Live Reports - Cruising on Coral Princess September 2022.

[Porky55]

OK, caught this while browsing this morning and just wondering how Princess fans feel about what he is saying 🙄
 

All his points, both good and bad we have encountered and not sure I’m liking the look of the future Princess. About to cruise on Majestic so can judge it against the smaller Coral. Just really love these smaller ships 😮‍💨

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, arxcards said:

An extra glass of plus grade wine for you tonight - you deserve it.

 

If not too much trouble on your PNG cruise, could you keep an eye out for where TRS is set up. This will be interesting,, departing Sydney but also calling in Brisbane and Cairns before leaving Australia. TIA.

I'll try. Remind me on the 25th!

Edited September 16, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, boeckli said:

 

Is there no longer a bus (I think it was #109) that goes from inside the terminal to the city, thus eliminating the long walk to the tram station?

Yes, there is a bus, we caught it this morning but it stopped at the Southbank side of Queens Bridge St - the Casino East tram stop - so it was 1km to the place we wanted to go which was right at the Collins/Swanston St tram stop. So we probably walked about the same distance regardless. 🤣😒

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

That is a lot of walking!  You will be fitter after your cruise.  I did 17,000 steps over 3 days at the Royal Adelaide Show recently.  No wonder I was exhausted when I got home!

Actually it was a wake- up call for us. We hadn't realised how unfit we'd become. We'd become couch potatoes partly due to Covid and soggy Sydney weather.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, Porky55 said:

OK, caught this while browsing this morning and just wondering how Princess fans feel about what he is saying 🙄
 

All his points, both good and bad we have encountered and not sure I’m liking the look of the future Princess. About to cruise on Majestic so can judge it against the smaller Coral. Just really love these smaller ships 😮‍💨

 

 

Thanks for sharing.  Mega ships are certainly not for me!  

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Actually it was a wake- up call for us. We hadn't realised how unfit we'd become. We'd become couch potatoes partly due to Covid and soggy Sydney weather.

I noticed a big change in my level of fitness when I followed the Government advice for the elderly to basically stay safe at home.  The Royal Adelaide Show is the first big crowded event I've attended. 

[Cbtours]

4 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Ok, I officially hate Station Pier. It's too damn long. Coral is docked bow on. Our cabin is aft.

 

So to get out of Station Pier we walk from our cabin to midships to exit the ship. However the entrance to the cruise terminal is almost at far end of the wharf, roughly opposite our cabin. Then we walk right through the terminal to the escalators which are roughly opposite the ship's gangway. Then it's around half a kilometre to the street.

 

We did this walk four times yesterday!!! Plus all the walking around the city! Unfortuately we're not as fit as we'd like to be so we were a bit achy last night.

 

And guess what? We have go back into the city today to pick up Rolf's new dinner jacket which needed the sleeve length altering. Ouch!

 

🤣🤣🤣

Station St Pier!!!!! Hence why we were soooooo impressed with BICT!!!!

[Cbtours]

16 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Thanks for sharing.  Mega ships are certainly not for me!  

Ive not been on any mega ship but I honestly havent felt it would for "us"

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, Cbtours said:

Ive not been on any mega ship but I honestly havent felt it would for "us"

It wouldn't suit us either.

 

I wonder what will happen in a few more years?

 

Will cruise lines like Princess start building some smaller ships again, about the size of Coral Princess, that is more acceptable to smaller ports so more interesting ports can be added to itineraries.

 

Also with all the big ships these days there might be a backlash from passengers who expect to spend a pleasant day ashore at a port only to find 4-5 other ships in ports, each carrying 4,500-6,000 passengers so the port becomes unpleasantly crowded. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

As we were having lunch in the buffet it started to rain so we retired to our cabin to relax.

 

I decided to try the massive spa bath in our suite. It was a bit tricky getting into it. I ended up sitting down with a big splash! Luckily I'd only half filled it at that point. The spa jets were nice and my feet got a nice massage, as did my back. Getting out of it was much easier. It's a very high-sided bath so tricky if you've got a stiff knees. Anyway it soothed all my aches so I feel much better now.

 

Time to get dressed for dinner! There is too much nice food on this ship.🤣

[Cbtours]

23 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It wouldn't suit us either.

 

I wonder what will happen in a few more years?

