Tell me about the Coral Princess PLEASE!

[Gracie115]

Have gone through several searches and find very little information on the Coral except that it is apparently a great ship to be on in Alaska.  We are booked for a 2020 South America and Antarctica sailing in December 2020.  We've only cruised on the Royal class ships on Princess but have been on many other ships that are about the size of the Coral, so the fact that it is smaller doesn't bother us.  But can anyone say if this is a good choice for this trip?  I know we will most likely experience some rough seas on that route (Buenos Aires to Antarctica and end in Santiago, Chile).  

Would love to hear from people who have sailed on the Coral....the good, the bad and everything else.  There are many sea days on this trip so interested in the television too, does it offer "on demand" music & movies like the Royal Class.  I know there is no Vines on this ship, where on the Coral is a good lounge to go before dinner for a glass of wine.  

 

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[TravlingGato]

The Coral is one of our two favorite Princess ships; the other is the Pacific Princess. Last we sailed on the Coral was as good as earlier voyages on the ship (25+ Princess cruises). Thankfully, the company didn't ruin the ship as it did with the Coral's sister ship, the Island Princess, when 220 berths were added with no increased public spaces of staff (except for stewards attending the added cabins.  We have sailed the Royal several times and the Grand class ships. The scale of the Coral is preferred, especially for Alaska and its access to Glacier Bay. Although be forewarned that Princess seems to emphasize marketing at the expense of customer experience and service. Were the experience on a recent Hawaii cruise typical of prior Princess sailings, we'd never sail the line again - wretched food, too many cruise staff with attitudes that they'd rather be working elsewhere.  Princess is doing all that it can to reduce what it provides to customers while adding to you cruise bill and making you feel good with marketing. Don't expect bar soap or bottled hair conditioner anymore. Next they'll charge for showers and use of the loo.

[jondfk]

I'll constrain my comments to Coral as requested.  We've sailed her more than any other single Princess ship and have another voyage booked in April, so clearly there are things we like including:

 

A full promenade.  Having recently sailed Royal I don't find the same negative passion for the elimination of this feature, still it's nice to use when available and Coral has a good version with many access points making for an easy evening stroll or a longer daytime linger.  The deck is quite deep in most spots making for a good deal of shade in warm climates.

 

Coral slightly breaks the mold not having Crown Grill but has a cajun steak place instead "Bayou Cafe".  I no longer go in for this sort of spicy food but I recognize it's nice to have something a bit different.

 

Continuing the New Orleans theme Coral has a show made only for her:  "On the bayou" which is performed in the Vista lounge.  It's a fun show very much tailored to the room.  Again something a bit different.  

 

We like a cocktail before dinner and Coral has one of the best Crooner's bars in the fleet.  A nice place to stop before or after dinner.

 

Horizon Court on Coral is up front with some great views forward this is quite different from her Grand and Royal class fleet mates.

 

As noted she is at present the second smallest Princess ship in terms of passenger count.  It's hard to believe that a PANAMAX class ship can be considered small - but she is compared to today's giants.

 

There are some negatives of course:

 

We're Sanctuary buffs and Coral has the worst version in the fleet.  it's an afterthought space at the back of the ship.  Very little shade and very few amenities nearby (really only the gym).  Service is usually at a good standard, but there just aren't many spaces at all and only about 25% have any reliable shade.  Wake views are fantastic though.

 

The International Cafe is likewise an after through added a couple of dry docks back.  It's a small space near the casino with a more limited selection of food compared to larger ships.  It's nice to have but doesn't provide anything like the sort of dining flexibility the larger ships have.

 

There's no denying she's showing her age here and there.  Dry docks and fluffing up the bedding can only go so far.  Tile and grout in the bathrooms are really showing their years.  You'll notice little things here and there that just haven't been fresh and new for a long time.  Mostly what you'll notice is how far along the general level of glitz and polish has moved.  We were on Coral, Ruby and Royal in quick succession last year each one about 10 years newer than the prior it's impossible not to notice how basic some of the Coral public spaces are.

 

Still, she's a genuine favorite of ours and I expect we'll continue to seek her out particularly on itineraries with lots of outdoor viewing (like Alaska or Panama Canal) she's just ideally suited for these missions.  Huge amounts of deck space for such things.

[skynight]

Have been on the Coral a few times. Some of my favorite things.

Good ratio of public space per passenger, more than other Princess ships.

Universe Lounge really nice venue, but for shows balcony seating not so good, sit on the lower level.

Forward facing buffet

Indoor pool with conservatory above.

Library area and card room.

Wide 360 degree promenade.

Nice Crooners, large Wheelhouse

Edited November 21, 2019 by skynight

[Gracie115]

Thank you all so much, I appreciate hearing about both the good and the bad.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, jondfk said:

Continuing the New Orleans theme Coral has a show made only for her:  "On the bayou" which is performed in the Vista lounge.  It's a fun show very much tailored to the room.  Again something a bit different.  

