lovely_serenity Posted January 20, 2018 #1 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hi! This is going to be my first cruise in almost 4 years, so I am very excited! I've been to Alaska 4 times before (so I don't need any advice in this department ;p), and I've sailed on Princess once prior (but I was literally 9 yrs old and it was a 3 night cruise, so it barely counts). I will be sailing this coming May 2018! I will be going with my parents and one of my best friends. I'd like to make the most out of my trip and have as much fun as I can, so I was wondering whether anyone had some fun tips for me about enjoying this ship! (ex. any hidden/secret/not highly known areas around the ship that's awesome, where are some little known places I can find food/snacks at odd hours, what are some must-do's when enjoying a Princess sailing/Coral Princess in particular?). Any and all advice would be super helpful and much appreciated, thanks in advance! <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Jito Posted January 20, 2018 #2 Share Posted January 20, 2018 You will love the Coral! I recommend the International Cafe as a great meet-up spot for your group. On most Princess ships the IC is located in the Atrium, so it can be hard to find a table when there is entertainment going on. But on Coral it is tucked in next to the casino, so a bit off the beaten track, which makes it more of a quiet place to chill out for a while. The food at the IC is great - lots of delectable desserts, yummy salads and sandwiches, breakfast parfaits and more. No charge for food, but the coffee and tea at IC does cost extra; however, it is significantly better quality than what is served in the MDR or buffet. A coffee card (around $35) gets you unlimited brewed coffee and premium Mighty Leaf tea, as well as 15 punches for specialty drinks such as cappuccinos. You can pick out your treats, then settle into your table and a waiter will come to take your drink order (actually, although we always had coffee, I expect the waiters also would serve alcohol or soda from the casino bar). Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling2 Posted January 20, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Is smoking allowed in the casino and if so, do you smell smoke in the IC? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted January 20, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Is smoking allowed in the casino and if so, do you smell smoke in the IC? Thanks. Smoking is allowed in the casino (all ships) with the exception of formal nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Jito Posted January 20, 2018 #5 Share Posted January 20, 2018 There is smoking in the casino, but we didn’t really notice the smell in the IC. If you are particularly sensitive, however, it might bother you. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriPhil Posted January 20, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Aft decks on the Coral are public, with Carib deck having a nice group of lounge chairs which offer great panoramic viewing, which is a treat for Alaska cruising. I think the Coral still has a game room on deck 8, which has big windows for nice protected viewing. Promanade deck (7) on the Coral is nice, allowing a full walk-around the ship. Coral is our favorite chip - have a terrific cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted January 20, 2018 #7 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Our favorite things about the Coral Princess are eating a dinner in the Bayou Cafe and watching the "On The Bayou" show in the Universe Lounge located on decks 6 and 7 at the stern of the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiserfromalabama Posted January 20, 2018 #8 Share Posted January 20, 2018 So happy to see another one of your reviews coming up in May! I always love your pictures and your food ratings! Your photography is amazing! I will be following this thread as we are also going to Alaska on the Coral Princess in May and I am curious to find tips too! We have been on the Caribbean Princess, but not Coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voljeep Posted January 20, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Our favorite things about the Coral Princess are eating a dinner in the Bayou Cafe and watching the "On The Bayou" show in the Universe Lounge located on decks 6 and 7 at the stern of the ship. Totally agree, but ours was on the Island On the Bayou was easily the best show we have seen on Princess cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 20, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted January 20, 2018 You will love the Coral! I recommend the International Cafe as a great meet-up spot for your group. On most Princess ships the IC is located in the Atrium, so it can be hard to find a table when there is entertainment going on. But on Coral it is tucked in next to the casino, so a bit off the beaten track, which makes it more of a quiet place to chill out for a while. The food at the IC is great - lots of delectable desserts, yummy salads and sandwiches, breakfast parfaits and more. No charge for food, but the coffee and tea at IC does cost extra; however, it is significantly better quality than what is served in the MDR or buffet. A coffee card (around $35) gets you unlimited brewed coffee and premium Mighty Leaf tea, as well as 15 punches for specialty drinks such as cappuccinos. You can pick out your treats, then settle into your table and a waiter will come to take your drink order (actually, although we always had coffee, I expect the waiters also would serve alcohol or soda from the casino bar). Sent from my iPhone using Forums That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 20, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Aft decks on the Coral are public, with Carib deck having a nice group of lounge chairs which offer great panoramic viewing, which is a treat for Alaska cruising. I think the Coral still has a game room on deck 8, which has big windows for nice protected viewing. Promanade deck (7) on the Coral is nice, allowing a full walk-around the ship. Coral is our favorite chip - have a terrific cruise! Good to know, thanks! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 20, 2018 Author #12 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Our favorite things about the Coral Princess are eating a dinner in the Bayou Cafe and watching the "On The Bayou" show in the Universe Lounge located on decks 6 and 7 at the stern of the ship. I believe we are indeed going to have one dinner in the Bayou Cafe! I’ve heard good things about it. I looked at some menus online, do you think the New York Strip or the Porterhouse would be a better choice of their steaks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 20, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted January 20, 2018 So happy to see another one of your reviews coming up in May! I always love your pictures and your food ratings! Your photography is amazing! I will be following this thread as we are also going to Alaska on the Coral Princess in May and I am curious to find tips too! We have been on the Caribbean Princess, but not Coral. Haha thank you so much ^^. I’m surprised anyone remembers me since I’ve been away so long! (Which sailing? Maybe we’re going on the same one!