New to Princess with plenty of questions....

[hasentreelake]

A little background ...
We have sailed with Celebrity over the last decade and have enjoyed all of our cruises.
We tried 'the suite life' on 2 cruises and although the amenities were very nice, we did not enjoy X suite restaurant Luminae.
So, now we book Aft Veranda (which is almost a must have) with premium drink package and specialty dining package.
X has M (smallest), S (middle), and E (largest) class ships.  We enjoy the S class most for the specialty restaurant experience.
We disembark almost every port stop and will take ship or private excursions to explore and often snorkel.

It's not that we've tired of X (maybe we are), but we need a change of scenery and Princess has an itinerary we are very interested in.
16 Day Panama Canal (ocean to ocean) in April of 2025 - gotta plan ahead.
There are 2 ships to choose from
Coral Princess and Caribbean Princess.  What little research I've done indicates Coral is smaller and older.  
Coral stops in Aruba and uses Old Locks.  
Caribbean stops in Cartegena and uses New Locks.

Now to the questions....
Coral or Caribbean Princess? (probably a personal choice but happy to hear your reasons)
I can't seem to book an AFT Veranda in any category (even suites) on Coral - Is it that they are sold out or otherwise?  They are plentiful on Caribbean on most decks.

What deck would you choose for an AFT Veranda on Caribbean P?

We frequent the Martini Bar on X before dinner nightly.  Is there a similar venue on Princess that focuses more on Vodka (Grey Goose - Ketel One) vs other cocktails?  

What package would you suggest if drinking Vodka martini every day ? 🙂  Both of us 🙂 

Any advice for someone switching to Princess from X?

 

 

 

 

 

[Abercrombie2019]

11 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

There are 2 ships to choose from
Coral Princess and Caribbean Princess.  What little research I've done indicates Coral is smaller and older.  
Coral stops in Aruba and uses Old Locks.  
Caribbean stops in Cartegena and uses New Locks.

Now to the questions....
Coral or Caribbean Princess? (probably a personal choice but happy to hear your reasons)
I can't seem to book an AFT Veranda in any category (even suites) on Coral - Is it that they are sold out or otherwise?  They are plentiful on Caribbean on most decks.

What deck would you choose for an AFT Veranda on Caribbean P?

We frequent the Martini Bar on X before dinner nightly.  Is there a similar venue on Princess that focuses more on Vodka (Grey Goose - Ketel One) vs other cocktails?  

What package would you suggest if drinking Vodka martini every day ? 🙂  Both of us 🙂 

Any advice for someone switching to Princess from X?

Coral Princess (2003) in a Panamax design (largest passenger vessel that can fit through the old locks).  Coral does not have any Aft facing balcony cabins.  It does have Aft public viewing decks.

 

Caribbean Princess (2004) is a Grand Class.

 

Both ships were refurbished in 2019.

[mtnesterz]

By one measure, you picked the two most opposite ships in the Princess fleet. This may be the decider for you. The Coral has the most space per passenger, measured by cubic foot, and the Caribbean has the least. 

To be pedantic, the Coral's sister, Island, had additional cabins added and the Caribbean was a one off build, before the larger Gems were built yielding more space.

Are you going to see the Panama Canal? Old locks.

Like to shop? Aruba!

Love unbearable heat, Cartegena. 

I've been on Coral's sister ship Island on a Trans Panama, before the conversion and the forward view from the buffet is this design's most memorable feature.

[Abercrombie2019]

Some people like the Coral because it has more public space per passenger (fewer passengers).  I've been on the Coral many years ago, and then on the Ruby.  (The Ruby is similar to the Caribbean Princess - they are both Grand Class with some differences.)  I preferred the layout of the Grand Class ships (love the Lotus Spa Pool as a quiet getaway from the main pool area).

[hasentreelake]

Just now, Abercrombie2019 said:

Some people like the Coral because it has more public space per passenger (fewer passengers).  I've been on the Coral many years ago, and then on the Ruby.  (The Ruby is similar to the Caribbean Princess - they are both Grand Class with some differences.)  I preferred the layout of the Grand Class ships (love the Lotus Spa Pool as a quiet getaway from the main pool area).

Is the Lotus Spa Pool enjoyed by all or is it suite class or other upcharge?

 

[skynight]

I can't seem to book an AFT Veranda in any category (even suites) on Coral - Is it that they are sold out or otherwise? There are no aft balcony or suites on the Coral Princess. Search the deck plans at princess.com Select the tab onboard our ships then deck plans.

What deck would you choose for an AFT Veranda on Caribbean P? Probably deck 11, baja. They have the largest balconies. Check the deck plans. All balcony category cabins have the same interiors. The word 'premium' only refers to location. Take a look at cabins on deck 10. They are standard balcony cat. cabins, have 9ft x 9ft balconies, with 5ft of cover and 4ft uncovered. These cabins book quickly.

