Coral Princess Opinions Please

[JohnnyG7]

Boarding the Coral Princess on February 5 in Brisbane for 7 nights. Haven’t travelled on her before. Have a club class mini suite. 
Are there any bad or good things/experiences travellers have had that I should be aware of. Have never had problems with any of our Princess cruises before but always good to find out from fellow cruisers before we board.

Is the cruise director Jodi? And are there any shows worth missing? Etc etc

Cheers to all.

[OzKiwiJJ]

She's an older ship, Panamax class, designed for the Panama Canal original locks. She holds the same number of passengers as the old Sun class ships and combines the best of that class and the Grand class - generous public spaces, lounges, bars and a decent sized theatre. Personally I think she is the best in the Princess fleet!

 

The minisuites are lovely although the sofas can be a bit saggy at one end. Club class dining is great. It has the same menu as the rest of the MDRs with an extra speciality or two added. The service is excellent.

 

One show you absolutely must not miss (unless you hate New Orleans jazz) is On the Bayou which is performed in the Universe Lounge, not the theatre. There is usually a good selection of live music throughout the ship with enough variety so that if one venue doesn't suit your mood there is always somewhere else. 

 

She is well set-up for Aussie coffee drinkers with espresso-based drinks available not only at the International Cafe, which on this ship is on deck 6 mid-aft, but also in the Good Spirits Bar (deck 5) and the Wheelhouse Bar (deck 7).

 

She has a full promenade deck but I believe they've changed the seats there. There is plenty of space for walkers/joggers, shuffleboard players, ans those just wanting to sit and relax.

 

She has two pools midships, one is covered. The Sanctuary is aft and has it's own small pool.

[JohnnyG7]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

She's an older ship, Panamax class, designed for the Panama Canal original locks. She holds the same number of passengers as the old Sun class ships and combines the best of that class and the Grand class - generous public spaces, lounges, bars and a decent sized theatre. Personally I think she is the best in the Princess fleet!

 

The minisuites are lovely although the sofas can be a bit saggy at one end. Club class dining is great. It has the same menu as the rest of the MDRs with an extra speciality or two added. The service is excellent.

 

One show you absolutely must not miss (unless you hate New Orleans jazz) is On the Bayou which is performed in the Universe Lounge, not the theatre. There is usually a good selection of live music throughout the ship with enough variety so that if one venue doesn't suit your mood there is always somewhere else. 

 

She is well set-up for Aussie coffee drinkers with espresso-based drinks available not only at the International Cafe, which on this ship is on deck 6 mid-aft, but also in the Good Spirits Bar (deck 5) and the Wheelhouse Bar (deck 7).

 

She has a full promenade deck but I believe they've changed the seats there. There is plenty of space for walkers/joggers, shuffleboard players, ans those just wanting to sit and relax.

 

She has two pools midships, one is covered. The Sanctuary is aft and has it's own small pool.

 

[JohnnyG7]

Thankyou for your information on the Coral. For your info, we love New Orleans Jazz having been there a few years ago. Will definately not miss On the Bayou.

Cheers. ☺☺☺

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, JohnnyG7 said:

Thankyou for your information on the Coral. For your info, we love New Orleans Jazz having been there a few years ago. Will definately not miss On the Bayou.

Cheers. ☺☺☺

I've seen it three times already and am looking forward to seeing again when we do the world cruise on Coral in a few months time.

[ceeceeDee]

55 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

She's an older ship, Panamax class, designed for the Panama Canal original locks. She holds the same number of passengers as the old Sun class ships and combines the best of that class and the Grand class - generous public spaces, lounges, bars and a decent sized theatre. Personally I think she is the best in the Princess fleet!

 

The minisuites are lovely although the sofas can be a bit saggy at one end. Club class dining is great. It has the same menu as the rest of the MDRs with an extra speciality or two added. The service is excellent.

 

One show you absolutely must not miss (unless you hate New Orleans jazz) is On the Bayou which is performed in the Universe Lounge, not the theatre. There is usually a good selection of live music throughout the ship with enough variety so that if one venue doesn't suit your mood there is always somewhere else. 

 

She is well set-up for Aussie coffee drinkers with espresso-based drinks available not only at the International Cafe, which on this ship is on deck 6 mid-aft, but also in the Good Spirits Bar (deck 5) and the Wheelhouse Bar (deck 7).

 

She has a full promenade deck but I believe they've changed the seats there. There is plenty of space for walkers/joggers, shuffleboard players, ans those just wanting to sit and relax.

 

She has two pools midships, one is covered. The Sanctuary is aft and has it's own small pool.

Haven't been on Coral personally, but a close friend loves her to bits.

[yes!yes!yes!]

