Our Comparison of Golden Princess and Coral Princess

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Our Comparison of Golden Princess and Coral Princess

 

 

This year we have done a 14 day Hawaii cruise on the Golden Princess and an 18 day Panama Canal transit on the Coral Princess. Here are our thoughts and comparisons of the two ships (FWIW).

 

We found both ships to be in very good condition and well maintained.

 

The staff on both ships were friendly and helpful and really worked hard to make our vacations the best they could possibly be.

 

The main dining room food was good on both ships overall. Of course, there were some items that were excellent and a few that were below par.

 

On the Golden, the food in the Horizon Court was inedible as far as we were concerned. Details can be found in our blog (http://thegeomonkeys.com/category/hawaii-2010/)

 

This surprised us since the other dining venues on the Golden had good to excellent food. We were pleasantly surprised to find the Horizon Court food on the Coral to be quite good.

 

Comparing the two specialty steak restaurants on the two ships, the Bayou Café on the Coral Princess was hands down better than the Crown Grille on the Golden. That being said, the Crown Grille on the Golden was very good. The Bayou Café on the Coral was a step or two above in comparison. The service in the Bayou Café was better than the service was in the Crown Grill, although both were better than what we have gotten in similar restaurants on land.

 

Comparing Sabatini’s Restaurant on the two ships is a comparison of service and presentation as the food was pretty much equal on both and very good. The presentation of the dishes and the service on the Golden was a step or two above the presentation and service on the Coral. Just the opposite of the Bayou Café/Crown Grill service and presentation. Interesting.

 

We did the Chef’s Table on both ships and both had excellent food and service. However, the artistic presentation of the food on the Golden was far above the presentation on the Coral. This would most likely be the difference between the two chefs. On the Golden the head chef was Jeremy Snowden and on the Coral the head chef was Thomas Ulrich. Personality-wise we found Jeremy to be quite reserved whereas Thomas was much more vibrant and interactive with the diners. We loved the evening on both ships and would do the Chef’s Table again with either Chef.

 

The Golden wins hands down with the International Café over the La Patisserie on the Coral. Much more selection and availability in the International Café than in the La Patisserie. We only tried the morning snacks in La Patisserie once because, quite honestly, they reminded us of Little Debbie snacks you purchase at a local 7-11 and tasted pretty much the same.

 

Okay everyone, size does matter. During our cruise on the Golden we felt right on the edge of being uncomfortable with the number of passengers on the ship. 2600 on the Golden versus 1950 on the Coral is really noticeable. On the Coral it was very easy to find a quiet space without having to search the entire ship. We never had trouble finding an open lounger on the Coral but there was a lot of chair hogging on the Golden.

 

The other thing that is noticeably different is that on the Coral you could “get there from here” whereas on the Golden you had to navigate several decks to get from one end of the ship to the other at times, which brings us to the Promenade deck. On the Golden the Promenade deck requires you to go up and down stairs to make a complete lap around the deck and then only when they don’t have the stairs chained closed because the walkers bother the passengers who are in the window suites. On the Coral you have a proper Promenade deck. You can walk completely around the deck, at all times, on one level without any stairs to navigate. There are sections of the Coral where there are loungers on the Promenade deck that are used all the time by passengers relaxing, reading, or just staring out at the sea.

 

We love the aft pool on the Golden. We found it to be uncrowded at most times and accessible to everyone. Unfortunately, on the Coral they put the Sanctuary there and the aft pool is only available to Sanctuary users. On both ships we felt the Sanctuary is a waste of space. This is our observation based on the usage of the Sanctuary during our cruises.

 

The Lotus Pool area on the Coral was very quiet and the hot tubs were seldom crowded. The only time there was pressure on the area were a couple afternoons when the Pool Olympics were going on in the Lido Pool. Otherwise we spent very enjoyable times in the Lotus Pool area. The chairs and loungers were never fully occupied in this area and we really appreciated the quiet there. On the Golden the Lotus Pool area was always crowded, chairs and loungers being reserved, and loud. You could seldom use the pool without bumping into other passengers. We feel this is a function of the number of passengers on board.

