Bi-polar Coral reviews?

[GettingMyShipTogether]

(By bi-polar i don't mean anything to do with bipolar disorder, but literally that reviews seem to run very positive or very negative)

 

We are newbie cruisers heading to alaska and i moved us from the royal to the coral b/c i thought we'd want to see the full inside passage and have the smaller ship/more deck space. Hard to tell how important that will be for us but hubby loves to take photos so seemed like the better fit.

 

Am seeing reviews where people either love the coral or find it very lacking (run down, bad food, bad service, etc.) 

 

We reserved what looked like a nice room with a big balcony in both cases but the royal would have been ~500$ less in total so secondguessing myself. 

 

I'm sure we'd have a good time on either but mainly wanting to know if I made a mistake I should be mindful of in the future. Should we be prepared for a sad, tired ship?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Colo Cruiser]

I take reviews with a grain of salt.

One person on a cruise has those concerning comments and another on the same cruise will have the best time of their cruise history and the ship is in pristine condition.  🙄

Have sailed the Coral many times. I don't think you will be disappointed.

She is one of my favorites.

[memoak]

I am a big fan of the Coral 

[JimmyVWine]

One of the best things about the current state of the cruise industry  is that new, state of the art ships are being introduced (or announced) monthly, or so it seems.  But with the introduction of all these new ships, it causes older ships to be pushed into the shadows and suffer by comparison.  Coral Princess was launched in 2003.  It can never measure up to the shiny new toys in terms of technology and condition.  On the other hand, the shiny new ships have long abandoned features that made Coral Princess desirable, which is outdoor space and passenger-to-space ratio.  When choosing a cruise, the ship should certainly play an important role, as should itinerary.  But when choosing a ship, don't let "condition" and "newness" be overriding factors.  One should strongly consider "appropriateness for the itinerary" as well.  Pairing Coral Princess with an Inside Passage itinerary is about as perfect a marriage as one could hope for in a cruise. 

 

For me, there is no way that I would ever  choose Royal over Coral for an Inside Passage cruise.  We practically lived on our balcony, the wide Promenade and on the open decks (on Sapphire) when we went to Alaska and the thought of doing the same on Royal is laughable (and in some situations, impossible).  Think of it this way:  Royal has "new" bells and whistles and Coral has "tailor-made-for-Alaska" bells and whistles.  If I were going on a port-intensive cruise in the Med, maybe Royal's bells and whistles would win. But in Alaska, Coral's win every time--irrespective of the age of the ship.  Her classic design is purpose built for what you want to do and see.   "New and shiny" is only better when "new and shiny" matter.  In Alaska, balcony size and deck space matter.  Five years from now, when you look back on your cruise, what will you remember more, watching glaciers calve or the omelette that you got at the buffet?  If your goal is to see Alaska, then choose the ship that better affords you that pleasure, irrespective of its age.  

[CineGraphic]

The Coral is a one of a kind gem.

The balconies on the Regal and Royal are the worst. I have shoes that are bigger than those balconies, lol.

[GettingMyShipTogether]

4 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

The Coral is a one of a kind gem.

The balconies on the Regal and Royal are the worst. I have shoes that are bigger than those balconies, lol.

 

We were going to do one of the forward balconies which looked extra large. The normal balconies on the Royal did look really cramped. 

[voljeep]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I take reviews with a grain of salt.

One person on a cruise has those concerning comments and another on the same cruise will have the best time of their cruise history and the ship is in pristine condition.  🙄

Have sailed the Coral many times. I don't think you will be disappointed.

She is one of my favorites.

gets out salt shaker ...

[toads45froggy]

I take reviews in this manner, If the bad review states the ship or service or item is bad, I look for examples. If its just a the steward was rude. and nothing else given I ignore it. same with good reviews. the less thats there in the review the less I listen I dont mind bad reviews if they are thought out and dont seem angry there are and is nothing wrong with bad reviews or good reviews that are thought out and not done over a perceived issue.

 

I also have no issue with overlooking reviews and finding out for myself. Learning is all part of the fun of life. even if it means we didnt have the greatest time but honestly life is all about how we choose. soooo... if its bad we hve to choose to have our vacation ruined ive had "ruined" vacations for some of my brothers as a kid but that was my best vacation ever. that got more deep then I wanted. but still.

[GettingMyShipTogether]

13 minutes ago, toads45froggy said:

I take reviews in this manner, If the bad review states the ship or service or item is bad, I look for examples. If its just a the steward was rude. and nothing else given I ignore it. same with good reviews. the less thats there in the review the less I listen I dont mind bad reviews if they are thought out and dont seem angry there are and is nothing wrong with bad reviews or good reviews that are thought out and not done over a perceived issue.

