coral princess

[shecat7]

Travelling from england and having never been on the princess line, we have booked a partial transit of the panama canal in feb, can you please advise on how far the canal you go we are travelling from the pacific side going out of miami and any tip for cruiing on the coral , we have booked a balcony on aloha deck, as this is we hope a casual type of cruise rather than the formal type on the traditional cunard or fred olsen lines

many thanks

[seadrifter]

Travelling from england and having never been on the princess line, we have booked a partial transit of the panama canal in feb, can you please advise on how far the canal you go we are travelling from the pacific side going out of miami and any tip for cruiing on the coral , we have booked a balcony on aloha deck, as this is we hope a casual type of cruise rather than the formal type on the traditional cunard or fred olsen lines

many thanks

 

Maybe it's just me getting ditzy in the summer heat, but I don't see how you can travel from the pacific side when going out of miami.

 

In January 2005 we did the partial transit of the canal on the Coral, leaving from Fort Lauderdale. Entering the canal from the Caribbean side, we went through the Gatun locks and into Gatun lake. The ship dropped anchor and we were tendered ashore for excursions (or some just stayed aboard). Eventually the Coral turned in the lake and headed back through the Gatun locks and then docked and waited for all the excursion-takers to return via bus.

 

We had a great cruise despite the fact that the seas were very rough and that prevented us from docking at Limon, Costa Rica (a port we especially wanted to visit). Of all the cruises we have taken, the seas were roughest on this cruise - to the point where I had to take Dramamine (which put me to sleep).

 

Hope this helps and have a great time on your partial transit.

[Druke I]

Coral Princess and her sister, Island Princess, were designed for Panama Canal cruising, and are lovely ships.

 

Re formality, Princess is perhaps not as formal as Cunard, but they still have formal nights. Read some of the threads re dress, and you can see what a heated topic it can be.

 

Seadrifter is right; from Miami to and into the Canal to Gatun Lake is on the Caribbean side, not Pacific.

[flamomo]

When is your sailing? From what I see in Princess' Cruise Atlas, the Coral sails out of Ft Lauderdale, FL and does a partial transit of the Canal. SHe enters the Canal from the Caribbean side and passes through the locks into Gatun Lake. It then turns around and goes back through the same locks and returns to the Caribbean, docking at Cristobal, Panama. That is the experience we had on this ship.

Princess is not a "formal" cruiseline. Most passengers wear "nice" casual clothes during the day, and you will see some wearing jeans, jean shorts, tank tops and the like. On that itinerary there are 2 formal nights, and the rest are called resort casual, meaning a shirt, dress, or nice pants for the ladies, and khakis or nice trousers with a polo or button shirt for men. On formal nights, women wear anything from cocktail dresses or pants with a sparkly top to evening gowns, while the men wear dark suits with tie and dress shirt or, in some cases, a tux. This is the type of attire expected in the dining rooms. However for those who choose remain in casual clothes, such as shorts, there is the buffet in the Horizon court.

We would term Princess as classy without being snobbish. The decor is tasteful, the accomodations are comfortable, the service very good, the entertainment enjoyable, and we find the food is very good too.

Your balcony cabin is a good choice as there is much to see while transiting the Canal, and it is nice to be able to do it from the comfort of your balcony.

We hope you enjoy you experience with Princess.

[wernew2cruising]

Travelling from england and having never been on the princess line, we have booked a partial transit of the panama canal in feb, can you please advise on how far the canal you go we are travelling from the pacific side going out of miami and any tip for cruiing on the coral , we have booked a balcony on aloha deck, as this is we hope a casual type of cruise rather than the formal type on the traditional cunard or fred olsen lines

many thanks

I'm sorry Shecat7...this really made me laugh. It reminds me of the time the family and I flew to London...from Dallas. I called TWA and asked what route we would be flying... We were leaving Dallas and flying in to Gatwick. The agent said we would fly over the pacific...hhmmm. Maybe they name the oceans different over there? ;)

[shecat7]

sorry its what we english do best make people laugh its called craft

carnt remember a flipping thing , sorry i dont know my pacific from my caribbean , geography was not my best subject at school,

[seadrifter]

shecat7 - Don't worry about it, we all get confused sometimes. I suspect that you will be flying into Miami and then transferring to Ft. Lauderdale to board the Coral. The Coral is one of my favorite ships - just the right size in my opinion. The workings of the Canal are well worth seeing. You will need to be up very early on the morning of your transit. We chose a good spot out on deck and watched the sun rise as we approached the canal. If you have a balcony cabin, you will have a good view to the side as you progress.

 

Again, have a wonderful time.

 

Virginia

[shofer]

We did this cruise on Coral this past February and the seas were like glass the whole time. Smoothest cruise I was ever on. Coral was our first Princess cruise and we liked it very well. Especially the Smart Casual dress code w/only 2 formal nights.

 

We liked it enough to take Princess again (Grand Princess) to the Caribbean next February as our "kids" inaugural cruise. So DD/SIL, and DS/DIL are coming with us this time. Only 7 days, it will be hard to adjust!