 

We like the fact that the Golden has true aft (stern) cabins as this is where we like to cruise most. On the Coral we chose the very last cabin on the port side of Dolphin deck since the Coral doesn’t have true stern cabins. Interestingly enough just one step outside our cabin was the door to the public aft veranda stretching completely across the back of the ship. Even during the Panama Canal transit there were never more than 10 people using the area. We had many, many enjoyable hours alone on our “own” huge aft veranda. Most of the veranda is uncovered but on each end there is a nice covered area to get out of the sun or rain. Although there are no chairs or loungers on this veranda, our stateroom was so close we took our own veranda chair and the chair from the dressing area of the stateroom out there to sit and enjoy a cocktail or enjoy the view. Other than canal day and coming into ports there was nobody else there.

 

OUR CONCLUSIONS

 

We like both ships well enough to sail on either of them again. However, if they did the same itinerary we would choose the Coral as our ship of choice. 650 fewer people, always being able to find a quiet area when we wanted one, and being easier to get from one place to another on the ship would be our deciding factors.

 

You can check out the blogs we did on both cruises at the following links.

 

Golden Princess to Hawaii:

http://thegeomonkeys.com/category/hawaii-2010/

 

Coral Princess Panama Canal Transit:

http://thegeomonkeys.com/category/panama/

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks!! Also thanks for the live!! :)

[Wormy53]

I could have reported much the same thing!! Only difference was that we sailed on the Star & the Island - sister ships. :) Thanks for taking the time to spell it all out!

[Pam in CA]

Good comparison. I prefer the Coral over the Golden any day. While some like the aft cabins on the Golden, I prefer the Coral which has public deck that anyone can use on the back of the ship. You don't have to pay for a balcony cabin to enjoy an aft view while relaxing in a lounger.

 

Here's a photo taken of the Coral buffet at about 12:30pm on a sea day. I NEVER had a problem finding a table; good luck with that on the Golden. :) What wasn't mentioned in the review is that the buffet on the Coral is at the front of the ship and there are tables all along the windows so you can enjoy breakfast or lunch while looking out the window. Much nicer than the side windows on the Golden.

 

[50scruiser]

We're doing the Coral in March/April partial transit and are also in D726. I was curious about how crowded the Dolphin aft balcony was and you've answered my question. Loved the blog and the pictures! Now, if March would only get here. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Coral]

I agree with you on the experiences that we both shared.

 

I would take the Coral any day over the Grand class ships. I forget how roomy they are. They are truly gems!

[Druke I]

We've also been on both the Coral Princess and the Golden Princess, and there is no doubt in my mind - I much prefer the Coral.

[LARGIN]

Coral gets my vote...

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thanks for your blog and comparison. Where will you be going next. ?

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting. We've been on several of the Grand-class ships. Our next cruise is on the Island. I think your comparison will come in handy.

[rdsqrl]

I'd agree with your take. I loved how the Coral was amazingly uncrowded and spacious, even on a jampacked holiday cruise. And I loved, loved, loved the wide Promenade Deck with its comfy proper wooden deck chairs. I disapprove of ships that don't have true promenade decks; not a trend that's going to win my cruising dollar. Hope Princess is listening when it comes to the two new ships.

[Rockymountainsparky]

Thanks. I prefer the Coral too.

[GreenBayDave]

I'd have to agree with you. Also, Pam in Cal makes a great observation about the Horizon Court being forward which provides those great views.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I love the Coral and the Island but they seem to do only Panama Canal or Alaska cruises, so I don't see much opportunity to sail them much more as we have done both. If you like smaller ships, try the Ocean or one of the small ships for a completely different and wonderful experience :)

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for your thoughts on both ships.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ASeaPrincess1]

Thank you for your comparisons and your live posts. They were very enjoyable, especially since we are following you on ships. (NOT stalking!:D)

 

I am not going on Coral until NEXT year, but I am still gathering my information about it.

I will be staying in the cabin right next door to yours. I almost chose that one, until I learned it is uncovered.

 

Would you happen to know if that balcony next door is viewable from the aft deck on Caribe? I read somewhere that someone could look into that balcony from above.

 

I just like my privacy while on the balcony and would hate to look up and see someone looking down.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and pictures.

[RickEk]

We've sailed on both ships too. While I agree that the Coral/Island Princesses are the best ships in the fleet, there are a few features of the Grand-class ships that I really like. I especially like the Golden Princess' Skywalkers. Such dramatic views. I also like the Vista Lounge better than the Universe Lounge and wish there was a proper nightclub on the Coral/Island. Lastly, I do like the fact that the Promenade extends around the bow on the Golden. Extraordinary views from there. The Promenade on the Diamond/Sapphire Princesses are my favorite. Wide with the teak loungers and it extends over the bow too. Now if they could just roll all the features I like into one ship... :p