Diamond or Coral for Alaska and differences?

Happy New Year,

We are trying to book a June 2011 cruise for my DH's 40th birthday. While I usually love planning cruises, I am struggling with this...very overwhelming....Been trying for 4-5 months and can't seem to get to finish line with booking.

We are looking at either the Diamond or Coral out of Vancouver and coming home from Anchorage. I like bigger ships so I am assuming the Diamond would be the best choice? What are the differences between the Coral and Diamond? Do you have a preference on which one to take to Alaska? We would love your thoughts and opinions. We are booking Balcony for the two of us and an interior for our two daughters.

Thanks so much

Trish

Go by itinerary first, ship second. Make sure glacier bay is on the plan. Consider a cruise tour if budget and time allows.

Differences in a nutshell..

Coral is smaller so does not have International Cafe, Vines, and some other amenities may be scaled down (less pool space- but less people)that Diamond has but has a larger space/passenger ratio which is nice for scenic cruising. It also seems you get on/off faster due to less people.

Otherwise food, entertainment, etc are all similar. Diamond has more dining rooms and I think another venue, but also more people so it evens out.

Personally, I prefer the Coral because it seems less crowded, but you should be fine on either.

You will not go wrong with either of these ships. Have been on both plus their sister ships the Island and Sapphire & will be on the Sapphire again in May. They are our favorite ships with Princess. The Diamond is somewhat bigger but they are both very big and the space ratios are very close Diamond being 43 and Coral being 45, the higher the better. Without looking it up think the itineraries are the same which should include College Fjord and Glacier Bay.

So pick the time and the best price and go, Alaska is just wonderful and addictive once will not be enough.

A word on cabins. Pick the ones you want and don't let them upgrade one if you want the kids right across the hall from you. We always perfer a covered mini for Alaska which are a little more but not unreasonably more.

• The Diamond did not have the International Café added during her latest dry dock so, contrary to Loonbeam, no advantage for either ship.
  
• Diamond does have a Skywalkers. We didn’t use Skywalkers for viewing the South American glaciers and did not miss it on the Coral. The Suite/Elite/Platinum Lounge was in the Explorers Lounge.
  
• The Horizon Court is at the front on the Coral with full windows facing forward. We had great views from there. Also, there is a large open area by the piano where the National Park Service and the naturalist set up shop. A good place for conversation with the experts.
  
• Both have a covered pool area for the cold weather. The Coral has one less pool (two versus three) but that was not a problem for us. Weather was cool for sunbathing and we had no problem finding a seat in the covered pool area when we wanted to sit there. Lounge chairs in the covered pool area on the Coral have thicker cushions and teak frames – classier and more comfortable. There are also similar and very comfortable chairs along the windows that we used for scenic viewing.
  
• There are four to five tables along the windows in the Bayou Café and Sabatini’s with great scenic views. During dinner at the Bayou Café we could watch a pod of dolphins swim next to the ship. There is also a three piece band playing from 7:30 in the Bayou Café. We listened to the music and watched people dance during dinner. The sun sets late in Alaska during the summer so you can see sights even if you eat fairly late.
  
• Access to the public areas on the Coral (theater, lounges and specialty restaurants) are split between the Promenade and the Fiesta decks which reduce congestion. People say that the Diamond feels less crowded than the Grand/Golden/Star. This may not be as much of an advantage if true.
  
• As non-smokers you don’t need to walk through the Casino on the Coral. There is a walk on the side of the Casino area and we could not smell the smoke from the Casino. Also, the doors to the Churchill Lounge (cigar smoking allowed) on Promenade deck of the Coral were closed and we could not smell cigar smoke when we walked by.
  
• If you choose the Coral you are guaranteed to see a show you have not seen on another Princess ship. The Universe Lounge stage area has three stages that rotate and raise and lower independently of each other. The Island/Coral have shows developed just for that stage arrangement. We also saw Motor City there and the show was staged differently and used the larger available space.
  
• There are more dining rooms on the Diamond and more space for Anytime dining. This may or may not be an advantage. On the Coral, with two MDRs, that means 50% Traditional and 50% Anytime dining. I don’t know how the new expanded Traditional dining is handled on the Diamond.
  
• The Coral has open deck areas on the aft of the Baja and Caribe decks that offer great viewing of the glaciers and wildlife from both sides of the ship. We used extensively while in Glacier Bay National Park to see the glaciers and whale watching. Smoking is allowed but it was not a problem on our cruise.
  

I'd choose the Diamond if you could get an aft balcony. We were on the Emerald from Whittier to Vancouver. Aft is the only way to go in Alaska. Our first cruise on the Coral is February thru the Panama Canal.

