Review - Coral Princess Northbound 6/11 - 6/18

[bugze380]

I'm going to start this with an apology - these will be a very long posts with no pictures, but hopefully means you will get all information up front.

 

Background:

I took this trip with my husband and our 1 year old daughter (sorry for those she disturbed in the dining room or constantly asked for high fives from!).

 

Pre-Cruise:

We flew in 1 day early to Vancouver and stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel. The taxi from the airport to the hotel was about 30 min. and don't be alarmed by the long taxi line - it moves quickly. The Pan Pacific was a fantastic hotel. Very conveniently located to the ship and has a good food court attached for an inexpensive meal or 2. I booked this hotel about a year in advance and got a great rate with 2 breakfast buffets included for $250/night. I highly recommend booking early as I only saw prices go up.

 

Check In:

There was a lot of talk on here about the Canada Place cruise terminal and the entire check in process so I was prepared for a long wait.

 

I called for the bellman to pick up our luggage for ship delivery at 8am on the dot (first available time to call) and I was the first pickup of the day. I thought this would ensure we got our luggage early (and it did).

 

We made our way down to the cruise check in at 9:30 and after getting lost and turned in circles by different employees, made it there at 9:45 and were probably the 5th people there. At 10:00 they opened up the check in desks and by 10:30 were sitting in the ship boarding area. I can see how it could get backed up if you arrive later, but for us it was pretty seamless.

 

We were the first people on the ship (thanks to a crying baby who employees thought was disturbing everyone) and were dropping backpacks in our cabin by 12:15. Note - we did try to go to the dining room for sit down lunch but it was closed, despite it being open according to the Pater, so we headed to the horizon court.

 

Cabin:

I booked this cruise 2 years ago for our honeymoon, but then had to reschedule as I got pregnant. I had originally booked a balcony cabin on Caribe, however when we re-booked for 3 people and knew I needed a tub and a pack n play, a regular cabin was not going to be large enough so booked a mini suite on Dolphin. I also knew I wanted a covered balcony, which are few and far between for the mini suites so very specifically requested cabin D503. This turned out to be a fantastic choice. Great mid ship location, size and partially covered on the starboard side.

 

I have to call out the bed - it was AMAZING. So comfortable and we are really missing it now that we are home.

 

As for the pack n play, it worked out great. The first night we used it as the steward made up, but my daughter broke out in a rash and I figured it was from the sheet. Turns out I was right and it was cleared up by the next day once I put my own on there. I highly recommend bringing your own sheet if your child has sensitive skin and can be irritated by the ship detergent.

 

The steward was fine. Nothing great nothing bad, though I did ask for a blanket for the balcony and he told me to get it at the pool area. When I went there and asked the attendants, they told me I had to come back during MUTs to get one. I went back during MUTs and they still wouldn’t give it to me saying it had to be used during the movie only. Glad it turned out to be warm and sunny everyday and I never needed it.

[bugze380]

Horizon Court:

I was very disappointed in the quality of the food. The Horizon Court buffet might be the worst food I've ever seen / tasted. There are very few options and does not remotely compare to other cruises I've been on (Carnival and Royal Caribbean). My husband is the least picky eater I know and even he could not tolerate the food. The service was also not up to the standards of other ship locations - stations were constantly empty and when I requested they be replenished I often received eye rolls.

 

MDR:

The food in the MDR was no better than the Horizon Court. However, the service was impeccable. The waiters were amazing and really tried to make the experience enjoyable - even wanting to hold the baby so my husband and I wouldn't have to take turns eating (she did not like the high chair for long, though they were great).

 

The dress code was pretty lax (we wore jeans most nights and my husband wore a button down and khaki's the first formal night). After about 3 nights of terrible food, we decided it wasn't worth annoying everyone else in the dining room with a screaming baby so opted for the Horizon Court the rest of the nights.

 

Pizza and Grill:

This was by far the best food on the ship - this is what we ate everyday for lunch and dinner. Not sure why the pizza was almost always salty, but still better than the rest of our options.

 

International Café:

THE BEST STAFF! The waiters at the International Café are amazing.

The tiramisu at the international café is the best option for dessert. The rest of the desserts were sad. Tip – ask for any sandwiches to be heated. They don’t ask you if you would like them heated, but they will do so if you ask and it makes a world of difference. We never ordered any coffee so can’t comment on that.

 

Beverage Packages:

I got the soda sticker. They tried to sell me on the Soda and More and I requested the option without “and more” as I wasn’t going to drink mocktails. I was informed that was not an option so had to go with the Soda and More.

