RCCL & Celebrity cruiser does Princess!!

[Texancruisers]

A few quick observations from our recent cruise to Alaska on the Coral Princess, Aug. 14th-28th.

 

We REALLY liked the Princess direct luggage handling. We checked our luggage in Houston and it was in our cabin upon arrival in Vancouver!!!! VERY impressive. Embarkation was smooth as was departing the ship. VERY well organized!!!

 

After having sailed RCCL and X quite a few times, we decided to give Princess a try, mainly because we liked the itinerary. Round trip from Vancouver for 14 days. This was our first time back on Princess in almost 19 years!!!!

 

The Coral Princess is a beautiful ship. The warm, rich woods and beautiful interior spaces wowed us!!! The Coral had a very intimate feeling with the lower ceilings and very professional staff!! The music throughout the ship was upscale with no head banging type. We appreciated that.

 

The food in the MDR was great, as was our waiter and assistant waiter. We thought that Princess may use less salt as our ankles didn't swell this time!!! The food and service were as good or better than anything we have experienced afloat!!

 

Our mini suite was VERY comfortable for our two weeks. Nice storage and a huge closet. The cabin showed only minor wear on the balcony. Tub/shower combo was nice with lots of water pressure.

 

The public spaces were VERY nice and fresh. I believe all had been redone recently. Public restrooms were always clean and sparkling!!! Nice touches of fresh flowers scattered about the ship were appreciated. The afternoon stringed quartet in the atrium was a classy touch and added to the sophisticated feel.

 

Only two areas of the ship disappointed us. The first was the casino which has been recently reduced in size fairly dramatically, was, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!!! Jackpots...if you can call them that, were small. We would recommend spending your money in other areas that you might find more rewarding. It was often hot in that area too.

 

The upside of the reduction in casino space were the addition of a whole row of ocean view cabins on the port side. We had a staff member take us in one. Brand new with a large window!!! You couldn't go wrong with a cabin like that, especially if the weather is too cold to use a balcony!!!

 

The other disappointment for us was the lack of a panoramic viewing area. We enjoy the Viking Crown Lounge on RCCL and Cosmos on X because of the views they afford. There was NOTHING like this on the Coral. The Horizon Court was forward with nice viewing, but as is often the case with buffets, it was noisy and crowded. The chairs were not designed for long term sitting. The Coral in our opinion has a somewhat closed up feeling. Not what we would expect for a cruise to Alaska where the views are EVERYTHING!!!

 

We found ourselves spending nearly all our time sitting in our cabin looking out the balcony doors. Of course, weather permitting we used and enjoyed our balcony a lot!! We did use the open decks, but as many of you know, the weather in Alaska can be cold, drizzly and rainy.

 

We enjoyed the naturalist onboard that would speak over the TV or ship speakers while we were cruising in College Fjord or Glacier Bay. Very informative and entertaining!!! The park rangers were great as well!!!

 

We did whale watching with Captain Jack in Juneau. VERY good. There were only 4 of us on the 36' cabin cruiser!! We saw lots of whales and other wildlife. Highly recommend them. VERY nice family owned business.

 

We also booked straight through with the George Inlet Lodge for the Dungeness Crab Feast. We were picked up right at the dock and driven out there for the all you can eat feast!!! VERY good. Saved about $100.00 pp booking straight with them!!!! The Alaskan Amber beer and the crab were awesome!!!

 

Fellow passengers were extremely nice. We never heard one complaint or rudeness from anyone. Classy bunch!!!

 

All in all it was a GREAT cruise and we would definitely cruise Princess again, however, we would make sure there is a Skywalkers lounge on board!!!

[Debitoo]

Thank you for the report. From what I have heard, Princess really has perfected Alaskan cruising. I might have to give them a try in the future.

[novalab]

Thank you for your very nice review! Being a West Coaster, we have been considering Princess for a future Coastal Cruise.

[Kamloops50]

Good review . You have to keep in mind that the Coral & Island where primarily designed for cruising the Panama Canal.

[Tak8]

I enjoyed reading your observations. I'm a fan of Princess and thinking of booking a celebrity Christmas/New Year cruise on the Eclipse. I've been on several lines, but not Celebrity.

