Coral Princess-What essentials do I need to know?

[clherrer]

We are so ready to go on our 15 day Panama Canal cruise LA to Ft. Lauderdale and would like your opinions on the essentials to know about the Coral Princess. What do we need to know before we go about internet access costs, laundromat costs, soda cards, coffee cards, coupons, etc?

 

Any other tips on critical items to pack would be appreciated.

[ggprincess2004]

We are never without a coffee card, and I think it was in the range of $27 to $28 last time we bought one, good for 15 espresso based drinks, unlimited brewed coffee, pots of tea and hot chocolate.

 

Laundry - another of the many reasons we love Princess. The machines take quarters, depending upon the ship between $1 and $1.50 per washer load and about $1 for the dryer. Take a roll of quarters, as the change machines in the laundry rooms sometimes are out, and it is a pain to have to go to the purser's desk to get quarters.....I always take my own detergent (allergies), fabric softener sheets and stain stick, but detergent and fabric softener are also in little vending machines in the laundry rooms, $1.00 each. The new Purex detergent and fabric softener sheets seem like a really easy thing to pack....just in case the vending machines are empty. It happens. Laundry - between 20 and 25 min per load, dryer 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Take bug repellent for the Panama Canal cruise. Binoculars are always good.

 

We don't drink soda, so I cannot help with prices on that.

 

Internet packages are available to purchase, and there is an easy to follow price list in the internet cafe.....I just no longer pay attention because platinum and above receive free internet packages that are more than sufficient for our needs.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

[DiRon]

Depending on your cabin - you may want to pack an over-the-door shoe bag. Hang it over the back (inside) of your bathroom door. Great for keeping all the bottles of bug repellent, hair spray, sun screens, etc. etc. Also, we take a power strip with us - need something to plug in the cell phone chargers and the digital camera chargers and all those other gadgets. This is our first time on the Coral, but we were on her sister ship, the Island for a 15 day Hawaii trip. Great ships - perfect size.

[Pia1913]

We are so ready to go on our 15 day Panama Canal cruise LA to Ft. Lauderdale and would like your opinions on the essentials to know about the Coral Princess. What do we need to know before we go about internet access costs, laundromat costs, soda cards, coffee cards, coupons, etc?

 

Any other tips on critical items to pack would be appreciated.

 

How come you're not asking these questions on your Roll Call? Or

of me, per se' who is travelling with you? :D

[DaisyRose]

A number of posters mention the need for insect repellent in some destinations, with which I agree. I wonder if you are able to bring it on airplanes? Every one I have looked at says that it is flammable, and I thought flammables were not allowed on airplanes. I can not find any info about insect repellent on the TSA website of allowed/not allowed items. Does anyone know if insect repellent is allowed on planes if it is less than 3 ounces, or the disposable towelettes?

[caribill]

A number of posters mention the need for insect repellent in some destinations, with which I agree. I wonder if you are able to bring it on airplanes? Every one I have looked at says that it is flammable, and I thought flammables were not allowed on airplanes. I can not find any info about insect repellent on the TSA website of allowed/not allowed items. Does anyone know if insect repellent is allowed on planes if it is less than 3 ounces, or the disposable towelettes?

 

No problem bringing it onboard as long as it is 3.3 OZs or less and in the proper size plastic bag.

 

By the way, even alcoholic beverages are flammable. And you can pack that in your checked luggage.

[captainron]

We are never without a coffee card, and I think it was in the range of $27 to $28 last time we bought one, good for 15 espresso based drinks, unlimited brewed coffee, pots of tea and hot chocolate.

 

Laundry - another of the many reasons we love Princess. The machines take quarters, depending upon the ship between $1 and $1.50 per washer load and about $1 for the dryer. Take a roll of quarters, as the change machines in the laundry rooms sometimes are out, and it is a pain to have to go to the purser's desk to get quarters.....I always take my own detergent (allergies), fabric softener sheets and stain stick, but detergent and fabric softener are also in little vending machines in the laundry rooms, $1.00 each. The new Purex detergent and fabric softener sheets seem like a really easy thing to pack....just in case the vending machines are empty. It happens. Laundry - between 20 and 25 min per load, dryer 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Take bug repellent for the Panama Canal cruise. Binoculars are always good.

 

We don't drink soda, so I cannot help with prices on that.

