Which Princess ship to choose?

[Cruznjuly]

Never sailed princess but we are thinking of going to Alaska with the parents and they're leaning toward Princess...

 

Which one is your favorite or least favorite and why?

 

Emerald Princess

Coral Princess

Grand Princess

Island Princess

Star Princess

Ruby Princess

 

Thanks!!

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

Never sailed princess but we are thinking of going to Alaska with the parents and they're leaning toward Princess...

 

Which one is your favorite or least favorite and why?

 

Emerald Princess

Coral Princess

Grand Princess

Island Princess

Star Princess

Ruby Princess

 

Thanks!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I would pick the Coral for Alaska and the Canal. :)

If you do a search on the Princess board main page upper right there are numerous threads. (search Coral). Lots of comparisons between ships.

This question seems to be asked every week. ;)

Edited July 17, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[Essiesmom]

You should be choosing by itinerary, time in port, and departure port. That said, go for the Coral. EM

[Kinkacruiser]

Another vote for Coral or Island. You get off the ship faster with less passengers ;)

 

We did Alaska on the Pacific Princess...perfect size!

[Cruznjuly]

I would pick the Coral for Alaska and the Canal. :)

If you do a search on the Princess board main page upper right there are numerous threads. (search Coral). Lots of comparisons between ships.

This question seems to be asked every week. ;)

 

Yeah, sorry... I did do a search of the last 3 weeks... saw a LOT of negativity about recent Coral cruises, and got scared off from searching further. We literally know NOTHING about Princess, so figured starting with a ship is a good choice. :)

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[OCruisers]

Coral Princess would be an EXCELLENT choice! :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Yeah, sorry... I did do a search of the last 3 weeks... saw a LOT of negativity about recent Coral cruises, and got scared off from searching further. We literally know NOTHING about Princess, so figured starting with a ship is a good choice. :)

 

Thanks for your help! :)

 

There is also many positives posts on the Coral.

I know there was a lot of talk in the last month or so on plumbing issues on the Coral.We have sailed her many times. We have had plumbing/toilet issues on a few ships including the Coral. I just did not feel it was warranted to post about it when we returned.

I take reviews with a grain of salt....

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2298534&highlight=coral

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2358395&highlight=coral

Edited July 17, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[wheezedr]

Yeah, sorry... I did do a search of the last 3 weeks... saw a LOT of negativity about recent Coral cruises, and got scared off from searching further. We literally know NOTHING about Princess, so figured starting with a ship is a good choice. :)

 

Thanks for your help! :)

 

Always use caution with the negative reviews. There can certainly be issues on any ship with 2000+ passengers but the negative types are often more vocal than the others who had a great cruise and felt no need to comment. First seven princess cruises were on seven different ships as we sailed mainly based on itinerary. Were there some issues sure, did it stop me from continuing on Princess, no. Food often comes up. Cruise ships are feeding 2-3000 passengers a day. I do not expect 5 star restaurants. We are looking for items we enjoy prepared in a reasonable way. We have had an occasional awful item which was sent back but it did not ruin the cruise. Like everyone we also have some favorites.

We enjoyed the Coral but you could have a good Alaska experience on any of the ships. Look at times in port, day of sailing, cost and then select and enjoy.

[Working 2 Cruise]

In addition, there are many other factors to be considered, such as length of cruise (10 days versus 7), flight expenses (it's more expensive to fly for the South/Northbound cruises....

 

The Grand does the 10 day cruises.... out of San Francisco, which would be my first choice because of the longer cruise and shorter flights.. Second, the Emerald or Ruby as they're newer ships, also with easy flights.

[Cruznjuly]

In addition, there are many other factors to be considered, such as length of cruise (10 days versus 7), flight expenses (it's more expensive to fly for the South/Northbound cruises....

 

The Grand does the 10 day cruises.... out of San Francisco, which would be my first choice because of the longer cruise and shorter flights.. Second, the Emerald or Ruby as they're newer ships, also with easy flights.

 

Yes, thank you... SF is definitely easy for us to drive to, even Seattle, really. But the flights are so cheap. Vancouver or Alaska may be another issue.

 

Thank you!

[Cruznjuly]

Always use caution with the negative reviews. There can certainly be issues on any ship with 2000+ passengers but the negative types are often more vocal than the others who had a great cruise and felt no need to comment. First seven princess cruises were on seven different ships as we sailed mainly based on itinerary. Were there some issues sure, did it stop me from continuing on Princess, no. Food often comes up. Cruise ships are feeding 2-3000 passengers a day. I do not expect 5 star restaurants. We are looking for items we enjoy prepared in a reasonable way. We have had an occasional awful item which was sent back but it did not ruin the cruise. Like everyone we also have some favorites.

We enjoyed the Coral but you could have a good Alaska experience on any of the ships. Look at times in port, day of sailing, cost and then select and enjoy.