 

Will cruise lines like Princess start building some smaller ships again, about the size of Coral Princess, that is more acceptable to smaller ports so more interesting ports can be added to itineraries.

 

Also with all the big ships these days there might be a backlash from passengers who expect to spend a pleasant day ashore at a port only to find 4-5 other ships in ports, each carrying 4,500-6,000 passengers so the port becomes unpleasantly crowded. 

I can’t imagine the embarking and disembarking with so many.

[arxcards]

28 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It wouldn't suit us either.

 

I wonder what will happen in a few more years?

 

Will cruise lines like Princess start building some smaller ships again, about the size of Coral Princess, that is more acceptable to smaller ports so more interesting ports can be added to itineraries.

 

Also with all the big ships these days there might be a backlash from passengers who expect to spend a pleasant day ashore at a port only to find 4-5 other ships in ports, each carrying 4,500-6,000 passengers so the port becomes unpleasantly crowded. 

Smaller ships, no. Now that the Panama has been widened, it is all about economy of scale. While their largest cruise markets are about newer = bigger, that is what we will be handed when they are done with them.  10 years ago, I would have said that you couldn't base a Grand class ship down here, but here we are about to have two of them.

[arxcards]

20 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

I can’t imagine the embarking and disembarking with so many.

More passengers = more terminal staff. Add the better check-in systems such as medallion, and check-in will be a breeze on most days.

[Cbtours]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

More passengers = more terminal staff. Add the better check-in systems such as medallion, and check-in will be a breeze on most days.

Maybe, but Im not convinced yet lol

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

Smaller ships, no. Now that the Panama has been widened, it is all about economy of scale. While their largest cruise markets are about newer = bigger, that is what we will be handed when they are done with them.  10 years ago, I would have said that you couldn't base a Grand class ship down here, but here we are about to have two of them.

Then I guess Princess will lose cruisers like us who prefer smaller ships that can get into smaller ports. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Oops! I just broke my rule of only having one Milky Way cocktail a night. I think I need to .... Zzzzzz 😙

[Cbtours]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

As we were having lunch in the buffet it started to rain so we retired to our cabin to relax.

 

I decided to try the massive spa bath in our suite. It was a bit tricky getting into it. I ended up sitting down with a big splash! Luckily I'd only half filled it at that point. The spa jets were nice and my feet got a nice massage, as did my back. Getting out of it was much easier. It's a very high-sided bath so tricky if you've got a stiff knees. Anyway it soothed all my aches so I feel much better now.

 

Time to get dressed for dinner! There is too much nice food on this ship.🤣

We didn’t use the spa, Frank felt getting in would possibly be okay but not getting out! Sounds like we missed out lol

[JohnGc]

I  was very reluctant to go on a mega ship but the wife was keen to go on a newer ship. After our cruise on the  Radiance we went on the Ovation. Embarkation on the Ovation was smooth and so was the disembarkation. On board we never felt crowded, we also never found any problem finding a table in the buffet. I was expecting the worst with nearly 5000 passengers but was pleasantly surprised how it turned out.  When on the Radiance ( loved the ship ) but for some reason took ages to get on and off and we struggled to find chairs on deck during the day and also in the buffet. I must point out that we turned up at the Sydney OPT around the same time of day on each cruise to avoid the morning crushes.

[OzKiwiJJ]

22 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

We didn’t use the spa, Frank felt getting in would possibly be okay but not getting out! Sounds like we missed out lol

Yes, it was rather nice once you got in. I meant to try it on the June cruise but ran out of time. I really needed a good, hot soak today so it was wonderful (apart from the well- contained big splash!🤣).

[arxcards]

8 hours ago, Porky55 said:

OK, caught this while browsing this morning and just wondering how Princess fans feel about what he is saying 🙄
 

All his points, both good and bad we have encountered and not sure I’m liking the look of the future Princess. About to cruise on Majestic so can judge it against the smaller Coral. Just really love these smaller ships 😮‍💨

The first time I set foot on Diamond Princess, I thought it was going to feel much less personal than previous cruises on Sun & Dawn and other ships of a similar size on other lines. Dropped my bag in a standard Princess cookie-cutter cabin, and headed to the atrium which was distinctly familiar. I was back on Princess, and it was like Sun Princess but better for the next 13 nights. Majestic will be new to us as well, but I expect to have a typical Princess experience on her as well.

