 Expert Review |  | | | | |
| | | | | Overview
With its mixture of both the exotic (a wildly international staff, a heretofore unimaginable 18-course Italian meal, celebrity-style spa treatments) and the familiar (cruising's ubiquitous monster buffets, poolside umbrella drinks, and, yes, bingo), Coral Princess is a vacation destination that offers up a pleasing amount of glitz -- yet makes you feel right at home. The 91,627-ton ship, built just trim enough to traverse the Panama Canal, accommodates 1,970 passengers and 900 crew members. On our 10-day trip -- from Ft. Lauderdale through the Caribbean to Panama and back -- the ship was fully booked. But remarkably, there was a surprising sense of spaciousness onboard, a function of both design and operational efficiency. For starters, there are two lower decks, Fiesta and Promenade, that are dedicated exclusively to lounges, entertainment venues, alternative dining restaurants, boutiques, an art gallery, a cigar bar and a wedding chapel. In other words, public space. On many ships, there's a cramped feeling because such space often bumps up against a line of staterooms, making walking through tight corridors somewhat of an ordeal. Not so here. And nowhere is that feeling of openness grander than on the top deck, which has two outdoor shuffleboard courts, child-size chess pieces along with a game board, and a netted basketball court. Truly, you feel on top of the world. Even though Coral Princess was introduced as recently as 2003, the ship -- along with sister vessel Island Princess -- is an aberration for Princess Cruises. The line only launched two ships this size before joining the rest of the cruise industry in building ever-more-massive ships -- like those in the Grand Princess family. Not part of either the group of biggest-in-fleet vessels, or the mid-sized Sun Princess class of ships, Coral Princess falls somewhere in between. And in many ways, it represents the best of both. Sizewise, it falls just within Panamax boundaries, which means Coral Princess can travel through the canal, enjoying an itinerary flexibility not possible with the bigger ships. It also features more "personal choice" amenities and services than would, say, the Sun Princess class of ships. An interesting tidbit: The 77,000-ton Sun Princess class of ships carries 1,950 passengers. Coral Princess measures nearly 92,000 tons -- and carries just 20 more people. As for operational efficiency, Coral Princess is a logistical showpiece. At our final disembarkation, it took just 10 minutes from the time our group was paged to exit the ship, collect our baggage, pass through the U.S. Customs and Immigration checkpoint, walk around the port terminal and pop into a taxicab. Now that's a thing of beauty -- and it was that kind of crispness that defined our entire voyage. Our band of travelers, friends and family ranging in age from 2 to 79, found just about everything about Coral Princess to our liking. Sure, there were garden-variety complaints: a table reservation mix-up, Internet access cards that went on the fritz, a couple of room service misadventures, and dramatically uneven room temperatures throughout parts of the ship. In the end though, none of it really mattered. The proof? By the time we had all departed for home, we had already planned our next trip -- on Coral Princess in Alaska. | | |  top | | | | Dining
First, there's the traditional five-course evening meal with sittings at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. in the two grand dining rooms, Provence and Bordeaux. This is what we opted for -- and the menus did not disappoint. Among our favorites: Executive Chef Martial Diffor's own Fettuccine Alfredo, twin broiled lobster tail, Beef Wellington, and deep sea cod in a coriander butter sauce. All meals are cooked to order. Tip: Take the galley tour to fully appreciate the production involved here. There are two formal nights on a 10-day cruise -- and people dress to the nines. Otherwise it is so-called "smart casual," which translates into something you might wear to a party. No jeans or shorts are permitted, however. Traditional dining also includes a vegetarian menu as well as the innovative Lotus Spa menu, which offers options like chilled yogurt and tamarind soup sprinkled with grated lemon rind, filet of baby turbot with a fennel pernod sauce, and a tropical fruit smoothie flavored with lime. Traditional dining tends to be the crowd favorite on this ship. Astonishingly, we learned that 400 people were wait-listed for the earlier seating two cruises before ours! Coral Princess also offers plenty of other fine dining choices, which we sampled as well. Not to be