are allowed off the ship in Gatun Lake. Tenders take you to a yacht club where your tour guide meets you. After your tour you are dropped off at the Colon dock.

 

If you wish to try specialty dining you will have to make reservations on board. There are no pre-cruise reservations. The Coral has the Bayou Steak House, and Sabatini's. They will also offer the Crab Shack which is held some evenings in a closed off buffet seating area. There are also special dining experiences such as the Chef's Table and Balcony Dining.

 

One DR is open for breakfast each day and lunch on sea days only. Other free dining, International Cafe open 24/7, The Horizon Ct. Buffet open from around 5am until 11pm or midnight, never closes, and by the Lido Pool the Princess Pizza, and The Grill, open from 11am to 11pm. There will also be a free pub lunch on some sea days. It is either in the Wheelhouse Bar or the Bayou Cafe. It has also been reported that Alfredo's Pizza is available for lunch at Sabatini's, but I have no first hand knowledge of this.

 

The same with shows. No reservations. All shows are walk in. Shows in the 8/8:30pm time frame are the most crowded and you have to be there early. Shows in the Universe Lounge and the Princess Theater can overlap, so you may have to choose.

 

If you enjoy espresso drinks, look into the Cafe Selects card. Princess also offers an all inclusive beverage package (AIBP) @ $56.35/pp/day, includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages priced under $10, which is about 95% of all drinks on board. If you were to get the AIBP then you don't need toe cafe select card. The package includes these drinks. The AIBP is per passenger an all passengers in a cabin do NOT have to purchase it.

[Kamloops50]

The Coral is a really nicely designed ship with lots of lounges and activities. Panama Canal is great. The best views are from the upper decks and not from cabin balconies. The upper decks give you the opportunity of walking around and getting 360 degree views.

 

The ship arrives at the locks very early in the morning, you will be provided a schedule. It takes an hour or two to transit the Atlantic locks. The ship then sits in Gatun Lake until it receives clearance to exit the lake and dock at Colon. There are no private tours in Panama. Only those that book a Princess tour are allowed off the ship in Gatun Lake. Tenders take you to a yacht club where your tour guide meets you. After your tour you are dropped off at the Colon dock.

 

If you wish to try specialty dining you will have to make reservations on board. There are no pre-cruise reservations. The Coral has the Bayou Steak House, and Sabatini's. They will also offer the Crab Shack which is held some evenings in a closed off buffet seating area. There are also special dining experiences such as the Chef's Table and Balcony Dining.

 

One DR is open for breakfast each day and lunch on sea days only. Other free dining, International Cafe open 24/7, The Horizon Ct. Buffet open from around 5am until 11pm or midnight, never closes, and by the Lido Pool the Princess Pizza, and The Grill, open from 11am to 11pm. There will also be a free pub lunch on some sea days. It is either in the Wheelhouse Bar or the Bayou Cafe. It has also been reported that Alfredo's Pizza is available for lunch at Sabatini's, but I have no first hand knowledge of this.

 

The same with shows. No reservations. All shows are walk in. Shows in the 8/8:30pm time frame are the most crowded and you have to be there early. Shows in the Universe Lounge and the Princess Theater can overlap, so you may have to choose.

 

If you enjoy espresso drinks, look into the Cafe Selects card. Princess also offers an all inclusive beverage package (AIBP) @ $56.35/pp/day, includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages priced under $10, which is about 95% of all drinks on board. If you were to get the AIBP then you don't need toe cafe select card. The package includes these drinks. The AIBP is per passenger an all passengers in a cabin do NOT have to purchase it.

 

They have a lunch in Sabatini's a couple of times . It is pizza not always Alfredo's.

When the Coral anchors in Gatun Lake. People disembark to take Princess tours thru the lake . You can't just disembark in Gatun Lake. Private tours start from Colon after the ship docks.

[elliair]

After really enjoying our various Royal Caribbean cruises all over the world, we focussed on a Panama Canal cruise.

 

That brought us to Coral Princess early next year.

 

Having done a fair amount of research, Coral appears to please many of its cruise passengers, and the 10-day Panama Canal round trip appears to be a very special itinerary.

 

Any suggestions or insights on Coral Princess and/or the Canal experience even more enjoyable would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

We liked the Coral Princess better than the Island Princess. At least on the Coral you can walk clear around the ship. It's missing a couple of features that we like like Vines. The Churchill Lounge (smokers lounge) is located right in the path of passengers walking by and near the Atrium. The smoke drifts out the door and into the public area. Not a deal breaker for me, I just avoid the area. We did the full transit all 3 times that we've done the Panama Canal. Get a balcony cabin for sure. Watch for crocodiles on the muddy banks. Bring binoculars! If you drink, Happy Hour is worth it. It's from 3-4 pm in the Wheelhouse. Get there early to get a seat as it fills up fast. Buy 1 drink and get the next same drink for $1. Some buy 6 bottles of beer (unopened) and take it back to their cabin to enjoy it later. Have fun!

