Coral Feb.23-March 9 LIVE "Panama-or-Bust"

[goat rancher]

We are so excited that it is finally our turn to sail:).

Pre-cruise...

We decided to fly in a little early...got into FLL Saturday night.

We opted for the Fort Lauderdale Grande...wonderful hotel, very scenic views and very convenient for the water taxi, since it stops right outside the hotel. We had booked a city view room, but by chance ended up in a port view room on Floor 14...which gave us an excellent view of all the big cruiseships. The only downside of this hotel that I can see is the lack of a midranged restaurant to eat in..However, it is a short walk to some very good restaurants...or you can take the water taxi all over the place. If you like Italian food, we would highly recommend Bravo's Italian restaurant...it is within reasonable walking distance to the hotel and was so good we went 2 nights in a row. The Publix and Total Wine shops are manageable to walk to, but a taxi would be better, especially on the return trip...The water taxi is fun if you have the time, but we were surprised at how many businesses and shops were closed along the route...kinda sad, but it was an indication of how much this slow economy is affecting everyone.

One other thing we'd recommend if you come in early. Yesterday, we walked down to the jetty that the ships pass on the way out--just to watch them all leave...It was a blast...Seven ships passed by in procession, each with their own character....Carnival's ship had music blasting away, Celebrity had several folks on their balconies in robes (a la "movie star"), Crown Princess had a huge white hand waving back to us...and the Westerdam, well they must have already gone to bed because the balconies and Lido deck were just about empty (lol)

Embarkation....

This went smoothly and very quickly. We are in a suite (first time Princess cruisers and first time Suite) and we were just totally amazed at how fast we got on and how quickly we got our luggage...Usually we've had to wait a few hours, but we had barely gotten into our room and here came our luggage..Service so far has been excellent, not only in our cabin, but in the diningroom and public areas as well. There is no red alert...so "sleep, noro, sleep".....

We have shore tours planned in every port...so will try to report mainly on those, since folks before us have filled folks in on daily cruise life, and since when we were looking for shore tours we had had a hard time finding much info.

We've also signed up for the Chef's Table...didn't do anything special, just called the DineLine around 1:30 pm...so we'll see if we get a spot or not...

Enjoying our first night at sea....ah, the good life!!

[Pirkko]

I look forward to cruising through you. I got off the Coral on the 13th and had a wonderful time.

 

I enjoyed all the excursions we did. They were - Sail and Snorkel in Aruba, Mud Volcano in Colombia, Aerial Tram in Panama, Chocolate Plantation in Costa Rica, and nothing in Jamaica. The Mud Volcano was really cool. You get in the mud and you are super bouyant. After you get out, you dry off, and then go rinse off in the lagoon.

 

Rebecca

[Colo Cruiser]

Bon Voyage and enjoy!!

[OCruisers]

Looking forward to your "Live"!

 

BON VOYAGE! :D

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Hi Liz & George,

 

We will live vicariously through you for the next couple of days until we leave for our 15 day on Celebrity Mercury to Hawaii. The suite/mini-suite deal you talked about elsewhere would be great.

 

After our cruise to Hawaii with you guys next year we are thinking of doing the Panama Canal Transit, east to west so we are really looking forward to your reports.

 

Have a GREAT time and we'll chat when we both are back to real life.

 

Vince

[cruiserjanet]

We are with George and Liz (goat rancher) and are having a wonderful time. Sailaway yesterday was smooth. Today was too windy to do anything on deck or on the balcony. The ship is definitely rockin' and a rollin.' No problem sleeping for us. We had our Meet & Greet this morning and about 25 people showed up. The Captain came along with a few other officers including the Cruise Director and I believe the Director of Food & Bev and one other officer but I can't recall his title. The Captain was very nice and spent a few minutes talking with us. The food has been fab as usual and the accommodations very nice. The Captain did tell us that the Coral would be in drydock in about 9 months. I will try and post more when I can along with Liz.

[Colo Cruiser]

We are with George and Liz (goat rancher) and are having a wonderful time. Sailaway yesterday was smooth. Today was too windy to do anything on deck or on the balcony. The ship is definitely rockin' and a rollin.' No problem sleeping for us. We had our Meet & Greet this morning and about 25 people showed up. The Captain came along with a few other officers including the Cruise Director and I believe the Director of Food & Bev and one other officer but I can't recall his title. The Captain was very nice and spent a few minutes talking with us. The food has been fab as usual and the accommodations very nice. The Captain did tell us that the Coral would be in drydock in about 9 months. I will try and post more when I can along with Liz.

