Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers- Which Ship?

[Lml513]

My wife and I are interested in the Princess Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. There are four ships with similiar itineraries- Diamond, Sapphire, Coral and Island Princess. Which would be preferable, and why?

[Colo Cruiser]

My wife and I are interested in the Princess Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. There are four ships with similiar itineraries- Diamond, Sapphire, Coral and Island Princess. Which would be preferable, and why?

 

 

We love the Island/Coral, with the lower passenger count they are excellent ships.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

After spending time on these boards, I have found that A LOT of people have fallen in love with the Coral. I can't comment as I have never been on her, but I, too, am intrigued by her mystique. I was on the Sun but that was many many years ago.

 

That said, I like the grand class ships, myself.

[msmoger]

We were on the Diamond last August and loved it. It never felt crowded. I have read other similar comments so perhaps there is something about the way it is designed. BTW, it's identical to the Sapphire.

[luvlake]

We were on the Coral in Alaska in 2007 and we loved the ship. That said our 2nd trip is on the Sapphire and so we will see the difference this summer.

 

If you go to the Ports of Call boards for Alaska you will find as said that the Coral and Island seem to be favorites. The Coral has 1970 passenger capacity and the Sapphire has 2670 passenger capacity.

 

I think either ship would give you a wonderful trip. You will find your days are going to be filled with beautiful scenery and several days at port. The ship is just an extra plus and not you main interest.:)

[Druke I]

I prefer the Coral or Island - I am not a fan of the behemoths, and I think any ship too large for the current lock system of the Panama Canal is too big.

[mr green]

Coral is my favourite ship. Lots of space, and two great theaters.

The Universe Lounge has a great theater, three revolving stages, the center one going to six different levels, and two stationary multi level stages at the sides for dancers and video showings.

My only regret is that the Universe use is limited, due I would imagine to the expence of putting on great shows.

Coral is a sister shp to the Island Princess, the only difference being the Casino motif. Coral is British, while Island is French. I don,t know why Coral is usually favoured over Island, [having never been on the latter], but I believe if there is a difference that it's the staff.

I have only been on one Grand Class ship, and I was not that happy with it, a little to crowded when it comes to getting on and off, and only one of three dining rooms in use at lunch time, leading to BIG line ups on sea days.

 

john

[capnjack]

I have sailed on both the Diamond and the Coral. The Sapphire is a sister to the Diamond and the Island is sister to the Coral.

 

IMHO the Coral wins hands down. It has viewer passengers, but roughly the same public area size. One of the things that we enjoy is going to the shows. The Coral Island has two large venues for shows the Universe lounge and Princess theater. On the Diamond/Sapphire the shows are in the Princess theater and Explorer Lounge. I think Princess blew it when they replaced the Vista Lounge (which could host a second show) with Club Fusion, which cannot. More passengers; less seating for shows - you do the math.

 

I also thought the food and service was slightly better on the Coral but that is subject to change over time. The Horizon Court on the front of the ship as on the Coral/Island was much more pleasant than the Diamond/Sapphire arrangement. Finding a place to sit was easier as well.

 

All in all, the Coral is my favorite of all the Princess ships I have cruised on.

[mii]

Another vote for the Coral for the reasons stated above.

 

Marilyn

[sultan_sfo]

Choose the cruise itinerary that includes Glacier Bay -- wonder any of your choices include it.

[rzab]

The Diamond gets my vote because it never seems crowded and it also visits Glaicer National Bay.

[capnjack]

Choose the cruise itinerary that includes Glacier Bay -- wonder any of your choices include it.

 

The itineraries are identical and include Glacier Bay.

[dresch25]

The Coral was the first ship I ever sailed on, I have been on several since then and IMHO the Coral has a more homey feel, but hey any ship is great large or small as long as I don't have to work ;):)

[msmoger]

The Diamond gets my vote because it never seems crowded and it also visits Glaicer National Bay.

 

I'm not saying this wouldn't be the same situation on the Coral and Island, but the front of the Promende Deck (that tip at the bow of the deck that is only accessed by a short flight of stairs) is GREAT for viewing Glacier Bay and College Fjord and it was never crowded.

[msmoger]

The Diamond gets my vote because it never seems crowded and it also visits Glaicer National Bay.

 

I'm not saying this wouldn't be the same situation on the Coral and Island, but the front of the Promende Deck (that tip at the bow of the deck that is only accessed by a short flight of stairs) is GREAT for viewing Glacier Bay and College Fjord and it was never crowded.

[sultan_sfo]

Then I fully agree with your choice (or Coral's sister ship Island)!

 

...

IMHO the Coral wins hands down.

...

All in all, the Coral is my favorite of all the Princess ships I have cruised on.

 

The itineraries are identical and include Glacier Bay.

[gertz]

The Diamond gets my vote because it never seems crowded and it also visits Glaicer National Bay.

 

All 4 are great ships. The Coral/Island has a slight advantage in the space ratio but there all close.

But if had to pick it would be Coral because GD went with us to Alaska in 06 on her.:o

We will be back there on the Island in August.

Jack

for the lovely GERTZ who had the hiccups on the booze thread.:D

[LoriPhil]

We've cruised the Coral and Sapphire, and have booked the Coral for Alaska again this year. She is our favorite - great size, fewer passengers and unlike the other Princess designs, the aft portion of the ship is a public area rather than being dedicated to individual cabins so it provides lots more options for panoramic views - very nice for Alaska!

[cdngrl]

i'm a fan of the diamond/ sapphire. i've not been on the coral, but as sox fan cruiser said, the coral is wildly popular. maybe i'll 'test drive' the coral for my next cruise!

[judynorth]

We have been on the Coral and the Diamond and much prefer the Coral. There are "secret" places on the Coral for glacier viewing (forward through the "crew only" doors on Baja and Caribe and aft on Emerald, Dolphin, Caribe, and Baja). We used these during our Panama Canal trip. We didn't know about them on our Alaska trip.

[Putterdude]

We have been on the Coral which I know is a fan favourite and we were very pleased with it. We have also been on the Diamond for a similar period of time. Both have advantages and disadvantages...but we did like the Diamond. It is big without feeling big, everything moves and flows in a very good matter. The Coral and Island were designed for the Panama Canal and therefore do not have the beam of the Daimond and Sapphire so interior decks do not go all the way around and do not have that wonderfull Skywalkers Lounge where you can while away the day reading and watching the ships wake. There are also more dining options on the larger ships. The other thing that we found awkward on the Coral was the the hallways on the cabin decks are narrow making it imposssible for a person in a wheelchair or using a walker to get by the cabin stewards' carts. So all are very wonderful ships....we have a slight prefernce for the Diamond/Sapphire but would certainly sail on the Coral/Island again.:)

[soleil4ever]

All 4 are great ships. The Coral/Island has a slight advantage in the space ratio but there all close.

 

But if had to pick it would be Coral because GD went with us to Alaska in 06 on her.:o

 

We will be back there on the Island in August.

 

Jack

for the lovely GERTZ who had the hiccups on the booze thread.:D

 

 

Thank you for your comments....we are thinking about an Alaska Cruise next year and I was wondering if you (or anyone else!) can please comment on the Cruisetours that Princess offers?? Favorite lodges, shore excursions??

 

Thanks in advance for your advise! :)

[NancyIL]

My only Princess cruise so far was a northbound Alaska cruise on the Coral. Beautiful ship, and not too big. I'd gladly cruise on her again.