Coral Princess Brisbane to NZ review.

[Mycruiseobsession]

Hi thought I would make my 1st Topic a review of sorts of our Princess Cruise to New Zealand back in December. 

 

I had only ever travelled on P&O Australia so it was a new experience for us.

 

We were given Platinum Status in their Captain Circle Membership due to the number of P&O Cruises Australia we had already been on.

 

Yes the age group is mostly a lot older crowd than P&O Au however we did find a mix of families like us (40's with teens) and some younger gen child/less couples etc

 

We found the Coral Princess much more suited to what hubby and I like  (basically being spoilt and not a lot of hidden extras) 24 hour food 😀  and the medallion was perfect for us to keep track of where our kids were.

 

We would definitely  go on Princess again (without our kids) however we still prefer P&O for our travelling with kids holidays. (More activities for them e.g. water slides, zip line etc)

 

We had the plus fare that included the drinks and it was definitely not policed like P&O Australia. Overall the package was good value, included unlimited wifi that even worked well in cabin, and a photo package too. We booked well in advance and scored a fare equal to a similar P&O cruise without a drinks package!

 

I feel that they are more relaxed at policing of drinks (I could order 2 drinks at a time) and was due to the overall crowd not being in "Bali on the sea mode." No offence to  different cruisers - just my observations of the differences. 

 

Despite all the negetive reviews I must have really low standards  because  I enjoyed all the food. The only thing I was disappointed with was their coffee, was very weak even when asking for dbl and triple shots- I feel that because  the ship is very "American" compared to P&O Australia  they just do things like coffee differently. 

 

The highlight of the cruise for us was to our surprise  that we thoroughly enjoyed Milford and Dusky Sounds - we had no idea what to expect and thought it would be boring - however we were in awe and it became our favourite part of the whole 14 days!

 

If anyone has any questions about the Coral Princess and/or the ports we visited - deaprting Brisbane to Auckland, Tauranga, Napier  Wellington, Dunedin and the Fiordland National Park please feel free to ask away.

 

Edited May 12 by Mycruiseobsession

[Mycruiseobsession]

We had an obstructed view room.

We were happy with that. 

 

We are not the type to spend too much time in our rooms but we do like a bit of natural light. There was no price difference between Inside and obstructed.

 

This was the view through the window:

Edited May 12 by Mycruiseobsession

[arxcards]

Thanks. Glad it was enjoyable.

Coral has been based here for nearly two years, so the coffee should be Australianised by now. Staff come and go, and they don't really have a barista mentality when they make their coffees. We have had some good coffee on Coral, bland on another cruise, undrinkable on another. When busy, they tend to rush and work like a production line. We got good coffee at one of the bars last time, Good Spirits I think. Alas, they didn't open till 11am.

 

What is that drink with the pink stuff sticking out of it?

And are they crocs?

[Mycruiseobsession]

🤣 Yes they are indeed crocs! Best deck shoes ever.

 

Yes the best coffee I found was at the casino cafe. But again if that was the only negetive I think I did pretty well!

 

That drink is the 24K Gold Margarita and I asked for them to make it Frozen. As it was summer I enjoyed the frozen versions during the day by the pool.

 

The bartender liked to add his own special touches hence the red wine garnish. Here is another one of his creations.

 

Edited May 12 by Mycruiseobsession

[Mycruiseobsession]

21 minutes ago, arxcards said:

We got good coffee at one of the bars last time, Good Spirits I think. Alas, they didn't open till 11am.

Good Spirits was our favourite go to for pre and post dinner drinks.

 

Because we had the drinks package we made sure to try every one of their cocktails (we had 14 days so it is not as bad as it first sounds)

 

I really loved going through the menu and they gave us a really good quality menu card to keep for each drink. Actually my favourite souvenirs from the trip.