All bars have Martini's. On both ships Crooners is very nice as is the Wheelhouse Bar. Skywalker's on the Caribbean is also nice, but probably will be used for loyalty happy hour during the time you reference, and is a distance from the DRs.

The Plus package covers all alcoholic beverages menu priced $15 and under. This covers about 90% of all drinks offered. Certain high end wines as well as some single malt whiskeys are priced in excess of $15. If you order a drink in excess of $15 you will be charged the difference +18%. Most martinis, if not all, are priced under $15. However I'm not certain if special back shelf vodkas would raise the cost above $15. The breakeven on the plus fare is between 2 to 3 alcoholic beverages/pp/day. Non alcoholic beverages, such as specialty espresso and coffee drinks, bottled water, soda, special juices and so on are unlimited.

The Coral Princess is an older ship, 2003. It has a great design with lots of public space and approximately 2,000 passengers. It was designed to fit through the original locks. The Caribbean is a wider ship that does not fit in the original locks. It has to pass through the new locks. Both passages are interesting. When the Coral passes through the old locks there is literally around 2ft of clearance on each side. The ship stays centered using electric 'mules' and cables forward and aft. These 'mules' ride along tracks on the lock walls.  In the new locks the Caribbean fits with lots of extra space on each side as well as forward and aft. The ship remains centered by tugs on each side.

Lotus Spa pool on the Caribbean is open to all. Sanctuary Pool on the Coral is for those that book the Sanctuary. 

 

[Abercrombie2019]

2 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

Is the Lotus Spa Pool enjoyed by all or is it suite class or other upcharge?

 

It is an outdoor pool that is surrounded by a glass wall that looks into the Lotus Spa.  It is an adults only pool, but available to all passengers.  You can get to it through the Lotus Spa, or access it from the deck above.  It is located next to the Sanctuary (Sanctuary is a for fee area).  The pool itself is a very quiet, relaxing area because of its proximity to the Sanctuary.

[Torfamm]

I would absolutely choose the opportunity to go through the old locks, hand down. It’s a very unique experience.

 

When you read reviews of Coral Princess and Island Princess, be aware that although they are both Panamax ships, the Island had a number of changes made that make it less appealing than the Coral.

[lovevacadays]

Crooners Bar is the martini bar on Princess ships. My favorite bar. If you go there and like olives, be sure to ask for an olive tray. It’s free, at least the last time I cruised Princess which was pre-pandemic. With cutbacks not sure now. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by lovevacadays
Mistake

[rraesh]

I have no experience with Princess - yet.  We're on Regal Princess in January.  I do, however, have experience with a Panama Canal cruise.  Hands down, choose a ship that goes through the old original locks.  We were on the Norwegian Jewel in February and the old locks along with other things contributed to a cruise that was absolute perfection.

[MacMadame]

On 11/2/2023 at 6:58 AM, hasentreelake said:

It's not that we've tired of X (maybe we are), but we need a change of scenery and Princess has an itinerary we are very interested in.
16 Day Panama Canal (ocean to ocean) in April of 2025 - gotta plan ahead.
There are 2 ships to choose from
Coral Princess and Caribbean Princess.  What little research I've done indicates Coral is smaller and older.  
Coral stops in Aruba and uses Old Locks.  
Caribbean stops in Cartegena and uses New Locks.

I'm doing this cruise but in Jan 2025! Except in my case the Coral is stopping in Cartegena and a similar cruise at the same time is going to Aruba.

 

My rationale for picking this cruise is that I absolutely wanted to go through the Old Locks. Plus, I prefer a smaller ship. (I don't go on a cruise to race go-carts and all the other newer extras. Well, I wouldn't mind some water slides. LOL) Finally, I didn't want to go to Aruba but I wanted to go to Cartegena. Because of Romancing the Stone. Yes, I know it's silly, but there you go.

 

Finally, our cruise ends in SF and that's where we live! It just makes everything simpler to not have to get ourselves home when the cruise is over. Plus it feeds into my fantasy of re-creating an immigrant moving from the East Coast to SF via the Panama Canal. (When I learned about the PC in Elementary School, that is the picture that came to mind and I decided right then to go through the Panama Canal one day.)

 

On 11/2/2023 at 7:19 AM, Abercrombie2019 said:

Coral Princess (2003) in a Panamax design (largest passenger vessel that can fit through the old locks).  Coral does not have any Aft facing balcony cabins.  It does have Aft public viewing decks.

 

Caribbean Princess (2004) is a Grand Class.

 

Both ships were refurbished in 2019.

Coral Princess is scheduled for another refurbishment in the Fall of 2024 (Oct, I think). So just in time for my cruise!

