Coral Princess R/T Panama Canal Review 4/8-4/18, 2007 long.....

[cruzegirl]

Cruise Review Coral Princess April 8-18, 2007

 

This cruise was the 6th one for me. We are a group of 12 and all of them have cruised before. I have cruised with 3 of them several times.... One of them has cruised about 13 times. We've cruised with Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL. So it's an experienced group. We chose this cruise for a couple of reasons. First off, part of the group was a family of 4 and their daughter was studying the Panama Canal in school. Also, the group had all wanted to cruise the Panama Canal at some point, whether it was a round trip (as we did) or a transition from the East coast to West coast or vice versa. We booked this cruise about 1 year ahead of time.

 

We all made our own flight arrangements. We did not use Princess air. Too many restrictions and too expensive. We all arrived on Saturday, April 7, the day before the cruise and stayed at the Ramada Inn Ft. Lauderdale. Very nice hotel. They have a center area where the pool is and it's landscaped like a tropical paradise. They also have a Tiki bar during the day. They don't have elevators so take that into consideration if any of your party is disabled. One of our group members had a stroke several years ago and requires a wheelchair for distances. Luckily, we were on the ground floor. Had we not been, I would of requested it as I was the first to arrive. The Ramada does have shuttle buses from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the pier. They also have a restaurant on the premises and it has great food....

 

On April 8th we boarded the shuttle bus @ 11:30 a.m. for the approx. 15 min drive to the pier to board our ship. Embarkation was pretty easy. Our only hold up was the line we chose for our deck. There were 2 passengers that had a problem due to the computer not having all the correct info. It held up the line for about 30min. They should have taken them out of the line and not held everyone up. We finally got into a 2nd line and got through our processing. We had our sign/sail card and off to board the ship.... We were embarking by about 12:30-12:45 p.m. Went right to our room and dropped stuff off to go eat.

 

We had 2 sea days which were thoroughly enjoyed poolside. FYI, the pool on the Coral Princess is a deep one. Never experienced this before. It goes from 5'2" to 7'2". It was great but surprising. It is also fresh water and I love that. On our 2nd sea day we had rough seas and the pool became a wave pool..... Literally! It would go down/over on the water from 3"-4-5".... It was wild. Very warm and had a great time.

 

Our first port was the Panama Canal crossing. I had scoped out what I thought would be a great spot after being on the Caribbean Princess and finding a private area that most people don't know about. Luckily the Coral Princess had the same spot. I knew I wanted to be in the front going through the first time. I did not want to be up on the decks with a 1000 other folks fighting for space and trying to see through the glass panels. I found my spot, told my group and planned to be up early to get that spot saved. Which I did. All 12 of us were out there along with maybe 10 others but mostly all by ourselves. My plan worked.....lol.... It was awesome. They have these little train engines (several of them) that hook up to the ship to help guide it through the Canal. It's mainly to keep it straight as there is about 5-6" each side to not scrape. Ship is under their own power but does need to be guided. You have 3 locks for the Gatun Locks. You go in, the water fills and you go through. We all did feel the rise and descent going the other way.. It's quite fun. On the way back through, we got our prime spot in the aft of the ship and watched a cargo ship coming through behind us. It was awesome. We even had room service delivered to our aft spot. It was great. After coming back through, we docked in Cristobol. You can dis-embark for some shopping. And those that did excursions, getting off in the Gatun Lake to do Panama Canal excursions, boarded back on here. They have a warehouse there for vendors. Some cute things. Two things to beware of regarding this port. One is that it is VERY HOT in Panama. Make sure you have water, a hat and sunscreen. Second, if you go to the warehouse for shopping, there are some local, native vendors that are almost naked. Mainly the women are topless but the guys aren't wearing very much either. So if you have kids, be aware. So off to Costa Rica.

