Alaska: Coral Princess vs Royal Princess

[JjC81]

We are headed to Alaska next August. The question remains: which ship? Options are Coral vs Royal. We are currently booked on the royal, but then heard from some local excursion guides that the royal had some problems last year in Alaska. I've seen on different boards also that it seems it's "too big" or "not right" for Alaska. Considering switching to Coral. We are going southbound from Whittier to Vancouver. It seems special things happen on both ships- ex: puppies it says will be on all Alaska cruises in 2020. I assume that includes the Coral for south bound? :)

 

So with that said- which ship would be better? There are 4 of us, so I know the sleeping situation is affected, but for 7 days we could deal with that if it meant having a better experience.

 

This is our first cruise, so there really is no expectations to compare to. We really just need the kids club and for them to have some entertainment and stuff to do and want the best experience we can have for Alaska- knowing there is only so much we can do to control it. :)

[cruisequeen4ever]

Hands down...stick with the Royal! I’ve done AK on the Island (the sister to the Coral) and the Royal. There’s far more to do on the Royal than the Coral, and the Kids Club is no comparison! My sailing on the Royal provided ample places to view the glaciers and was no different in terms of ports except that we had to sail on the outside of Vancouver Island the last day instead of inside. That was not a big deal to me, but to some it was. The food options are far superior on the Royal. 

[zalusky]

The Coral has an indoor pool.  Royal does not if that is important to anybody.

[rkacruiser]

Coral Princess is my recommendation.  Plenty of outdoor decks for one to enjoy the scenery and, hopefully, the wildlife.  (And, I MUST be outdoors if one wants the best chances of seeing wildlife and glaciers calving.)  Plenty of entertainment and Alaska oriented activities on Coral as well.  Coral Princess' Horizon Court above the Bridge is surely a sightseeing advantage that Royal Princess does not have nor any equivalent venue.  I've sailed on Royal Princess in late December and am of the opinion that she does NOT offer the outdoor spaces for sightseeing that Coral Princess does.  She's a significantly larger ship with more guests and that is not a positive in my opinion with the ability to attend on-board Alaska activities/sightseeing from the ship without "where did all of these people come from" feeling.

[Coral]

The Coral and Island are no longer identical. Coral Princess is the better of the two.

 

I would never go on the Royal to Alaska. Coral Princess would be my choice - more outside decks for viewing. Covered pool also.

 

Puppies in piazzas happens on all Princess ships.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Coral

[zalusky]

I have also heard that the Royal can have issues going under the Lyons gate bridge in Vancouver and as a result they have to time low tides or in a number of cases skip the inland passage.   In addition they have had some docking issues in high winds as well in ports like Ketchikan.

 

This is less of an issue on the Coral.

[JjC81]

20 minutes ago, Coral said:

The Coral and Island are no longer identical. Coral Princess is the better of the two.

 

I would never go on the Royal to Alaska. Coral Princess would be my choice - more outside decks for viewing. Covered pool also.

 

Puppies in piazzas happens on all Princess ships.

 

Probably a dumb question but kid friendly pools- can you see scenery from them? My kids are fish. I wouldnt he surprised if they want to be in pool a bit. 

[frugaltravel]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Coral Princess is my recommendation.  Plenty of outdoor decks for one to enjoy the scenery and, hopefully, the wildlife.  (And, I MUST be outdoors if one wants the best chances of seeing wildlife and glaciers calving.)  Plenty of entertainment and Alaska oriented activities on Coral as well.  Coral Princess' Horizon Court above the Bridge is surely a sightseeing advantage that Royal Princess does not have nor any equivalent venue.  I've sailed on Royal Princess in late December and am of the opinion that she does NOT offer the outdoor spaces for sightseeing that Coral Princess does.  She's a significantly larger ship with more guests and that is not a positive in my opinion with the ability to attend on-board Alaska activities/sightseeing from the ship without "where did all of these people come from" feeling.

This is the exact reason that I also strongly suggest the Coral.  I was on the Coral for an Alaskan cruise and the Royal for a Canada/NE cruise.  Both are very scenic cruises, but on the Royal there is no open forward viewing area, either inside or outside.  The very front of the ship is all cabins.  No wraparound Promenade deck.  Alaska's highlight on board is not the entertainment, but the scenery.  I spend hours outside at the front of the ship looking for wildlife, absorbing the scenery, etc.  As was said in another post, you can also sit in the Horizon Court and have a forward view of the scenery.  No comparison IMHO.

 

[Coral]

46 minutes ago, JjC81 said:

 

Probably a dumb question but kid friendly pools- can you see scenery from them? My kids are fish. I wouldnt he surprised if they want to be in pool a bit. 

