Back from the Coral Princess - A few comments

[KS Sunflower]

We got home late last night. I'm still trying to get unpacked and take care of some things. The Coral Princess is a pretty ship and overall we had a good time. Not great, just good. The weather was wonderful and we only had a little rain in Limon. We went on the Ocean to Ocean tour in the Panama Canal, the Pontoon Boat in Limon, we did the semi sub on our own in Grand Cayman and after we docked in Ft Lauderdale, we went on an Airboat and a Wildlife Sanctuary tour that we booked on the ship. The airboat was fun and if anyone is interested I have the address where you can book it on your own for a lot less money than the ship's tour.
My biggest complaint is the amount of selling that goes on. At times, I felt we were at a used car lot. I don't know how many times I said, "no, thank you." It starts as soon as you get on the ship with the soft drink cards. The waiters even try to get you to buy shot glasses while you're eating dinner. One couple I talked to said they had eaten at Sabatini's and while they were eating dinner, they were asked to buy a cookbook. I found out from one of the waiters that they are required to do the selling in order to earn days off. They are given a quota and if they meet it, they get days off. They also push the bottled water at you. It's $1.95 for a small bottle. We were told that water was not available on the tours so you should buy it on the ship. I can only comment about the tours we went on, but on the Ocean to Ocean we had all the water we wanted, free, and also a free lunch. We were also given water and a fruit buffet on the Pontoon Boat tour in Limon. I definitely wrote something about this on the comment card I left on the ship and I intend to write Princess.
If anyone has any specific questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them.

KS

 

[CaribbeanSun]

Have you been on any other cruise recently on other lines? In my opinion, Princess doesn't sell as much as RCCL. On our last RCCL cruise, they greated us with a drink (which I originally thought was nice) and as soon as we took a sip, they had a form for us to sign. Boy was I fooled.

 

[KS Sunflower]

Yes, we were on the Carnival Legend about a year ago. Did not experience anywhere near as much selling as we did on this ship. I asked at the Purser's desk if there have been any changes since Carnival bought Princess and she said "no, not yet". This was our 14th cruise and we have never encountered as much selling as we did on the Coral Princess. There are a lot of things that we had to pay extra for on the Coral Princess that we didnot pay extra for on the Legend, like hot chocolate and lemonade. My husband loves hot chocolate, so if we cruise on Princess again, we'll bring our
own. We are not going to pay $1.50 for a cup of hot chocolate.

KS

 

[Lady Jag]

RCI has been pushing the shooters in the dining room for years and years. Princess has always had the bottled water by the gangway to purchase as you leave the ship. It'll be interesting to see if we notice any changes when we cruise on the Coral in a couple months.

 

[BB]

Hi KS

We would love to have the address for the tour of the Wildlife Center. We're going on the Coral the 22nd and will be in Ft. Lauderdale on the 21st.

Thanks for all your insight into the cruise!

 

[KS Sunflower]

BB

I have sent the info to your email address. If you don't get it, let me know and I'll post it here.

Enjoy your cruise!

KS

 

[KathyN]

I have found that Princess traditionally did the least pushing of drinks, shooters, water, sales etc than Carnival, or RCCL. I am sorry if they are taking it up a notch to compensate for their discounted pricing.
Three years ago on the Grandeur they even hauled out racks of tee shirts and coverups and racks of swim shoes on deck by the main pool. Tacky, tacky. And I won't even go into the "art" auctions in the atrium day after day which meant no one could avoid it or sit in that area without having to listen to the sales pitch.

 

[CindyR]

Can I get that address as well for the Wild life deal? Our flight back out of Ft. Lauderdale doesn't leave until 8:30pm. Thanks

 

[KS Sunflower]

Hi Cindy,
Since you don't have an email address, I'll just go ahead and give you the info here. The Airboat Tour is available at the Everglades Holiday Park. (800) 226-2244. Website is: www.evergladesholidaypark.com
The Botanical Gardens & Wildlife Sanctuary is Flamingo Gardens, (954) 473-2955.
Website is: www.flamingogardens.org

KS

 

[Karin]

Hi! We're going this Sunday. Our cabin is D617 and this is our 2nd princess. There are 2 in our group.

What is the dress like.
Was the staff friendly, especiall at dinner. Willing to cook whatever you wanted if it wasn't on the menu.
Were the tours worth it. We're booking our own Limon tour through a local AAA operater for $50 for 7 hpurs. Taking the ship's ocean to ocean bus/boat tour in Panama. Booked a private sailboat in Caymen Is.
How were the shows.
Were the slots and tables loose.
Were there enough activities for the days at seas to keep you busy; that is something for all ages.
What movies did they show...on TV or in the theatre.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[KS Sunflower]

Hi Karin---
I'll try to answer some of your questions. Dress is pretty much like you'd see on any cruise. Casual during the day and more dressy at night, depending on whether it's smart casual or formal night. The waiters we had were very friendly and most of the staff, with a few exceptions, were also friendly. I felt the choices offered on the menu were very good, so I didn't order anything that wasn't on the menu. There are some items that are always available. Shrimp Cocktail is one that I remember. On the Carnival Legend I tried to order a Shrimp Cocktail once, when it wasn't on the menu, and I couldn't get it.
It's hard to say if the tours are worth it or not. I suppose that depends on the individual. You always expect to pay more for a tour booked on the ship, but there's also the convenience factor. Some people don't feel comfortable booking a tour on their own and there are some tours that you cannot book on your own. We've done both.
I didn't spend a lot of time in the casino, but I was surprised to see penny slots. I don't think I've ever cruised on a ship that had less than nickle slots.
The shows I went to were pretty good. I enjoy seeing the costumes as much as the entertainment. It seemed to me, that there were more comedians than I remember having on other cruises. So, if you like comedians, you should like the entertainment.
The movies I went to were: Seabiscuit, Pirates of the Caribbean and Bruce Almighty. There were a few others offered that I didn't go to. I didn't watch any movies in our cabin, but I do remember Finding Nemo was on a few times.
I don't think you'll have any trouble finding enough to do on your cruise. I enjoy reading so that isn't a problem for me. They do have a nice library on the ship with a good selection of books.
Enjoy your cruise!

KS



Post Edited (01-27-04 14:07)