[skynight]

They have a lunch in Sabatini's a couple of times . It is pizza not always Alfredo's.

When the Coral anchors in Gatun Lake. People disembark to take Princess tours thru the lake . You can't just disembark in Gatun Lake. Private tours start from Colon after the ship docks.

When we took the 10 day cruise, twice, we did not exit Gatun Lake until sometime in the mid afternoon. We were docked at Colon only for a short time, about 4 or 5 hours, not enough time for any long tour.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Thank you for the shared information so far....very helpful to those of us who are Princess rookies.

 

I have read a bit that the Sanctuary is a good location for viewing the Panama Canal experience. Others have posted going onto Promenade Deck 7 (outside) in the rear is also a good place for those of us who take a lot of photos....

 

Everyone's ideas welcome. :)

[IECalCruiser]

Thank you for the shared information so far....very helpful to those of us who are Princess rookies.

 

I have read a bit that the Sanctuary is a good location for viewing the Panama Canal experience. Others have posted going onto Promenade Deck 7 (outside) in the rear is also a good place for those of us who take a lot of photos....

 

Everyone's ideas welcome. :)

The Sanctuary is aft and will have good views but you will not have a view of the approach to the Canal. I believe the cost is $70/person for the Panama Canal day which was not included when we purchased the Sanctuary for the cruise. You do get some food and drink with that price but I don't know exactly what.

 

We have done two Canal cruises, a 10 day Partial Transit and a 15 day Full Transit. On our first cruise, the 10 day, we got up vary early to get a spot up front on the Sports deck to watch the approach. The transit through the three locks takes a long time so I moved around the ship between various parts of the Promenade deck, our balcony aft on Emerald deck and the various parts of the Sun deck. That was before joining CC and the first time on the Coral so I was unaware of the "secret" decks forward and aft.

Edited June 12, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[Hazelnut1106]

One of the best pieces of advice we received before our first Panama Canal transit was to view going thru the locks from lower decks like the Promenade deck 7 as well as viewing from a higher deck. The lower decks give a totally different perspective.

[luvtoocruz]

We have never been or Coral but have sailed on four other Princess ships and a number of Royal Caribbean ships. We enjoy both cruise lines. Food and staff are great on both. At the back of the ship is an adult pool which is called the Terrace pool on the ships we have sailed with Princess. It's a great place to relax and watch the wake of the ship. On Coral it's called the Sanctuary pool. Hopefully it's also an adult only pool. Whoops, unless you have kids. Anyway, enjoy.

Betty

Edited June 12, 2016 by luvtoocruz
Added my name

[CRUISEFAN0001]

The transit through the three locks takes a long time so I moved around the ship between various parts of the Promenade deck, our balcony aft on Emerald deck and the various parts of the Sun deck. That was before joining CC and the first time on the Coral so I was unaware of the "secret" decks forward and aft.

"Secret Decks"...hmmm...sounds interesting.

[IECalCruiser]

"Secret Decks"...hmmm...sounds interesting.

On the Coral there are deck areas all the way forward on Baja and Caribe and all the way aft on Baja, Caribe and Dolphin that are open to the public and are great viewing areas. Several of the aft decks even have lounge chairs.

[yoyosma]

We have never been or Coral but have sailed on four other Princess ships and a number of Royal Caribbean ships. We enjoy both cruise lines. Food and staff are great on both. At the back of the ship is an adult pool which is called the Terrace pool on the ships we have sailed with Princess. It's a great place to relax and watch the wake of the ship. On Coral it's called the Sanctuary pool. Hopefully it's also an adult only pool. Whoops, unless you have kids. Anyway, enjoy.

Betty

 

Only people booked into the Sanctuary can use that pool. It is adults only by virtue of the Sanctuary being adults only.

 

The Sanctuary does a special day for the canal, at least on the full transit. While I love the Sanctuary we did not consider it for the transit because we wanted to be all over. We were up front, on the promenade, on our balcony, on the secret back decks (aft on Dolphon, Caribe, and maybe Baha) and on the secret front decks(forward on Carib and either Baha or Dolphon). It was a wonderful experience and we are doing it again next April.

 

Enjoy.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

On the Coral there are deck areas all the way forward on Baja and Caribe and all the way aft on Baja, Caribe and Dolphin that are open to the public and are great viewing areas. Several of the aft decks even have lounge chairs.

Very cool!

 

Thank you.

 

Anyone have favorites for dining onboard at places beyond the main dining room?

[Kamloops50]

Bayou café is our favourite

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Kamloops50]

Especially if they have jazz quartet playing

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[IECalCruiser]

Especially if they have jazz quartet playing

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The jazz quartet (sometimes a trio) has typically started playing around 7:30 to 8:00.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

This all very useful information!

[Lucky TGO]

I hope you like Princess as much as my wife and I. Good luck on your cruise I hope you have a great time.

