Just spent 10 wonder days on the Coral, who's got questions!?

[CineGraphic]

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day Panama Canal cruise on the Coral 12/8-18, despite a few hiccups.

A review is forthcoming, but in the meantime, if anyone has any questions, fire away!

[CineGraphic]

Oy veh! Should be WONDERFUL, not wonder.

[yuccaman]

Just a curiosity of service levels of room stewards & dining staff, given their seemingly larger quota of rooms and tables? Thanks!

[CineGraphic]

Stewards have 18 cabins to deal with, and ours was excellent.

Special requests were met with a smile, and our room was spotless.

I did hear however, that one passenger complained that after spending an hour away from his cabin for breakfast, he expected his room to be fully serviced by the time he came back.

Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me. Especially if you don't put up the refresh my room sign.

 

Waiters in the main dining room were hit & miss, mostly hit.

We did have one really creepy waiter, who always continued grinding pepper when you said you had enough, and who after adding 2 spoonfuls of vanilla sauce to my wife's souffle, insisted that she needed 3 more, drowning it in sauce.

 

The staff at the International Cafe was excellent.

Our favorite barista, Ray, always knew what we wanted. He worked in the Explorer's Lounge as well as a bartender.

[yuccaman]

I did hear however, that one passenger complained that after spending an hour away from his cabin for breakfast, he expected his room to be fully serviced by the time he came back.

Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me. Especially if you don't put up the refresh my room sign.

 

Thanks for the report! Yeah, no one around here expects one-hour service, around lunchtime or even mid-afternoon is more than fine, really, it's just nice to have the refresh in time for post-port visit, post-sea day pool, pre-dinner retooling!

 

And we don't see the sign as a demand for service, but as an aid to our steward, as he then knows we're "ready" for him, and he can go in unabashed vs checking our room 50 times to see if the coast is clear. Just a little way to try and make things easier for them to provide great service, so I do indeed chuckle on the 1-hour person you encountered!

 

If anything, when sometimes returning to the room unexpectedly, after breakfast, only to find an apologetic steward working there, I'm like, "No problem, just came back to get something forgotten! Hey, I invited you here with a "coast is clear" message! Don't apologize!"

 

Looking forward to your review! Take care.

[CineGraphic]

Yes, the refresh my room sign is really a courtesy for the steward, and it's a shame more passengers don't know that.

I'm not sure if it matters, but there were a lot of blue cards on this sailing.

Some people's expectations amaze me.

The poor stewards had to have a meeting because of the complainer.

[Cruzinnana47]

Yes, the refresh my room sign is really a courtesy for the steward, and it's a shame more passengers don't know that.

I'm not sure if it matters, but there were a lot of blue cards on this sailing.

Some people's expectations amaze me.

The poor stewards had to have a meeting because of the complainer.

 

We always use our sign to let the steward know it's OK to clean. No matter how good the service is, it's unfortunately true that there are ALWAYS some people who cannot stop complaining about everything....:(

 

Hey, we're on v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n. Don't have to clean or cook the whole time!:)

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Glad you had a great time and to hear Ray is still working the IC. He was there every morning when I went to get coffee. Looking forward to your review.

[jagsfan]

In 32 years of cruising, we've never had a steward who was less than polite or efficient. It's remarkable to me that they can keep smiling with some of the demands put on them. I had a friend tell me they leave shoes and underwear in the floor because it's like having a house servant. She said she loves cruising because they can experience the " Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous".

 

 

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[jagsfan]

I do have a question. How was the selection at the International Cafe, and did the Casino smoke migrate to it?

What excursions did you go on?

Thanks

Mimi

 

 

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[CineGraphic]

I do have a question. How was the selection at the International Cafe, and did the Casino smoke migrate to it?

What excursions did you go on?

Thanks

Mimi

 

Compared to the Regal which I was on last, the selection of munchies at the IC seemed smaller, but I was always able to find something yummy.

 

As an ex-smoker, I never really noticed anything, at least early in the morning, when there was hardly anyone in the Casino.

 

As for excursions, we book independently. We find we have more freedom that way, and save money as well.

Edited December 23, 2016 by CineGraphic

[RotaryMike]

thanks for posting, glad you enjoyed, what were the "hiccups" ?

 

We're on the Coral in 35 days, booked a balcony "B2 guarantee", just checked our booking and today we got assigned an extended, partially covered balcony on Caribe, just what i wanted ! surprised that there was no email from princess . Mike in CT

[Gotribe]

Who is the cruise director?

[CineGraphic]

Who is the cruise director?

Corey Moir. Very funny, very personable.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting. I'm thinking of booking a cruise on the Coral for February. Looking forward to your review.

[sportsmum]

Thank you for asking. :)

 

Do you remember any of the MUTS offerings?

[CineGraphic]

Thank you for asking. :)

 

Do you remember any of the MUTS offerings?

 

We did not watch any of the MUTS.

The only one I noticed on the list was Ant Man, because I'm in the background of one scene as an "extra", but we already saw it on board the Regal last January.

 

 

[dreaminofcruisin]

Thanks for answering questions!

 

Just wondering if the dining room attire is still jacket and tie for men or did you see a lot of just shirts and ties? I want to be sure if I make DH bring a jacket, that is still the 'standard'. :cool:

 

Thanks.

[CineGraphic]

Thanks for answering questions!

 

 

 

Just wondering if the dining room attire is still jacket and tie for men or did you see a lot of just shirts and ties? I want to be sure if I make DH bring a jacket, that is still the 'standard'. :cool:

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

There were two formal nights. We avoided them by dining at the Bayou for one of them and the buffet for the other. I used to have to wear suits daily, this is my vacation, so no suits for me.

 

 

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[RotaryMike]

What deck was your cabin on? Port or starboard? Did Coral always dock on the port side, or does it vary by port and pier locations? Thanx, Mike

 

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[CineGraphic]

What deck was your cabin on? Port or starboard? Did Coral always dock on the port side, or does it vary by port and pier locations? Thanx, Mike

 

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We were in A324, Port.

Docking varied by port.

FLL: Starboard

Aruba: Port

Cartegena: Starboard

Colon: Port

Limon: Starboard

Grand Cayman: Tender

[Swingdancers]

My wife and I enjoy dancing. Do you know what bands were on board?

[CineGraphic]

My wife and I enjoy dancing. Do you know what bands were on board?

Purple Haze was very popular and played in several venues daily.

[anteaters]

Did you do any Princess excursions? If so, could you mention which ones if any stood out as particularly good or bad? Thanks!

[TracieABD]

I loved my time on the Coral. I really love their Sanctuary! I am glad you had a terrific cruise!