Alaska--Coral-- WOW--5/24/14

[generichandle]

Please note that OP is on the ship with only a few free minutes, so let her tell her story without too much expectation of answering specific questions. All those can surely be answered here on CC site.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Unlimited soda package is about 5.00 a day per person and they have one for around 8 that has virgin drinks and such.:)

 

Yes, I know but thanks anyway. ;) If they included bottled water in that, I might consider it again. Got tired of it years ago when we used to get it.

 

OP - Anxious to see your next installment.

[Eileen G]

Skagway was cool and windy today. We rented a car form Sourdough rental and drove up the Klondike Highway to Emerald Lake. It’s an easy drive. There was a bit of road construction just before Carcross but it wasn’t bad. We had an old copy of Murry’s guide and it worked fine. Not much has changed. The sun came out for a while but there was quite a bit of haze from the Soldotna fire. It was very windy the whole way. It was still a beautiful drive. We also drove to Dyea and took a walking tour of the historical town. When we arrived at the parking lot a ranger drove by and told us if we drove a little further to the one lane bridge we could see a brown bear eating in the slough. We got back in the car and sure enough there was a big grizzly bear not far off the road. We took plenty of pictures and watched him until we was out of sight. There is very little left of Dyea but it was a nice walk through the forest. After returning the car we did a little shopping in Skagway on the way back to the ship.

 

Sorry but I don’t have time right now to answer everyone’s questions. I’ll try to get to them on our sea day.

[Tyskie]

Sorry but I don’t have time right now to answer everyone’s questions. I’ll try to get to them on our sea day.

 

 

Totally understand - enjoy your trip first and foremost! :)

[Eileen G]

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We were in Juneau today with 2 other Princess ships the Grand and Star. The Star tendered into Juneau and the Grand was at the far AJ dock. We have seen other Princess ships every day. We were with the Island in Glacier Bay and the Golden in Skagway. There sure are a lot of Princess ships sailing Alaska this year.

 

We rented a car from Avis at the Goldbelt Hotel right by the docks in downtown Juneau. It was about a fifteen minute walk from the ship. We had a nice day in Juneau today. It was over cast and about 55 so I wore a sweatshirt and rain jacket. We drove to Mendenhall Glacier and walked to Nugget Falls and took lots of pictures. We had lunch at a small local bar and grill who are supposed to have very good halibut fish and chips. They lived up to their reputation and the fish and chips were delicious. Then we drove to Douglas Island and visited the Treadwell Mine Historic Park. I had printed off a walking tour and there were actually more ruins than I though. We enjoyed walking through the rain forest with moss and trees covering the ruins. Before we returned the car we drove to the end of Douglas Island where there were great views of Mendenhall across the bay. Our ship sailed at 4 so we didn’t have a real long day.

 

Tonight is the second formal night and the first night we have eaten in the dining room. We have been eating in the Horizon Court since we have been spending so much time out on deck. The Horizon has had themed dinners. Monday was Italian, Tuesday was German and tonight was Mongolian. We don’t care for Mongolian so we decided to eat in the dining room. Fortunately I did bring dressy clothes. We have anytime and we went early, 5:30, so we didn’t have any trouble getting a table for two. The service was very good. We are really enjoying the Coral. I think we have a new favorite ship. The crew are all so friendly and the service has been top notch.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Eileen G

[krisl]

Thank you so much for your updates, Eileen! We are leaving in 16 days on the Coral and your updates keep making me more excited. I cannot wait! :D

[Eileen G]

We had a very busy day today. The Coral pulled into Ketchikan at about 9:30 and we were able to get off right at 10. We had a ship tour, Wilderness Exploration cruise and crab feast. This is a great excursion if you like crab. We rode a bus to the George Inlet Lodge where we had to walk down about 70 steps to the lodge and boat. The boat was completely enclosed and heated. We had a great guide and we sailed to an inlet where there were crab traps. Our guide pulled up a crab trap with a lot of crabs in it. She took out the biggest crab and explained all about catching crabs. Anyone who wanted could hold the crab. As far as wild life we only saw 2 eagles but the boat captain looked hard for more. After the cruise we went back to the lodge for a fantastic all you could eat crab feast. The meal started with a salad, then the girls brought around cleaned and cooked crab legs with half the body. The meat was easy to get to and so delicious. They were caught this morning. The meal is finished off with blueberry cheese cake.

 

After we finished eating all we wanted, we boarded the bus back to town. Our driver let anyone who wanted off by the lumber jack show. Everyone else she took back to the ship. We got off in town, stopped by the Alaska Discovery Center, walked down Creek Street and did some shopping while walking back to the ship. It was an overcast day but it didn’t rain.

