Coral Princess - Partial Canal Transit, March 28th

[sippican]

We’ve cruised with a number of lines and usually choose an itinerary first, and the ship/line next.

Now for the disclaimers - I fully recognize that there is a great deal of variance from ship to ship (even within the same cruise line), crew members, and sailings, I’ve gathered a few thoughts and observations from our Coral Princess partial Panama Canal transit, realizing that the experience of others may vary vary, and not everyone will agree with my opinions. Truly, we’ve only had one cruise we’d care not to repeat and feel blessed to be able to spend time sailing the seven seas.

We chose the Coral, knowing it is a smaller, older ship in the Princess fleet.

 

Embarkation went very smoothly and pier staff was friendly and welcoming. The Elite Lounge was a maze of sparsely furnished rooms and hallways. We arrived prior to boarding time, and the complimentary refreshments had been pretty well cleaned out. No big deal as I know we will be far from starving in the next ten days! We each brought two bottles of wine, fully prepared to pay the corkage on the extra 2, but were waved right through. I was absolutely thrilled that Princess allows immediate access to the staterooms so no need to drag the rollaways around waiting for the magical announcement.

 

Cabin - We had chosen C367 primarily for it’s forward and side facing “bump-out” balcony. It was a perfect choice for canal cruising. We loved the large size, wrap-around glass railing and the fact that it is partially covered. It had comfortable lounge chairs with footstools and a full-sized table. The fact that others could look into the balcony never bothered us a single bit. As far as location, it is aft, very close to the aft elevators for quick access to the pools, but a long walk to the buffet. It is one of the smallest cabins we’ve ever had and we were surprised at the lack of a sofa or love seat (guess we should have done our homework). The bathroom shower was absolutely teeny - DH was not happy with his daily shower curtain battles. There were some maintenance issues, like the huge rust/rot hole that ran from the balcony deck to right under the door and was clearly visible. Also spots on the carpet and chairs - minor, but showing it’s age. The closet was large and plenty of hangers and shelving for storage. Most comfortable bed and linens ever! We were able to keep the temperature comfortably cool with the thermostat always at its lowest setting. Our cabin steward was excellent and responded promptly to our few additional requests.

 

General Public Areas - Beautiful atrium, attractive design and decor throughout the ship. There were a few instances when we found “you can’t get there from here”, but we managed to navigate quite easily. I felt very closed-in onboard (I am claustrophobic) and the low, ornate ceilings, single-floor dining rooms, dark colors and lack of exterior glass seemed to reinforce the feeling. We loved the Promenade Deck; there’s nothing like being able to completely circumnavigate the ship on a real deck, not a hot sports track! The fitness center was well equipped and clean. We enjoyed a few of the bar venues (again - very dark). The Princess Theater did get crowded for some shows, but there never seemed to be anyone turned away. There are many choices onboard for a comfortable, quiet seat to just sit and relax. The public restrooms need updating as they are as drab as a school washroom. Elevators are plentiful and we rarely had a long wait! We noticed some ares of the ship that have a funky, unpleasant odor both in hallways as well as public areas (couldn’t help but wonder about the source since the recent Noro outbreak).

 

Spa - we had originally made appointments, but cancelled them as we did not want to listen to the reported high-pressure sales tactics for miracle creams and treatments. (This is not unique to Princess.)

 

Entertainment - owing to personal taste, there were of course some hits and misses. We found the production shows to be clever, creative and highly entertaining. ((don’t miss the other opportunities to see the cast on Pub Night and the Bayou show). Although the additional entertainers were talented, we tired of the same performers in the lounges and Atrium night after night (are they never switched out at ports?) Although not important to many, I want to mention that Princess television offerings were more comprehensive than we’ve found on other ships. The movie offerings were good and DH was thrilled to see the Final Four games broadcasted. And speaking of movies - we loved Movies Under the Stars; comfortable padded loungers and pillows, snuggly blankets, a swaying ship and gentle breezes, and did I mention popcorn?. Simply Brilliant!

 

Pools -Not much to say, but our brief observations showed nice clean areas, and plenty of empty loungers. If you love sun, be sure to check out the Splash Pool area above the bow. And the reason for the lack of detail is because we chose to purchase the full-cruise pass to the …..

 

Sanctuary - Let me start by saying that we hate the chair hog game; a more low key setting and the aft view is our favorite, It was worth every dollar spent and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Not sure if we’d purchase the entire package for a port-intensive itinerary, but since we planned very little off-ship time, it was the perfect answer for us. The staff went above and beyond good service, they were exceptional. The loungers were reserved very quickly for sea days and I’d advise going to reserve as soon as you board if you intend to use the area.

 

Dining - If you are interested in reading about ATD, i will direct you here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=52773443&posted=1#post52773443

Suffice it to say ATD was completely unsatisfactory so we switched to assigned dining at 7:30 (along with two other couples at our table). We heard many, many complaints throughout the cruise so I feel confident in saying that our situation was not unique. The food and service in the Provence Diningroom was good. The menu was not overly exciting, and the food not memorable, but we found something to our liking each evening and never went away hungry. Certainly not a complaint, but not extraordinary either. The one exception were the desserts - there were a number of them that were unique and delicious, Our servers did their job well but out of the four couples, only one decided to tip beyond the standard gratuities. We only went to breakfast once, and never lunched in the MDR, preferring the Horizon Court. We dined at the Bayou Cafe and were surprised to see hardly anyone else there. The steak was the best we’ve had in a very long time and it was cooked to perfection. We purchased the Gold Wine package and were pleased with the selections offered. We also participated in the Maitre D’s Wine tasting, which was fun and educational. The canapés alone made it well worth the $25 cover charge. What we did not appreciate was the constant hounding sales pitches during the tasting and at Horizon Court for other wine tastings and pairings. It reminded us of vacation ownership sales; enough already! No complaints about the Horizon Court buffet. We enjoyed the vegetables (which seemed to be severely lacking from the MDR menus). We felt there could be expanded choices in some areas such as the salad bar and omelet station, but perhaps, being a small ship, this is not a realistic option. We especially liked the pastry and dessert selections - the Chocolate Panama Canal was impressive!

