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Coral Princess

Elba

Embarkation - We were looking forward to a short-but-sweet getaway from San Francisco to Vancouver, B.C., Canada, but disappointment began right at the gangway on embarkation.  We had booked a VS Suite, so our check-in was smooth in spite of several of their check-in laptops not functioning.  Several  check-in stations were unable to process passengers, so  people who were behind us faced an ever-increasing delay to get through the initial check-in process.  After checking in, we walked to the gangway where we had to stand in line for about 1-1/2 hours due to the ship's security system complete failure.  They were unable to use the boarding kiosks to sign us onboard and take our picture.  Although there was a staff person with a walkie-talkie standing nearby, he had no idea about what was going on -no one from the ship issued any information about the delay for almost 45 minutes.  The crew eventually abandoned their routine and resorted to checking us off a paper master list by hand to get us onboard.  Due to this problem, it took much longer for the embarkation to finish, and the ship had a 2 hour delay leaving the berth for sea.The ship normally would have been able to make up this time to our only port of Vancouver, Canada, but due to weather conditions (they alleged) we were informed on our only full day on board that our arrival was going to be delayed and that any of us who had flights before 4PM would not be able to make them. Our one and only full day on the ship was mainly dedicated to trying to re-book travel plans to get home after our original plans had to be scrapped.  The ship did offer free internet and phone calls, to everyone so people who had independent plans could try and reschedule, but the internet was  overloaded and in addition to overcast conditions, was almost useless. This is not the ship's fault, but did add to our frustration in trying to make alternate arrangements.  Of course, the load on the phone system was maxed out and it took several hours to get a line out.  By the time we were able to start making calls, our options had passed.  We were finally able to book an independent bus transfer to the Seattle - Tacoma Airport, so we could spend an unplanned night at a nearby hotel.  Our great TA was able to rebook our flights back to our home for Sunday, which was a Godsend, as our ability to communicate from the ship was almost nil.   We managed to dock in Vancouver around 11:30AM.  Between this delayed arrival and the extremely long time for the ship to get clearance to disembark, they did not start letting passengers off until about 12:20PM.  When any of the staff in attendance in the waiting lounge was asked for any status when debarkation would begin, we were told they had no idea, and that there was no one we could ask, but she would announce it when she received a radio call.   We never heard any announcement for our group to leave. We finally found out from a fellow passenger that our group had already left and two more groups had been dispatched.  The continual lack of communication to the passengers only added to our frustration.  Life onboard - Our suite was very nice of course. My wife loved the Jacuzzi Tub and the goodies you get in a suite for use in the tub. The bed, linens and pillows were top notch. Our steward, Henry, was very good and efficient.  We hardly saw him.  We were not able to take full use of our huge balcony due to the weather conditions, but that is just the way it is sometimes.  We had heard that Suite guests had free use of the spa, but when we inquired about it at the Sanctuary they (the staff person we asked went to her manager to check) said we were mistaken.  When we got home we researched our Suite amenities and we found we had free access to the Lotus Spa, not the Sanctuary.  We know it was our mistake, but we never got a list of amenities, and we can't help but feel that the staff should have been able to re-direct us to the correct place.  Again, we felt that staff was not fully aware or informed of all that was going on.  Dining - The pizza served on this ship is the best we have ever enjoyed on any Princess ship.  Our two dinners in the Provence Dining Room was excellent, as was the staff.  Once again, the Fettuccine Alfredo was absolutely delicious.  After so many years, that dish on a Princess ship continues to be top-shelf.   We did not see any shows; we were too busy trying to get our travel plans changed.  The exterior of the Coral Princess is being minimally maintained; it is showing signs of needing some significant rust cleaning and painting.  The interior is in great condition and well kept. In this case, we did not escape completely, until we were off the ship and on our way to Seattle with a new plan to get home.In summary, we have learned that we will never again travel without travel insurance that can be brought to bare to resolve changing travel plans when delays such as what we experienced on this trip. We also learned to triple check what the various staff tell us is fact. May your reading of our experience on this trip be helpful when you are deciding whether or not to decline or accept travel insurance. 