 

We like a cocktail before dinner and Coral has one of the best Crooner's bars in the fleet.  A nice place to stop before or after dinner.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, skynight said:

Library area and card room.

The Elite Lounge is held in the Library.  Spacious, comfortable seating, exterior and interior views, a dedicated Steward(ess) to assist you with a member of the culinary team to provide the day's "goodies".  

 

Coral Princess is a winner!

 

 

[mnocket]

6 hours ago, jondfk said:

We're Sanctuary buffs and Coral has the worst version in the fleet.  

Interesting comment.  We actually loved the Sanctuary on the Coral.  Unlike the others, it has its own pool (small, but so convenient to have it right there).  You're right about the lack of shade.  We managed to reserve early and got 2 of the rare lounges in the shade.  Had we been forced to lay in the sun all day it would not have been a good experience.

 

I haven't been on many Princess ships, so I can't compare.  I will be on the Emerald in Feb.  Have you sailed her, and if so, what do you think about the Sanctuary?

Edited November 22, 2019 by mnocket

[Gracie115]

I think we will love the Coral!  Having the Elite lounge in the library sounds great.  It was in the Vista lounge on the Regal and it was very cold and there was no mingling of passengers at all, just tiny groups spread out all over the room.

 

Does anyone know if the "on demand" option is on the TV system?

[WisCruiser2]

We were on the Coral in Alaska last year and it's become my favorite Princess ship! Although we have enjoyed the Royal and Regal I really liked the size of Coral, the forward Horizon Court, and the outside spaces. While the International Cafe didn't have as many food choices (smaller space), I liked it being out of the Piazza/Atrium with it's own seating area. Did not notice much smoke drift from the casino.

OP asked about lounges for predinner drink - the Wheelhouse is very nice, better layout than Grand class ships.

[skynight]

On a South America cruise there will probably be lots of platinum, elite and suite passengers. Maybe too many to fit into the Library. The PES lounge may change venues.

[lstone19]

12 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

The Elite Lounge is held in the Library.  Spacious, comfortable seating, exterior and interior views, a dedicated Steward(ess) to assist you with a member of the culinary team to provide the day's "goodies".  

 

Not on my last two cruises on Coral Princess (July 2018 and October 2019). In July 2018, with only about 100 P&E guests, it was in one small corner of Explorer's Lounge (the far corner past the DJ booth while other activities went on in the rest of the lounge). Last month, with the ship about 50% P&E, it was the entire Explorer's Loung.

[cborzill]

Coral was designed to have two main shows at the same time twice every night, one in the Theater forward, and one in the aft Universe lounge.  On it's sister ship, Island Princess, they decided to take a scalpel and replace the aft lounge with more staterooms so they could make more money, thus reducing public space on Island and crowding the main Theater.  Big Mistake.  As has been mentioned, Coral has a real wrap around promenade.  Frankly, when these ships came out, Princess had an option to build two more of this class, but decided to cancel those options in favor of building more Grand class.  Big mistake again.  I wish Princess had more ships like Coral Princess. 

[lstone19]

22 minutes ago, cborzill said:

Frankly, when these ships came out, Princess had an option to build two more of this class, but decided to cancel those options in favor of building more Grand class.  Big mistake again.  I wish Princess had more ships like Coral Princess. 

 

I suspect one reason Princess did not exercise the options is they were not happy with the shipyard. Coral Princess was delayed and they had to cancel at least the first six cruises in late 2002 (we were booked on what was orginally the sixth - a Christmas / New Year's cruise; we watched it go from sixth to second to first to cancelled). I think Island Princess was also delayed but I'm less sure of that.

 

Interestingly, I got into a discussion with one of the ship's senior officers last month who was unaware of that aspect of the ship's history. As the ship's information listed in delivered in 2002, they assumed it had gone into service in 2002. I assured them it did not and was even able to show them one of the Cruise Critic buttons I had made marking that first scheduled and then actual holiday cruise (below).

[Alaskanb]

My favorite ship! Love that it has a wide promenade deck; very spacious feel; International Cafe felt airy and has an adequate number of choices; not too long to get from one end to the other! 

[bemis12]

3 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

Not on my last two cruises on Coral Princess (July 2018 and October 2019). In July 2018, with only about 100 P&E guests, it was in one small corner of Explorer's Lounge (the far corner past the DJ booth while other activities went on in the rest of the lounge). Last month, with the ship about 50% P&E, it was the entire Explorer's Loung.

 

That was our experience in June 2019- the Explorers Lounge was the PES lounge.  It seemed sparsely attended.  We popped in briefly one time, but really were not interested.

[Gracie115]

Hope to hear many more opinions!!!