 

[MicCanberra]

Great stuff

[Sparky74]

Price is a driving force for us as we are on a fixed income but we do enjoy natural light coming into the cabin. So if the price difference isn’t too great we spring for an obstructed oceanview rather than an inferior interior cabin. 😁

[Mycruiseobsession]

10 minutes ago, Sparky74 said:

Price is a driving force for us as we are on a fixed income but we do enjoy natural light coming into the cabin. So if the price difference isn’t too great we spring for an obstructed oceanview rather than an inferior interior cabin. 😁

Yes we are the same and have been in interior, obstructed, window, balcony and mini suite all based on how cheap we can get the fare at the time of booking.

 

But I really don't  have a preference, all room types are fine for our needs - sleep and showers.

 

Sometimes  I feel a little guilty when people tell us what they paid for an interior on the same cruise and they've spent double of our balcony fare! But at the same time I am grateful we've  been lucky enough to be able to snare a great deal!

 

It's just a matter of timing.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

We had the plus fare that included the drinks and it was definitely not policed like P&O Australia. Overall the package was good value, included unlimited wifi that even worked well in cabin, and a photo package too. We booked well in advance and scored a fare equal to a similar P&O cruise without a drinks package!

 

I feel that they are more relaxed at policing of drinks (I could order 2 drinks at a time) and was due to the overall crowd not being in "Bali on the sea mode." No offence to  different cruisers - just my observations of the differences. 

Not so much about being relaxed, but the practicality of the system. When app ordering to cabin, it is much easier for everyone if both drinks are ordered in the one transaction. The system just assumes it is one drink each, and applies it to your package that way.

 

On the shorter Princess cruises, there are quite a few that are 3 sheets to the wind.

[Ozwoody]

Great review, thank you.

 

We agree budget plays a large part in what cabin we select, if we can get better than an interior for roughly the same cost we go for it, otherwise we don't spend a lot of time either in the cabin, so interiors ok.

 

Hil prefers the room pitch black, I love the light streaming in, but generally I'm up early so does not really matter.😄

 

Thank you again.

Regards

John

 

[Mycruiseobsession]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

if both drinks are ordered in the one transaction. The system just assumes it is one drink each, and applies it to your package that way.

Actually it would take 2 off my 15 of the day and hubby would still have his full 15. We had our onboard account completely separated to ensure the kids weren't spending up.

 

He did use his daily quota up on some of the sea days (he works hard and plays hard) on top of me ordering two (one for him and me) from my quota.

 

In contrast P&O Au are very strict and will only allow you to order one included alcoholic drink at a time. You have to have both cruise cards to enable to get your partner's drink at the bar. 

 

We often have occasions where I choose to go to the  bar myself while hubby minds our spot rather than wait for the waiters come to us. It's  my accidental exercise for the day 😁

Edited May 12 by Mycruiseobsession

[ceeceeDee]

2 hours ago, Sparky74 said:

Price is a driving force for us as we are on a fixed income but we do enjoy natural light coming into the cabin. So if the price difference isn’t too great we spring for an obstructed oceanview rather than an inferior interior cabin. 😁

I've only ever been in an interior cabin once and that was way back in (I think) 1971 in a 4 berth cabin on the old P&O Iberia. That was sailing by the seat of your pants - sharing a cabin with strangers and trekking down the hallway to the communal bathroom!😯 And we plebs were separated from the first class passengers. Not that we cared, it was only a 3 day cruise to nowhere and it was a girls' weekend away for my friend and me.

These days there is no way I'd go interior. I'm not claustrophobic, but I do like natural light. An obstructed oceanview wouldn't bother me (though if I'm completely honest, I prefer a mini suite 😂). All comes down to dollars in the end.

 

[Mycruiseobsession]

@ceeceeDee Time and experience certainly influences our preferences! I definitely wouldn't want any back packer communal style cruising now but I am pretty sure when I was 19 I would have loved it! 

 

It's  like P&O Au to Princess I suppose, I do like P&O but there were things about the Coral Princess that really catered to my evolved tastes 😂

[ceeceeDee]

10 minutes ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

@ceeceeDee Time and experience certainly influences our preferences! I definitely wouldn't want any back packer communal style cruising now but I am pretty sure when I was 19 I would have loved it! 

