Just a word of caution for those sailing on Coral Princess

[TrnrMom]

We booked that excursion but canceled due to information from this site where others were complaining about air conditioning, food and seating. Being not completely well I decided to forego that event and stay on Coral Princess. WE HAD A GREAT DAY!!

 

We had the whole ship, what felt like, completely to ourselves. no crowds and freedom to go anywhere and get premium views as we transited back to the Atlantic Ocean.

 

It was a tough decision but, FOR US, it was the best choice.

 

Hope this answers your question.

 

Hi, Wilfros,

Glad to hear you had a great cruise & that the decision to stay on board was the right one for you. I know you were conflicted. Also, sorry about being cutoff from the pictures of the champagne waterfall. We went in to dinner so didn't realize they were cutting folks off.

[LeeW]

Thank you for your information. That is the excursion I was inquiring about. We are currently booked but are still thinking should we cancel.

Hope you are feeling better and I am looking forward to your review.

 

 

For OP, we have seen the fountain done both short and long - varies all over the place. Sorry you missed it, though.

 

For granny48, the small boat through the remainder of the Canal is an excellent excursion. Snacks, drinks are provided and you can sometimes even talk to the pilot. Chairs are essentially just cheap stacking chairs

either on open deck (not that much wind) or under a cover. Steady rain for our whole trip, but still great. Ask about the dent in the Miraflores lock. You can touch the walls of the locks. Note that the bus ride back to the ship is long (and air conditioned)>

[wilfros]

Hi, Wilfros,

Glad to hear you had a great cruise & that the decision to stay on board was the right one for you. I know you were conflicted. Also, sorry about being cutoff from the pictures of the champagne waterfall. We went in to dinner so didn't realize they were cutting folks off.

 

Thanks... I just didn't want this to happen to others. For some reason, trying to get the message out to others is rather difficult on this forum. Members here seem to think CruiseCRITIC only means say something nice and don't try to help others. I am just trying to do the same as you did for me. Because of you we had a great day, but you were critical of a shore excursion not a cruise line. Perhaps that is the difference.

 

If just one person is forewarned and gets the photo they are hoping to get then this has all been worth the effort.

 

Thanks again for your post.

Edited January 22, 2014 by wilfros

[Debbdo]

Debbdo,

We are thinking about doing this cruise on the coral Nov 20th 2014. We have done NCL the last cruise. Would love to hear more about your cruise when you have time.

Thanks Brent

 

Hi Brent,

 

I hope to post some info when we return (we leave March 15th). Panama Canal has been on my bucket list for more years than I remember, so I am really excited.

[wilfros]

For OP, we have seen the fountain done both short and long - varies all over the place. Sorry you missed it, though.

 

For granny48, the small boat through the remainder of the Canal is an excellent excursion. Snacks, drinks are provided and you can sometimes even talk to the pilot. Chairs are essentially just cheap stacking chairs

either on open deck (not that much wind) or under a cover. Steady rain for our whole trip, but still great. Ask about the dent in the Miraflores lock. You can touch the walls of the locks. Note that the bus ride back to the ship is long (and air conditioned)>

 

Thanks, I am hoping this thread will help future cruisers on Coral.

[wilfros]

Hi Brent,

 

I hope to post some info when we return (we leave March 15th). Panama Canal has been on my bucket list for more years than I remember, so I am really excited.

 

Brent and Debbdo; I am processing my 3D photos right now. Once completed (a day or two more) then I will start to compose the review. It was a fantastic cruise with great ports of call, to say nothing of the Panama Canal !!! Great Memories.

 

If you have a specific question please let me know and I will do what I can to answer it.

 

I hope to have the review within a week. I hope that helps.

[Debbdo]

Brent and Debbdo; I am processing my 3D photos right now. Once completed (a day or two more) then I will start to compose the review. It was a fantastic cruise with great ports of call, to say nothing of the Panama Canal !!! Great Memories.

 

If you have a specific question please let me know and I will do what I can to answer it.

 

I hope to have the review within a week. I hope that helps.

I am very much looking forward to your review. We booked the "ferry" through the other locks, and although I have become concerned with some of the posts I have been reading here, I am going to keep it booked. I want to see the entire canal, and can't take the full transit due to time restraints with work. I am going to keep an open mind and understand the small confines of the boat, the heat and humidity of the canal, etc.

 

Thanks for taking your time to answer questions--I have done A LOT of reading on here and it can sometimes be overwhelming. My husband teases me that I am going to know more than the cruise director. :)

 

Debbie

[wilfros]

I am very much looking forward to your review. We booked the "ferry" through the other locks, and although I have become concerned with some of the posts I have been reading here, I am going to keep it booked. I want to see the entire canal, and can't take the full transit due to time restraints with work. I am going to keep an open mind and understand the small confines of the boat, the heat and humidity of the canal, etc.

