Coral or Diamond to Alaska

[klgallo]

We have three families (six adults and three kids--4,6,11) planning a trip to Alaska next June. We are looking at the Coral and the Diamond. Which one should we chose?

 

Thanks for all your help!!

[Druke I]

I'l try again - previous post apparently lost in cyberspace.

 

I for one think Coral/Island Princess much handier in size than the larger Diamond Princess.

 

I think any ship too large for the current Panama Canal locks is too big!

 

OOOPS - looks like klgallo was victim of double post!

[stired]

We just got off the Coral in Vancouver after the 7 day southbound cruise and we loved her. She was just the right size and even though she was full, we never felt crowded (except in the buffet).

 

The other thing that no one ever mentions is that the Coral sails out of Whittier on a Monday instead of Saturday or Sunday (that is, if next year's schedule stays the same). There is a distinct advantage to this and one we repeatedly were grateful for. Most ships sail on the weekend, and therefore the ports are much more crowded with ships. For instance, our stop in Juneau had no other ships until 2:00 p.m. when there was one other (HAL). In Ketchikan, we had the whole place to ourselves. On many port days on other ships, there may be 5-6 ships in port, with thousands of visitors at one time.

 

It is definitely something to think about.

[miss honey]

We sailed the Diamond last may and were very pleased. The ship was a nice size. Something we liked were the aft balconies, No wind , good viewing. I have heard the Coral doesn't have aft balconies. We had great food, and exceptional service. The most ships in port at one time was 3 counting ours, and that was in Ketchican. Junuea and Skagway each had us and one other ship. I am sure you will enjoy either ship. Carol

[quincytoo]

We were on it last Nov with our 14 year old son. It felt big when we first arrived but by next day it was so easy to get around :)'

 

Food and service was incredible, shows were good and our son LOVED the Teen Center!! The kids center also looked very good, you could tell that a lot of thought, money and planning went into assuring that the younger set had just as good of time as their parents!!!

[fayce2b]

We cruised with the Diamond last August on the Southbound cruise. The cruise was amazing but our suite (D736)was not very acceptable and has been changed to a lower priced suite this year). They did nothing about our disatisfaction with changing rooms but did send cocktail hour food. Anyway.... enough said about that... I loved the Diamond. Our balcony was huge and I lived there during the College Fjord day as well as the next day in Glacier Bay. The dining experience was excellent and I have no complaints at all about service, entertainment, etc. although I did lose a bit in the casino. Not too much. You will not be disappointed with the cruise

[Coral]

Having sailed both classes of ships - I would pick the Coral Princess over the Diamond Princess.

[YoPhilly]

My two cents: personally, I love the size of the Coral Princess. In fact, we're sailing on the Island Princess this fall. However, with three kids you're probably better off with a larger ship - more pools, more activities, more options.

[critterchick]

I've sailed on the Diamond and the Island (Coral's twin), and preferred the Diamond. The Diamond is a fabulous ship, with lots to do, many places to party with a crowd, many places to be by yourself. I also thought she rode better in rough seas than the Island did. We had this 12-18 foot seas at one point and it didn't bother me at all, which is rare.

[gambit57]

I prefer the big ships (Diamond). With kids in tow, I'd definitely pick the Diamond.

[scmomofboys]

We've sailed on the Coral and the Sapphire (identical to Diamond) and prefer the Coral. Just liked the almost 1,000 fewer passengers and it really didn't seem any smaller to us.

 

That said, we had a group of 17 and needed 2 inside cabins across the hall from the adults' cabins for the kids. There just wasn't anything that could accommodate what we wanted on the Coral and we took the Sapphire. Nothing at all wrong with the Sapphire. It's a beautiful ship. I think either would be a good choice.

 

We just loved the Coral. Sailing it again in about a month!