 

My husband had the all inclusive beverage package. Our original plan was not to get it, but once we saw a bud lite cost $5.99 and with so many sea days, we didn’t want to have to think about each purchase so ended up with the all inclusive. He got his money’s worth that’s for sure and I can tell you they definitely don’t cut you off after a certain number of drinks. They did ask for the cruise card with each purchase even when they knew he had the sticker.

 

Entertainment:

There was always an activity and I was impressed by how well attended they were. The Cruise Director Staff are also incredible!! They really try to make sure everyone is having a fantastic time.

 

The shows on the other hand could use some updates. They are very old-fashioned, out dated, and the singers were terrible. If you want to go, make sure to get there early for a seat. The theaters were always crowded with standing room only.

 

Announcements:

We never could hear any of the announcements being made. It was quite frustrating especially as we were often in public places. I would have missed College Fjord entirely had I not been walking by a window!

[bugze380]

Ketchikan:

This was a tending port. We were downstairs waiting for the tending at 6:15am and by 6:30 were on a tender. The process was easy and not a big deal.

 

My husband and I split up at this port. He went salmon fishing, which is what he was most looking forward to the entire trip. It did not disappoint. He caught a 25 lb king salmon! I booked this excursion about a year ago with Ketchikan Charter Boats. I found out later that it is really a clearing house and farms out the reservations to local fishermen, but it all worked out in the end. There were 4 people on the boat total and everyone caught a fish. It was supposed to last 4 hours (7am -11am) but they didn’t make it back until 12:40. I was really paranoid we were going to miss the last tender back to the ship (which was supposed to be at 12:30), but there was a long line (it did move quickly) and they were running late so we ended up being fine, but definitely be aware, it’s cutting it tight and the tour was an hour and a half longer than expected.

 

I took the public bus to Saxman village. The bus costs $1 each way and can be picked up in front of the Federal Building. Take the Silver Line South. It runs once an hour and picks up 45 after. Saxman village was interesting and nice to see the totems. Make sure to find the little path in the woods because it is one of the most spectacular things to see. The bus back also runs once an hour at 15 after and picks up right at the village. I really didn’t need more than the 30 min. and I didn’t want to wait another hour.

 

I then walked around creek street and the dock. I stopped in at the Pioneer Café for a grilled cheese (mostly just someplace I could give my daughter a bottle), but had good food.

 

Those with kids – I would not recommend a stroller. I used a hiking backpack and that worked out fantastically well.

 

I don’t think you need more than a couple of hours in Ketchikan if you aren’t going to go fishing.

 

Weather – it was the coldest day of the entire cruise and prob about 55 degrees.

 

Juneau:

We left the ship at about 11am and took the blue bus to Mendenhaal Glacier. I had read that you purchase tickets for $30 pp round trip at a kiosk and I thought this meant an automated kiosk. I never saw one. There were little booths setup with people selling tours and this is where were purchased the tickets.

 

It was about a 30 min. ride to the glacier and our plan was to hike to nugget falls. This is an easy hike that took us about 40 min. going at a slow pace round trip. I used the pack to carry my daughter again and also would not recommend a stroller.

 

We were very underwhelmed by the glacier and the falls. It was not worth going to.

 

We left after about an hour and took the blue bus back to town. The driver mentioned the Alaska Seafood Company as having great fish and chips and since we didn’t like the ship food, we opted to try it. Great location, but VERY EXPENSIVE and there is a long wait. After lunch we walked back to the ship.

 

As we did not want to whale watch or go on a small plane, not sure what else there is to do in Juneau (though my husband would have much preferred to fish again).

 

Weather – it was about 70 degrees and sunny all day. Do not go by the weather mentioned in the Pater. I don’t know where they got it from by they said would be about 45-55 degrees so we put on tons of layers. This was constantly an issue for us. We even would check our phone for the next day’s weather and it did not match the Pater at all.

 

Skagway:

I know most people recommend the train in Skagway, but that didn’t interest us and I didn’t want to be “trapped” on a train for hours with a 1 year old. So, we opted for dog sledding and gold panning.

 

I booked the dog sledding (on dry land on a 4x4 not a glacier) with Alaska Excursions. This was the same tour in the end as booking with the cruise ship, but I like to think I got a slightly better deal by going direct. There were about 20 people on tour and the majority of it was driving with ~10 min. being pulled by the dogs and 15 min. with the puppies. I enjoyed it, but I did luck out and get to stand on the back of the cart with the musher, but I don’t know that I would choose to do it again. It also wasn’t worth the cost of the excursion. This excursion was to be 3 hours, but it was more like 4 so be aware of it running over if you have other things scheduled.