 

Thanks for taking your time to answer questions--I have done A LOT of reading on here and it can sometimes be overwhelming. My husband teases me that I am going to know more than the cruise director. :)

 

Debbie

 

Debbie;

Please keep an open mind. Just from this one message I can tell there are big differences between your situation and mine.

 

You work, which means you are more healthy than I am thus allowing you to tolerate more than I would be able to at this time. I am recuperating from Cancer surgery followed by 4 Months of intensive radiation therapy. I exercise and even kayak, as we did on this cruise but, excessive situations can be difficult and I didn't want to risk the whole cruise for just one excursion. My ability to recoup quickly has gone for now.

 

Don't forget that you can keep this excursion until you board the ship and decide then. There will always be someone who will want it.

 

One other thing. I heard from a lot of people about many excursions during our cruise. Not once did I hear anything negative about this trip.

 

My decision was based completely on me and my health concerns.

[notentirelynormal]

You did not answer the question. Was the time they placed the rope the same as the announced cutoff time?

 

If so that it pretty consistent for cruise ship events.

 

Let it go man, just let it go :rolleyes:.

[Orangefan]

The search was easier than I had earlier thought.

 

Here is the link

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1961698

 

Hope this helps

 

I was on the Coral Princess Dec. 7-18 cruise which was awesome. I had decided to stay on Coral and experience going through the same locks twice and do not regret the decision. It was a great experience both ways. The return trip we were going all over the ship to get pictures without crowds around. Our departure was delayed 3 hours because the small ship going through the canal was so late. We happen to be near the passenger services desk when a group of 10 people came to the desk in search of the person ahead of excursions to lodge their complaints. All their complaints seemed very understandable. They were extremely disturbed by their experiences. We left to go up to the Horizon Court we bumped into some friends from our M & G group who were on the same small ship. We joined them while they ate dinner and explained about the trip. All I could think was how glad I was that I wasn't on that ship . My friends were worried about others maybe going on the same boat and not having some of those issues corrected by Princess of the excursion company. They could have just complained about the trip but they took the time to share with Princess all their concerns including the safety of passengers. You all have to decide for yourself what you want to do. But just remember these people are not vindictive but didn't want others to experience what they went through and took the time to communicate with Princess on what they could do to correct and improve the experience.

Sali

[wilfros]

I was on the Coral Princess Dec. 7-18 cruise which was awesome. I had decided to stay on Coral and experience going through the same locks twice and do not regret the decision. It was a great experience both ways. The return trip we were going all over the ship to get pictures without crowds around. Our departure was delayed 3 hours because the small ship going through the canal was so late. We happen to be near the passenger services desk when a group of 10 people came to the desk in search of the person ahead of excursions to lodge their complaints. All their complaints seemed very understandable. They were extremely disturbed by their experiences. We left to go up to the Horizon Court we bumped into some friends from our M & G group who were on the same small ship. We joined them while they ate dinner and explained about the trip. All I could think was how glad I was that I wasn't on that ship . My friends were worried about others maybe going on the same boat and not having some of those issues corrected by Princess of the excursion company. They could have just complained about the trip but they took the time to share with Princess all their concerns including the safety of passengers. You all have to decide for yourself what you want to do. But just remember these people are not vindictive but didn't want others to experience what they went through and took the time to communicate with Princess on what they could do to correct and improve the experience.

Sali

 

Good Morning Orangefan;

 

I believe this is the same group of people that resulted in the earlier thread that I linked to.

 

Perhaps this was a one time issue or perhaps this is a normal operation. I have no idea. But as I stated earlier... I heard nothing negative about the tour during our cruise last week. Then again, neither did I hear anything outstanding.

 

All I can say is, of all the shore excursions offered by Princess, this was the one that I was most interested in and the most exciting about but it just wasn't meant for me at this time. I sure hope it works out for others.

Edited January 22, 2014 by wilfros

[granny49]

For granny48, the small boat through the remainder of the Canal is an excellent excursion. Snacks, drinks are provided and you can sometimes even talk to the pilot. Chairs are essentially just cheap stacking chairs

either on open deck (not that much wind) or under a cover. Steady rain for our whole trip, but still great. Ask about the dent in the Miraflores lock. You can touch the walls of the locks. Note that the bus ride back to the ship is long (and air conditioned)>

 

Thank you so much for your honest opinion.

[granny49]

Thanks, I am hoping this thread will help future cruisers on Coral.

Thank you Wilfros for all your valuable information. I know what it is like not to feel well on your cruise. I have just come home from an So Asia cruise and was not feeling my best. I had a kidney stone and was in pain and had to cancel some excursions because it was just too much. I wish you the best of health in 2014 and hope you enjoy many more cruises.

 

Maureen

[wilfros]

Thank you Wilfros for all your valuable information. I know what it is like not to feel well on your cruise. I have just come home from an So Asia cruise and was not feeling my best. I had a kidney stone and was in pain and had to cancel some excursions because it was just too much. I wish you the best of health in 2014 and hope you enjoy many more cruises.