 

The next day we arrived in Limon, Costa Rica. My dad had told me that if we did any excursion, do the San Jose one. But everyone on the boards disagreed with that. Plus it was very early in the a.m. and very far away. So our group decided to do the Eco/Countryside tour. It included a tour of a Banana Plantation (very interesting), a river tour (very cool) and saw a sloth, birds, a geiko and a native kid was in a boat shoreside holding a small crocodile or alligator. Not sure which it was. Then we did a ride on a train over the countryside. There is alot of impoverished folks in that area but they seemed friendly and happy to see us. Then back to the ship...

We had a sea day between Limon and our next port. Spent it poolside as usual.....

 

The next port was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I loved this port. Loved the area and the people were very nice. Our group did many different things here. I did the Chukka Cove Horseback Ride/Swim along the beach... Absolutely loved it. I have had horses/ridden for over 30 years but recently had a scare that almost made me cancel this excursion. Glad I didn't. We did about a 30-40 minute ride along the beach and trails. Then got to this cove area where they took off the saddles, put on bareback pads and we rode the horses in the ocean for about 10-15 minutes. I loved it.... I stressed a little wondering how we would not float off the horses back.. But the bareback pads have breast collars that keep them on.... It was tons of fun... They do have people there that take photos of you while you ride in the ocean. The cost is 6 photos for $20.. They have a computer there so you can view/pick the photos and then they put them on CD for you.... It was cool. My horses name was Volcano..... And he did well......

 

Next port was Grand Cayman. Again, our group went in different directions. I'm the only diver of the group and chose the 2 tank dive for adv. divers through Princess. I had tried to do Stingray City in Dec. on another cruise but it had been canceled. This dive did a dive of the North Wall first and then included a dive at Stingray City. The dive shop Princess used was Resort Sports who is associated Spanish Bay Resort. They took us by van to the dock. We did the first dive and it was great. But the Stingray City dive was the highlight. You get to feed the Stingrays and just watch them. They are so graceful.. And very large..... You do have to be careful if feeding as they are like dogs that got the first taste and want to come back for more. They didn't believe I didn't have more and ended with 2 hickies from these creatures. One is a golf ball size bruise/hicky.... They have very strong suction. Then back to the ship... It was a short port day leaving at 3pm so once back at the dock, I shopped a little then back on the ship.

 

Then next port was Cozumel. I was supposed to dive this port too. I had booked privately with Scuba with Alison but had to cancel. I had bad allergies and should not have dived in Grand Cayman but thought I was fine. I wasn't. More detail in the review of Grand Cayman that I'll put in the Scuba Section. Not only was Alison ok with the cancel but gave me advice on what happened. Also, the Noreaster that came through the U.S. affected Cozumel as well. The day I was in G.C. the harbor master canceled all boats from diving in Cozumel. And the next day, the day I was in Cozumel, they did the same. So I couldn't have done dives anyways. So our entire group went off to Nacchi Cocum for a beach day. It's a private excursion that is along the beach. The day started out cool but then got nice & hot. They have a pool, hot tub and provide lunch as well. The pool however, was ridiculoulsy cold. I couldn't use it. The hot tub was warm but warmed up more as the sun came out. They have lounge chairs, some shade areas. FYI, the give you alot of food for lunch. The appetizers alone filled almost all of us up. They also have wave runners & snorkel equipment avail. The ocean was cold to the first toe touch but quickly warmed up.... So off to snorkel I go.. Found some little reefs with lot's of fish.... Very cool. We were there from about 11:30 to 5 p.m. We got back to the ship and did some shopping in a little mall area.

The next day was a sea day.... And our last sea day...... Spent poolside of course.. And packing.....

 

Then we arrived back to Ft. Lauderdale. We all had flights after 1 p.m. so none of us were in a hurry to leave the ship. We got up at

9 a.m. and then had breakfast relaxing until they made us leave. We found a van right outside the port and off to the airport we went.