[partybarbie]

Nice review. I've cruised with RCCL three times and Celebrity twice. Princess is a better match for me. You would love the Skywalker's Lounge on the Star. The views from there are just gorgeous.

[Wineart]

Glad to read this review! We're elite on Celebrity, and haven't been on Princess in at least 20 years, but just booked a Panama Canal trip on Coral for January!

[sassyredhat]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise...:)

We have taken 2 Alaska cruises, our most recent was with PCL.

DH likes to go up on the open decks with all his camera bling, so he has awesome views. I need to sit down a lot, so I split my time between the upper deck and our balcony.

We have found PCL to be the best fit for us right now. After we finish the family cruise, we are back to PCL for another 2 cruises to Alaska and Hawaii with PCL.

 

Btw~~we are leaving in a few weeks for the Pacific Coastal on the Golden Princess.

 

Pat

[Jasperdo]

Excellent comparison review. Even though most of my recent cruises have been on Princess, I really like RCCL as well. It's my second favorite cruise line.

 

I know what you're saying about the lack of a panoramic viewing areas similar to the Viking Crown Lounge on the Coral. It was one of the few things I missed about my cruise on the Coral. Most of the ships in the Princess fleet do have a similar lounge though. It's called Skywalkers, and it provides wonderful panoramic views. Here are a few photos I took of Skywalkers on various ships:

 

Sapphire Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Star Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Ensenada, Mexico by Jasperdo, on Flickr

[Texancruisers]

Excellent comparison review. Even though most of my recent cruises have been on Princess, I really like RCCL as well. It's my second favorite cruise line.

 

I know what you're saying about the lack of a panoramic viewing areas similar to the Viking Crown Lounge on the Coral. It was one of the few things I missed about my cruise on the Coral. Most of the ships in the Princess fleet do have a similar lounge though. It's called Skywalkers, and it provides wonderful panoramic views. Here are a few photos I took of Skywalkers on various ships:

 

Sapphire Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Star Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Ensenada, Mexico by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

 

Thanks for the photos!!!! Looks like the ships with the Skywalker's Lounge will be the way we would want to go!!!! It is nice that the PCL ship moving to Houston will have a Skywalker's!!! Might have to try that one since we don't have to fly to get to it. Plus, leaving from Houston will be closer for us!!

 

I recently read that PCL removed one of their Skywalker's Lounge. Wonder why in the world they would do that???!!!!

[dforeigner]

Thanks for taking time to write a review.

[caribill]

I recently read that PCL removed one of their Skywalker's Lounge. Wonder why in the world they would do that???!!!!

 

It was removed from the Grand because its weight was affecting the structure of the ship.

 

All ships after the Grand with a Skywalkers used a different method of construction so there is no need to remove Skywalkers on them for that reason.

[Kamloops50]

Thanks for the photos!!!! Looks like the ships with the Skywalker's Lounge will be the way we would want to go!!!! It is nice that the PCL ship moving to Houston will have a Skywalker's!!! Might have to try that one since we don't have to fly to get to it. Plus, leaving from Houston will be closer for us!!

 

I recently read that PCL removed one of their Skywalker's Lounge. Wonder why in the world they would do that???!!!!

 

They removed Skywalker's on the Grand because it was made of steel. On later ships they used aluminum to make it lighter.

[KruzPrincess]

I did 14 days on the Coral in July and had a great time. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. I think the staff on the Coral does a superb job. We had a forward mini-suite and viewed mostly from our balcony, but also went out the forward "secret door" which gave us wonderful viewing.

[tequilasunrise]

Glad you had a good time and thanks for the review. It's good to hear a comparison; keep thinking I'll try another line but Princess keeps winning me back with their offers and elite perks.

 

OT Debitoo if you are reading...LOVE the cat you use for your picture. Such a great expression!

[LEtue]

The casino is way too small now so I'm glad we're on the Crown next year! Most people recommend the Coral/Island but having sailed on the Island before in Alaska - I think we made the right choice for us :D.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. Comparison reviews are my favorite.:)

[hollon]

A few quick observations from our recent cruise to Alaska on the Coral Princess, Aug. 14th-28th.

 

We REALLY liked the Princess direct luggage handling. We checked our luggage in Houston and it was in our cabin upon arrival in Vancouver!!!! VERY impressive. Embarkation was smooth as was departing the ship. VERY well organized!!!