 

The others have answered about Crooners. And the Aft Balcony cabins not existing (that made me sad).

 

I think there is a Roll Call thread for the April 2025 cruise that you might want to check out.

[essmeier]

3 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Coral Princess is scheduled for another refurbishment in the Fall of 2024 (Oct, I think). So just in time for my cruise!

 

An hour ago, I was searching to see if the Coral was going to be refurbished next fall, but couldn't find anything.  And a search just now led me to this thread.

 

We're booked on the Coral from Singapore to Los Angeles on October 17, and I noticed that the Coral has no itineraries scheduled between September 26 and October 17, so it occurred to me that she might be in drydock during that time.

 

I guess we'll be boarding a shiny, new-ish ship.  Cool.  And a timely answer to my question, as it happens.  Thanks for posting that.

[reedprincess]

11 hours ago, essmeier said:

 

An hour ago, I was searching to see if the Coral was going to be refurbished next fall, but couldn't find anything.  And a search just now led me to this thread.

 

We're booked on the Coral from Singapore to Los Angeles on October 17, and I noticed that the Coral has no itineraries scheduled between September 26 and October 17, so it occurred to me that she might be in drydock during that time.

 

I guess we'll be boarding a shiny, new-ish ship.  Cool.  And a timely answer to my question, as it happens.  Thanks for posting that.

Drydocks don't necessarily incur refurbishment. Ships have to dry dock periodically to scrape and maintain the hull, do multiple inspections, engine maintenance, painting, and so forth. They may or may not do some soft furnishings updated if needed (linens, some carpet refresh maybe, pillows, things if that nature). Drydock space is limited, it's booked years in advance in most cases.

I wouldn't be expecting any major renos or changes or anything like that - but yeah, a shiny scraped hull will be there.. 

[Moondogy]

My 2 cents to new princess cruisers is if you are a US, Canadian or British veteran, be sure to look at the bottom of princesses website for military benefits. They give full details on how to claim them.

[rjack22]

We did this same cruise on the Coral Princess in 2010 and LOVED IT!   We went thru the old locks back then.   The were just starting to build the new one.   I much prefer the smaller ship!   I would go on the Coral Princess again in a heartbeat.   I have also sailed on the Caribbean Princess and although nice I prefer the Coral.

[skynight]

Looks like the refurbishment is 3 weeks. It could be partially dry dock and partially wet dock. There will always be required maintenance to the hull and mechanicals. Most dry docks include some work to replace furnishings such as carpets, upholstery, sometimes mattresses like they just did on the Ruby, new casino games, and other items. Internal work begins before the final passenger disembarks and sometimes continues on the following sailing. It is amazing the planning that goes into a dry/wet dock and how efficient the procedure is.

 

[rmsmith]

As several others have suggested. Book the Coral and go through the old locks. So much more interesting experience. You'll have ships using the other lane next to you, I find the lock operations more fun to watch and the Panama sized ships in there is a amazing.  

 

we've done a partial transit on the Coral many years ago and a full transit on the Island a few years ago. My wife and I really like the ships. Great size for us we also were on the Caribbean a couple years ago. Would take either the coral or island over the Caribbean. Size being a factor and certainly a preference thing. 

[Dreamscaper]

I cannot chime in on the ships or itinerary but following to gain some insight as we're hoping to do the Panama in the next year or two.

 

I CAN advise that Grey Goose is included under the Plus beverage package though :)

 

 

[JSandage]

We did a partial Panama Canal cruise on the Coral in 2004, we love the ship. We cruised on her again in Alaska in 2019. I much prefer the smaller ships and we loved going through the old locks, really amazing and a definite bucket list cruise! 

[daydreamer16]

We did the canal on the Island in 2015 from Florida to CA  & then the Coral, in 2019 from California to FL. It was a great experience seeing & touching the original locks. Both cruises, we were in the most aft cabin on deck 8 Emerald. We were so close to the side of the lock that we could reach over the rail from our cabin & touch it! From those cabins you have a bit of a view of the wake too!

[Ken the cruiser]

OK, I’m going to go against the grain and put a vote in for the Caribbean Princess (CB). Why you ask? We were in a covered aft-facing vista suite on our Panama Canal cruise from LA to Ft Lauderdale in the spring of 2022 and had a blast! You can check out my Live From thread from that cruise in my below expanded signature area.
 

The CB also has fully covered aft-facing premium balconies, with the largest being on the Dolphin Deck. But I might add there is no better place to sit going through the locks than in a covered aft-facing cabin! 😁
 
And it appears both are currently available on Deck 9 (Dolphin) on the CB on the cruise you were looking it. We would also book the cruise with the Plus package, but that’s just us.

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ken the cruiser