Coral Princess questions from a Celebrity Cruiser

[tings66]

Hi everyone, I have been on 7 cruises total and all with Celebrity. Hubby and I are considering a Panama Canal cruise April 2019 as Celebrity isn't offering Panama Canal sailings spring 2019. On Celebrity ships, there is an outdoor eating section right off the Buffet (this locations also has a bar). We love to eat our meals outside in this area. Does the Coral Princess have an option to eat outside too? thanks in advance

[lstone19]

Yes there is. There are tables on the pool deck just outside the Horizon Court (buffet) with waiters to assist with beverages and clearing/cleaning tables.

 

 

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[mnocket]

We did the Coral Panama Canal cruise 6 months ago and loved it. It was our first Princess cruise having previously sailed Celebrity. One thing we really enjoyed was The Sanctuary - especially on canal day. We booked it afternoons on all sea days. If you're interested in this, it's a good idea to go there and book right after you board as it can fill up.

[Bwana Tom]

Hi everyone, I have been on 7 cruises total and all with Celebrity. Hubby and I are considering a Panama Canal cruise April 2019 as Celebrity isn't offering Panama Canal sailings spring 2019. On Celebrity ships, there is an outdoor eating section right off the Buffet (this locations also has a bar). We love to eat our meals outside in this area. Does the Coral Princess have an option to eat outside too? thanks in advance

 

I think you will enjoy Princess and the Coral. My wife and I have been on a couple of Celebrity cruises and no matter what you will read on these blogs we believe the food on Princess is much better than that on Celebrity. And yes, you can purchase snack food like hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, etc. from the food stands around the pool, but if you choose to do so you can load up a plate at the buffet and take your plates outside to the pool area and eat it there. Many people do and it is a short walk.

 

As far as the Panama Canal cruises goes we took the full transit that began in CA and wound up in FL. These cruises typically go both ways (CA to FL and FL to CA). I personally believe the full transit is a much better experience than the partial cruise where you go through a couple of locks then anchor in the lake before going back through. Our cruise was 15 nights and most of the partial transits seem to be 10 nights.

 

Well to Princess and I hope you like it as much as we do.

[Thrak]

One of the few things we don't like about Coral Princess is the lack of a "regular" aft pool. The Sanctuary Pool is aft but that's it. My wife absolutely loves to hang out at the Terrace Pool on other ships. On CB there is no such option unless one wants to pay for the Sanctuary.

[skynight]

I think you will enjoy Princess and the Coral. My wife and I have been on a couple of Celebrity cruises and no matter what you will read on these blogs we believe the food on Princess is much better than that on Celebrity. And yes, you can purchase snack food like hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, etc. from the food stands around the pool, but if you choose to do so you can load up a plate at the buffet and take your plates outside to the pool area and eat it there. Many people do and it is a short walk.

Burgers, dogs, brats, chicken, fries and maybe some other items are free at the Grill on Deck 15, above the pool. Pizza by the slice is also free by the Lido Pool on deck 14.

[lstone19]

And yes, you can purchase snack food like hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, etc. from the food stands around the pool

 

 

 

The food at the grill and pizzeria on Princess ships is included, not for purchase.

 

 

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[nobog]

Our first cruise was on the Coral some 11ish years ago (partial transit) and are now on the April 20th 2019 full passage. Been on 5 different cruise lines since so it will be interesting (one full transit on Holland).

 

One thing I don't like is there is no "crows nest". This is taken up by the buffet so those seats are for dining - not relaxing or reading so I will need to find a suitable location for such.

 

Looking forward to some good food - anything should have more flavor than the food on Holland!

 

JK

[margob111]

I’ve been on both Celebrity and Princess cruises and think you will be happy. We were on the Coral in Alaska a few years ago and again on a full transit of the Panama Canal earlier this year from FLL to Los Angeles. As far as the quality of food, I have no complaints about the food on Princess. My first Celebrity cruise on the Solstice, the food was great, the second one on the Constellation, not so much.

