Coral Princess International Cafe is inside casino?

[Loreni]

We missed having the IC on the Island...we were on the last sailing before she was butchered and probably won’t sail that ship again.  So I’m happy to find one on the Coral.  But...

 

I’m looking at the deck plans.  It seems like the IC is half in and half out of the casino.  Is there a glass wall or some other barrier or ventilation  to keep smoke out of the food and away from the seating?  This seems like a bad location when the majority no longer smoke. It also looks like one of the shops is in the casino...also a curious design choice.  But sometimes the deck plans are not entirely accurate.

 

I noticed there is also a Patisserie in the atrium.  Does anyone know if some food is offered here like croissants or donuts.  

 

I’m glad the Coral escaped the Island’s fate, but I’m worried about sailing her.  Trying to decide between Coral, another Princess ship, or NCL Bliss in Alaska. I ruled out the Royal Princess and the Pacific Princess due to no forward viewing area and questionable promenade decks.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Loreni
Q

[tip]

The Coral is a smaller ship and unfortunately the casino, which is also quite small, is adjacent to the seating area of the International Cafe and it is open with no wall.  We had lunch there a couple of days along with several snacks.  I was disgusted to see some of the same folks plonk themselves down in the casino to use it as a smoking area on multiple occasions. I did not observe them gambling while polluting the air that the rest of us were breathing.🤮

[crawford]

5 hours ago, Loreni said:

We missed having the IC on the Island...we were on the last sailing before she was butchered and probably won’t sail that ship again.  So I’m happy to find one on the Coral.  But...

 

I’m looking at the deck plans.  It seems like the IC is half in and half out of the casino.  Is there a glass wall or some other barrier or ventilation  to keep smoke out of the food and away from the seating?  This seems like a bad location when the majority no longer smoke. It also looks like one of the shops is in the casino...also a curious design choice.  But sometimes the deck plans are not entirely accurate.

 

I noticed there is also a Patisserie in the atrium.  Does anyone know if some food is offered here like croissants or donuts.  

 

I’m glad the Coral escaped the Island’s fate, but I’m worried about sailing her.  Trying to decide between Coral, another Princess ship, or NCL Bliss in Alaska. I ruled out the Royal Princess and the Pacific Princess due to no forward viewing area and questionable promenade decks.

Was on the Coral twice last year and while the IC is very small and adjacent to the casino, I didn't find the smoke to be a problem. Never been a smoker and thought the lack of IC seating was more of an issue than the smoke.

[WisCruiser2]

We were on the Coral for Alaska last year and loved it! Yes, the IC is smaller but we never had trouble getting a seat. I, too, was concerned about smoke from the casino but it wasn't a problem on our sailing but we weren't there in the evening. About the only time I noticed any was in the morning, when there was somewhat of a "stale smoke" odor. The rest of the ship made up for it!

[Alaskanb]

We found the IC on Coral to be fine. There is a small area open to the casino, the rest is separated by a wall. The entire IC is open to a large corridor area with large windows where photographs are posted. 

[c-boy]

reminds me of Monte Carlo

[Colo Cruiser]

Sailed the Coral many times. The IC is smaller than the norm but I am so glad she has one. They missed a golden opportunity to add one on the Island but concentrated on other things.

The Coral IC is fine for us. The casino is a non factor for us.

[daydreamer16]

Just off the Coral (3/2) and I agree with most posters that smoke was not a problem for us. We didn't sit there for long, mostly to grab a coffee. The Patisserie was more of a bar for coffees and alcoholic drinks, no food. I think in the past there used to be pastry etc. We stopped there every morning to get coffee before heading into the MDR for breakfast, less of a line then at the International Café.

[partybarbie]

Just an FYI, the Island never had an International Cafe.  It's a common misconception among many posters here. 

[fishywood]

13 hours ago, Loreni said:

I’m glad the Coral escaped the Island’s fate, but I’m worried about sailing her.  Trying to decide between Coral, another Princess ship, or NCL Bliss in Alaska. I ruled out the Royal Princess and the Pacific Princess due to no forward viewing area and questionable promenade decks.

