My husband and I chose the Coral Princess since it is one of the few cruise ships narrow enough to get through the locks of the Panama Canal. It is my understanding that the ship was built to be able to travel through the canal.
The itinerary included Aruba, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica. We were very pleased with all the excursions that we took. We used the ship's excursions in every port except Jamaica. There we just got off and walked since we had been there several times before.
We enjoyed the on-board activities as well. There was always something to do making it hard to find time for our afternoon nap. All-in-all it was a very good cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
It seems to me that since the cruise lines started pushing specialty dining at an added cost, the diversity and/or appeal in the dining rooms has slightly diminished.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lots going on all the time. Just choose an activity, bask in the sun or go to the library or game room.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Great! Happy staff and service in all areas.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was showing some wear, but it was going into dry-dock as we were leaving.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We loved our cabin. It had 2 bedside tables w/ 2 drawers each, a dressing table with 2 drawers and a straight chair, a comfortable chair, small table and refrigerator. There was more room to walk around the bed than I have seen in many ships. The closet area had a cabinet containing a safe and 5 or 6 shelves.
Ship tip
There was a lot of good musicians all through the ship in the different lounges. We especially enjoyed Ray Coussins playing the piano. His music was phenomenal. He was pianist for Frank Sinatra and had a lot of interesting stories about the Rat Pack.
There is a very economical water taxi that runs around the city's waterways and you can get on and off and back on anywhere. A taxi comes by every few minutes.
We enjoyed taking the tender to a bus to see some of the rain forest and to see how the locks work and to see the 3rd lane of the canal that is almost finished. There are some tours that take you to the Pacific side of the canal (about 50 miles).
If you take a tour, this is where you meet your ship. Be prepared for a long line as, in our case, about 1400 people needed to get back on the ship. It actually went pretty fast - maybe a little over an hour. Just find a table, order a drink and sit there and wait until the line shortens.
There is no shopping near the ship. We walked about a mile to a shopping area. The Coral Princess may not dock in the same place every time (?). One dock is right at the shopping area.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
