Just Back--Coral

Sorry to all Princess Chearleaders--you need to quit reading now!! This was 42nd cruise --10th and probably last on Princess--

What was wrong? Nothing major,just nothing RIGHT!!

Food was AWFUL--I really thought after being on sister ship Island that it had to be better--I was wrong--comparable to a mediocre buffett restaurant in Dining Room,Lamb and sirloin steaks were totally uneatable--and not that well in Horizon Court--Presentation of food in HC was terrible.

I must say that Bayou was very good but what does that tell you that your all inclusvive cruise now cost $$ to get a decent meal,ice cream,COFFEE,etc

Princess has become(IMHO)a mass marketing line that is a little below HAL and from what I hear, even CARNIVAL!

Had a major problem with Head Waiter that seats you 2nd nite in PC dining and after that most waiters were a little CUTSEY!

NOT A BAD CRUISE!!!!!!!

Just not as good as Celebrity,HAL,RCL--

AS I said, I will not cruise Princess again unless no other choices---

Please dont BASH me for my opinion but I have held my peace for last 4 Princess cruises-

The only way to get it back--Can you remember the wonderful Flambes and Pasta stations--or BBQ on deck--and what about FREE ICE CREAM AND COFFEE--I bet they have very,very little Hagen sales!! is to boycott with our $$$!!!!!!!!!!!

And can you remember the welcome aboard and escort to your room--ah the little things--

We are Platium and had a mini-suite and not 1 time did I hear a WELCOME BACK!!

oh well Enough rambling

Oh brother, there is always another one somewhere. I totally disagree with almost everything the poster said. I was on the Coral in April and thought the food was great, especially the lamb. If you all want an example of a chronic complainer, here you go. There was nothing wrong with the food presentation in the HC as the poster called it,. I love Princess and will keep cruising on her many glorious ships.

3/9/05 Eastern Caribbean

Sun Princess

We sailed the Coral in February and I thought very highly of the ship, food, and crew. Sure, cutbacks did show in some areas ... but nothing that would ruin the cruise for me.

'Vegas Jim

Sorry you were so dissapointed with your cruise. There are cutbacks on all lines at this time.Except the ALL inclusive. Hope you find a line that the cutbacks are not quite as disturbing.

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

The Coral had the best presentation of food and overall service of the 20 cruises I have been on. I'll also agree that the Bayou was just fantastic. I ate there 5 times on the 18 days I was on board. I also plan to eat there a couple times next week.

If you want free ice cream, just go to Horizon Grill between 2:30 and 4:30 where it is served every day. As for your comparison to Carnival or RCI. You cannot compare. I sailed Carnival prior to the Coral and will not be back on board any time soon. We also had someone to show us to our room. Perhaps it was the elevator that you chose.

If you take a look all the lines you mention are mass market. While I think there are 2 distinct groups of lines (Carnival, NCL and RCI) and then HAL, Princess, and Celebrity. There is a drop off between the 2 groups.

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

Thank you KKorman and others for renewing my faith in the Coral Princess. We leave tomorrow for land-tour and then SB cruise the 29th and after reading the above review I was, as a first time cruiser, getting cold feet. I guess we should all remember that at any time ,no vacation is perfect and if you go into the trip planning to have a good time, no matter what happens, you will enjoy yourself. See you on the water!!!!! Pharmacy Rx Nashville, Tennessee

PharmacyRX,

We've been on four different lines and heard horrible and good things about all of them. Bottom line - we loved them all. My advice is always ignore the negative posts and soak in the good ones. You'll have a wonderful time.

yanceycruiser

Carnival Pride Feb 03

Grand Princess Jan 01

RCL Enchantment of the Seas Jan 99

NCL Norway Jan 97

NCL Dream Jan 95

Sapphire Princess 8/22/04

Thank you, YanceyCruiser. I appreciate all the opinions !My husband and I have travelled extensively ( first time for a cruise )and we just go into a trip with the mind set of having a good time, come what may. But then he tells people I could have a good time at a manure spreading. Tee-hee . 12 hours 'til Alaska!!!!! PharmacyRx

PharmacyRX,

You remind me of us. We really have a good time doing anything and it is that attitude that will make this a great cruise!

yanceycruiser

Carnival Pride Feb 03

Grand Princess Jan 01

RCL Enchantment of the Seas Jan 99

NCL Norway Jan 97

NCL Dream Jan 95

Sapphire Princess 8/22/04

I agree with everything KKorman has written and must add that we also had someone show us to our cabin and very nicely welcomed us aboard. We had PC dining with a charming waiter who spoke 5 languages and was an articulate young man with a wonderful personality. We ate in Sabatini's and the Bayou Cafe and, as with the dining room, our meals were nicely presented and very good. We had no complaints about the food at all and we have traveled extensively and been fortunate to have dined in many fine restaurants. The food in the Horizon Court never appeared "picked over" or depleted. Staff was quite attentive to maintaining an appetizing appearance, in my opinion.

We have been on 9 cruises on 5 different lines and find the Princess product quite to our liking. Yes, there have been some changes and no I don't like them selling me water every time I turn around but I certainly don't let it bother me or ruin my trip. We save to go on vacation.....we don't go on vacation to save.

Every cruise we have been on there has been at least one person whom we've run into that can't be pleased.....no matter how hard people try. I believe it's a personality type that craves the negativity. We had the misfortune to dine with one of these creatures and the waiter was nearly in tears by the constant harangue. We were mortified and have never raced through a meal so quickly.

To finish....LOVED the Coral. Only people we met who weren't friendly were some of the passengers!