 

 

Have fun!! :)

[goat rancher]

It is evening now and it has been a wonderful first sea day. This was the first of 3 formal nights...lots of fun seeing everyone dressed up. The winds are still going and it is a bit rocky, but this afternoon it did warm up nicely:).

We have good news about the Chef's Table....there was nothing to it as far as getting signed on. They haven't had it the past 2 cruises because of noro, but it is "back on" now....We got on board at noon and the DineLine was still closed, so we went to lunch...back to our cabin at 1:30 pm, called DineLine and was put on the list. While we were eating dinner tonight, the maitre'd came to our table and personally filled us in on the Chef's Table...Now that was not near as hard as we were led to believe and we are really looking forward to it. We'll report all the details :)..

This is a GREAT SHIP---excellent service....currently it is the only one of the ships in the SUN CLASS that has the chef's table...

The Captain (Captain Bilton) is very personable and friendly....he warned us that when we go through the canal, the Coral will have to "pull her skirts in" (they have to move the lifeboats in, he said, because otherwise we are too broad across the beam)...so even the ship has a "waist" problem from all this cruising:p

[SHIPMEOUT]

We enjoyed this Panama Canal east to west transit SO much last month! I agree that the service was great on the Coral...the staff really seem to be happy.

 

You are in for a wonderful time on this itinerary, and you are also in for a treat at the Chef's Table, as we did that too.

 

Enjoy! Enjoy! :)

 

Cindy

[Putterdude]

We enjoyed this Panama Canal east to west transit SO much last month! I agree that the service was great on the Coral...the staff really seem to be happy.

 

You are in for a wonderful time on this itinerary, and you are also in for a treat at the Chef's Table, as we did that too.

 

Enjoy! Enjoy! :)

 

Cindy

 

I second all the above....you will have a great trip. We would do it again in a heartbeat.:):)

[JWJs]

I watched your sail away on inletcam.com and also viewed the Coral bridge cam. :) The Coral is one of my favorite ships. Looking forward to reading more reports as you sail along on the Coral.

[smoosh21]

It is evening now and it has been a wonderful first sea day. This was the first of 3 formal nights...lots of fun seeing everyone dressed up. The winds are still going and it is a bit rocky, but this afternoon it did warm up nicely:).

We have good news about the Chef's Table....there was nothing to it as far as getting signed on. They haven't had it the past 2 cruises because of noro, but it is "back on" now....We got on board at noon and the DineLine was still closed, so we went to lunch...back to our cabin at 1:30 pm, called DineLine and was put on the list. While we were eating dinner tonight, the maitre'd came to our table and personally filled us in on the Chef's Table...Now that was not near as hard as we were led to believe and we are really looking forward to it. We'll report all the details :)..

This is a GREAT SHIP---excellent service....currently it is the only one of the ships in the SUN CLASS that has the chef's table...

The Captain (Captain Bilton) is very personable and friendly....he warned us that when we go through the canal, the Coral will have to "pull her skirts in" (they have to move the lifeboats in, he said, because otherwise we are too broad across the beam)...so even the ship has a "waist" problem from all this cruising:p

 

I am so glad to hear the Chef's table is back on.

We will be getting on as you are getting off in LA, so keep her in good shape.

[goat rancher]

OK..Smoosh21, we will keep her in great shape for you.

Another wonderful sea day..very relaxing...everybody finally getting into vacation mode out here. Weather was nice and sunny this morning, but stormy cloudy weather hit this afternoon..no rain, but a lot of wind and waves....

Food, service, entertainment...all excellent...You'll really like the production show "Dance"....

We're due into Aruba in the morning...going on the Aruba by Land and Sea tour. Some of our friends are doing ABCs of Aruba.....

So far, this has been one of the best cruises we have ever been on, and we haven't even hit a port yet:)

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for taking us all along with you (you've got plenty of room in that suite, right?!). That's interesting about the lifeboats being "taken in." Looking forward to your next installment; meanwhile, enjoy Aruba's gorgeous beaches tomorrow.

[Krazeniq]

It is evening now and it has been a wonderful first sea day. This was the first of 3 formal nights...lots of fun seeing everyone dressed up. The winds are still going and it is a bit rocky, but this afternoon it did warm up nicely:).

We have good news about the Chef's Table....there was nothing to it as far as getting signed on. They haven't had it the past 2 cruises because of noro, but it is "back on" now....We got on board at noon and the DineLine was still closed, so we went to lunch...back to our cabin at 1:30 pm, called DineLine and was put on the list. While we were eating dinner tonight, the maitre'd came to our table and personally filled us in on the Chef's Table...Now that was not near as hard as we were led to believe and we are really looking forward to it. We'll report all the details :)..