 

Internet packages are available to purchase, and there is an easy to follow price list in the internet cafe.....I just no longer pay attention because platinum and above receive free internet packages that are more than sufficient for our needs.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

 

We did almost exactly the same cruise on Coral in 2006 except to SFO. From the time we entered Gatun Lake until we entered the Pacific under Bridge of the Americas, we never encountered any bugs at all.

 

Unless you are planning on taking a slow deliberate trek through the exotic jungle of Panana on foot, you won't need insect repellent on the ship, not in Panama City and not even if you do the Sea to Sea excursion on the train.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[jrobinso]

No insects on our Panama Canal cruise 4/08. If you take any insect repellent take a very small amount. They do make a "towelette" with insect repellent. I will probably bring those for our 4/10 Panama Canal cruise.

[cruiserjanet]

Sunscreen, shorts and t-shirts. Also, if you plan to be out on your balcony a long time when she goes through the Canal, a hat is recommended. We had a covered balcony but it depended on where the sun was. So glad I had the hat because I was out there for about 9 hours minus a few short breaks. So worth it!! Never had an issue with bugs the whole cruise, and they like me.

The Coral is beautiful and easy to get around on. I have pictures in the link in my signature if you would like to take a look. I hope your cruise is as wonderful as ours was.

[jondfk]

I'll make my remarks a bit more specific to the ship itself as coffee card, internet access, bug spray, etc have been well covered.

 

A few hints and tips about Coral Princess.

 

1. The main evening bars for a cocktail before dinner are the Wheelhouse and Crooners (the atrium bar). These can completely fill up. So my tip is to make use of the bar in the Bayou Cafe. On our cruise we never saw more than one other couple there. The music is pleasant, a nice dance floor.

 

2. Other threads often write about the "secret" decks where you can watch your canal transit without standing shoulder to shoulder. There's really nothing secret about them - they're shown on deck plans. At the back of Baja and Caribe decks you simply walk out the door at the end of the passageway - there are windows in the doors which make it clear that there is deck space beyond. The forward "secret" decks require you to be a bit more "risky" since you can't see what's on the other side of the door - and a least a couple are marked "crew only". However, they're not locked and a simple twist of the knob takes you directly outside. Having said all that, we found plenty of space on the more public decks and really didn't have trouble finding all of the views we wanted.

 

3. Finally, I'd say take lunch in the main dining room. So many people line up for the just okay food at Horizon Court. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll have a better meal in the same amount of time in the MDR. On our last cruise we ate lunch at HC only once.

 

Have a great time!

[Amtrack Springfield]

Don't forget the forward or aft secret doors. It is the best place to view going through the canal. It is less crowded. You can take great pictures becuase you have a clear shots of canal and most people don't find it till late in the transit.

[Pia1913]

 

 

3. Finally, I'd say take lunch in the main dining room. So many people line up for the just okay food at Horizon Court. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll have a better meal in the same amount of time in the MDR. On our last cruise we ate lunch at HC only once.

!

 

Totally disagree, but that's why we have choices. Diningroom is for dining; buffet is for eating lunch.

[newport dave]

Sunscreen, shorts and t-shirts. Also, if you plan to be out on your balcony a long time when she goes through the Canal, a hat is recommended. We had a covered balcony but it depended on where the sun was. So glad I had the hat because I was out there for about 9 hours minus a few short breaks. So worth it!! Never had an issue with bugs the whole cruise, and they like me.

The Coral is beautiful and easy to get around on. I have pictures in the link in my signature if you would like to take a look. I hope your cruise is as wonderful as ours was.

 

Great pictures, Janet. We're on the Coral on the 22 Nov going from FLL to LA, can't wait now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cmarshall9]

Check the internet cafe on sail away day. They may offer free extra minutes if you sign up for a package that day.

 

We found all forward decks and "secret" walkways to be extremely crowded as we came up to the first locks. DH and I headed to the back of the ship and were among the few on the aft decks and watched other ships coming through the locks beside us and the gates shutting behind our ship. Later in the day, we went forward and it was much less crowded.

 

I found the Coral to be more structured than the Golden in the Anytime Dining. It seemed like everyone had a reservation for Anytime Dining and we were among the few who did not. If it's important to you not to wait at Anytime Dining, you may consider making a reservation for your dining time.

 

Enjoy your cruise. The Panama Canal is amazing.