 

We went to the dining room again. I wanted the goat cheese soufflé and the seared scallops. We went to see “On the Bayou” in the Universal lounge and boy was it good. It was a new group performing for their first time. They are very talented and the show was excellent. I talked to Sammi and she is leaving in a couple of weeks and will be replaced by Sue Rawlings. Sue our naturalist does a lot of commentary while we are sailing. There were Tongass National Forest rangers that came aboard today and gave a talk for those who stayed on board. Tomorrow(Friday) is our sea day and I hope to answer anyone’s questions.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Eileen, when you get around to answering questions, can you tell me what day you had the Crab Shack and at what time? Thanks! Totally enjoying your reports! :)

[Eileen G]

Do you know if the closure is temporary? We are on the Coral next week and chose our cabins at the front of the ship on deck 11 specifically to be close to the outside deck at the bow.

 

 

I checked yesterday and it seems the door on the starboard side is broken but they have the port side closed as well. No one knows when it will be fixed.

[Eileen G]

Thanks so much for posting a "live" report from the Coral. We were on her in March for the Panama Canal. What a nice ship and great crew.

 

Question when you have time: You mention on your road trip portion before boarding the ship, the different stops along the way - but some were not open for the season. When do they open? Is there a specific date?

 

This is on our to-do list and I would much prefer renting a car to see some sights instead of being with the "pack". Looking forward to your next post :)

 

 

The only things we found not open yet were the national parks. They all open after Memorial Day unless snow prevents it which shouldn't be the case this year. Really most things were up and running.

[Eileen G]

"In the end I decided on a ship transfer so we had a choice of times to take the transfer. I didn’t have to worry about timing the day to catch a transfer at a specific time. With the Princess transfer we could take any shuttle between 12 and 4. The shuttles left on the hour. We were very happy with the Princess transfer. My DH dropped me off at the transfer meeting point with the luggage and then returned the car. The bus left promptly at 2 and we were able to make the 3:30 tunnel opening. We also had time to stop at Portage Glacier overlook for pictures right before the tunnel."

 

EileenG - when you checked in, did you drop off all your luggage with Princess? Did they issue your cruise cards there, or at the cruise terminal? We are doing the same Princess transfer from the Egan Ctr. I didn't know you could just catch a bus at your convenience. I thought you were assigned a bus/time departure. We are leaving on June 11th.

 

 

I checked with the Princess rep the day we arrived to find out about the transfer. She told me the bus leaves every hour on the hour between 12 and 4 from door 1. We did not receive our cruise cards at the airport. We checked in at the ship as usual. The bus takes less time than the train and you can just any transfer you want. We had rented a car at the airport so it was easier to get the transfer there. I don't know how the Egan Ctr works or what times they leave.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Eileen G

[Eileen G]

Thanks for the postings we will be on the island sailing out of Whittier on June 11th can you tell me if you saw any stores to buy soda or wine, we want to purchase our 2 bottles before we get on the cruise, thanks:D

 

 

I believe the only store is in the building where every one lives which is a long walk from the ship.

[Eileen G]

Did you get to get on the ship and off again in Whittier? I was wondering about that since the ship leaves so late.

 

We were on the Coral in March. We loved the ship. We are doing an Alaska cruise next July - can't wait. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

 

 

Yes we got off the ship after we checked in. We arrived at 4 and grabbed a bite to eat and had plenty of time to walk around Whittier.

[Eileen G]

Eileen, when you get around to answering questions, can you tell me what day you had the Crab Shack and at what time? Thanks! Totally enjoying your reports! :)

 

 

They had the Crab Shack on the first day which was like a sea day as we didn't arrive at Hubbard until afternoon. It was from 11-2. We also have it today and we will be going at 1:30 so I can tell you all about later.

[DrivesLikeMario]

They had the Crab Shack on the first day which was like a sea day as we didn't arrive at Hubbard until afternoon. It was from 11-2. We also have it today and we will be going at 1:30 so I can tell you all about later.

 

Thank you so much for answering my question! Have a great rest of your cruise! :)

[Eileen G]

We just finished the Crab Sack lunch and it was very good. I will do a full review on it with pictures some time next week after I get home. Right now we are sitting on that wonderful back deck on the Carib deck while we sail the inner passage between BC and Vancouver Island. It is a beautiful sunny day. I must say the Coral is a wonderful ship to sail Alaska on. There are so many wonderful places both inside and out to sit and watch the views. We have really enjoyed eating in the Horizon Court and sitting at a front table watching Alaska sail by. The common areas seem much larger on this ship than on the Grand class. There is a great library and card room on deck 8 where you can see out in comfort. The Wheelhouse bar is huge. We love the way the ship is layed out and are definitely planning to sail on her or the Island soon.

[5soccer9]

Yes we got off the ship after we checked in. We arrived at 4 and grabbed a bite to eat and had plenty of time to walk around Whittier.