 

Ports-

I liked all the ports. My least favorite was Costa Rica. Though our excursion was great, the way people live there is depressing. Costa Rica needs to upgrade some areas if they want cruise ships to come back. My favorite ports were Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

 

Ship-

I do love the ship. It's really nice. Staff very friendly. One of my roommates had to use the medical facilities and said they were great. The Dr. was wonderful. Our waiters, Tomas and Nicky were awesome. Remember, one of our group was in a wheelchair. I have to say, Princess was wonderful about that. Between our waiters helping to seat her, to their room steward looking out for her. No one made her feel inferior that I saw. Very accomodating on the excursions too. Amazing. I do have issues with our room steward and our room. It was a mini suite w/balcony. FYI, I was in D616 but the balcony was not covered. Some are, some aren't. We were open to the world above. The first day, the hinge on the closet door was almost off. Finally fixed on day 6. I had asked online for bathrobes for all 3 of us. Didn't get them until day 7 or 8. The couch bed had a horrible mattress. Our roommate had to get an eggcrate mattress as she could feel the bar under the mattress. We got those quickly but the room steward felt very put out by having to remove them daily to make the couch as the couch would not fold up with them on. Did he really think we wouldn't want to use the couch for visitors? Then after Panama, we had a bunch of bugs in our room. In the afternoon we killed 3-4 flying mosquito type bugs. But that night, they were all over the couch bed. Our roommate refused to sleep in the bed. We killed them and got her a roll away type bed. The next day they fumigated and bugs were all gone. When we told the steward, he asked if we had the balcony open. Well duh!! Did they think we would pay extra for a balcony and not use it??? I did not hear of anyone else having a bug problem. So that was wierd.

 

Excursions- I liked all of them. The only complaint I had is that when I questioned the excursion desk about the Jamaican excursion and belongings, she obviously had not been on it or knew anything about it to guide me. FYI, on the horseback riding excursion, you can bring a bag. But wear shorts with pockets or a small fanny pack that you can put your money or valueable in. They will bring your bag to you at the cove so you can dry off or change clothes after the swim and then take it back to the stables where you will ride back too.

 

Food- At first, to me, it was not very good at all. It got better after Panama. We kept joking that they must have put the Chef overboard at Panama and got a new one. It was just wierd, fancy stuff that wasn't that appealing. I kept going to the "always available" section for steak or salmon. And the deserts were odd too..... I just didn't care for it. I thought the food on the Carnival Valor in Dec. was far superior.... As did 2 members of our group that were on the Dec. cruise as well. Buffet was good.. Big variety. But they don't know Mexican food. They need education there. There was always pizza available and the hamburgers and such. I loved their chicken breast sandwich on the grill. Very good. The ice cream you have to pay for. Ridiculous I say. But each day from 3-4pm or 3-5pm they have ice cream for free in the Horizon Buffet.

 

Spa- I used it on the last sea day for a massage. I still feel they are very pricey but the massage I had which was a deep tissue massage, was one of the best ever. Ask for Juan P. from Mexico. He was excellent. Still tried to sell me stuff but not a hard sale and when he saw I wasn't interested, he backed off.

 

Gym- Never used it. Wanted to but never did.

 

Entertainment- Didn't like the comedian. Can't remember his name. Saw 3 shows. The first, the beach scene one was horrible. Couldn't tell you the story line and didn't care for much of the music. And to me, Jason Chow is not a good singer. Didn't like him at all. The next 2 shows were very good to me inspite of Jason still singing. They have 4 lead singers. The other 3 are good. Enjoyed the last 2 shows.

 

Photos- What can you say about this. I would like to run the photo dept. of all cruiselines. They are way too expensive. There is not enough variety. They have a fairly large photo area and obviously do all their own printing. Yet they continue to offer only 8X10's of formal night. All photos taken should be available in a variety of sizes. Some of us who do scrapbooks or photo albums, don't want 8X10 sizes. The staff was nice, accomodating. They are able to download your memory cards to CD's. And you can print your own photos there too.

 

Overall I really enjoyed the cruise as it takes more than these little issues to ruin a vacation for me. I would do it again in a heartbeat. You get a wide variety of ports and things to do. Very enjoyable. Any questions, feel free to ask.......