 

My biggest concern with the larger ships is tendering, so it sure helps to have a black medallion around your neck. A nice bonus for ships to dock at Cairns, but it wasn't far back the other side of lockdown that even Pacific Dawn was tendering at the Knob, so this is a newer bonus for slightly smaller ships. All of the contemporary lines' ships are getting bigger and Princess has indeed cast off their smaller ships, but so have many others, P&O Australia - HAL - Carnival included. Mainstream cruising is changing, not just Princess.

 

There are a few points I would get into a deep discussion from the video, but will let them slide by as I think most of us can see both sides of the coin. Too many families are changing Princess? Gimme a break, they were probably Aussie families, as Aussie based Princess has been family oriented for 15 years. Perhaps they should move over to HAL.

[Cbtours]

8 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, it was rather nice once you got in. I meant to try it on the June cruise but ran out of time. I really needed a good, hot soak today so it was wonderful (apart from the well- contained big splash!🤣).

Sounds like it rounded off your birthday celebrations nicely 🥰

[MicCanberra]

I am jealous of the spa bath  it is even large enough for me but alas we have only a minisuite bath.

[Jean C]

11 hours ago, Cbtours said:

We didn’t use the spa, Frank felt getting in would possibly be okay but not getting out! Sounds like we missed out lol

Hahaha, I have that problem too 😅 

[Aus Traveller]

50 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I am jealous of the spa bath  it is even large enough for me but alas we have only a minisuite bath.

We found that minisuite bath to be a 'trap'. On the first night I looked at it dubiously and wondered aloud if I should have a bath as a novelty. At home we are on our own water supply so only have showers. I enjoyed the soak and everything was good until it came time to get out. The bath is very narrow and has very high sides. I had difficulty in turning over to get up and only managed to get out with my husband hauling me up by the arms. Then foolishly, he decided he also would have a bath. Getting a 110kg 6'3" man out of the bath was a mammoth effort! It wasn't pretty to watch but we were fortunate he didn't have to spend the whole cruise in the bath.

 

We were telling someone on board the story and they said they also had trouble getting out. Just to be helpful, there is an emergency cord hanging beside the bath. Maybe Princess has had people stuck there before. Anyway, this other couple told us that while the husband was thrashing around and doing contortions trying to get out (and thinking he never would) the phone rang. I laughed and asked "How would that help? The phone is in the main part of the cabin, not the bathroom". He said his wife picked it up and someone asked if there was an emergency because the cord was pulled. His wife was now alerted to his problem and with her help, he got out of the bath.

 

For the rest of the cruise, we only had showers.

[resordanis]

10 hours ago, arxcards said:

The first time I set foot on Diamond Princess, I thought it was going to feel much less personal than previous cruises on Sun & Dawn and other ships of a similar size on other lines. Dropped my bag in a standard Princess cookie-cutter cabin, and headed to the atrium which was distinctly familiar. I was back on Princess, and it was like Sun Princess but better for the next 13 nights. Majestic will be new to us as well, but I expect to have a typical Princess experience on her as well.

 

My biggest concern with the larger ships is tendering, so it sure helps to have a black medallion around your neck. A nice bonus for ships to dock at Cairns, but it wasn't far back the other side of lockdown that even Pacific Dawn was tendering at the Knob, so this is a newer bonus for slightly smaller ships. All of the contemporary lines' ships are getting bigger and Princess has indeed cast off their smaller ships, but so have many others, P&O Australia - HAL - Carnival included. Mainstream cruising is changing, not just Princess.

 

There are a few points I would get into a deep discussion from the video, but will let them slide by as I think most of us can see both sides of the coin. Too many families are changing Princess? Gimme a break, they were probably Aussie families, as Aussie based Princess has been family oriented for 15 years. Perhaps they should move over to HAL.

Majestic is a lovely ship and I am sure you will enjoy and so new (well it was prior to Covid). We absolutely  Diamond, but you are right, they all have the Princess feel after a little while.  I am told the balcony cabins on Majestic are quite small, so will find out shortly. When we were last on Majestic we were upgraded to a full suite and it was much smaller than the Diamond Princess  suites. No upgrades this time, but we are just happy to have a cruise and we have two on Majestic shortly, plus several on our much loved Ovation.  Unfortunately for some,  Majestic is tendering from Yorkers Knob, and a way from Cairns. Not for us as our son lives close by😁😁 Cannot wait to cruise again.