 

 

Thank you so much for the information. Thank you for the review as well. It had been wonderful.

[New York Nana]

I checked with the Princess rep the day we arrived to find out about the transfer. She told me the bus leaves every hour on the hour between 12 and 4 from door 1. We did not receive our cruise cards at the airport. We checked in at the ship as usual. The bus takes less time than the train and you can just any transfer you want. We had rented a car at the airport so it was easier to get the transfer there. I don't know how the Egan Ctr works or what times they leave.

Thanks for responding! I've enjoyed your reports and look forward to being on her sister ship, the Island in less than 2 weeks!

[Eileen G]

We are off the ship and touring around Vancouver today. Disembarkation was very easy. We didn't even have to show our passports. We walked a few blocks to the Dollar Rent a Car and rented a car for the day. It is a beautiful day here in Vancouver. We visited Stanley park this morning and are now at the Hampton Inn near the airport. We will be headed to Stevenson for the afternoon. We fly home tomorrow. As soon as I have time I will post pictures. If anyone has questions feel free to ask.

[seamanfs]

Really enjoyed your review of the Coral and glad you enjoyed Alaska! We are awaiting Aug 9th for our turn!

[Grammyluvs]

Waiting for your final thoughts and pros and cons...especially regarding the Coral. We are in C408 for our Panama Canal trip. Can’t wait.

[pameshalaska]

Hello, I've been reading the message boards in anticipation of our upcoming cruise and I was wondering how many opportunities there were for free drinks or Happy hours on board the ship

[sjmbruce]

Hello, I've been reading the message boards in anticipation of our upcoming cruise and I was wondering how many opportunities there were for free drinks or Happy hours on board the ship

 

we were on the coral may 17-24th. they had free champagne at the first art auction. free champagne and mimosas were available at the captain's party/champagne waterfall during the first formal night.

[Eileen G]

I am posting a pictorial review on the Alaska board.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2052472

[Eileen G]

Final thoughts:

We really loved the Coral and are sad that there are only two ships of that class. The public areas are so roomy. The Wheelhouse Bar, library and card room are so much larger than the grand class. The new Horizon Court is wonderful. It was so easy to get to the food. We never had any trouble finding a seat and were usually able to sit by the front windows. We enjoyed sitting on the back outside decks on the Carib and Baja decks. The Emerald deck also had back outside viewing but no lounges. The promenade deck was so wide with plenty of room for padded lounges and for people to walk around. I know everyone says that the grand class ships are bigger but when you compare the statics the Coral is longer at 974ft compared to the Crown which is 951ft. The Crown is about 12 ft wider and has three more decks. The public areas are about the same as the added decks are passenger cabins. The Crown carries about 1,000 more passengers. The Coral also has a very nice indoor pool area which many people took advantage of for scenic viewing.

I used the internet quite a bit and fond that it worked well most of the time even in Glacier Bay. I think this may have been because most of the passengers didn’t use the internet. They were of the generation that doesn’t use the internet. It is common on any cruise line that when you sail before school is out for the summer there is a more elderly crowd. I am 61 and I felt young. Of course there were some families and young married passengers but not many.

We didn’t really go to the nightly entertainment so I can’t comment on that except for the On the Bayou show. I did make sure to see that since I read so much about it. I was not disappointed. It lived up to it’s reputation and then some. We enjoyed the naturalist, Sue, but there were times when she wanted to do a commentary and she couldn’t because a movie was playing on MUTS. Since this was the first southbound cruise this year those things will have to be worked out. In Juneau Libby Riddles came on board and did a talk, Sled Dogs and Adventure, at 1:45 but we were off the ship. It was repeated on TV later that evening. In Ketchikan the Misty Fjord rangers came on board and did a presentation at 1:30. I thought it was great that they had things to do for the people that stayed on board.

We had an oceanview obstructed cabin mid ship and really enjoyed that area. Our room steward was fine but we really didn’t see him much. He kept our ice full and our room clean. Our bed was very hard, We did get an eggcrate but it was extremely thin. Fortunately I always bring my own eggcrate but I had to double it over before the bed was comfortable enough for me.

Embarkation in Whittier was easy. Three busses arrived at the same time, after the tunnel opening, so there was a line. We didn’t see a priority line so we asked someone and they pulled us out of the long line and brought us right up to the front. We were on the ship in no time. Disembarkation was also very easy. You just had in your customs form on your way out.

Our last three cruises to Alaska were on HAL and I usually tell people to sail on them because they have the best spot on the dock. It was the same on this cruise. HAL had the closest spot to town but we weren’t that much further and it was always a pleasant walk. I really enjoyed sailing Princess to Alaska and will recommend then in the future.