island and coral cheaper?

[mjkbaok]

I've been looking at the pricing for Northbound Alaskan cruises and have noticed that the Island and Coral are lower priced than the Diamond and Sapphire. Why is this? Is it because they are a little smaller? I also noticed that the Island and Coral embark on Mondays and the Diamond and Sapphire embark on Saturdays. Could this be the reason for the price difference? Just curious. Thanks for any help:)

[ARRTrain]

Could be for any of the reasons you mentioned. Maybe Saturdays is a better departure time for people and Mondays are not selling as fast. So maybe they put Mondays on a lower price to sell the space.

[Alaska05]

I think it is the Monday departures. Frankly I prefer Monday since the departure port is usually less crowded. I'll be on the Coral this July!:D

[SeaDawg]

I've been looking at the pricing for Northbound Alaskan cruises and have noticed that the Island and Coral are lower priced than the Diamond and Sapphire. Why is this? Is it because they are a little smaller? I also noticed that the Island and Coral embark on Mondays and the Diamond and Sapphire embark on Saturdays. Could this be the reason for the price difference? Just curious. Thanks for any help:)

 

It depends on the dates/categories. In some cases the Diamond and Sapphire are the same price or lower than the Island and Coral. Cruise lines will often adjust fares if bookings for a particular sailing are soft.

[mjkbaok]

It depends on the dates/categories. In some cases the Diamond and Sapphire are the same price or lower than the Island and Coral. Cruise lines will often adjust fares if bookings for a particular sailing are soft.

 

 

Thanks for the response. I tried to compare equivelant cruises. Diamond and Saphirre leaving mid August on Saturday and Island and Coral leaving mid August on Monday. $200 per person difference in price. Seems pretty significant so I thought I would ask all the experienced cruisers on cruise critic their opinions. This is the best place to get answers from what I have found. Thanks again.

[Lookingforfacts]

Some passengers want the newer and bigger ships. A Saturday departure may work better for vacation scheduling.

 

Fewer ships sail on Monday, that means fewer ships in port.

[cjnky]

I suppose the larger ships offer more "amenities" but I think there are more important things to look at on an AK trip! We loved the Coral, and would definitely go with the smaller ship again!

[whale-watcher]

IMO the Coral and Island are far superior to the larger ships...they offer virtually all the same amenities, and are virtually the same age...but FAR less crowded!

[mjkbaok]

Thanks for all the replies. Now we have to wait on the 2010 Alaska schedule to be released from princess.:D

[J18ktleo]

You also might want to look at the differences in dining between the Coral/Island and the Diamond/Sapphire which would be answered on the Princess boards.

We have sailed all the classes and when we sailed the Diamond last we weren't very impressed with the dining options (however, we're doing her again in Australia...no choice there!:rolleyes:). But the reviews I've read for that ship are all glowing!

However, everyone I've heard that's sailed the Coral LOVED it!

[Putterdude]

Having sailed on both the Diamond and the Coral IMO that there really is not much to choose between the ships. We happend to prefer the Diamond but the Coarl is a beautiful ship. I am inclined to think the reason for the price difference is the Saturday departure and vacation scheduling.

[piper28]

Back when I was doing my looking for the late July/early August time frame, the Coral and Island were coming out a little more than the Diamond/Sapphire, so it definitely varies some. Personally, I'd pick the Coral/Island over a grand class ship.

[wolfie11]

Age might have something to do with it as well. I was on the Coral in 2001 and it was a couple of years old then. I think the Sun and Dawn are the oldest Princess ships in Alaska now followed by the Island and Coral. I have always liked both these ships, but they are beginning to show their age a bit. Pacific and Tahitian are my favorite, but they are quite small with limited amenities and do the 14 day cruise.