Tony

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've been on the Coral twice and it's sister, the Island, twice as well. They're both beautiful but have an odd layout with the gym being in the aft of the ship and the buffet (Horizon Court) in the bow of the ship. It takes awhile to get used to it, but the view in the HC is great especially if you have big waves. I think the outer decks would be better for the Canal though.

 

Things you might notice on Princess that are different compared to RCI:

 

Service in the buffet is light years better

Atmosphere is quietly elegant

Pool areas are actually kept clean (no floating used band-aids in the pool or trays left everywhere)

No interactive TVs

Balcony cabins do not have a couch in them

Cabins are narrower

Showers have a curtain instead of a shower door

Showers are smaller

Loyalty perks are much better

Self-service laundry rooms

Opening of the forward areas during canal transit

Atrium activities and entertainment

Less pool antics and organized games

Much harder trivia, much more intense trivia players & cheaper winnings :cool:

[actuarian]

I've been on the Coral twice and it's sister, the Island, twice as well. They're both beautiful but have an odd layout with the gym being in the aft of the ship and the buffet (Horizon Court) in the bow of the ship. It takes awhile to get used to it, but the view in the HC is great especially if you have big waves. I think the outer decks would be better for the Canal though.

 

Things you might notice on Princess that are different compared to RCI:

 

Service in the buffet is light years better

Atmosphere is quietly elegant

Pool areas are actually kept clean (no floating used band-aids in the pool or trays left everywhere)

No interactive TVs

Balcony cabins do not have a couch in them

Cabins are narrower

Showers have a curtain instead of a shower door

Showers are smaller

Loyalty perks are much better

Self-service laundry rooms

Opening of the forward areas during canal transit

Atrium activities and entertainment

Less pool antics and organized games

Much harder trivia, much more intense trivia players & cheaper winnings :cool:

 

I would disagree with the comment in regards to loyalty perks. Princess has nothing comparable to the Diamond Lounge, with complementary drinks, snacks and concierge service that is found on almost all RCI ships. RCI also provides 3 complementary drinks daily in any lounge to all diamond and higher members, another perk that Princess cannot match. Finally, the perks that RCI offers to its Pinnacle Club members are superb.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I've been on the Coral twice and it's sister, the Island, twice as well. They're both beautiful but have an odd layout with the gym being in the aft of the ship and the buffet (Horizon Court) in the bow of the ship. It takes awhile to get used to it, but the view in the HC is great especially if you have big waves. I think the outer decks would be better for the Canal though.

 

Things you might notice on Princess that are different compared to RCI:

 

Service in the buffet is light years better

Atmosphere is quietly elegant

Pool areas are actually kept clean (no floating used band-aids in the pool or trays left everywhere)

No interactive TVs

Balcony cabins do not have a couch in them

Cabins are narrower

Showers have a curtain instead of a shower door

Showers are smaller

Loyalty perks are much better

Self-service laundry rooms

Opening of the forward areas during canal transit

Atrium activities and entertainment

Less pool antics and organized games

Much harder trivia, much more intense trivia players & cheaper winnings :cool:

Thank you - this is good stuff to know!

 

While we have been on 4 different Royal "size/class" ships - some multiple times - and know the layouts quite well - learning the layout things and "special" features of the Princess line (Coral in this case) is very helpful.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Quick question to you experts:

 

It appears that Deck 10 & 11 cabin occupants have access to a bow (front) balcony of sorts for viewing -is this a public access space?

Edited June 23, 2016 by CRUISEFAN0001

[CruiseLady88]

I am a Princess fan. But I only go to their 5 star ships. I tried Regal Princess, Royal Princess, Emerald Princess and Crown Princess, and only enjoyed Regal and Emerald. The band on the piazza on Royal Princess was not great. Always the same playlists and the male singer not quite good. I like the Rhumba Duo in the wheelhouse and we saw them on Emerald and Crown. The bottom line is to choose a newer ship with higher star rating. The Coral Princess is a 4.5 star ship and was built in 2002. Too old for me to try.

 

But the food on all the princess ships we tried was good. Royal Caribbean can't compare when coming to food quality and selection.

Edited June 23, 2016 by CruiseLady88

[jackyfromwyk]

I am a Princess fan. But I only go to their 5 star ships. I tried Regal Princess, Royal Princess, Emerald Princess and Crown Princess, and only enjoyed Regal and Emerald. The band on the piazza on Royal Princess was not great. Always the same playlists and the male singer not quite good. I like the Rhumba Duo in the wheelhouse and we saw them on Emerald and Crown. The bottom line is to choose a newer ship with higher star rating. The Coral Princess is a 4.5 star ship and was built in 2002. Too old for me to try.

 

But the food on all the princess ships we tried was good. Royal Caribbean can't compare when coming to food quality and selection.

 

 

Ditto on the food. While the food on the Oasis OTS was very good, the same could not be said for the Brilliance OTS.

We found the food on all Princess ships excellent.

Edited June 23, 2016 by jackyfromwyk
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