[eclue]

If this is your first Princess cruise.....I would go on the Ruby to Alaska....a much nicer ship....we are not foodies but the buffet on the Coral is very small compared to other Princess ships..the ruby also has the Caribe Café at the back of the ship where there is a pool and outside dining areas....the casino on the Coral is very small and very warm.....would definitely look into the itineraries for the Ruby.....we are just off the Coral from Vancouver to Anchorage..this was our 27th Princess cruise so definitely our favorite line but the coral was not the best representation of Princess.

[lstone19]

If this is your first Princess cruise.....I would go on the Ruby to Alaska....a much nicer ship....we are not foodies but the buffet on the Coral is very small compared to other Princess ships..the ruby also has the Caribe Café at the back of the ship where there is a pool and outside dining areas....the casino on the Coral is very small and very warm.....would definitely look into the itineraries for the Ruby.....we are just off the Coral from Vancouver to Anchorage..this was our 27th Princess cruise so definitely our favorite line but the coral was not the best representation of Princess.

 

The OP was asking about a Panama Canal cruise - where Coral mostly is in the winter. As Ruby is too big for the original Panama Canal locks, Ruby is not relevant to the OP's question (of the current Princess fleet, only Coral, Island, and Pacific Princess fit in the original locks. And given Coral's forward and rear viewing decks (the forward decks on decks 10 and 11 are one of Coral's hidden gems), it is an excellent choice for the Panama Canal.

[eclue]

The OP was asking about a Panama Canal cruise - where Coral mostly is in the winter. As Ruby is too big for the original Panama Canal locks, Ruby is not relevant to the OP's question (of the current Princess fleet, only Coral, Island, and Pacific Princess fit in the original locks. And given Coral's forward and rear viewing decks (the forward decks on decks 10 and 11 are one of Coral's hidden gems), it is an excellent choice for the Panama Canal.

So sorry, my mind was getting ahead of my reading since we just recently disembarked from the Coral Princess in Anchorage and that is where she is now.....Please do accept my apology.....

eclue:cool:

[lstone19]

So sorry, my mind was getting ahead of my reading since we just recently disembarked from the Coral Princess in Anchorage and that is where she is now.....Please do accept my apology.....

eclue:cool:

 

We're just off Coral as well (7/11 S/B) so Alaska was on my mind as well until I had a reason to look at the OP's post.

 

We also all need to remember that ship features important to one person may be unimportant to someone else. Eclue, you clearly would prefer Ruby to Coral all else being equal. OTOH, having been on both, I'd take Coral over Ruby. Doesn't mean you're right and doesn't mean I'm right - just that for what's important to me, Coral is the better ship while for what's important to you, Ruby is better. And what's important to me on one itinerary will be different on another. For Alaska, I'd take Coral over Royal (having been on Regal multiple times, the lack of forward viewing on the Royal-class ships would be a deal-killer for me in Alaska) but for a TA, I'd take Regal or Royal over Coral.

[jb008]

I've cruised both lines, our last time on X was Feb '17 on X Silhouette and we were on Coral Princess in May '17.

 

Coral is a not a great representation of Princess IMHO. It's older, smaller, and feels "careworn" - I think it was a great choice for Alaska and probably is good for Panama Canal too because it has more scenic space per person (and the front buffet space looks forward with lots of glass). The acoustics in the main theater were pretty weak, we only went to the first show because the sound was so unappealing. It is smaller, similar to X's millennium class so a little less crowded (but some of the design features, like buffet layout, don't benefit from some of the more recent trends).

 

Food between the two lines was pretty comparable, some things one line did better and vice versa.

Lounge music and entertainment was pretty similar

 

Basically I would choose either line and weigh them pretty evenly - but some of Princess' older smaller ships aren't exactly my first pick unless there's a good reason based on itinerary (Coral in AK was great and the smaller size made the ports feel a little less crowded).