Which Princess ship is the nicest?

[Janiekins]

I am in the beginning stages of planning a cruise to Alaska and would like to sail on a Princess ship. Diamond, Coral, Sapphire and Island all sail there. Based on your experiences can you please tell me which is the nicest and why and which is the newest ship?

[dbdave]

Whichever one I happen to currently be on is definitely the nicest!:D

[chrysalis]

nicest is a very subjective term...to me, the nicest would be the smaller ships, like the Coral or the Island.

[mii]

I much prefer the Coral/Island becaue of the passenger count. (1950 passengers compared to some that are over 3000. I also have been on the Sapphire/Diamond class and frankly it is not too bad although still prefer the Coral.

 

marilyn

[Druke I]

I'm another who prefers Coral and Island to Sapphire and Diamond Princess.

[Tina G]

This is like asking me which of my children are my favorite! I love them all!

[katisdale]

Nice is very hard to define. I might like a small ship with good food and quiet evenings. You might like a large ship with good food and lots of active evening entertainment. Therefore my nice ship might not be your nice ship. I've never been on anything but nice ships however I am an itinerary cruiser and rate where I am going much higher than how I get there.

[momofsamandeden]

With Alaska I would definitely go with the ship that has the most glass for the scenery. As far as evening entertainment it is bright there until around 10 p.m. so deck space is nice too.

[LARGIN]

Coral/Island Princess get my vote

[BJS]

Another vote for Island Princess or sister ship Coral but you can't go wrong with any of them. It is mainly do you prefer smaller or larger.

[Janiekins]

I would prefer a smaller ship so either the Coral or the Island would be my preference. Any distinguishing qualities between the Corl and the Island?

[daWoods]

Whichever one I happen to currently be on is definitely the nicest!:D

Couldn't agree more. Funny how that happens.:D

[2 to cruise]

Your on vacation........your on a Princess ship........they are all nice!!!!!!

[goodie2shoes]

But you're all missing the smallest ship of all that will be sailing Alaska next summer. Check out the Tahitian Princess for a 14 day cruise to ports the others don't get to. And imagine seeing the glaciers from that small ship! I'll be there, and am looking forward to it very much.

 

And for the record, I would choose the Island Princess of the ones mentioned before. It is my favorite of all time. First time on the Tahitian, so it will be a new experience.

 

Nancy

[fathercop]

Whichever one I happen to currently be on is definitely the nicest!:D

 

 

I definitely agree! Being on any cruise ship is very nice. I really think I should get into a 12 step program for cruising!

[CHINESE CAT]

I love, love, love the Coral.

[drsb]

I thought the Island was a fabulous ship when we went to Alaska.

[CurlyQgrL]

HI,

 

I feel your pain in trying to decide. I'm looking at the exaxt same issue mself. Sapphire & Diamond do the exact same itenerary, same time, same price. If you go to the main page and click on reviews, you can access a drop down box about each ship. Turns out they are sister ships, doesn't that mean they are mirror images of each other? Built same year, 2004, so both very new....so trying to decide between the two doesn't really matter....we are looking at August for better weather and everything seems extremely similar between the two. They just alternate weeks doing the same run.

 

The only different I noted was a $50 difference (Diamond has a week later sailing at the end of August and so is just a titch less) in the balcony GA with a week difference in sailing dates in late August...so if everything else is the same and one is $100 cheaper that might be the decision maker.

 

Also check out the reviews...if the decision is that close Sapphire gets a very slightly higher member rating over Diamond (interesting if they are the same ship? Perhpas service related?)...but if you check out the reviews they are quite similiar...sounds like the ships are very similar....so don't think this is a decision to stress over...sounds like you would have the same experience on either ship.

 

Sounds like most of the experienced cruisers on this board prefered the Coral. That surprised me as I assumed that larger is better...I like the amenities on a larger ship, but after reading the reviews of Coral (I'm also refering to the extended review of this ship in the review section of this web site) I have to rethink that as they loved it as well.... hubby and I both get sea sick so we tend to pick the biggest boat possible just in case! <grin> But with some more cruises under our belt we might just have to think about a smaller ship....

 

Oh, and Coral and Island Princess are also sister ships....one thing the rating pointed out is the average age of the Coral passengers is older...so if your crusing with teens/young adults that might be a consideration.

 

Don't know if I will ever brave Tahitian Princess...might be too small for us....sadly I've always had dreams about sailing around the world...that is until I'm on a small boat for five minutes! LOL!

 

stacey :)

[Cruisin Oma]

Island - To date that is my favorite ship - for two amenties they had. On the pool deck there is a small pool are wih teak lounge chairs (not plastic), cushions on the chairs, lovely plants, and a budha statue and I believe chilren were not allowed in the area. It was one of my favorite pool areas.

 

Also, the first day expolring the ship, we came across this bricked area with arches, that is their New orleans area. I loved it because it was so different from the decor you normally find on a cruise ship.

 

I haven't done the Island in Alaska, but I did it through the Panama Canal.

[doven]

Three years ago we were on the Coral to Alaska. The trip was fabulous and the Coral was especially nice because of it's size - not too big and not too small.

[ggprincess2004]

My preferences - first Coral, then Island. But if you are taking kids, choose the Sapphire or Diamond. They have a bigger, better kids area and more to entertain the littler ones.

But, you cannot go wrong with any of them. They are all Princess, in Alaska, for a cruise!!!!:)

[vince_g]

No one seems to have answered the only question she posed that can be answered factually... which of the ships is the newest??

 

I agree with other posters who said her other question about the nicest is just too subjective especially since we don't know her...

[RWeGone4]

Just wondering...what is the difference between the Coral and Island. I thought they were the same?

[Pam in CA]

I would go with either the Coral or Island Princess. People refer to them as "smaller" but they're not that much smaller. They're just a bit narrower so they can go through the Panama Canal. However, they do have a lot fewer passengers so that the inside space per passenger is better. On a cruise where the weather might be cooler, if not cold, during the day or evening, you'd want more interior space to go to. There are few things, if any, that the Diamond or Sapphire offer that the Coral/Island don't so IMHO, the "bigger is better" doesn't apply.

 

Diamond/Sapphire:

Length: 951 feet

Beam: 123 feet

Public Decks:

Passengers: 2,670

Space Ratio: 42

 

Coral/Island:

Length: 964 feet

Beam: 105 feet

Public Decks:16

Passengers: 1,950

Space Ratio: 45

[RWeGone4]

Thanks for the feedback!