 

I also have no issue with overlooking reviews and finding out for myself. Learning is all part of the fun of life. even if it means we didnt have the greatest time but honestly life is all about how we choose. soooo... if its bad we hve to choose to have our vacation ruined ive had "ruined" vacations for some of my brothers as a kid but that was my best vacation ever. that got more deep then I wanted. but still.

 

 

yeah good point. it's difficult since we haven't been on a cruise before. i see consistent themes in the complaints but don't know how much those things will actually bother or appeal to us specifically and probably impossible to know until we are actually there. so we are going to find out for ourselves in any case =D 

[Buckeye10640]

Loved the Coral on our Alaska cruise last year.  I like the smaller ship feel and did not feel like it was 'run down' at all. 

[TM]

Everyone has an opinion of a ship.  If you go with a positive attitude you will have a fantastic time, particularly in Alaska.  If you go with an attitude that something will go wrong, then it will and even if it's a minor thing your mind will blow it out of proportion.  If you want to look for things that are wrong or need repair you will find them.  Or as I originally noted you can have that positive attitude and ignore the little things.

 

No matter what you do, have a great cruise.

 

And personally the Coral would be my first choice for Alaska due to the abundance of passenger space and the wide open decks for viewing the spectacular scenery.

[Pepper0074]

I understand your concerns. In 2017, we were booked on the Island Princess (at that time we had never been on the Coral) for an Alaskan cruise. Then I discovered this site and worried a lot about all of the comments that I saw written about her. We had a fabulous cruise! We fell in love with the Island Princess and would sail on her again. For us, as Alaska is about the destination, we used very few of the venues on the ship. We had great service and enjoyed the food. We never felt crowded. 

 

Fast forward to April 2018, we cruised to the Panama Canal on the Coral. We began to understand why people criticized the Island even though she will always hold a special place in our hearts. We fell in love with the Coral. We enjoyed all of the venues, the theatre, the lounges, every inch of the ship. We loved all of the viewing platforms, especially those on the stern of the ship. We received spectacular service from each and every staff member. We felt that the food was very good.  We typically prefer the main dining room but we also enjoyed that the buffet is up front with a great view of what is to come.

 

I know that the International Cafe is small and set up next to the casino. I know that some gripe about the smoke seeping into that area. We had no problem, we would get our afternoon coffee and treats and walk a short way down to the lovely seating across from the Explorer's Lounge and watch the world go by. It was quiet and lovely and is our afternoon delight.

 

No ship is perfect, but you can make it perfect for you.

 

Relax and enjoy, Alaska is amazing!

[GettingMyShipTogether]

11 minutes ago, Pepper0074 said:

No ship is perfect, but you can make it perfect for you.

 

Relax and enjoy, Alaska is amazing!

 

This is great advice, thank you 😃

[Italy52]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

One of the best things about the current state of the cruise industry  is that new, state of the art ships are being introduced (or announced) monthly, or so it seems.  But with the introduction of all these new ships, it causes older ships to be pushed into the shadows and suffer by comparison.  Coral Princess was launched in 2003.  It can never measure up to the shiny new toys in terms of technology and condition.  On the other hand, the shiny new ships have long abandoned features that made Coral Princess desirable, which is outdoor space and passenger-to-space ratio.  When choosing a cruise, the ship should certainly play an important role, as should itinerary.  But when choosing a ship, don't let "condition" and "newness" be overriding factors.  One should strongly consider "appropriateness for the itinerary" as well.  Pairing Coral Princess with an Inside Passage itinerary is about as perfect a marriage as one could hope for in a cruise. 

 

For me, there is no way that I would ever  choose Royal over Coral for an Inside Passage cruise.  We practically lived on our balcony, the wide Promenade and on the open decks (on Sapphire) when we went to Alaska and the thought of doing the same on Royal is laughable (and in some situations, impossible).  Think of it this way:  Royal has "new" bells and whistles and Coral has "tailor-made-for-Alaska" bells and whistles.  If I were going on a port-intensive cruise in the Med, maybe Royal's bells and whistles would win. But in Alaska, Coral's win every time--irrespective of the age of the ship.  Her classic design is purpose built for what you want to do and see.   "New and shiny" is only better when "new and shiny" matter.  In Alaska, balcony size and deck space matter.  Five years from now, when you look back on your cruise, what will you remember more, watching glaciers calve or the omelette that you got at the buffet?  If your goal is to see Alaska, then choose the ship that better affords you that pleasure, irrespective of its age.  

