Just Off Coral 11/24/05

[Rocky Top]

This board has been wonderful to us so I wanted to give a "brief" review for those who might be booked on this great ship. First, my DW and I have been on 17 cruises and we are in our early 60s. We have been on Princess one other time, on Norwegin twice, on Carnival 3 times(with family) and on RCL 10 times. Because of our elite status with RCL we normally take this cruise line. However, because of dates & itineries we chose the CORAL for Nov. 14 - 24 through the Canal. This proved to be a great decision.

We were in mini suite D-715 (aft) and absolutely loved the cabin & balcony. The aminities were good and we loved the bathroom, bed, balcony and 2 TVs. We drove from Alabama to Ft lauderdale and stayed at the La Quinta in Hollywood(10 miles from port). They allowed us to leave our car there (complimentary) and took us in a shuttle to the ship. Great way to park car. They did not pick up after cruise but the taxi was the way to go on return. ($25).

We arrived at the port at 12:15 and were in our cabin at 12:45. Easiest embarkation ever.

The ports were ok with Cozumel just getting back from hurricane. Had to tender which was very efficient.

Panama Canal was wonderful and the narrator was very good. Cristobel dock was well organized and we enjoyed just going through the market there. We took the city drive and estate tour in Montego bay and enjoyed it.

 

Food was good but the soups were not as good as past. The lobster & prime rib were as good as we have had. On the downside was the Horizon Court. The food was just ok and the design of the people movement through the food lines was really bad. The Windjammer on the Brillance has us spoiled to what the Breakfast/Lunch buffet should be. This was our only negative (but tolerable) for the entire cruise.

We used the internet cafe on many occassions to communicate with children & grandchildren and it was wonderful. (35 cents a minute)

Staff were good and our cabin steward took care of us very well.

Shows were good and the Broadway Review by the singers & dancers was one of the best production shows we have seen.

Disembarkation was as easy as embarkation and we were driving home at 10:15am on Thanksgiving.

 

Hope this helps someone as much as you guys have helped us.

[Coral]

Thanks for the review - glad you had a good trip.

 

I am not overly pleased with the buffet on Princess and have just chosen to avoid it on my last several cruises. I either eat in the dining room on sea days or on port days we eat at the pizzeria or hamburger stand. Did you go into the dining room for breakfast or lunch on your cruise - it really is quite excellent.

 

To be fair - I was not overly thrilled with the buffet on the Radiance or Voyager class either. While better laid out, I found the food temps were not right and hot food was luke warm, etc. . And once we found food, we had a difficult time finding a place to eat. So I also switched to the dining room on my RCCL cruises also. I was also much more pleased with that decision also.

[Rocky Top]

Hey Coral,

 

We did not eat in dining during lunch or breakfast. Did have room service on our balcony several times which we enjoyed. (pastries, cereal, beverages etc) We also had light breakfast in Horizon. However during lunch pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs were my main fair. DW had buffet items with salads which, as I said, were ok. Should have done as you and used the dining room for more than dinner. Will follow your suggestion next time.

 

Thanks

[Coral]

RockyTop -

 

I have wanted to do the Panama Canal for the canal experience for a long time but have been put off by the ports (with the exception of Cozumel that I do love).

 

When you stated that the ports were "ok" - you sort of verified that I probably wouldn't be overly thrilled with the ports. Was the canal experience worth having only "ok" ports for the rest of the trip?

 

I don't have the time to do the whole transit and with vacation days a premium, I have put off doing the 10 day Princess canal trip - as much as I know I would enjoy the canal....

[Rocky Top]

Coral,

 

If you have never been to the Canal, it is well worth calling on the other ports just to be able to experience this great engineering feat and the history involved. This is our second time (the first all the way through) and the partial transit is as good as the complete transit. I highly recommend it.

 

The other ports are not bad but we like other islands better. I agree with you that Cozumel was great even though we had to tender, Grand Cayman was ok and Montego bay was good after you got away from the port. We did not like Limon, Costa Rica at all but this could have been our problem and not the location.

 

Hope this helps

[Texcruise]

Rocky Top: Thank you for giving your thoughts about the Coral. We will be on the January 23rd Panama Canal sailing and since it is our first cruise on the Coral and with Princess we found your post very informative.

 

Coral: We have done the complete transit of the Canal and now are going back on the Coral 10 day trip so I can tell you......go......the canal is awesome. We spent almost the entire day on deck or on our balcony watching everything when we did the transit. We were not overwhelmed with the ports, but the canal itself made up for that. My advise is to put this on your list of future cruises!;)

Gail

[rangerdog]

Great review Rocky Top!;) We are planning a cruise next December and would like your opinion between Carnival (Conquest) and Princess (Grand Princess). Thanks.:D :) ;)

[Coral]

Coral: We have done the complete transit of the Canal and now are going back on the Coral 10 day trip so I can tell you......go......the canal is awesome. We spent almost the entire day on deck or on our balcony watching everything when we did the transit. We were not overwhelmed with the ports, but the canal itself made up for that. My advise is to put this on your list of future cruises!;)

Gail

 

Thank you RockyTop and TexCruise for your comments.

 

TexCruise - it looks like you have experience with Radisson and your next several are with Princess....Any specific reasons why your next several are with Princess and not with Radisson?