missed: Sabatini's, with a $20 cover charge, is a culinary standout with its 18 -- that's no typographical error -- courses. Our three-hour meal elevated the dining experience to "event" status. The Bayou, a New Orleans-themed restaurant, serves up gumbo, jambalaya and shrimp creole along with premium steaks. It has a $15 cover. The Bayou, which has live music, takes itself less seriously than Sabatini's and has a kicky ambience. Horizon Court, the round-the-clock buffet, has terrific -- almost overwhelming -- choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On any given day, the impressive fruit and veggie salad bars offer a nice respite from the vast array of hot choices. One evening buffet featured duck l'orange, roast beef, sea scallops, turbot and coq au vin. Remarkably, breakfast never got tiring. Who knew you could prepare eggs so many different ways? Horizon is on Lido deck, sharing space with the two big swimming pools, and there's no problem enjoying your meal from a deck chair. Also near the pools are a hamburger and hot dog grill, a pizzeria, and an ice cream bar. Passengers who wish for more formal daytime fare may also choose sit-down service for breakfast and lunch in the Bordeaux dining room. Of course, there's also 24-hour room service. Coral Princess is pushing its "Anytime Dining" plan for people who want more flexibility in their schedules than traditional fixed seating allows. It probably doesn't work well for large groups who wish to share their meals together (which we were), but otherwise, it's a terrific option. Basically, you can dine in the Bordeaux dining room anytime between 5:30 and 10 p.m., depending on availability. Or you can always make a reservation. The menu is the same as that for traditional seating. | | | | top | | | | Public Rooms
Coral Princess was designed to go through the Panama Canal, so it is smaller than the line's larger ships. Yet it doesn't scrimp, offering as much in the way of public room space -- lounges, eating areas, entertainment venues -- as Princess' larger vessels. The centerpiece of the ship is an eye-catching four-level atrium, whose sweep includes the ship's boutiques; Crooners, a retro martini bar; Churchills, a cigar lounge that's mindful of an English gentleman's club; a card room; and a library. Also within striking distance: two banks of computers with Internet access. On either side of the Promenade and Fiesta Decks are the ship's two grandest venues: Princess Theater and the state-of-the-art Universe Lounge. Tucked between those, are the majority of bars, restaurants and shops, including the nightclubby Explorers Lounge, the more sedate Wheelhouse Bar, and a casino. | | | | top | | | | Cabins
Staterooms come in six configurations, ranging from a modest interior cabin of 156 square ft. to a 470-square-ft. suite with balcony. Impressively, 83 percent of all outside cabins have private balconies -- no small feat with lines typically aiming to build ships with balcony ratios near 60 percent. Twenty cabins are wheelchair accessible. Our nicely appointed mid-priced oceanview double with balcony was roomier than some motel rooms we've stayed in -- with amenities that included a sizeable mini-refrigerator, a safe, complimentary slippers and robes, a TV, a daily delivery of ice and turn-down service. It also had a spacious closet. And while the shower-only bathroom is tight, it's efficiently designed. The balcony was a real treat -- and with four adjoining cabins, we were able to unlock the doors that separate the balconies to create one long balcony for oceanview visiting and room-hopping. There also isn't the cascading balcony effect you see on Princess Grand class (and beyond) and because we couldn't see the balconies below us, we were able to maintain a sense of privacy. Not surprisingly, the amenities increase with each price level. The suites and mini-suites, for example, are outfitted with two televisions. Premium amenities are sweet there, too: complimentary laundry and shoe shine, a selection of pillows, daily in-room canapes and high tea, and free Internet access. | | | | top | | | | Entertainment