 

I just started the roll call for our cruise on Dec. 18, 2020, was amazed that no one had done so already since it's been available for some time and the cruises before and after it have quite a few people posting.  I had thought with a Christmas/New Years cruise we would see more activity.

 

 

[nini]

We have sailed on the Golden (3X), the Crown (1X), Regal (1X), and Coral (1X). We will be

on the Regal next year.

I realize that we are the exception, but Coral is our least favorite.

However, we did like the Promenade and the Universe Lounge with movies 

and live shows. And our Cabin Steward was wonderful! The food was often disappointing.

What we did not care for:

** Small International Café next to the Casino and smoke

** Front location of Horizon Court with slanted windows usually fogged up from humidity (which you will get).

    We prefer a more open buffet and the location on the Regal (our favorite).

** No aft cabins on the Coral (our favorite cabins)

** Non smoking areas not enforced. The staff/ powers that be were not interested in enforcing this.

 

However, Princess is our favorite cruise line. The Coral is used specifically for certain itineraries that

are totally appropriate- Panama Canal transit (what we did), Alaska and where you are cruising.

 

Bottom line: You get to cruise on Princess!

[Bgwest]

I’ve searched high and low and cannot locate the library. Can someone help?
 

Also, anyone know which dining room is home to CC dining?

[Gracie115]

11 minutes ago, nini said:

We have sailed on the Golden (3X), the Crown (1X), Regal (1X), and Coral (1X). We will be

on the Regal next year.

I realize that we are the exception, but Coral is our least favorite.

However, we did like the Promenade and the Universe Lounge with movies 

and live shows. And our Cabin Steward was wonderful! The food was often disappointing.

What we did not care for:

** Small International Café next to the Casino and smoke

** Front location of Horizon Court with slanted windows usually fogged up from humidity (which you will get).

    We prefer a more open buffet and the location on the Regal (our favorite).

** No aft cabins on the Coral (our favorite cabins)

** Non smoking areas not enforced. The staff/ powers that be were not interested in enforcing this.

 

However, Princess is our favorite cruise line. The Coral is used specifically for certain itineraries that

are totally appropriate- Panama Canal transit (what we did), Alaska and where you are cruising.

 

Bottom line: You get to cruise on Princess!

 

Thanks for your thoughts.  We also liked our aft cabin on the Regal, did NOT like the uncovered balcony, we would pick more wisely next time.   

[Gracie115]

14 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

I’ve searched high and low and cannot locate the library. Can someone help?
 

Also, anyone know which dining room is home to CC dining?

I would also like to know what Club Class dining is if anyone here knows.

 

Here is picture of the library I found:

[lstone19]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

I’ve searched high and low and cannot locate the library. Can someone help?
 

Also, anyone know which dining room is home to CC dining?

 

The Library is on Deck 8 starboard just behind the atrium.

 

CC dining (and the dining room used for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea) is the Bordeaux Dining Room on Deck 5. The reason is the full galley is on deck 5. Unlike the larger ships that have full galleys on both decks 5 and 6, Coral Princess and Island Princess do not and the Provence Dining Room (deck 6) staff go down to deck 5 by escalator to get the food.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, lstone19 said:

 

 the Provence Dining Room (deck 6) staff go down to deck 5 by escalator to get the food.

 

I dined in this dining room and did not realize that.  For my Stewards having to do so, there was no impact on service or food being served at the appropriate temperature. 

[rkacruiser]

It's  interesting to me that the Elite Lounge is located in different areas on the same ship.  Adjusting the meeting space to accommodate the number of guests in the Suite/Elite category makes sense, however.  On my cruise, there were very few Elite members and the Elite Lounge was never busy

8 hours ago, WisCruiser2 said:

 

.  Very few people attended and because of the type of seating available, there was no mixing of guests.  People remained seated and unless you were seated on the one area where two sofas were adjacent to each other, the opportunity to start a conversation was very limited.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, WisCruiser2 said:

OP asked about lounges for predinner drink - the Wheelhouse is very nice

 

(Tried to insert this quote in my previous post and failed.)

 

The Wheelhouse Lounge is very elegant, dark, and quiet.  A jazz group performed many times during the pre-dinner cocktail time.  I preferred Crooner's for such an occasion.  Often a pianist/soloist or a string trio would play.  Since the Lounge is adjacent to the Atrium, it is a much more active, social venue which I preferred.

[Bgwest]

2 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

The Library is on Deck 8 starboard just behind the atrium.

 

CC dining (and the dining room used for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea) is the Bordeaux Dining Room on Deck 5. The reason is the full galley is on deck 5. Unlike the larger ships that have full galleys on both decks 5 and 6, Coral Princess and Island Princess do not and the Provence Dining Room (deck 6) staff go down to deck 5 by escalator to get the food.

Thank you. I never looked above deck 7.

Is the “Sanctuary Pool” on 12 available only to those who book the Sanctuary?