This is a GREAT SHIP---excellent service....currently it is the only one of the ships in the SUN CLASS that has the chef's table...

The Captain (Captain Bilton) is very personable and friendly....he warned us that when we go through the canal, the Coral will have to "pull her skirts in" (they have to move the lifeboats in, he said, because otherwise we are too broad across the beam)...so even the ship has a "waist" problem from all this cruising:p

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us :D I will be on the Coral in April for the RT Panama Canal from LA ... I was wondering how does the chef's table cost? It sounds interesting

[cruiseluvva]

Enjoying your reports. We are doing the same in April - also in a suite D702.

 

Have fun.

[TorontoTL]

I love the Coral, she is the perfect size and has so few passengers for her size. I often felt in the evenings that I was one of the only people on the ship. Have a wonderful cruise.

[LARGIN]

Have a great cruise. The Coral is our favorite.

[mii]

Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us :D I will be on the Coral in April for the RT Panama Canal from LA ... I was wondering how does the chef's table cost? It sounds interesting

 

The chefs Table cost $75pp. I am planning to do the Chefs Table on our full transit in April.

 

Goat Rancher, we are enjoying your live from. As stated we will be on her in april.

 

Marilyn

[cruiserjanet]

Hi all. Yesterday, the sea was still rough but I was able to sit on our balcony and read. It was not hot nor was it cool either. Dinner has been wonderful and our tablemates are very nice. We've seen George & Liz off and on, along with some of our other fellow Cruise Critic members. Everyone has been so nice. We were in Aruba today and it was beautiful. I have never seen water this pretty before. We went to a butterfly farm, an Aloe Vera Gel plant and a rock formation. No time for shopping in Oranjestad but we will save that for another cruise. I am soaking up every moment I can of this cruise and am so thankful to be here.

[TXFrank]

Has the reported sickness subsided on the Coral? I note the CDC reports of the outbreak on 2/3-2/13 cruise and that early on in the 2/13-2/23 cruise had an increase in the percentage --- thanks

[goat rancher]

Hi all...

Wonderful day in Aruba....we had a fairly rough night, but seas are calm today. We did the Aruba by Land and Sea....by and far, it gave us a wonderful insight into life on Aruba...saw all the sights on land and then, when we were all sweltering and had had "quite enough of the heat", it was off on a catamaran for a refreshing trip down the coast and an open bar...

Good point of this tour: We really felt like we saw the "heart" of Aruba and would highly recommend it as a nice way to spend the limited time you have here.

Bad point: If you are a shopper this is NOT the tour for you. It is advertised that there is a half hour stop at Pelican Beach, where you could go in the water or shop. Make that 15 minutes and no shops nearby. When we got back to the ship it was 12:00--time to load up!!! Your best move, if you are a tourist trap trinket collector like I am, is to buy a few items in the building where the tours leave from...before your tour bus starts loading. You will have NO TIME when you get back (or you will do like we did and say, I'll take one of those and one of those and one of those and then RUN LIKE THE DICKENS to get back in line to get on the ship :p)...

We are scheduled for Chef's Table tonight...cost is $75 per person. Mmm-mmm-mmm. Will report tomorrow about it.

As for noro---it is in hiding and we are on a clean ship--no RED ALERT here:D

[terrierjohn]

Goat rancher, just make sure you leave the Coral all spic and span and ensure it stays noro free, we board in LA after you leave.

[cruiserjanet]

Goat rancher, just make sure you leave the Coral all spic and span and ensure it stays noro free, we board in LA after you leave.

 

I can say that they are pressing the health part on this cruise as in washing hands, etc. They hold the bottles of antibacterial stuff in the dining room and give you some as you walk in. Also, in Horizon Court, not only do they make sure you use the stuff but they also hand you a plate and silverware too.

[goat rancher]

Well, this is the 3rd attempt to send a message tonight...guess it won't take longer messages, so I'll keep this short...

I have one word about Chef's Table...if you have to beg, borrow or steal, find some way to get on this....Absolutely phenomenal...

A word of advice about the ship stores...if you want clothing, it is best to buy EARLY in the cruise, because there are limited sizes of the popular Panama Canal t shirts...

Also..obviously the stores are frustrating for some...One man walked up to the counter and commented to another guy, "....like herding cats." Obviously he doesn't want to rein herd on a bunch of women shoppers:)

SHORE DAY:Cartagena

We did the BEST OF CARTAGENA tour...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We got a view of just about anything you'd want to see in Cartagena...But watch the vendors at the Fort....One guy must have thought I had "Sucker White Tourist" written all over my face...He must have put 6 or 7 hats on my head as I walked, and wanted TWICE what we later paid for hats at a later stop