[LHC1CPA]

we were on this cruise feb 14 except we went to montego bay and not ocho rios. we had a mini...D508...and we actually had similar issues with the matresses and hinges on the doors..but we did not experience the bug problem....i also have to agree with you about the food that it was not that good and that it could be better..like you said..little issues can't ruin a cruise...

[CincinnatiGal]

I am taking the Coral Princess May 21 to Alaska. After reading your review I am praying a new chef will be on the ship by the time I go. Entertainment being rather lame sounding too! THis is not good...I do hope Princess is reading this website intensely. I really hope things start to get better. By any chance did you eat at either Sabatini's or the Bayou Cafe onboard?

I have preordered with Princess an egg crate mattress pad for our bed so as to be safe not sorry. I really want to thank you for this review and tips. I am now going to book a deep tissue massage with Juan too!

Safe travels in the future. I can tell you that I took a wonderful cruise on RCCL Navigator of the Seas in Oct. 06 and that ship is fantastic. Princess from what I understand cannot match the Navigator. I guess I will find out in May when we go to Alaska if Princess is reading CruiseCritic.com.

Let's hope Princess is going to put in new bedding like RCCL has done and get better Chef's onboard soon!

CincinnatiGal:cool:

[tbag124]

Thanks for the review! this is our honeymoon cruise, only we're going to Columbia & Aruba instead of cozumel and grand cayman...we loved grand cayman and really want to go to cozumel, so we are secretly hoping our itin becomes the same on as this years 10 night cruises!!

Thanks for the review! Glad you had a good time! :)

[Skitter]

Cruzegirl, Thanks for your review. Will you please tell me where your secret spots are on the Coral going thru the locks? Our cruise is in November.

Thanks Skitter

[cruzegirl]

I am taking the Coral Princess May 21 to Alaska. After reading your review I am praying a new chef will be on the ship by the time I go. Entertainment being rather lame sounding too! THis is not good...I do hope Princess is reading this website intensely. I really hope things start to get better. By any chance did you eat at either Sabatini's or the Bayou Cafe onboard?

 

I have preordered with Princess an egg crate mattress pad for our bed so as to be safe not sorry. I really want to thank you for this review and tips. I am now going to book a deep tissue massage with Juan too!

 

Safe travels in the future. I can tell you that I took a wonderful cruise on RCCL Navigator of the Seas in Oct. 06 and that ship is fantastic. Princess from what I understand cannot match the Navigator. I guess I will find out in May when we go to Alaska if Princess is reading CruiseCritic.com.

 

Let's hope Princess is going to put in new bedding like RCCL has done and get better Chef's onboard soon!

 

CincinnatiGal:cool:

CG,

I hope they get a better chef too... lol.. I'm a little bit of sensitve eater. Meaning, I don't do Veal or Lamb or Rabbit or Frog Legs or that kind of stuff. Which they had on the menu. The Lobster, Steak, Filet Mignon, Fettucine Alfredo and such was great. Even some of the appetizers were just odd to me. As well as some of my table mates. I did not get to Sabatini's or Bayou Cafe. I know when I sailed on the Caribbean Princess that Sabatini's was excellent and worth the fee. But for the most part, I don't pay extra for the food places.

I mainly thought the first night of shows was not so good. Thoroughly enjoyed the other 3 I saw. I was almost dancing in the aisles. lol..

The bed that needed the mattress was the couch/sofa bed. The regular twin beds we had were fine. I slept without problems. So you only need egg crates for the sofa bed.

You will enjoy the massage. Some people don't like deep tissue but after having a rotator cuff injury and doing sports therapy massage, I often need it.... I carry all stress in neck, shoulders and back.....

Enjoy the cruise.... It was a good one.......

Oh, one other complaint I forgot to include.... lol.. the complimentary postcards they gave us were for Alaska on a Central America cruise. I mean really......lol....And get ready for hand sanitizer.... You are not allowed into the dining rooms or buffet without doing the hand sanitizer... I just know I'm going to go to a restaurant and hold out my hands for the sanitizer:rolleyes:

[cruzegirl]

Cruzegirl, Thanks for your review. Will you please tell me where your secret spots are on the Coral going thru the locks? Our cruise is in November.