There's something for everyone, ranging from Vegas-style shows and first-run movies to karaoke, virtual golf and casino gambling. Pick just about any spot in the public areas -- the lounges, the atrium, the pool decks -- and there's live music of one sort or another. The ScholarShip@Sea program continues to focus on enrichment (to some degree) and offers a wide range of programming. On our cruise, there were pottery workshops, dance classes, lectures on fashion and bridge, and computer instruction. The morning we got to the Panama Canal, a speaker provided a primer on the canal's history and how it works. Movies Under the Stars (M.U.T.S.), the big-screen outdoor theater that's proven so popular with the line's newest ships, will be installed aboard Coral Princess in October 2009. Passengers can enjoy movies, concerts, sporting events and other special programming throughout the day and evening. In particular, we enjoyed some of the gigs announced in Princess Patter, a guide to the ship's daily activities -- chief among them two wine tastings, a culinary demonstration with the executive chef and the galley tour. | | | | top | | | | Fitness and Recreation
Perhaps more than anything else, the focus on fitness was the biggest surprise of the ship. There's an oceanview gym with weight and elliptical machines, and treadmills. There are pulse group cycling, yoga, Pilates and aerobics classes. As the cycling instructor emphatically noted, "You must go fast! Push it hard!" Prices for the classes range from $10 to $40 -- and are even more costly for one-on-one personal training. Additionally, there are lots of seminars on everything from abs and metabolism to aging and detoxifying. In fact, a passenger from Canada said she chose Coral Princess specifically for its fitness program in her effort to build a cruise around detoxification, fitness and the healthy eating she found on the Lotus Spa menu. Next to the fitness center is Lotus Spa, a serene Balinese-inspired health spa and salon featuring a stunning variety of treatments. How's this for multiple choice? A Tahitian scalp massage, a mud room for couples, "gentle touch" teeth whitening, and a cellulite reduction program, popular in Europe, called ionithermie algae detox -- and that's just for starters. In the "thermal sanctuary," you can relax in thermal grottos, aromatic steam chambers, sauna suites or hot stone loungers. To top things off, there's a beauty salon that's quite stylish, offering everything from regular haircuts to color coding and hair consultations, eye and neck lifting treatments and sunglow makeovers. One of the most wonderful places onboard is the relatively quiet Promenade deck, a terrific place to walk or run (2.8 circuits equal one mile). | | | | top | | | | Family
There is no in-cabin babysitting service, but what's not to like about Fun Zone, a supervised youth center with video games, a splash pool, scavenger hunts, pajama parties and occasional visits to the ice cream bar? On our cruise, there were only 25 passengers under 21, including two in our group -- Eli, age 3, and Isaac, age 2. The boys -- and their parents -- thought the Fun Zone's youth counselors and programming were great. Both spent a good deal of time there. One section is reserved for children between the ages of 3 and 12 while another, called Off Limits, operates as a teen center (ages 13 - 17) complete with jukebox, big-screen TV and foosball table. That's quite a wide range of ages grouped together (and newer, bigger ships in the fleet usually operate with four kid categories), but Coral Princess typically attracts an older demographic, so those kids who sail here get enough personal attention to make up for it. There's also group babysitting in the Fun Zone for children between the ages of 3 and 12, and parents are provided with beepers so that they can stay in contact with youth counselors. Group babysitting, at $5 per hour, per child, is available 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Note: Kids who are not potty-trained must be accompanied in Fun Zone by a parent. | | | | top | | | | Fellow Passengers
Coral Princess's Caribbean cruises tend to draw largely American passengers with a respectable showing of folks from Canada and the United Kingdom. It's also a noticeably older crowd. Well over half of the passengers on our cruise were 60-plus. In fact, there were less than 230 passengers between the ages of 21 and 50. | | | | top | | | | Dress Code
Aside from two formal nights on our trip -- where people really got dolled up -- plan to pack a lot of resort casual wear for evenings in the dining rooms and entertainment venues. | | | | top | | | | Gratuity
As for gratuities, a discretionary "hotel and dining charge" of $10 per passenger per day, including kids, is automatically added to one's shipboard account. Additionally, a 15 percent charge is attached to every bar charge or dining room wine account. Charges may be adjusted in either direction at the passenger's discretion. --by Ellen Uzelac, a finance and travel writer from Maryland's Eastern Shore | | | | top | | | | | Expert reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation. | |  | |
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