 

If you are considering the open jaw cruise between Vancouver and Whittier whether on Princess or another line I wonder why you would also be considering the far less interesting round-trip Seattle cruise as well. Just because NCL Bliss is a much newer ship than Coral?

 

For Alaska when trying to decide between cruises you should first and foremost be looking very hard at itineraries and especially length of time in port. Plus number of days of Glacier cruising (hint: two is always better than one). And that cruises that start/end in Seattle do not sail the actual Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia like the Vancouver departures/arrivals do.

 

Age/ship features/presence of your favorite onboard venue should be much further down your list of priorities for Alaska than, say, the Caribbean or most other cruising regions.

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, daydreamer16 said:

The Patisserie was more of a bar for coffees and alcoholic drinks, no food. I think in the past there used to be pastry etc. We stopped there every morning to get coffee before heading into the MDR for breakfast, less of a line then at the International Café.

 

Was the Patisserie's coffee extra charge as the coffee available at the IC?  Were the coffees offered the same?

 

I appreciate the OP's questions because I have been wondering what the difference was between the IC and the Patisserie.

[Colo Cruiser]

8 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Was the Patisserie's coffee extra charge as the coffee available at the IC?  Were the coffees offered the same?

 

I appreciate the OP's questions because I have been wondering what the difference was between the IC and the Patisserie.

On the Island with no IC yes there is a charge for fresh brewed at the Patissierie.

They had the same type of IC coffee/tea/specialty drink menu with all the drink prices.

It had a few finger sandwiches and desserts on a tray or 2. Those were free but lacking in variety.

 

 

[daydreamer16]

Yes, charges for coffees but I never saw a drink menu for coffee at the Patisserie or IC. I asked at the IC and they said they used to have a menu but didn't for our trip. I'm used to Café al Bacio on Celebrity, where they have an extensive coffee menu.

[TriumphGuy]

Our experience on the Coral was overall a fantastic one,  however we did notice a lot of smoke smell from the casino in the IC. Enough so that we did not want to sit there.

I wish they would just ban smoking on ships. It will probably take another 10-15 years though. 

 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

yes there is a charge for fresh brewed at the Patissierie.

They had the same type of IC coffee/tea/specialty drink menu with all the drink prices.

 

Personally, I have difficulty justifying why I ought to pay for coffee when the coffee at the Horizon Court is "free".  I am not a "Starbucks" type consumer.  I will buy a Cappuccino from time to time, however.  But, to go to the IC for a quick breakfast and pay for a coffee?  

[masterty]

Sat several times at the IC on the Coral. The only smoke I saw was my smoking hot wife. 🤣😍🤣

[Colo Cruiser]

38 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Personally, I have difficulty justifying why I ought to pay for coffee when the coffee at the Horizon Court is "free".  I am not a "Starbucks" type consumer.  I will buy a Cappuccino from time to time, however.  But, to go to the IC for a quick breakfast and pay for a coffee?  

There are many that will pay though and have been for many years.

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Personally, I have difficulty justifying why I ought to pay for coffee when the coffee at the Horizon Court is "free".  I am not a "Starbucks" type consumer.  I will buy a Cappuccino from time to time, however.  But, to go to the IC for a quick breakfast and pay for a coffee?  

Get a specialty coffee at the IC and pop next door to the IC Bar to have the bartender make it an adult specialty coffee...we're on holiday! God bless the sip and sail.😇😍

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, masterty said:

Sat several times at the IC on the Coral. The only smoke I saw was my smoking hot wife. 🤣😍🤣

bazinga !

[TheRabbit]

15 hours ago, crawford said:

Was on the Coral twice last year and while the IC is very small and adjacent to the casino, I didn't find the smoke to be a problem. Never been a smoker and thought the lack of IC seating was more of an issue than the smoke.

I had the same experience in the fall. I think the smoking area is supposed to be in the far back of the casino. Maybe that is a change form what another poster stated. Could also be cruise to cruise as to were smoking is allowed there.