 

After having sailed RCCL and X quite a few times, we decided to give Princess a try, mainly because we liked the itinerary. Round trip from Vancouver for 14 days. This was our first time back on Princess in almost 19 years!!!!

 

The Coral Princess is a beautiful ship. The warm, rich woods and beautiful interior spaces wowed us!!! The Coral had a very intimate feeling with the lower ceilings and very professional staff!! The music throughout the ship was upscale with no head banging type. We appreciated that.

 

The food in the MDR was great, as was our waiter and assistant waiter. We thought that Princess may use less salt as our ankles didn't swell this time!!! The food and service were as good or better than anything we have experienced afloat!!

 

Our mini suite was VERY comfortable for our two weeks. Nice storage and a huge closet. The cabin showed only minor wear on the balcony. Tub/shower combo was nice with lots of water pressure.

 

The public spaces were VERY nice and fresh. I believe all had been redone recently. Public restrooms were always clean and sparkling!!! Nice touches of fresh flowers scattered about the ship were appreciated. The afternoon stringed quartet in the atrium was a classy touch and added to the sophisticated feel.

 

Only two areas of the ship disappointed us. The first was the casino which has been recently reduced in size fairly dramatically, was, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!!! Jackpots...if you can call them that, were small. We would recommend spending your money in other areas that you might find more rewarding. It was often hot in that area too.

 

The upside of the reduction in casino space were the addition of a whole row of ocean view cabins on the port side. We had a staff member take us in one. Brand new with a large window!!! You couldn't go wrong with a cabin like that, especially if the weather is too cold to use a balcony!!!

 

The other disappointment for us was the lack of a panoramic viewing area. We enjoy the Viking Crown Lounge on RCCL and Cosmos on X because of the views they afford. There was NOTHING like this on the Coral. The Horizon Court was forward with nice viewing, but as is often the case with buffets, it was noisy and crowded. The chairs were not designed for long term sitting. The Coral in our opinion has a somewhat closed up feeling. Not what we would expect for a cruise to Alaska where the views are EVERYTHING!!!

 

We found ourselves spending nearly all our time sitting in our cabin looking out the balcony doors. Of course, weather permitting we used and enjoyed our balcony a lot!! We did use the open decks, but as many of you know, the weather in Alaska can be cold, drizzly and rainy.

 

We enjoyed the naturalist onboard that would speak over the TV or ship speakers while we were cruising in College Fjord or Glacier Bay. Very informative and entertaining!!! The park rangers were great as well!!!

 

We did whale watching with Captain Jack in Juneau. VERY good. There were only 4 of us on the 36' cabin cruiser!! We saw lots of whales and other wildlife. Highly recommend them. VERY nice family owned business.

 

We also booked straight through with the George Inlet Lodge for the Dungeness Crab Feast. We were picked up right at the dock and driven out there for the all you can eat feast!!! VERY good. Saved about $100.00 pp booking straight with them!!!! The Alaskan Amber beer and the crab were awesome!!!

 

Fellow passengers were extremely nice. We never heard one complaint or rudeness from anyone. Classy bunch!!!

 

All in all it was a GREAT cruise and we would definitely cruise Princess again, however, we would make sure there is a Skywalkers lounge on board!!!

 

I know this post is old, but maybe I can get some feedback. We always go on RCCL and we just love it., do you think there is enough to do on Princess. I know Alaska is very different, have been on the diamond, but would you pick another ship/cruiseline, or should we go on princess b/c of glacier bay? Yes, been there, but can't remember that much.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I know this post is old, but maybe I can get some feedback. We always go on RCCL and we just love it., do you think there is enough to do on Princess. I know Alaska is very different, have been on the diamond, but would you pick another ship/cruiseline, or should we go on princess b/c of glacier bay? Yes, been there, but can't remember that much.

 

Having sailed both RCCL and Princess, I can say there is not a lot of difference on similar sized ships re "enough to do". RCCL's "monster ships" are a completely different thing... from anybody else's.

[hollon]

Having sailed both RCCL and Princess, I can say there is not a lot of difference on similar sized ships re "enough to do". RCCL's "monster ships" are a completely different thing... from anybody else's.

I guess I should add in that I'd choose the Radiance or one of the princess ships for Alaska, which ships did you cruise and to where?