2 Night Coastal Cruise on Coral Princess

Coral Princess - Cruise Review May 10 - 13, 2008 San Francisco to Vancouver
My friend and I joined the Coral Princess for the short (two night) trip from San Francisco to Vancouver. The ship departed at 4:00 PM on Saturday, and arrived in Vancouver at 10:00 AM on Monday. I have cruised a number of times before, and this was my friend's first cruise.
Overall, this was a very nice experience. We enjoyed the ship itself, the facilities and the food. My comparison for this cruise is with a similar (three night) cruise I did last year (2007) aboard the NCL Norwegian Star, from Los Angeles to Vancouver.
EMBARKATION This was very smooth. We followed the e-mailed advice from Princess, and did not arrive until after 1:00 PM, and so avoided any long lines. Having your passport available, and your boarding forms filled out in advance definitely makes the process smoother. The boarding area at the San Francisco cruise terminal is very small, so rushing up to be early probably won't help you to avoid lines.
CABIN We had cabin D229 (Dolphin deck), and enjoyed the cabin and the balcony. The cabin was slightly smaller than the Norwegian Star, but not appreciably so, and I liked the available hanging space. Like any ships cabin.... Bring your own power strip for all of the electronics.
PUBLIC ROOMS The Lotus Pool area is very nice, and a fun way to sit around the pool and enjoy the hot tubs on a blustery day at sea. We had moderate seas, and the pools were closed because of the action of the waves in the pools. This area has a retractable roof, so it is nice to be able to have the protection from the weather. Some on board said that the Lotus pool is the adults only pool, however there weren't many kids on board (which was appreciated by us) and since only the hot tubs were open it was not a huge factor either way.
The gym is very nice, with views from a high vantage point. However, being at the stern/high deck does mean that there is some movement experienced when at sea.
The ship is clean and relatively easy to navigate. My comparison with the Norwegian Star is that that it has less of a "Wow!" factor than the Norwegian Star. The Atrium is not as impressive, and there are fewer shops. However, we did very much enjoy what have been referred to as the "secret" decks on the bow and stern (Caribe and Baja for the bow).
One thing which I did enjoy is that the servers were available with drinks when you wanted them, but weren't overly pushy about it.
Food For the first lunch aboard I try to go to a restaurant (as opposed to the buffet), and often if you ask you will find that one is available. We were told that lunch was being served in Provence dining room, but it was closed when we got there. This was to be first of a number of times when we received conflicting information from Princess staff. We ended up at the Horizon Court buffet. The buffet was fine, but choices seemed a little limited.
My friend was extremely tired at the end of the day, and decided not to have dinner, so I initially went back to the Horizon Court buffet, but the choices at dinner looked very much like the choices at lunch, so I ended up going to the Bordeaux dining room, which was very pleasant.
For dinner we had chosen "anytime" dining, and the Maitre d' had said that reservations were not necessary. On both nights I found this to be true, but we tend to eat later (around 8:00 PM). Earlier in the evening there were some lines.
One morning we had breakfast in the Bordeaux restaurant, which was very pleasant. On the final morning we chose the Horizon Court, which had a nicer view as we came into Vancouver Harbor. The breakfast at Horizon was fine, but you do have the hustle and bustle of a buffet environment.
I had afternoon tea while my friend went to the Lotus Spa, and she joined us a bit later. This is where the somewhat mechanical aspect of the service showed, since we had all be served earlier, the servers had "moved on" to other tables and we had to do quite a bit of arm-waving to get tea and food for her.
My general impression of the food service is that it is fine as long as you go along with the program, and all arrive, and eat, at the same pace as everyone else. This NCL advertisements showing people eating in lock-step did seem to have an element of truth!
BARS AND ENTERTAINMENT My favorite bars would be Crooners (good place to people watch and enjoy the sounds of music from the string quartet in the Atrium), and Churchill's Lounge, with the nautical dEcor.
ON FORMAL NIGHT.... AND THOUGHTS ON A TWO-NIGHT CRUISE. This was only a two-night cruise, so from information we received from Princess, and what we read on CC message boards, we understood that there would not be a formal night.
Turns out that the second night (our final night) there was to be a formal night. No one we talked to was really excited about this. Some people had been on board for the Fort Lauderdale/Panama Canal portion, and had already had formal nights. They had more to pack and wanted to get a head start on that. Others, such as ourselves, were only on board for two nights, and had not brought formal clothing.
We arrived at the restaurant nicely, but not formally, dressed and were still allowed entry without a fuss which was much appreciated. Arriving at a later time (around 8:30 PM) probably also helped.
The entertainment on the second evening was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't necessarily bad entertainment; it was just that the crowds were not there.
A hypnotist was performing in the Princess Theatre, but many in the already small crowd got up and left mid-way through the act. He eventually cut it short, saying that the subjects were not deeply enough hypnotized. From there I went to the Universe lounge where a juggler was finishing his act, again to a small crowd. I then went to the Explorers lounge where some music was playing (recorded, not a DJ), and only a small group of people were present. Ended up having a relatively early night.
Overall, this was a good experience. The staff aboard were friendly and provided good service. I enjoyed the food, especially in the restaurant (as opposed to the buffet).
If you are choosing between a two-night and three-night cruise I would suggest the three-nighter. This is not because a longer cruise is necessarily better (though it almost always is), but the first night we were just getting settled in, and the second-night had that "end of cruise" feeling and so you just don't get to feel like you've had that full cruise experience.
Thanks for reading this, and I hope you will enjoy your next cruise!
 

A pleasant hop from SF to Vancouver

This was our 16th cruise for my wife and I. We are mid 50s and usually have adult family members with us. Most of our cruises have been with RCCL but sometimes we try other lines. This was our second Princess cruise. 
The Good: 
Off and on the ship was the best we have ever experienced. 
Our mini suite was beautiful. 
The public rooms...bars, lounges, etc. were very impressive but no outside viability. 
Overall service was good and friendly. 
Food in dining room was decent...not great but pretty typical. 
The ship was clean and in good repair. 
People at the pursers desk were friendly and solved our problems. 
The Bad: 
The Horizon Court buffet is stuck in the '70s...poor selection, taste...the desserts were few and far between...the soups were horrible ...the lay out was cramped with people on top of each other...and not enough staff. They have a lot of work to do here to catch up with RCCL or Celebrity 
The dining rooms are one story layouts that again are a throw back to much older ships...Can't believe a ship of this age doesn't have a multi level configuration...it adds so much to the room. 
Sabbatinis Specialty -- A seafood restaurant that calls itself Italian.Lots of seafood on all the menus. 
There is no place on this ship to view the scenery...very closed in except for the the Horizon Court....the ship needs much more glass. 
Summary: Certainly not our best cruise experience...will probably not try Princess again. 

Coral Princess - Pacific Coastal

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