 

OH, absolutely. That's really why I stopped reading the reviews. I have read reviews of exact voyages I have been ON, and been blown away by the complaints I never noticed and the "trip ruining" experiences I never saw.

 

Thank you!

[Colo Cruiser]

OH, absolutely. That's really why I stopped reading the reviews. I have read reviews of exact voyages I have been ON, and been blown away by the complaints I never noticed and the "trip ruining" experiences I never saw.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Very common to see one person relating a cruise from hell and another on the same cruise that had the best cruise of their lives. Go figure. :rolleyes:

[oskidunker]

Island had 121 more cabins added,with a loss in public space. Many have complained that the ship felt crowded and there were long lines for the shows. Have not seen a recent review

[moki'smommy]

Reviews are very much in the opinion of the author.

 

Before our first Princess cruise I called my TA and said, "Tell me about Princess." She said that she really didn't like it, and cited a couple of things she didn't like as well as a couple of things that she did. But in fairness, she also named another agent in her office who was on the same cruise and said that he thought it was "fine."

 

Our take--it was in the same ballpark as the other lines we've been on and considering it costs 50-75% less than our most common line made it a "no brainer." I can mention things I like best on each of the lines we've cruise and things that are less favored...but all in all, our Princess cruising has been a good experience.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Has to be ports first, but if by ship the Star,

 

reasons being Slkywalkers great viewing

 

Conservatory so not as crowed as Ruby etc

 

less passengers than Ruby etc

 

yours Shogun

[thinfool]

Your choice of ship is going to be severely limited by which type of itinerary you choose.

 

Round trip (usually out of Seattle or the 10 day RT from San Francisco) or

 

One way, north or southbound (always to or from Vancouver)

 

Once you decide this, then you can look at the ships that do the chosen itinerary.

 

The north/southbound itineraries give the most/best opportunities to see more of Alaska but are likely more expensive and demand more time than the round trip sailings from Seattle.

 

Flip a coin! :D:)

Edited July 17, 2016 by thinfool

[Alaska05]

First off, I would choose the itinerary -- we like either a northbound or southbound inside passage (called "Voyage of the Glaciers"). This usually means a higher airfare, but to me it's worth it. We've sailed 6 times in Alaska with Princess -- only 1 was out of Seattle and included Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay. Our ship didn't even get into Tracy Arm at all due to morning fog.

 

Last month we did both a northbound on the Coral and a southbound on the Star. We liked both ships for different reasons. It's close, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Star.

 

We found the food to be a little bit better on the Star and the International Cafe and Horizon Court are a bit larger (of course there were more people)

 

I know food is subjective, but we had pretty much the same menus on each ship, and it was just better on the Star. I guess that's due to the Executive Chef on board and that could change.

 

We do like the Coral very much and are booked on her for the Panama Canal next year.

 

If Seattle airfare is more attractive to you, the roundtrip on the Ruby does visit Glacier Bay. We've never sailed on the Ruby but have been on her sister ship Emerald. It's larger than the Star or Coral, so more walking required on the ship if your parents have any mobility issues.

 

Princess has been sailing Alaska a long time and does a great job.

 

There's a lot to consider and only you know what will work best for you. We can only give your our opinions based on our experiences which will hopefully help in your decision making.

 

Good luck. You and your parents will have a great time.

[Kybabe]

Did an Alaska cruise on the Island this past May. Also was on the Island thru the Canal before they added the rooms. I will say that I did not like the ship as well the 2nd time. It didn't feel more crowded. I missed the places that they eliminated, The Universe Lounge and the balconies across the back on decks 8,9, 10. The gym and the casino were both smaller. That being said it was a great cruise. There were 2 couples with us who had never cruised before and they loved the ship. I would have to agree with others: for Alaska, it really doesn't matter which Princess ship you choose.

[Whimsy]

The Coral is my pick if it delivers the itinerary you like. I almost chose the Island for our upcoming cruise to try her to compare to the Coral but after the added cabins I ruled it out.

[denatravels]

I just got off the coral yesterday (northbound to Alaska). Loved the itinerary because it gets better as you head north. The coral was very awesome for forward deck viewing. The ship never felt crowded. My one issue was around food: had two service/food issues in the dining hall at breakfast; lunch in the dining room was fine and afternoon tea was lovely; TOTALLY underwhelmed by the lunch buffet; very happy with dinners in the dining room (and once crab shack).

Re water issues: I had none, but that is the smallest shower I've seen on a cruise ship! (Yet the water was hot and the water pressure was awesome). Best bed on a cruise ship!

 

 

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Edited July 18, 2016 by denatravels

[Lucky TGO]

My wife and I vote for the Coral :)

Tony

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Once you decide on which itinerary you want to sail, if the Coral is an option, that would be our first choice. Our second choice would be the Star.