 

Maureen

 

Thank you Maureen, that is very kind of you. I am also sorry to hear about you.

 

In my particular case, I, for them most part, was just fine, as long as I had a place or an arrangement where I could opt out and rest.

 

How does the old saying go??? A lousy health day on a cruise is still better than a descent health day stuck at home in the -18 degree weather! Again this is just my humble opinion ;)

[PrincessLuver]

I was on the Coral Princess Dec. 7-18 cruise which was awesome. I had decided to stay on Coral and experience going through the same locks twice and do not regret the decision. It was a great experience both ways. The return trip we were going all over the ship to get pictures without crowds around. Our departure was delayed 3 hours because the small ship going through the canal was so late. We happen to be near the passenger services desk when a group of 10 people came to the desk in search of the person ahead of excursions to lodge their complaints. All their complaints seemed very understandable. They were extremely disturbed by their experiences. We left to go up to the Horizon Court we bumped into some friends from our M & G group who were on the same small ship. We joined them while they ate dinner and explained about the trip. All I could think was how glad I was that I wasn't on that ship . My friends were worried about others maybe going on the same boat and not having some of those issues corrected by Princess of the excursion company. They could have just complained about the trip but they took the time to share with Princess all their concerns including the safety of passengers. You all have to decide for yourself what you want to do. But just remember these people are not vindictive but didn't want others to experience what they went through and took the time to communicate with Princess on what they could do to correct and improve the experience.

Sali

 

We were on the same cruise and excursion. The excursions came back later then many on the tour expected. However, it states in the Princess tour excursions that they cannot guarantee the exact timing of this excursion because they do not know exactly when they are going to be allowed to enter the locks. The ferry boat has to go into the lock with another ship.

 

There are many posts on this particular excursion on CC so there should be no surprises for people about what conditions they might experience which are out side the scope of Princess.

 

Yes there were some unhappy people but there were also plenty of us who loved the excursion, knew ahead of time that there were no definitive times for this excursion and basically just went with the flow.

 

It has been my experience on cruise ships that there are some people who love complaining about everything and if they are not having a good time want to make sure that everyone knows about it. I call them "Ain't It Awful Folks!" :cool:

[granny49]

Thank you Maureen, that is very kind of you. I am also sorry to hear about you.

 

In my particular case, I, for them most part, was just fine, as long as I had a place or an arrangement where I could opt out and rest.

 

How does the old saying go??? A lousy health day on a cruise is still better than a descent health day stuck at home in the -18 degree weather! Again this is just my humble opinion ;)

 

You got that right. In New York this morning it was 6 degrees with 15 inches of snow.

[wilfros]

You got that right. In New York this morning it was 6 degrees with 15 inches of snow.

 

-19 here in Ottawa but we missed the snow. Sometimes we get lucky :D

[notentirelynormal]

-19 here in Ottawa but we missed the snow. Sometimes we get lucky :D

 

Horrible weather here in LA. It's 79 F at my house. Just had to turn the fan on to cool down :D. Sorry couldn't resist. For the record though - I began my month with a week in Vancouver with 23F weather and ended it driving back with strong winds and rains.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting what happened to you. It sounds like you had a great cruise overall. A couple of my family members and I are considering doing this cruise in 2015. Besides the Panama Canal which we all think will be amazing what were your thoughts on the other ports and any specific things you did in them?

[228grady]

I trying to follow this tread to see what tour you guys are talking about, could you please tell me the name of the tour?

Thanks Brent

[wilfros]

I trying to follow this tread to see what tour you guys are talking about, could you please tell me the name of the tour?

Thanks Brent

 

Sorry Brent; This thread seems to have taken on a life of it's own. There are now about three different discussions taking place. It is fun but can be a little confusing.

 

The tour we are taking about is the ferry trip through the panama canal from Lake Gatun through to the Pacific Ocean.

 

Here is the link to the original thread that first posed concerns about this tour.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1961698

 

I hope this helps you figure out what is going on. :D

[BananaAnna]

 

There are many posts on this particular excursion on CC so there should be no surprises for people about what conditions they might experience which are out side the scope of Princess.

I disagree - folks on CC represent only a small percentage of the cruising public.

[san diego sue]

Sad to report that there is now Noro on the Coral. Just got a very early morning email from a friend on board.

Yesterday the Captain announced there was Noro. Friend's husband awoke during the night with violent vomiting and diahrea.

She is hoping she doesn't get it. They are both of course staying put in their cabin and notifying medical staff. They are elderly so I hope they will be okay.

[caribill]

They are both of course staying put in their cabin and notifying medical staff.

 

Normally Princess only confines the one with symptoms to the cabin.

[san diego sue]

That is good to know. She emailed me before she called the medical center. She thought both would be confined and she was staying put(didn't want to spread any germs) . It was 4:30am when she emailed.