 

As for seating, we were with a very large CC group and there were several times I stopped by and they had a group of 10 to 12 sitting together, so timing might be a factor as to seating availability.

[hobbyfarmer2]

21 hours ago, Loreni said:

We missed having the IC on the Island...we were on the last sailing before she was butchered and probably won’t sail that ship again.  So I’m happy to find one on the Coral.  But...

 

I’m looking at the deck plans.  It seems like the IC is half in and half out of the casino.  Is there a glass wall or some other barrier or ventilation  to keep smoke out of the food and away from the seating?  This seems like a bad location when the majority no longer smoke. It also looks like one of the shops is in the casino...also a curious design choice.  But sometimes the deck plans are not entirely accurate.

 

I noticed there is also a Patisserie in the atrium.  Does anyone know if some food is offered here like croissants or donuts.  

 

I’m glad the Coral escaped the Island’s fate, but I’m worried about sailing her.  Trying to decide between Coral, another Princess ship, or NCL Bliss in Alaska. I ruled out the Royal Princess and the Pacific Princess due to no forward viewing area and questionable promenade decks.

We were on the Coral in Jan and the IC is abutting the casino.  We frequented the IC about twice a day and I did not notice any smoke problem.

[Colo Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, hobbyfarmer2 said:

We were on the Coral in Jan and the IC is abutting the casino.  We frequented the IC about twice a day and I did not notice any smoke problem.

They actually took away part of the casino for the IC and additional OV cabins to fit.

[Loreni]

Thank you for the feedback.  I am considering the Bliss for a number of reasons. One of my traveling companions no longer leaves the ship.  She is also short,, cannot stand for long periods of time, and has asthma.  She wants to see Glacier Bay.  Also, the IC is her favorite place to spend time on a Princess cruise.  I fear desirable viewing space is very limited on some Princess ships and if people are lined up 2 or 3 deep, she won’t see.  Coral might be OK for viewing,  but’s she almost certainly will be unable to use the IC.

 

The BLiss has a forward viewing lounge with light food...and no smoking and abundant seating.  It also has two promenade decks that allow outdoor viewing...at least one of which allows forward viewing.   I believe the buffet on Bliss allows forward viewing.  It is nice, that unlike Princess, NCL permits non-suite passengers a forward view on its newer ships.  It is also wonderful that NCL, unlike Princess, has found a way to provide a promenade on its newer ships.   I think the Bliss casino is non smoking, but not sure.  I Have never sailed NCL and expect a few trade offs though.

[mevs904]

We are currently sailing on the Caribbean Princess and have been discussing the fact that on both of our Coral cruises we were never bothered by a smoke smell coming from the Casino despite the fact that we frequented the IC at least once every day on the Coral.

     The reason that we were currently discussing this is that the smoke on the Caribbean Princess casino is much more noticeable and irritating and spills out into the atrium and to nearby Crooners.  We are missing the much more pleasant experiences that we had on the Coral.

[Coral]

5 hours ago, Loreni said:

Thank you for the feedback.  I am considering the Bliss for a number of reasons. One of my traveling companions no longer leaves the ship.  She is also short,, cannot stand for long periods of time, and has asthma.  She wants to see Glacier Bay.  Also, the IC is her favorite place to spend time on a Princess cruise.  I fear desirable viewing space is very limited on some Princess ships and if people are lined up 2 or 3 deep, she won’t see.  Coral might be OK for viewing,  but’s she almost certainly will be unable to use the IC.

 

The promenade deck on Coral Princess is great for viewing and is not crowded. I would look at space ratio between the 2 ships - I am guessing Coral Princess is going to have a better space ratio (less passengers for the space, less crowded). Princess also has 2 glacier days, not sure about NCL.

 

In my experience, casinos are used less in Alaska. It is a different type of passenger who sails to Alaska.

 

Everyone says who goes on NCL is to budget for extra food because people want better food and pay for their extra dining venues.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Coral