 

Misc. Comments:

Guest Services personnel were extremely responsive and pleasant.

Internet onboard is spotty and slow - wish they offered an unlimited minutes package.

Excursions - we are DIY’ers so can’t comment, nor did we shop or make use of the Casino.

Future Cruise Consultant (only 1) was not really helpful to our queries regarding the Alaska Land Extensions (in particular, the lodges) and suggested we look it up online to find our answers.

 

The commentator brought onboard for the Panama Canal was excellent - too bad they ran out of his book!

 

As usual, we travel with the expectation that all cruises are great opportunities and they are what you choose to make of them. We met some wonderful people onboard and look forward to planning our Alaska Adventure in the future (but probably on a different ship).

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for your review. It brought back memories of our two trips on Coral: the same partial-Panama Canal itinerary, and the Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers. Coral is a great ship for both of those itineraries, but on reflection (after several intervening cruises on different lines) she is probably showing her age and the limitations of the Princess vision. They are still the best for Alaska though, because of their access to Glacier Bay, and I found the Promenade Deck on Coral to be the perfect place for glacier viewing.

[cr8tiv1]

Would you please post the patter for Princess Cays and the first sea day?

[LA_CA_GAL]

 

Sanctuary - Let me start by saying that we hate the chair hog game; a more low key setting and the aft view is our favorite, It was worth every dollar spent and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Not sure if we’d purchase the entire package for a port-intensive itinerary, but since we planned very little off-ship time, it was the perfect answer for us. The staff went above and beyond good service, they were exceptional. The loungers were reserved very quickly for sea days and I’d advise going to reserve as soon as you board if you intend to use the area.

 

 

We are doing this cruise and have never done Princess.

 

First off, thanx so much for your insights, very much appreciated.

 

Could you provide some more info about the "Sanctuary". When I read about this I went right to the Princess web site looking to book it and get info, but nothing there.

[woohooTOO]

Thanks for the nice review. We are on the Coral next week. Good to know about the Bayou Cafe.

 

FYI, the Princess Alaska land tours are tops in my book. All in all, we prefer the Conniseur tours.

[lgdick54]

We were on this same cruise and you captured the highlights very well, even down to the funky smell in the mid ship elevator lobby. Only thing I'd add would be that we dined at Sabatini's as well as Bayou Cafe. Experience in both was well worth the money and the meals were the best we've had at sea.

 

Our own expectations of Horizon Court were low to begin with, and those expectations were met. MDR was great and the service and cabin staff are among the hardest working people we come across.

 

Again, thanks for your review!

 

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

[sippican]

Would you please post the patter for Princess Cays and the first sea day?

 

Sorry, I did not keep the Patters and Princess Cays was not on our itinerary.

 

We are doing this cruise and have never done Princess.

 

First off, thanx so much for your insights, very much appreciated.

 

Could you provide some more info about the "Sanctuary". When I read about this I went right to the Princess web site looking to book it and get info, but nothing there.

 

If you Google "Sanctuary Images Coral Princess" some really nice photos come up.

You can order lunch from a "healthy" menu, or even add hamburgers, hot dogs french fries and pizza. Service charge is $3 pp. Or you could, of course, choose to get up from your comfy lounger and waddle to the buffet or dining room, but very few wanted to leave once there. They will also get you any drinks you wish (at cost). Complimentary citris or cucumber water available all day. Ice cold towels delivered to your lounger in the afternoon. Afternoon tea served complete with snadwiches and desserts (comlimentary). The pool is small but perfect for floating or sitting along the edge. The water temperature was cool at the start of the cruise, but warmed up quickly. I enjoyed the fact that is was sparkling clean but never smelled of chlorine.

You cannot pre-book the Sanctuary I'm sure it would book up fast, as the seating is very limited. If you want shade (for at least part of the day, your choices will be quite limited. Of course, it all depends on the direction being traveled, but some chairs receive full sun, others partial, and some mostly shade. Remember to use sunscreen even in the shade - many were sunburned. The stewards are most helpful. Be sure to proceed directly to the Sanctuary the minute you board. It will be billed to your account.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[sippican]

Thanks for the nice review. We are on the Coral next week. Good to know about the Bayou Cafe.

 

FYI, the Princess Alaska land tours are tops in my book. All in all, we prefer the Conniseur tours.

 

Yes I agree, Princess has a reputation for offering the best land expereince and the option of four different lodges.

Thank you for the tip about Conniseur Tours.

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate your very detailed review and many helpful info items being shared. While we have only done one cruise with Princess, it was on the sister ship to your Coral. As detailed below on my live/blog, we enjoyed the Princess experience. A few hits and misses, but overall things worked well.

 

Ours was a full transit through the Panama Canal and we ended up with nine of the 15 days being sea-days. That's a mixed situation, too. Personally, we enjoy port visit more. Doing the Panama Canal is very interesting and a great way to sample important history.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580