I love the library on coral.

great chairs and view.

the pool, especially the inside one are really dated/scruffy. there are public decks aft that are huge and quiet.

the casino  is miniature.

the other show with the guest opera singer (although I'm not an opera fan) is a good show too.

 

[Jean C]

1 hour ago, JohnnyG7 said:

Thankyou for your information on the Coral. For your info, we love New Orleans Jazz having been there a few years ago. Will definately not miss On the Bayou.

Cheers. ☺☺☺

I second @OzKiwiJJ's recommendation of On the Bayou, I've seen it 3 times and wouldn't dream of missing it. In my opinion it's the best on board show I've seen, I been on a few different ships and lines. It's a small venue, so get there early for a seat with the best view 😊

[arxcards]

We love the ship. If not our favourite, it is pretty close. Hard to define, but it is like a pair of comfy slippers and it feels just right within minutes of boarding.

 

We are due for our 3rd Coral cruise at the end of Feb, and really looking forward to it. We have enjoyed our minis on the past two cruises and have stumped for a full suite this time. Take advantage of your club class breakfasts in Sabatinis. One thing I am not a fan of in the minis is the balconies of many are not particularly protected or private. The club class ones are supposed to be the pick of them though.

 

 

[joejoe 59]

We are looking forward to our 2nd cruise on Coral Princess next Thursday,  can't wait. I'll be making sure to see the shows.

I'm hoping next week's impending cyclone doesn't make it too rocky.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

I love the library on coral.

great chairs and view.

the pool, especially the inside one are really dated/scruffy. there are public decks aft that are huge and quiet.

the casino  is miniature.

the other show with the guest opera singer (although I'm not an opera fan) is a good show too.

 

That show is Encore. Pop-op with fabulous costumes. It's one of my favourites.

[yes!yes!yes!]

49 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

That show is Encore. Pop-op with fabulous costumes. It's one of my favourites.

yes. that's the one. some great song choices too.

I saw it couple of times  over the b2b2b2b

[SinbadThePorter]

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

One show you absolutely must not miss (unless you hate New Orleans jazz) is On the Bayou which is performed in the Universe Lounge, not the theatre.

 

It was suggested to me while on board earlier this month that the stage mechanisms are getting extremely temperamental with age, and the number of shows per cruise will probably decline over time. So catch it while you can.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

yes. that's the one. some great song choices too.

I saw it couple of times  over the b2b2b2b

On Diamond last year they had Bravo which was the precursor to Encore. I actually prefer the mix of songs in Bravo so it was great to see it again. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

29 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

It was suggested to me while on board earlier this month that the stage mechanisms are getting extremely temperamental with age, and the number of shows per cruise will probably decline over time. So catch it while you can.

Oh no!

 

🤔 How many times do you think I'll see it on the world cruise? I imagine they'll offer it at least once per sector.

[windsor26]

Some of the ver4y best crew on any of the Princess ships   Only drawback  the International Cafe barristers are very very slow and serve the queue waiting instead of filling their waiters' orders   I did mention this on my survey so it may have improved

[MicCanberra]

I have been on her several times, she is tired in some heavy use areas, many of the chairs, (lounges, theatre) require replacing as the padding has flattened ans they are now rather uncomfortable if sitting for a long time more than an hour.

That said, she is a great ship, would sail on her again easily.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

Some of the ver4y best crew on any of the Princess ships   Only drawback  the International Cafe barristers are very very slow and serve the queue waiting instead of filling their waiters' orders   I did mention this on my survey so it may have improved

That's why we always went to the Good Spirits bar for coffee but, of course, you can't get food there.

[Grammy J]

We will be on the Coral,  February 2025. I think I read somewhere that she is scheduled for a dry dock this year. Does anyone know about that? 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, Grammy J said:

We will be on the Coral,  February 2025. I think I read somewhere that she is scheduled for a dry dock this year. Does anyone know about that? 

I believe she is going up to Singapore for a dry dock in September, once she returns from this year's world cruise.

[MicCanberra]

She needs a freshen up

[Tranquility Base]

34 minutes ago, Grammy J said:

We will be on the Coral,  February 2025. I think I read somewhere that she is scheduled for a dry dock this year. Does anyone know about that? 

26 Sept - 17 Oct.

[windsor26]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

That's why we always went to the Good Spirits bar for coffee but, of course, you can't get food there.

Yes we knew they were the best from day one as all the senior officers went there for their coffee

[windsor26]

27 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

26 Sept - 17 Oct.

Yes we were advised by a senior officer on the Royal this week that after re fit she will go back to her original schedule using the OLD Panama canal and doing itineries around that 

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, windsor26 said:

Yes we were advised by a senior officer on the Royal this week that after re fit she will go back to her original schedule using the OLD Panama canal and doing itineries around that 

It was announced last March, when Crown Princess was announced as coming to Australia. A shame she is leaving, but she was built for cruising either side of the Panama.