[mii]

Coral having been on the 10 day partial transit I can highly recommend it. Our stops were Nassau, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Kimon Costa Rica besides the canal. Now we throughly enjoyed Costa Rica because we took th Eco-tour of theTortuguerro Canal and so far that has been one of our best excursions ever. On the Panama Canal we took the Ocean to Ocean where we got off on Gatun Lake, tendered, got on another boat and when through the rest of the locks on the Pacific Side. What a thrill that was. Cozumel and Grand Cayman we just looked around town. If you have any other questions regarding that trip just ask. And besides it was on the Coral which as we both know is our favorite ship. This next May we are doing the full transit from FLL to San Francisco on the Coral. Now that will be fun.

 

Marilyn

[Texcruise]

Coral: Radisson has so few ships that their itineraries are limited. We are also looking for a larger ship experience. While the two lines are a lot different in many respects, I can do two or three sailings on Princess for the price of one on Radisson.

Gail

[Rocky Top]

Hey Rangerdog,

 

We were anchored right next to Conquest in Grand Cayman. She is a beautiful ship and seems to have more balconies than any Carnival ship we have seen. I have never been on Conquest but after seeing her in port, I think you have made a great decision. I'm not a Carnival person, with the exception of taking children & grandchildren, but I see no reason that you should not "go for it". Are you the person that just had a 40th birthday cruise with your mother & sister? That had to be fun.

[Coral]

Thanks Marilyn and Gail for your responses!

 

It looks like I need to move the Canal up to the top of my list. I know when I do do it - I want to do the Ocean to Ocean tour. Marilyn - I will make a note of the Eco tour that you did in Costa Rica - sounds wonderful.

 

Gail - I also would probably do 2 cruises compared to one if given the choice :)

[dmc]

We just returned from the Coral Princess Panama Canal trip and think that it is one of the nicest cruises that we've taken. Even tho Cozumel is not like it was before the hurricane, we still enjoyed going there. I think the port we least enjoyed was Grand Cayman...too crowded and too expensive. Limon was really nice, we booked the Limon Experience and had a wonderful tour guide. We went to a banana plantation and drove around the area. Couldn't believe the amount of poverty there, but they still had their Christmas decorations on their homes. It seemed strange seeing decorations when the temperature was in the 80's and the humidity was 100%. I live in the north-east and came home to temps in the 30's. Our Limon tour guide took us to a Dole Factory and development built for their workers. We drove along the coast and enjoyed seeing parts of the rain forest. We even saw some monkeys in a tree! Panama Canal was really interesting but our tour lasted forever! We took the Deluxe train ride and an excursion that was supposed to last 5 1/2 hours lasted almost 8 hours. This was due to several delays along the way. The tour itself was really interesting...just too long. Anyway, I didn't mean to be this long-winded but got excited thinking about our trip. I loved this cruise and don't regret it for one minute.

[cruzinchris]

Rocky Top,

Thank you for posting your thoughts on the Coral Princess. DH and I plan to do an onboard booking of this ship/itinerary for January, 2007 while we are on the CB this January.

 

We were trying to decide between the Coral and the Dawn (deep Caribbean out of San Juan). Several participants on this board convinced us that the Coral is the way to go, and your positive comments further reinforce our choice.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Chris

[sashas_mom]

Thanks Marilyn and Gail for your responses!

 

It looks like I need to move the Canal up to the top of my list. I know when I do do it - I want to do the Ocean to Ocean tour. Marilyn - I will make a note of the Eco tour that you did in Costa Rica - sounds wonderful.

 

Hi Coral,

 

Join us in 2007. We are doing the Panama Canal ocean to ocean on the Coral in April of 2007 (wanted to avoid hurrican season).

sasha'smom

[LARGIN]

We will be doing a Panama full transit in May and will be in D-716. How was the "ride" in your room? Any vibrations, noise or other wierd stuff???

[Cruiseteach]

Thanks for that great review. My friend and I will be doing this cruise 3/4/06. I am realy excited! Any hints, etc. would be most welcome. We are on the same deck as you, but a different cabin- D511, a mini.

[Rocky Top]

We did not notice any strange noises or vibrations in our cabin (D 715). The seas were relatively calm the entire cruise (4 - 7 feet) and we loved the motion (wow, could we sleep). As far as any "hints" the only one that might be helpful would be to go to the showroom early on nights that they have the production shows. We did not the first night and had to stand. Seems both shows (early & late) are really popular and most people would be in their seats at least 15 minutes early. Forget last minute.

 

Also, on sea days, the Horizon court is very busy between 11:30 & 1;00. We chose to go after 1:00 and had no problem. The pizza, hot dogs & hamburgers seemed to be never crowded.

 

Hope this helps.

[judyjudy56]

Hi,

 

We have friends who will be in D715 in July to Alaska and they are wondering about the size of the balcony. Would there be room for a lounger on the balcony? I can't seem to find anything about the size of the balcony for them.

 

Thanks,

Judy

[LARGIN]

We had 2 loungers and a table on our balcony D-716

[whale-watcher]

Hi,

 

We have friends who will be in D715 in July to Alaska and they are wondering about the size of the balcony. Would there be room for a lounger on the balcony? I can't seem to find anything about the size of the balcony for them.

 

Thanks,

Judy

Balcony size is about 9x8 feet. Each minisuite balcony had a table and four chairs, but no lounger (January of this year). I think the chairs did recline, however; they are of a new, fire-safe design