Probably not through people:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/ruby-princess-443/member-4/70553/  

 

This is a picture from Ruby (a bigger ship but an outside pool). When not at glaciers when people are blocking views, you can see that you can sort of see outside.

[WisCruiser2]

Another vote for Coral! While you could do a deluxe balcony on Royal with two kids, Alaska isn't about being in your cabin. We loved the size of the Coral (even though we've done enjoyable Caribbean cruises on both Royal and Regal) and the many viewing spaces.

[LoriPhil]

Have sailed both and Coral would be our hands-down choice for Alaska.  Wide covered Promenade Deck, great public decks aft, secret doors to forward viewing decks, forward Horizon Court (love that!) terrific library with big comfy chairs at large windows for great viewing, Card room also with good windows, covered pool which is a fun place to come with your binocs after dinner, and fewer passengers so it’s not as crazy embarking and debarking the ship.  As for itinerary, you should be zipping through the true inside passage with its spectacular landscapes.  
 

Have a wonderful cruise - Alaska - particularly sailing into or out of Vancouver is marvelous!

[mevs904]

We have sailed on both ships and would definitely recommend the Coral.  Our Alaska cruise was on the Coral and we loved the multiple fore and aft viewing spaces on the Coral as well as the full promenade deck.  We would never choose to sail on the Royal to Alaska.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Definitely the Coral Princess with its lovely promenade deck with lounge chairs and the Coral's indoor pool.

[caribill]

Another vote for the Coral.

 

In general your Alaska ports will be overcrowded because of the number of ships in port each day. At least if you are on the Coral, there will be 1500 less people in town and shorter lines to get off/on the ship.

[cr8tiv1]

My vote:  the Coral Princess.  You did not mention how old your children were or what type of cabin you were planning on reserving.  1500 people make a big difference when in port, for dining, on sea days, etc.  

[JjC81]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

My vote:  the Coral Princess.  You did not mention how old your children were or what type of cabin you were planning on reserving.  1500 people make a big difference when in port, for dining, on sea days, etc.  

 

Sorry. My kids will be 4 (nov so close to 5) and 7. 2 boys. We are getting a balcony so I think we all end up with twin beds but hubby said he can deal lol

 

They will be happy just with a pool and kids club. We have never cruised so there arent expectations with on board stuff. They do have allergies as do I, but seems any ship can accommodate. 

 

 

[Coral]

3 hours ago, JjC81 said:

 

Sorry. My kids will be 4 (nov so close to 5) and 7. 2 boys. We are getting a balcony so I think we all end up with twin beds but hubby said he can deal lol

 

They will be happy just with a pool and kids club. We have never cruised so there arent expectations with on board stuff. They do have allergies as do I, but seems any ship can accommodate. 

 

 

If you can afford a mini suite, it will give you some more space.

[LoriPhil]

if Balcony is important remember that except for aft and certain midship cabins, balcony is fairly small on the Royal.  Carib-deck balcony on Coral is large and can accommodate more people.  

[JjC81]

34 minutes ago, LoriPhil said:

if Balcony is important remember that except for aft and certain midship cabins, balcony is fairly small on the Royal.  Carib-deck balcony on Coral is large and can accommodate more people.  

 

On coral we are booked (well held) A606

On royal we are booked C620.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

14 hours ago, JjC81 said:

Probably a dumb question but kid friendly pools- can you see scenery from them? My kids are fish. I wouldnt he surprised if they want to be in pool a bit. 

 

If you are at the indoor pool on Coral it is probably easier to see the scenery from there than the outdoor, main pool.

[Coral]

48 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

If you are at the indoor pool on Coral it is probably easier to see the scenery from there than the outdoor, main pool.

Not fully sure. If you are in the pool, looking out there are tables and chairs and people in them. Then glass. Neither is ideal. Both are similar. Outdoor pool you can look up and out better.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Coral

[Coral]

1 hour ago, JjC81 said:

 

On coral we are booked (well held) A606

On royal we are booked C620.

If you can pull off a mini suite - it will be much better. Sometimes it is not that more expensive. The sleeping situation is much better. The bathroom is better.

[JjC81]

Thank you. 

 

We are switching to Coral. Aloha deck balcony. Hopefully it is the right move. 😔

 

It gives us an extra day in denali for same price as on royal. 

[CaribbeanIsland]

3 minutes ago, JjC81 said:

Thank you. 

 

We are switching to Coral. Aloha deck balcony. Hopefully it is the right move. 😔

 

It gives us an extra day in denali for same price as on royal. 

I agree with Coral. With 4 people I would do a minisuite. You did make the right decision to switch to the Coral Princess.

[paradiselivin1]

Done Alaska twice on the Coral and loved it both times. Been on the Royal several times in Caribbean but wouldn't want to take it in AK. You'll love the Coral. Hope they have the same naturalist we did this past May. She was awesome!