 

It's  like P&O Au to Princess I suppose, I do like P&O but there were things about the Coral Princess that really catered to my evolved tastes 😂

Every cruise line is different (for better or worse depending on your individual point of view and taste). For instance, we cruised on Symphony of the Seas a while back and I'm sure the Americans around us were amused to see four Aussie tourists' jaws simultaneously hit the deck when we exited the gang plank and stepped on the ship to discover ourselves confronted by a glittering shopping mall! Definitely not what we were expecting. If we wanted bells, whistles and whizz bangs this ship filled the bill. It was all very slick and we did enjoy it, but prefer the smaller ships to this floating metropolis.🙂

[cruiser3775]

25 minutes ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

I do like P&O but there were things about the Coral Princess that really catered to my evolved tastes 

Thanks for the trip report. Always good to hear about other cruisers' experiences.  Coral Princess is so far my favourite ship, and I know a lot of people here just love it.  I'm doing my first P & O AU cruise later this year, so will be interested in making comparisons.

[ceeceeDee]

1 minute ago, cruiser3775 said:

Thanks for the trip report. Always good to hear about other cruisers' experiences.  Coral Princess is so far my favourite ship, and I know a lot of people here just love it.  I'm doing my first P & O AU cruise later this year, so will be interested in making comparisons.

Just bear in mind that P&O is a budget line and Princess' poor cousin.🙂 (P&O ships are Princess cast offs). Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking P&O. We've sailed with them a lot over the years and always had a good time. Just that Princess is a cut above (but then again it is also a price above). You will probably find things that compare and things that are different or not as good between Princess and P&O. A matter of individual taste and individual expectations.

[cruiser3775]

Yes, I had read all the reports on P & O Au and had not considered that company. But I was looking for somewhere to cruise over my birthday, which I find difficult since I became a solo traveller, and P & O had a cruise that just fitted nicely, including a couple of ports that are new to me.  I'm not expecting miracles for the price I paid. 

I learned a lesson when I took a cruise on Carnival Splendor, which was being bagged by everyone. I actually enjoyed it enough to book another one on the same ship. Definitely a matter of individual taste, expectations and your degree of tolerance. I think.

Edited May 12 by cruiser3775

[ceeceeDee]

Absolutely. It's like film reviews. Critics have panned movies that I have actually enjoyed and conversely praised movies that I thought were rubbish.

Yes, you can get some guidance reading cruise reviews, but frankly I've found that most reviews are written by people who wanted to have a good rant and complain about everything. Unfortunately, most people who have a good time, don't bother to leap into print to say so. Honestly, I've read reviews from people who were on the same ship and at the same time as us and couldn't believe the negative comments. Their experience certainly wasn't ours.

[Ozwoody]

14 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Yes, I had read all the reports on P & O Au and had not considered that company. But I was looking for somewhere to cruise over my birthday, which I find difficult since I became a solo traveller, and P & O had a cruise that just fitted nicely, including a couple of ports that are new to me.  I'm not expecting miracles for the price I paid. 

I learned a lesson when I took a cruise on Carnival Splendor, which was being bagged by everyone. I actually enjoyed it enough to book another one on the same ship. Definitely a matter of individual taste, expectations and your degree of tolerance. I think.

Hi @cruiser3775, ass @ceeceeDee said some people can focus on their negative experience as they see them. I did on one cruise but later on consideration realised it was not as bad as I felt at the time.

I did a review of a being a Princess bolted on, as new P&O cruiser here if your interested. here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2971326-po-pacific-encounter-cruise-review-13th-oct-–-20th-oct-2023-–-north-queensland/?do=findComment&comment=66345780

I tried to just be non-biased and fair as I could, P&O was not my favourite line, but its not a bad one either, just different to what I am use too. A tried to be a bit like @Mycruiseobsession but in reverse.

