Back from Coral Princess Panama 12/5

[Talisker92]

Dear Fellow CC's ,

It was nice to meet some of you at the meet and greet. I just posted the story of our trip on our website http://www.stevekathytravels.com

In response to many past posts, here are some highlights of our cruise

As we were boarding, before we even hit the gangway, the couple in front of us complained about smoking on the balconies

There was a man behind us with a shopping bag with 2-12 packs of soda

We packed a 5 liter wine box and some rum in plastic water bottles in our checked bags

The man upwind from our balcony smoked, but it did not bother us at all

We played the little tiny speakers for our iPod on our balcony and it did not bother anyone because it was drowned out by arguments between the couple on the next balcony.

We immediately booked Chef's Table and it was fantastic

We requested and got egg crate and top sheet for our bed

We took a red eye flight and arrived the day of the cruise-never again!!

We dined at Sabatini's and it was well worth it

We also ate at Bayou and did not like it as much as Sabatinis

On formal nights I wore a dark suit, and most men wore suits or at least jackets. We saw no ball caps or shorts in the dining room at any time.

Some local entertainment was furnished by an elegantly dressed lady in Horizon Court picking each of her teeth with the aid of a compact mirror

We ordered hamburgers from room service and (gasp) there were no condiments-that would "ruin our cruise" for some people.

We asked the chef about the coffee and he admitted it was from a concentrate. We are not Starbucks drinkers, so it was fine for us. Just in case you think we do not appreciate good coffee, we bought 3 pounds of Jamaica Blue coffee in Ocho Rios

There were plenty of vacant lounges around the pools.

We both took our passports and they just scanned them and gave them back to us. We went off the ship with our cruise card and a picture ID in all ports

We booked all our excursions through the ship, as there is a 5% discount for booking on line, and it saved time trying to find a local tour.

We attended a wine tasting with hors d'oeuvres in Sabatinis ($20) and it was a great way to taste expensive wines.

We also attended a complimentary rum tasting.

Due to heavy rains in Panama, the shore excursions were canceled. However, the canal was closed for the first time in nearly 100 years 2 days before. There were some cruise ships ahead of us doing the complete transit that had to miss a couple of ports to arrive on schedule at their final destination. We were lucky in comparison to those cruises

The weather could have been better, but no sense in complaining about something that cannot be changed.

[Whoo]

Thanks for your review! I enjoyed our Panama Canal trip on the Coral in 2008.

[Pia1913]

Dear Fellow CC's ,

It was nice to meet some of you at the meet and greet. I just posted the story of our trip on our website www.stevekathytravels.com

In response to many past posts, here are some highlights of our cruise

As we were boarding, before we even hit the gangway, the couple in front of us complained about smoking on the balconies

There was a man behind us with a shopping bag with 2-12 packs of soda

We packed a 5 liter wine box and some rum in plastic water bottles in our checked bags

The man upwind from our balcony smoked, but it did not bother us at all

We played the little tiny speakers for our iPod on our balcony and it did not bother anyone because it was drowned out by arguments between the couple on the next balcony.

We immediately booked Chef's Table and it was fantastic

We requested and got egg crate and top sheet for our bed

We took a red eye flight and arrived the day of the cruise-never again!!

We dined at Sabatini's and it was well worth it

We also ate at Bayou and did not like it as much as Sabatinis

On formal nights I wore a dark suit, and most men wore suits or at least jackets. We saw no ball caps or shorts in the dining room at any time.

Some local entertainment was furnished by an elegantly dressed lady in Horizon Court picking each of her teeth with the aid of a compact mirror

We ordered hamburgers from room service and (gasp) there were no condiments-that would "ruin our cruise" for some people.

We asked the chef about the coffee and he admitted it was from a concentrate. We are not Starbucks drinkers, so it was fine for us. Just in case you think we do not appreciate good coffee, we bought 3 pounds of Jamaica Blue coffee in Ocho Rios

There were plenty of vacant lounges around the pools.

We both took our passports and they just scanned them and gave them back to us. We went off the ship with our cruise card and a picture ID in all ports

We booked all our excursions through the ship, as there is a 5% discount for booking on line, and it saved time trying to find a local tour.

We attended a wine tasting with hors d'oeuvres in Sabatinis ($20) and it was a great way to taste expensive wines.

We also attended a complimentary rum tasting.

Due to heavy rains in Panama, the shore excursions were canceled. However, the canal was closed for the first time in nearly 100 years 2 days before. There were some cruise ships ahead of us doing the complete transit that had to miss a couple of ports to arrive on schedule at their final destination. We were lucky in comparison to those cruises

The weather could have been better, but no sense in complaining about something that cannot be changed.

 

Laughing out loud is good for the soul. The above did it for me. :D

[rollingstone]

You are my kind of travelers!!!!

Everything that happens (good or bad) is all part of the experience.

Nancy

[tannes]

Thanks for the great review - we go on our Coral cruise on the 30th - getting so excited. We signed up for anytime dining and wondered if you remember what time the dinner shows were? The boards have been reporting long lines for anytime dining unless you eat later - did you happen to notice this on the Coral?

Finally, did you notice any dancing and if so, what lounges? Thanks again for sharing your review link!

[Talisker92]

Dear Tannes,

If memory serves me, the shows were at 8:15 and 10:15. After the first day or so, lines in the Bordeaux dining room thinned out. I seem to remember crowds at the 5:30 to 6:00 time frame. You can call the DINE line and make a reservation. Ask to sit in Yulya's area-she is one of the few female waiters and is excellent. Tell her Steve and Kathy recommended her.

There is a great Piano player named Maurizio playing nearly every night. We first saw him on the Diamond Princess.

We really liked the layout of the ship better than the Star Princess.

Suggestion: Go to the Princess website and print out the deck plans for 5,6,7,8,and 14. The little map they give you shows only a side view and not an exact location.

Bon Voyage!!!

[itzmered]

Thanks for the review! We will be going on the Coral's sister ship in January.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I got a chuckle about the argument drowning out the noise of your sepakers.....:):):)

 

Bob

[tannes]

Thanks for all the added advice!