Alaska 2015 Grand, Coral, or Star ??

[HannahHunter]

I am planning a cruisetour with land tour before cruise in Aug/Sept 2015.

I want to see the fall colors in Denali, so I think the cruisetour starting on 8/30 would be best (6 days on land then SB cruise) It is on Grand Princess. From reviews, it seems like Grand is the least favored of the 3 choices. There are some good reviews and some really feel it is not in good shape; it's the oldest of the 3. Coral seems to have best reviews and also the most recent refurb. The Coral cruisetour would depart 9/3. I am very interested in thermal suite which Grand does not have, as far as I can tell. On the other hand, Coral does not have the Crown Grill, which i wanted to try- I'm not sure how similar Bayou Steakhouse is, do they have food other than Cajun/Creole there? The Star seemed a good compromise but I think it just leaves either too late or too early (8/23 or 9/6) for peak color in Denali. I will be booking mini suite.

Any suggestions as to your preference of the 3 ships would be appreciated. I have cruised Princess 6 times in the past but it's been ten years since the last cruise. Thanks to all.

[Cruise Raider]

I would choose the Coral. I have sailed a couple of times on the Star and just thought it wasn't up to par. The food was actually awful....did have lots of fun in their casino, though.

While I haven't sailed on the Grand, I have sailed a few times on the Golden and she is really showing her age.

Of all the Princess ships on which I have sailed, I liked the Coral the best. It is just the right size with the right amount of passengers for my liking.

I also thought the food and service was top notch. That would be my personal choice.

[shredie]

I would grab the Coral. It's such a beautiful ship. The Star is good, and so is the Golden, but given a choice....

[Colo Cruiser]

Coral!

[f-mattox]

The Coral.

 

Grand and Star are nowhere as bad as some would lead us to believe; but the Coral is best suited to Alaska cruising. Having the Horizon Court buffet forward instead of aft like the others is a big plus; you can enjoy spectacular vistas in complete comfort. And Coral has more unobstructed viewing locations out on deck.

[Bizziecruzer]

I vote for the Coral too - not from personal experience but from the fact that we have researched and decided on the Coral for our Northbound cruise next year.

FYI - a lot of people recommend northbound cruise then land tour. From what I can gather people say when you embark in Vancouver, as each day goes by, the scenery gets better and better, whereas if you leave Whittier the scenery would start off amazing and then less as you go towards Vancouver.

[KruzPrincess]

Coral is really best for Alaska, IMO. The Bayou is really mostly like a steak house now with some Bayou stuff thrown in. Last summer, on the Coral, we went to the Bayou the second to the last night and liked it so much we went back the next night. It was really good when we went. I was on the Star last December to Hawaii and really enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with the Star. I am booked on the Grand this winter. I, too, have read that the Grand has issues, but many have assured me that it's well kept. That said, I'd still pick the Coral. It has so many great outdoor observation spots for Alaska viewing...plus all the new amenities added at dry dock.

[HannahHunter]

Thanks to everyone for their input! Sounds like Coral is the way to go.

The reason I was thinking doing the land portion first is that I was planning it to be very active and thought it might be good to do that first and then have the 3 non-port days on the SB cruise to rest and relax.

Very good point though about the scenery getting better as you go north.

I will consider that. Thanks again!!

[ntvsdgrl]

I was on the Coral last year, Northbound and did 3 days on land. The Coral was absolutely beautiful. Now having done a northbound with land, I decided for next year I'm going to do Southbound with 5 days on land first. Last year it was hard living out of a suitcase after having unpacked when I was on the ship. After talking with people on land who were doing it first, they were looking forward to relaxing on the ship. Now, going Southbound with land is more expensive than going north. I was in Denali in late August early September and the fall colors were spectacular. Living in San Diego, I don't get to experience the colors and this was wonderful. It did rain for most of the trip but it didn't stop me from having a wonderful time.

 

Next year I'm going right after the solstice to experience 20 hours of daylight and hopefully the greenery of Alaska.

 

Enjoy your trip. Alaska is extraordinary!

[westwind6371]

Hello Miss. Hanna Hunter;

 

We have sailed on both the Grand and the Coral and like them both, but for Alaska, if the ports are the same and you get Glacier Bay, go with the Coral. We like the lower passenger load. (We just changed from the Grand to the Coral for our 2015 Alaska trip)

 

Fair winds

Dave

PS. The Horse Soldiers is one of my favorite movies!

[capriccio]

I agree with everyone else - we've done the northbound trip twice on the Coral and would do it again! Our first cruise included a land tour too. In addition to the improving scenery as you head northbound we learned so much about Alaska (its people, flora and fauna) from the cruise naturalist and various excursion guides that served us well when we got to Denali. Enjoy - it will be memorable adventure!

[HannahHunter]

Good catch! I think most people think it is my name and probably that I should be more cautious about posting it. But Horse Soldiers it is. :)

[SpelChic2001]

We did a southbound cruisetour on the Coral in May 2014. It was our third time cruising on the Coral, which is our favorite Princess ship.

 

We flew to Fairbanks & spent two nights there, followed by two nights in Denail and two nights at Mt. McKinley lodge. I'm really glad we did the land portion first, for many of the reasons stated in the previous posts. I've decided I don't like living out of a suitcase, and would probably pack differently the next time we do a land tour. It was very nice to unpack and relax on the ship after an active land tour. I do have to say that Princess did a superb job handling the luggage.

 

We took a chance going so early in the season, but we loved it...it snowed two days before we arrived, but the weather was perfect our entire trip. It was cool (not cold), sunny & clear, no rain and no mosquitoes. I loved the fact that there was snow on all the peaks (as well as the rivers & roadside), and the trees and plants had just started to bud. The wildlife was abundant in Denali. Our previous cruises to Alaska were in June and July...and I have to say that May was my favorite time of year by far.

 

Karen

[Bently57]

I have cruised all three; been happy with all three... But my favorite is the Coral. The Island and Coral are quite unique.

 

 

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[rockdoctor]

Just beware that you will see significantly fewer large animals at that time of year. (Based on CruiseTours in June, July and late August/September)

[Kinkacruiser]

The smaller Pacific Princess is also on the Alaska 2015 list...we're going north in mid-late May then doing the land tour.