My husband and I took this cruise to find out if it was 'cruising' we didn't like or if the cruiseline on our first cruise that wasn't to our taste. This being our 2nd cruise, we found the latter reason to be why we did not enjoy our first cruise.

If you are a first-timer and considering a cruise, please be aware that not all cruiseships are the same. They may appear to be so in that they all have a multitude of restaurants, etc. What is different is the atmosphere on board. Our first cruise was for 12 days in the Mediterranean and we were disappointed. I felt bored and unsettled. Part of the problem was that we were 'newbies' and didn't know how to 'cruise'. The other reason was because the layout was such that the ship was too quiet. Many areas seemed isolated.

This trip was very different. We found the Princess Coral to have just the right amount of activity. In comparing a much newer HAL ship to the Princess Coral, we found the atmosphere had to do with how the Coral's Atrium was the focal point to most everything. It gave us a feeling that people were out and about without feeling crowded. Most meeting places had some sort of activity available allowing you to either join in or just sit back and watch. None of the activities were more than 45 minutes as a rule. Read more