 

Regards

John

 

[arxcards]

49 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Just bear in mind that P&O is a budget line and Princess' poor cousin.🙂 (P&O ships are Princess cast offs). Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking P&O. We've sailed with them a lot over the years and always had a good time. Just that Princess is a cut above (but then again it is also a price above). You will probably find things that compare and things that are different or not as good between Princess and P&O. A matter of individual taste and individual expectations.

P&O don't think they are a budget line though. They consider themselves the best in their field - cruising the Australian way. They may have had a box to stand on a few years back, but trimming costs to cruise to a price has turned them into a receding brand. The same is happening to Princess, but at a much slower pace.

[Mycruiseobsession]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

tried to just be non-biased and fair as I could, P&O was not my favourite line, but its not a bad one either, just different to what I am use too. A tried to be a bit like @Mycruiseobsession but in reverse.

Great review 👏 

 

It's always good to read about everyone's  different  perspectives. 

 

And as everyone has said we all experience  and perceive things differently. There were people on Coral Princess that did nothing  but complain while others appeared to have a great time!

 

I would definitely go on both Princess and P&O Au again. I do like the fact that I am almost Elite on Princess even though I have only been on one actual Princess ship!!

 

There's a recent thread on Pacific Explorer that is useful in terms of current menus and going ons at P&O Au. I have to work out how to copy it and paste it here! 😆

[Sparky74]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

P&O don't think they are a budget line though. They consider themselves the best in their field - cruising the Australian way. They may have had a box to stand on a few years back, but trimming costs to cruise to a price has turned them into a receding brand. The same is happening to Princess, but at a much slower pace.

The same is true of Royal Caribbean. IMHO
 

The sad truth is that all the cruiselines haemorrhaged shiploads of money during the lockdown. To make up for those losses they need to increase their profit margin by either cutting costs or increasing prices or both. 

[Mycruiseobsession]

Hope this works. It's the P&O Explorer thread I was referring to.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/3006471-onboard-po-pacific-explorer/

[arxcards]

6 hours ago, Mycruiseobsession said:

Actually it would take 2 off my 15 of the day and hubby would still have his full 15. We had our onboard account completely separated to ensure the kids weren't spending up.

 

He did use his daily quota up on some of the sea days (he works hard and plays hard) on top of me ordering two (one for him and me) from my quota.

 

In contrast P&O Au are very strict and will only allow you to order one included alcoholic drink at a time. You have to have both cruise cards to enable to get your partner's drink at the bar. 

 

We often have occasions where I choose to go to the  bar myself while hubby minds our spot rather than wait for the waiters come to us. It's  my accidental exercise for the day 😁

For Good Spirits, we target one of those 8 stools at the bar, except for when it gets quiet later in the night. There are also times when you are drinking spirits when they will ask if you want a double. P&O are strict in every which way, but the Ocean Now delivery will not work on Princess if they followed the same guidelines.

 

P&O also seem to be paranoid about sharing of drinks with non-package passengers and that motivates their strictness more than RSA. Their bars are reconciled every cruise, and staff are judged on their adherence to stock levels. That means if the cocktail lists Absolut vodka, that is usually the only option. Any other brand is rung-up as a sum of the parts, and if it goes 5 cents over you can't have it in the package. Nice that you can have a $23 cocktail with plus on Princess and pay just the $1 overs.

 

You tried a few cocktails in 14 nights. What were your favourites?

[Astro Flyer]

@Mycruiseobsession In March 2025 we fly from the US to cruise on Princess roundtrip Brisbane circumnavigating Australia which will be our first time there. At the end we’ll fly to Auckland for 2 days before cruising Princess back to the US. If you have any experiences to share about Brisbane where we’re planning to arrive 4 days before our cruise it would be greatly appreciated.
 

Looking at BNE/AKL flights they are limited…either at about 1800 or 1100. How was your disembarkation experience? Was it early enough to make an 1115 flight? Most flights are early morning (0500-0900) but we’re hoping that the 1115 flight might be doable instead of waiting until 1800. Catching the earlier flight would be dependent upon when we could disembark & how long it’d take to get to BNE.

 

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
 

Edited May 12 by Astro Flyer