I'd choose the Coral no matter what. It's not that much smaller than the Diamond! It's actually longer but narrower and doesn't have as many passenger cabin decks. There are 1,950 passengers vs. 2,670. The space ratio per passenger is much better on the Coral; it doesn't feel nearly as crowded. Not sure about the Diamond but the Coral has forward and aft viewing areas on several decks, I believe decks 10-12. They open the doors for viewing. Otherwise, they are normally closed. While I agree with the comment to choose the itinerary first, if that is comparable, go on the Coral.

Ooops. Sorry, I thought the Coral and Princess were the last 2 of the larger ships not to have IC for some reason...

You won’t go wrong with either ship but my choice would be the Coral. We did the Voyage of the Glaciers on her this year and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and our second time on the Coral. We have not cruised on the Diamond but have been on the similar Grand/Golden/Star. We also saw the South American glaciers on the Star early this year. Why the Coral?

 

• The Diamond did not have the International Café added during her latest dry dock so, contrary to Loonbeam, no advantage for either ship.
  
• Diamond does have a Skywalkers. We didn’t use Skywalkers for viewing the South American glaciers and did not miss it on the Coral. The Suite/Elite/Platinum Lounge was in the Explorers Lounge.
  
• The Horizon Court is at the front on the Coral with full windows facing forward. We had great views from there. Also, there is a large open area by the piano where the National Park Service and the naturalist set up shop. A good place for conversation with the experts.
  
• Both have a covered pool area for the cold weather. The Coral has one less pool (two versus three) but that was not a problem for us. Weather was cool for sunbathing and we had no problem finding a seat in the covered pool area when we wanted to sit there. Lounge chairs in the covered pool area on the Coral have thicker cushions and teak frames – classier and more comfortable. There are also similar and very comfortable chairs along the windows that we used for scenic viewing.
  
• There are four to five tables along the windows in the Bayou Café and Sabatini’s with great scenic views. During dinner at the Bayou Café we could watch a pod of dolphins swim next to the ship. There is also a three piece band playing from 7:30 in the Bayou Café. We listened to the music and watched people dance during dinner. The sun sets late in Alaska during the summer so you can see sights even if you eat fairly late.
  
• Access to the public areas on the Coral (theater, lounges and specialty restaurants) are split between the Promenade and the Fiesta decks which reduce congestion. People say that the Diamond feels less crowded than the Grand/Golden/Star. This may not be as much of an advantage if true.
  
• As non-smokers you don’t need to walk through the Casino on the Coral. There is a walk on the side of the Casino area and we could not smell the smoke from the Casino. Also, the doors to the Churchill Lounge (cigar smoking allowed) on Promenade deck of the Coral were closed and we could not smell cigar smoke when we walked by.
  
• If you choose the Coral you are guaranteed to see a show you have not seen on another Princess ship. The Universe Lounge stage area has three stages that rotate and raise and lower independently of each other. The Island/Coral have shows developed just for that stage arrangement. We also saw Motor City there and the show was staged differently and used the larger available space.
  
• There are more dining rooms on the Diamond and more space for Anytime dining. This may or may not be an advantage. On the Coral, with two MDRs, that means 50% Traditional and 50% Anytime dining. I don’t know how the new expanded Traditional dining is handled on the Diamond.
  
• The Coral has open deck areas on the aft of the Baja and Caribe decks that offer great viewing of the glaciers and wildlife from both sides of the ship. We used extensively while in Glacier Bay National Park to see the glaciers and whale watching. Smoking is allowed but it was not a problem on our cruise.
  

Those are my thoughts

Ooops. Sorry, I thought the Coral and Princess were the last 2 of the larger ships not to have IC for some reason...

Loved our Whittier to Vancouver cruise on Coral. Would go again in a minute!!!:D:D

If your daughters are kids/teens who could often be found at the pool, the deciding factor for me, traveling with my son, is that the Diamond's covered all-weather pool is one of the main pools. On the Coral, it is the small, adults only, Lotus Spa pool. Diamond for us, for that reason alone.

We did the Coral last summer with several aft balcony cabins on Caribe deck and our children(16+) were in interior cabins close by. Nice large covered balcony in our cabin that we could all enjoy when we were awake and the "Balcony Open" post-it note was on our door. When our balcony wasn't open, the kids could quickly go to the aft public viewing area that is mentioned on here so often that most passengers don't seem to know about. It provided quick access for them to get some fresh air, lounge a bit outside and catch the good views, no matter what side they were on. It also allowed us to find them quickly when they weren't in their cabin. Downside of the aft cabins is the Horizon court being all the way up front, but this helps burn calories! I also echo the comments on the viewing area in the Horizon Court with the vast windows up front. A great place to be early in the morning when entering Glacier Bay. Your jaw will begin it's dropping motion that will occur over the next 8-10 hours regularly!

We prefer larger ships so we chose the Diamond. We had a mini-suite on the Caribe deck and thoroughly enjoyed it. We prefer Anytime Dining and there were several restaurants to choose from where. The ship never seemed crowded and there was always somewhere to lounge without feeling you were right on top of others. Loved the Diamond!