As someone who just returned from a B2B Alaskan cruise on the Royal --- I agree that the Royal is not meant for Alaska.  We didn't like the fact that there was no real promenade, photo op locations were hard to find and lots of uncovered spaces --- if it rained, outside viewing would have been a mess. 

 

Also, the smoke from the casino would rise up through the atrium area and made it uncomfortable at times --- they need to come up with a better system to alleviate this issue.

 

We are taking a B2B Alaskan cruise on the Coral next May and are looking forward to our adventure.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Italy52

[GettingMyShipTogether]

27 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

As someone who just returned from a B2B Alaskan cruise on the Royal --- I agree that the Royal is not meant for Alaska.  We didn't like the fact that there was no real promenade, photo op locations were hard to find and lots of uncovered spaces --- if it rained, outside viewing would have been a mess. 

 

Also, the smoke from the casino would rise up through the atrium area and made it uncomfortable at times --- they need to come up with a better system to alleviate this issue.

 

We are taking a B2B Alaskan cruise on the Coral next May and are looking forward to our adventure.

 

 

that's super annoying about the smoke. i am glad it sounds like you had good weather at least to get some good outdoor viewing.

 

i wonder why they put the Royal in the Alaska lineup, my guess is to compete with the Bliss/Joy. Those NCL cruises look like they are more meant to be about enjoying the ship to me with the short port times etc. so we ultimately decided against them and it was down to Princess or Holland America.

 

and i only found out that the Royal didn't sail east out of Vancouver from reading these boards btw so thank you all for that. 

[Italy52]

6 minutes ago, GettingMyShipTogether said:

 

 

that's super annoying about the smoke. i am glad it sounds like you had good weather at least to get some good outdoor viewing.

 

i wonder why they put the Royal in the Alaska lineup, my guess is to compete with the Bliss/Joy. Those NCL cruises look like they are more meant to be about enjoying the ship to me with the short port times etc. so we ultimately decided against them and it was down to Princess or Holland America.

 

and i only found out that the Royal didn't sail east out of Vancouver from reading these boards btw so thank you all for that. 

I don't know why they put the Royal in Alaska.  We like the ship, just not for Alaska.  We have sailed Holland's Nieuw Amsterdam to Alaska 3 times and found it perfect for our Alaska cruise.

 

[french fries at night]

I just finished a cruise on the Coral in Alaska.. happy to answer questions.  We loved it. The promenade deck is great and it was often better to be closer to the water when you're looking for wildlife.  (This also made me, personally, glad that I got a balcony on a lower deck.)  We spent a ton of time on the back of the promenade and were surprised that it was hardly ever crowded.

I woke up at 6am on Glacier Bay day, stepped onto my balcony and saw an otter! 😍

[cougaraz]

Of all the functions on Cruise Critic, I find the stand-alone reviews to be of the least value.  I find the banter and discussion on the boards to be great and the ability to set up Meet&Greets to be second.

 

Here are some truths about cruising and reviews:

1) Everything is subjective, shaded by perspective and experience and shaped by attitude

2) People cruise for very different reasons (some go for the ship, some go for the food, some go for the ports, some go for the booze, some go for family, some go for their own different reasons)

3) The anonymity of the internet encourages hyperbole and exageration

4) Being an experienced cruiser does not make you an expert on ships, ports or maritime operations

5) The guests on a cruise are widely diverse in age, home, gender, travel experience, education, income, health and upbringing'

6) Nothing onboard is more subjective than food

 

That means that you and I could be in cabins next door to each other on the same cruise, with the same steward, same waiter, go to the same activities and visit the same ports on the same excursions and one of us have a fabulous time and the other hate it.  You read a review and the one that pops up is the one who hated it and the one who loved it doesn't write a review so you never know the whole story.

 

Cruising is a great adventure, meant to be enjoyed by you, the way you want to enjoy it.  If you decide to go and have a great time, you will.  If you go to be miserable (and apparently there are those who do), you will.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by cougaraz

[GettingMyShipTogether]

12 minutes ago, french fries at night said:

I just finished a cruise on the Coral in Alaska.. happy to answer questions.  We loved it. The promenade deck is great and it was often better to be closer to the water when you're looking for wildlife.  (This also made me, personally, glad that I got a balcony on a lower deck.)  We spent a ton of time on the back of the promenade and were surprised that it was hardly ever crowded.