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted January 20, 2018 #14 Share Posted January 20, 2018 We did 17 days on Coral and found that the aft viewing area on Baja deck was usually deserted or only had a few people there and there were maybe 8 or 10 loungers on the deck. We made good use of that area. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiserfromalabama Posted January 20, 2018 #15 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Haha thank you so much ^^. I’m surprised anyone remembers me since I’ve been away so long! (Which sailing? Maybe we’re going on the same one!) We are going on the May 16th southbound from Whittier! When is yours? I hope you will have a wonderful review for me to enjoy! ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted January 20, 2018 #16 Share Posted January 20, 2018 The Coral is our favorite ship and our first choice when looking for a cruise. We have done the Panama Canal twice & just this past September, the South bound in Alaska. The hidden decks are nice for the scenic cruising, although may be a bit cool in May. Our weather was wet & rainy, but it is Alaska :-) We like the Bayou Cafe for dinner and try to eat there at least once. I have a couple of reviews with pictures in our signature that may be of help. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickEk Posted January 21, 2018 #17 Share Posted January 21, 2018 If you enjoy music, try to go to the Bayou Café when a combo is playing. We had a great meal on Island Princess (Coral's sister ship) at the Bayou when a fantastic jazz combo composed of various members of the orchestra and other bands on board joined forces to play during dinner. 'Twas great.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted January 21, 2018 #18 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I believe we are indeed going to have one dinner in the Bayou Cafe! I’ve heard good things about it. I looked at some menus online, do you think the New York Strip or the Porterhouse would be a better choice of their steaks? I have tried them all and the filet mignon is the better steak in my opinion. It is thicker which makes for a more tender steak. It has no bone, fat or other inedible bits. We also liked the Cajun dishes offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 21, 2018 Author #19 Share Posted January 21, 2018 We did 17 days on Coral and found that the aft viewing area on Baja deck was usually deserted or only had a few people there and there were maybe 8 or 10 loungers on the deck. We made good use of that area. :D Good to know, thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 21, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted January 21, 2018 We are going on the May 16th southbound from Whittier! When is yours? I hope you will have a wonderful review for me to enjoy! ; ) Oh darn! You’re getting on the ship as we disembark! & Haha I will try my best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 21, 2018 Author #21 Share Posted January 21, 2018 The Coral is our favorite ship and our first choice when looking for a cruise. We have done the Panama Canal twice & just this past September, the South bound in Alaska. The hidden decks are nice for the scenic cruising, although may be a bit cool in May. Our weather was wet & rainy, but it is Alaska :-) We like the Bayou Cafe for dinner and try to eat there at least once. I have a couple of reviews with pictures in our signature that may be of help. Enjoy your cruise! Thank you for the information! I will definitely check out your photos! Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 21, 2018 Author #22 Share Posted January 21, 2018 If you enjoy music, try to go to the Bayou Café when a combo is playing. We had a great meal on Island Princess (Coral's sister ship) at the Bayou when a fantastic jazz combo composed of various members of the orchestra and other bands on board joined forces to play during dinner. 'Twas great.... Good to know, thank you! ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovely_serenity Posted January 21, 2018 Author #23 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I have tried them all and the filet mignon is the better steak in my opinion. It is thicker which makes for a more tender steak. It has no bone, fat or other inedible bits. We also liked the Cajun dishes offered. I always get my steaks medium rare, so not overly raw, but I find that due to the baseball shape of fillet mignons, they become a tad too rare for my liking (though I don’t like my steaks to be medium either). I usually prefer flatter steaks, so in your opinion of the two flatter cuts of steak, which was the yummier that you tried? (Also is the fillet mignon the Carpetbagger’s Trinity Smothered Filet of Beef? Because I don’t see any listing of filet mignon in particular on their menu?) Also, how are the Gator ribs? They seem interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted January 21, 2018 #24 Share Posted January 21, 2018 I have tried them all and the filet mignon is the better steak in my opinion. It is thicker which makes for a more tender steak. It has no bone, fat or other inedible bits. We also liked the Cajun dishes offered. The main issue I have with the filet is that there is no fat. Yes, the filet is tender but, as a general rule, lack of fat = lack of flavor. I pretty much gave up eating in the specialty restaurants because I am physically unable to eat the amount of food they provide and the only steak small enough for me to actually eat is the filet. If I was younger I would love to eat at Crown Grill and have the Rib Eye. A well marbled steak is a joy but I simply refuse to order something that I will only be able to eat maybe half of and the rest ends up in the garbage. I used to always order a 22 oz. Rib Eye or Porterhouse and eat the whole thing but those days are past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pris993 Posted January 21, 2018 #25 Share Posted January 21, 2018 we love the Crown Grill, no CG on Coral, looking at menu at Bayou... not that appealing, do have a free dinner, so am wondering if we can order steak without spices, my dh can't eat spicy foods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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