 

When they dropped us back at the ship, we took the SMART bus to Klondike Gold Fields. The SMART bus is $5 per person for a full day pass and you cannot do the $2 option for the gold fields or gardens. It picks up at the gold fields every 30 min. but we had to wait about 45 min for the bus back. This was the biggest waste of time of the entire trip. Do not bother. We “panned” for about 5 min. and they basically wouldn’t even let us do it. They had “helpers” which really meant “doers”. It cost $30 per person.

 

Weather – Very warm and sunny again over 70 degrees out, contrary to the Pater.

 

Glacier Bay:

This was the day I was most looking forward to. I had purposely booked the Starboard side as my daughter is not an early riser so figured she could sleep while my husband and I are on the balcony. Well this did not work out as planned. The first side to view is the Port side. Once I realized this, I left my daughter and husband sleeping and went to deck 7 midship. This was the perfect location for viewing as there were zero crowds and no glass to impede the view or pictures. I also could go back and forth through the doors from Port to Starboard side with no problem.

 

I have to say I was underwhelmed and Glacier Bay did not live up to my expectations. I had pictured a lot of snow and ice so maybe that was my own issue. The Marjorie glacier was a site to see and it calved which was exciting. Once the ship turned, I went back up to the balcony and my daughter had just woken up in time to see everything, though she won’t remember. By about 2:00pm it was over and just another sea day.

 

College Fjord:

I was actually more impressed by College Fjord than Glacier Bay! Beautiful and more of what I pictured Alaska to look like.

 

Too bad we were only there for a short time and in the evening. They really should call this a sea day.

 

Disembarking:

We had an 11am flight home so were the first group to leave the ship. I had pre-booked the transfer through Princess as I knew there was no other way to make it to the airport in time. It was smooth and easy and we were at the gate by 9am. We probably could have taken an earlier flight but oh well, not a big deal. It gave my daughter time to walk around and tire herself out.

 

Overall:

We had a great first family vacation and the staff on Princess is for the most part top notch. If on the West coast or have a short flight, then Alaska is a good option, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a long flight. If you’re on the east coast, I would sooner go to Iceland. The scenery is more breathtaking and the excursions more to my liking. Please keep this in mind when reading my review – I have traveled extensively and this may have colored by opinions.

[need2cruisesoon]

I always say the ship is half the vacation and the other half the ports of call.

 

For that simple reason we booked Solstice out of Seattle. Food in the MDR was outstanding. Beverage package already included in the fare. Ship spotless from top to bottom. Outstanding entertainment venues each evening.

 

I hope your next sailing (vacation) is better in all aspects.

[JimmyVWine]

Thanks for your review.

 

I am a bit curious as to how you came to this conclusion:

Glacier Bay:

This was the day I was most looking forward to. I had purposely booked the Starboard side as my daughter is not an early riser so figured she could sleep while my husband and I are on the balcony.

Whatever source provided that advice needs to be corrected. As you are now aware, there is but one way in to Glacier Bay, and all the scenery will be on the port side as you sail in.

[kirenne]

Great review! I just did a cruise on the Star, and it was very interesting to read your opinion versus how I felt about my own experience. Thanks for sharing

[bugze380]

Two items I forgot to comment on.

 

1. Puppies in the Piazza - we arrived 15 min. early and there was already a long line. This is really a photo op and that is it. They have the photographers (MILOS is the best!) setup with a backdrop, they hand you a puppy and usher you over for the picture and then take the puppy back. That is all it is. You do not get to play with the puppies.

 

2. Room service - we ordered eggs and cheese on an english muffin almost every day. It wasn't bad and the horizon court only had a continental breakfast from 5-6am even on early port days. We requested delivery times different than options listed and they always brought it at the requested time.

[lmkucala]

Thanks for your review - we'll be leaving on the Coral Northbound on Saturday. You've got me a little worried about the food - I had heard it's not great at the buffet but others said MDR was good so I'm curious what you didn't like about it?

 

Did you happen to keep a copy of the patters and if so would you mind posting them (or emailing them to me at lmkucala@gmail.com)?

 

Thanks again!

[bugze380]

Sorry I didn't keep the Paters.

 

As for the food, I will say that we don't really like "fancy" food and prefer the basics, but the food was either over cooked, under cooked, or just plain weird tasting to us. There also seemed to be lack of choices and we didn't even like the sound of most of the food.