I woke up at 6am on Glacier Bay day, stepped onto my balcony and saw an otter! 😍

 

cool thank you! we will be on the dolphin deck near the back, i thought lower to the water would probably be good so glad to hear it - hoping to spot a whale or 2....!

[GettingMyShipTogether]

13 minutes ago, cougaraz said:

Of all the functions on Cruise Critic, I find the stand-alone reviews to be of the least value.  I find the banter and discussion on the boards to be great and the ability to set up Meet&Greets to be second.

 

Here are some truths about cruising and reviews:

1) Everything is subjective, shaded by perspective and experience and shaped by attitude

2) People cruise for very different reasons (some go for the ship, some go for the food, some go for the ports, some go for the booze, some go for family, some go for their own different reasons)

3) The anonymity of the internet encourages hyperbole and exageration

4) Being an experienced cruiser does not make you an expert on ships, ports or maritime operations

5) The guests on a cruise are widely diverse in age, home, gender, travel experience, education, income, health and upbringing'

6) Nothing onboard is more subjective than food

 

That means that you and I could be in cabins next door to each other on the same cruise, with the same steward, same waiter, go to the same activities and visit the same ports on the same excursions and one of us have a fabulous time and the other hate it.  You read a review and the one that pops up is the one who hated it and the one who loved it doesn't write a review so you never know the whole story.

 

Cruising is a great adventure, meant to be enjoyed by you, the way you want to enjoy it.  If you decide to go and have a great time, you will.  If you go to be miserable (and apparently there are those who do), you will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

i totally get that. we are generally easygoing and probably would have a good time on either ship tbh. this is likely the only time we will go to alaska so of course i have the feeling that i want to optimize it 😃 and make the best choice re which cruise and which ship to the extent possible

[GettingMyShipTogether]

@french fries at night and anyone else if i may ask...which of the alaska-specific/naturalist talks did you find worthwhile on the ship, were there any you would have skipped in retrospect? 

[voljeep]

19 minutes ago, cougaraz said:

Of all the functions on Cruise Critic, I find the stand-alone reviews to be of the least value.  I find the banter and discussion on the boards to be great and the ability to set up Meet&Greets to be second.

 

Here are some truths about cruising and reviews:

1) Everything is subjective, shaded by perspective and experience and shaped by attitude

2) People cruise for very different reasons (some go for the ship, some go for the food, some go for the ports, some go for the booze, some go for family, some go for their own different reasons)

3) The anonymity of the internet encourages hyperbole and exageration

4) Being an experienced cruiser does not make you an expert on ships, ports or maritime operations

5) The guests on a cruise are widely diverse in age, home, gender, travel experience, education, income, health and upbringing'

6) Nothing onboard is more subjective than food

 

That means that you and I could be in cabins next door to each other on the same cruise, with the same steward, same waiter, go to the same activities and visit the same ports on the same excursions and one of us have a fabulous time and the other hate it.  You read a review and the one that pops up is the one who hated it and the one who loved it doesn't write a review so you never know the whole story.

 

Cruising is a great adventure, meant to be enjoyed by you, the way you want to enjoy it.  If you decide to go and have a great time, you will.  If you go to be miserable (and apparently there are those who do), you will.

 

 

 

 

also your number of posts on cruise critic also doesn't make your opinion any better than any one else's

 

sit's back ... pulls tab on a billy beer

[voljeep]

[WisCruiser2]

1 hour ago, GettingMyShipTogether said:

@french fries at night and anyone else if i may ask...which of the alaska-specific/naturalist talks did you find worthwhile on the ship, were there any you would have skipped in retrospect? 

 

We did Alaska on the Coral last year and she is now my favorite Princess ship! We liked the buffet at the front (never had a problem finding a place to sit), the large card/game room, the Promenade deck, and the Wheelhouse. Yes, there were lines some nights with a wait for Anytime dining but not enough to bother us. We didn't notice much smoke in the IC from the Casino, more "stale smoke" smell in the morning but not later in the day.

As to your question about the naturalist talks -- we had a great naturalist and enjoyed ALL his talks - glaciers, wildlife, and humpbacks. One of the National Park Rangers also did a talk in the theatre that was simulcast in the Universal Lounge as we were heading into Glacier Bay.

Enjoy your Alaskan adventure!

[paradiselivin1]

2 hours ago, GettingMyShipTogether said:

which of the alaska-specific/naturalist talks did you find worthwhile on the ship, were there any you would have skipped in retrospect? 

 

Wouldn't have skipped a single one. Second cruise to AK on the Coral in May and we made every single one.