10/2/04 Sapphire Princess

PharmacyRX, I am sailing with you. Hope to see you on board!

meemeec,

I wonder who you are talking about!!! Ha

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

KKorman,

You know who I am talking about and can back up my story about some people NEVER being pleased!!!

We were BOTH at the dinner from Hell.

10/2/04 Sapphire Princess

We were on the same ship as jhannah and had a wonderful time. No problems with food service. Like he said they have cut back on some services but hasn't all business's done that. You make the baest of it and keep on sailing.

Marilyn

I've eaten at the mediocre buffett restaruants in Anniston, Al. and trust me they don't serve lobster, lamb, souffles or creme brulee'.

Scott

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ahracer:

I've eaten at the mediocre buffett restaruants in Anniston, Al. and trust me they don't serve lobster, lamb, souffles or creme brulee'.

Scott<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lucky you!! You found mediocre!!! I've only found AWFUL there!

10/2/04 Sapphire Princess

So true.

It all goes back to you get what you pay for. With cruise prices being as low as they are, how can you expect to get 8 5-star meals a day when you are spending <$100/day [and sometimes <$50). It is not going to happen. That being said, Princess is doing a better job than most at providing this for you. I just do not understand people who just can't find something "good" to eat on a cruise. You have to wonder if it is the cruise or is it the person. I think the latter. I consider myself a cruise snob and have been satisfied for the most part on even Carnival and NCL which most people thing are a big step below Princess. I just don't get it.

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

Any cruise is what you choose to make of it. If you anticipate problems, there will be problems, and if you expect to have a great time, most of the time you will.

Sorry to read about your bad experience. We just got off the Coral last month. We were a little worried cruising with Princess after a 3 yr. period away from them. RCI is our very favorite cruise line and our last cruise with Princess wasn't the best, so you can imagine our trepidation on doing another Princess cruise.

I can honestly say the only thing RCI did better than Princess is the buffet. The Horizon Court's food was pretty bad - bland, not hot, no imagination, same boring choices over and over. Nothing at all like RCI's.

But, that was the ONLY complaint we had. Everything else was really wonderful and I would count this as one of our best cruises yet. We like both RCI and Princess for different reasons and have booked another Princess cruise just this week.

--------------------------

'05 Golden Princess, West. European Capitals

'04 2 wk. land cruise to WA

'04 Monarch of the Seas

'04 Coral Princess

'03 Monarch of the Seas

'02 Adventure of the Seas

'02 Ecstasy

'01 Radiance of the Seas

'01 Grand Princess

'01 Viking Serenade

'00 Grand Princess

'99 Viking Serenade

'98 Elation

i am going on coral november 10th - can you please tell me about the entertainment at night and if the bands and DJ's were good in the lounges.

what excursions did you go on

thanks in advance

carol

The cruise staff was outstanding. There were the usual comedians and Vegas type shows. There was music all around the ship for just about any taste. I personally enjoyed Vinnie, the jazz/blues singer in the Bayou. Their contract is up in August however. But I thought there was something for everyone.

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

Well it seems that I am another to disagree with the comments made by fb0075. I was on the Coral on the 4/21 sailing to San Francisco and could not be more pleased with the professionalism of the wait staff and the presentation and quality of the food. My wife and I had PC... We enjoyed our waiters so much the first night we requested and were granted the same table between 8-830 for the remaining nights of the cruise. With the exception of one night, when we went to the Bayou, we sat with our friends in the PC dining room. The Maitre D' Generoso and our Head Waiter Renzo made sure that our dinners were most memorable. On numerous nights, without requesting, we were served appetizers that were not on the menu. A platter of fried calamari one night, bruchetta another and the biggest platter of antipasta I have seen in a great while. One night we requested and were given all black caviar other than the mixed variety. Show me that on Carnival, RCL or HAL

The Bayou was the same with professional, highly trained waiters and excellent food.

As for hearing "Welcome Back".. Upon arrival, one waiter standing in the greeting line let out a loud hello and gave me a big hug. She remembered me from our 1999 and 2000 Princess cruises. Her husband worked in the Bayou and he remembered us as well. We were asked if we need an escort to our room but declined.

I am sorry that fb0075 was disappointed and that this is their last cruise. I was so impressed with the Coral I booked the 9/04 Alaska cruise so I can say hello to all my old and new friends

This was my 13 cruise on Princess..

I hear you Largin. I think I met you the first night. I ended up booking the COral for next week because of how great the overall atmosphere was.

Generoso was probably the best Maitre D' I have come across. Not to mention when I complemented some of more memorable service teams, he went over to personally tell them about the praise.

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

Am on the coral 8/7 to alaska-first time on princess--Im sure anyone can find something to criticize--glad to see the overwhelming positive cp reports. I try to find the positve in things--and you can always find some good even among the bad.

good attitude. you will have nothing to worry about!

Next: Coral Princess 6/04 Dawn Princess 10/04

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman

http://community.webshots.com/user/kkorman1

Coral Princess 4/04, (Canal-FLL-VAN), Conquest 12/03 -New Years, Norwegian Sky b2b 12/03, Carnival Pride 06/03, Star Princess 03/03, Norwegian Star 07/02,Voyager of the Seas 06/01, Ecstasy 12/00, Exporer of the Seas 11/00, Zaandam 08/00, Destiny 04/00, Nordic Empress 08/99, Rhapsody of the Seas 04/98, Sensation 12/96, Legend of the Seas 8/96, Imagination 8/95, Jubilee 3/92, Sovereign of the Seas 10/88

I agree with kkorman.. You will have a great time