Thanks Skitter

 

Skitter,

you can email for the secret spot.... I truly don't want it out there for everyone.... I may be on that ship again:rolleyes: :D

[Sea and Me]

Cruzegirl: Thanks for your very informative post!! We hope to do the Panama Canal in '08 trying to decide on what ship.

[Miami Native]

We (12 of us) were on the Coral the last week of March It was excellent! :D Food was wonderful, we didn't have one bad meal the whole week. To view the Canal go to the Caribe deck all the way forward thru 2 doors. Best view ever!! The Coral is a beautiful ship, we were in mini-suite c706.

[nschurr]

Cruzegirl, Thanks for your review. Will you please tell me where your secret spots are on the Coral going thru the locks? Our cruise is in November.

Thanks Skitter

 

When are you going in November?

[cruzegirl]

We (12 of us) were on the Coral the last week of March It was excellent! :D Food was wonderful, we didn't have one bad meal the whole week. To view the Canal go to the Caribe deck all the way forward thru 2 doors. Best view ever!! The Coral is a beautiful ship, we were in mini-suite c706.

 

That would be the spot........So much for a secret....lol. And then go on deck 9, dolphin, all the way aft....... Excellent for the reverse trip.....:D

[Miami Native]

That's how I learned the "secret" too Cruzegirl. These boards give the best info. We just won't tell anyone else. HaHa! Great review!:)

[vacation fool]

Hi Miami Native-it is Pembroke Pines here who has your same cabin next year 4/5/08. You were going to let me know how the cabin was when u got back. I have been looking for the post where we chatted and could not find it so i was happy to recognize your "name" today on this thread. Please give me all the scoop. I hope u did not have bugs in your cabin like the op did! Thanks:)

[xmasteach]

I noticed on the schedule that the Coral is going into dry dock on the west coast before starting Alaska season May 21. We are on the May 28 southbound, hopefully during the dry dock time some of these things will be addressed.:)

[whale-watcher]

That would be the spot........So much for a secret....lol. And then go on deck 9, dolphin, all the way aft....... Excellent for the reverse trip.....:D

We found the "secret" decks to be rather crowded during our partial transit, but it was still possible for everyone to get great views of the locks, and take wonderful pictures

[Skitter]

nschurr, We are sailing on the Coral November 30th. When are you sailing?

Skitter

[Miami Native]

Hi Vacation Fool.

"Our" cabin c706 was beautiful. No bugs at all. Our steward Frank was the absolute best!!! I hope you have him. He started the cruise knowing all our names and made some great towel animals. One was a swan for my birthday with balloons all around it on the bed.:) It was very quiet and was easy to find because it was the first cabin after the suites. You will love the Coral. She is a beautiful ship. My DH and DD went zipling in Ochos Rio. They loved it. In Cozumel, my DD and I did the Royal Swim with the Dolphins. Fantastic!!!:D In Costa Rica, the eco-jungle cruise and a vist to a banana plantation. Great food every evening, we had the traditional early seating. Shows were very good and we spent quite a bit of time in the Casino. :eek: I hope you have a wonderful time. Go the the deck all the way forward on Caribe to view the canal. We went out very early (about 5:15 AM) Panama Canel was really something to see. Everything about this cruise was great......enjoy!!!

[nschurr]

We are also going on November 30. There is a roll call started for this sailing. Feel free to join in.

[Clutterlady]

Thanks for the great review! Hope to do this cruise in the near future:)

 

One thing to keep in mind concerning food as it is very subjective!! Some may dislike the food others find it wonderful. I always seem to find something good to eat on almost any cruise. ;)

[vacation fool]

Thanks for all the info, Miami Native! Did you do any tour thru the canal or did u stay on the ship? Have heard mixed reviews about the ocean to ocean tour-good but very long. Did u try any of the specialty restaurants at all? Thanks