 

Everyone seems to love the fettuccine Alfredo and my husband opted for it twice. He said that was the best food in the MDR but it still wasn't good. I had some other pasta dish and it wasn't too bad but nothing I'd order again. The dessert was the strangest part. My ice cream was freezer burnt (twice) and the rest of the dessert was inedible.

 

They seem to have theme days / nights so hope you like that type of food.

[Spideysmum]

Wow. You seem to have been very underwhelmed with most of your vacation. We will be on the Coral in early September. Alaska is not a bucket list item for us (never been but heck why not just do it on a cruise which we've never done either) nor are we foodies-it's usually fine whatever. However, we travel a lot and usually manage to find good things to say about nearly every place and tour we've been on.

 

It's called enjoying travel experiences. It's all personal I guess. Hope you enjoy your next adventure.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lmkucala]

Wow. You seem to have been very underwhelmed with most of your vacation. We will be on the Coral in early September. Alaska is not a bucket list item for us (never been but heck why not just do it on a cruise which we've never done either) nor are we foodies-it's usually fine whatever. However, we travel a lot and usually manage to find good things to say about nearly every place and tour we've been on.

 

It's called enjoying travel experiences. It's all personal I guess. Hope you enjoy your next adventure.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

"Underwhelmed" was the word I was looking for when I read this review too - it didn't look like they really enjoyed it at all. I kind of decided I was going to pretend that I didn't read it as it was a bit depressing to read right before leaving for our trip (we depart Saturday). I am much like you - we find a way to have fun with any new experience and am really looking forward to it! I was shocked when every other review I read talks about how amazing things are on pretty much any Alaskan cruise!

[blueridgemama]

I too was surprised that the poster did not really seem to enjoy much of anything on her cruise. I guess everyone has their own expectations of what their experience will be, but it is hard to believe that there was no food in the entire ship that was considered ok. And Glacier Bay being a disappointment???

[bugze380]

We did have a great family vacation as I mentioned and we definitely made the best of it, but I wanted to post an honest opinion. My opinion may differ from other's and I purposely wrote this review because I know it differs from almost everything I've read on this board.

 

Also, I have been all over the world to some remote places with incredible scenery and this surely impacts why I was underwhelmed, which is exactly correct - I was underwhelmed. I highly highly recommend people travel to Iceland if they want to be more amazed with scenery than Alaska...and it's a much shorter flight for those on the east coast!

[BumperII]

We did have a great family vacation as I mentioned and we definitely made the best of it, but I wanted to post an honest opinion. My opinion may differ from other's and I purposely wrote this review because I know it differs from almost everything I've read on this board.

 

Thank you for your review, and thank you for an opinion different from mine. If it were not for differences of views, we would still be living in the stone age. Viva la difference.

 

We will be boarding the Coral August 20 doing both north bound and south bound back to back. This is the tenth or eleventh time we have done this. Obviously we loved it. Alaska is a temperate rainforest, and it is not for everyone. But it suited us well and we still look forward to it every year.

 

We are happy to hear you found the Pioneer Cafe. We always stop there for a reindeer sausage and a chance to visit with the locals.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I take it you didn't try the biscuits and sausage gravy at breakfast in the Horizon Court. We still haven't made it to the MDR recently.

 

I think we might even take your suggestion to cruise Iceland.

[Clarea]

Nicely written report.:)

[DentoAlaska]

We did have a great family vacation as I mentioned and we definitely made the best of it, but I wanted to post an honest opinion. My opinion may differ from other's and I purposely wrote this review because I know it differs from almost everything I've read on this board.

 

Also, I have been all over the world to some remote places with incredible scenery and this surely impacts why I was underwhelmed, which is exactly correct - I was underwhelmed. I highly highly recommend people travel to Iceland if they want to be more amazed with scenery than Alaska...and it's a much shorter flight for those on the east coast!

 

We had our first trip to Alaska last year. I also posted an honest review with the good and the bad and received "snarky" comments back also. I personally appreciate honest reviews with honest experiences.

 

Our next trip is on the Coral so I appreciated your honesty about the food and the ship's entertainment.

 

Thank you for your honest impressions.

[Pogo02]

Thank you for the post!!!!! I'm taking my 14 month old on the same cruise this August. My one question that I haven't found an answer to is the size of the cribs. My Husband is 6'5" and thus my son is in the 100% percentile for height and has out grown our small travel Pack-n-Play. He is already 30" at 7 months