Overall, we rate this as 'Fair'; Panama Canal was great. Ship itself was disappointing; needs to be renovated.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
No issues.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Main dining room was mediocre; selection and quality was average to below-average for Princess. Bayou Café was outstanding; we ate there twice. Buffet was poor; worst we've had on any Princess cruise (selections limited; quality poor-mediocre; variety poor). Overall, the dining on this ship was the worst we have ever had on a Princess ship (we've sailed with them over 20 times). Afternoon tea held daily; however, the ship didn't advertise this--which kept attendance to a minimum (for cost saving?). No entertainment at afternoon tea or the Bayou Café (which was advertised).
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Outstanding service and drink quality; was a high point on our cruise. Table tennis was located in an indoor area; which made it much easier to play (normally, Princess places their table tennis facility in a top deck and outside; which makes playing almost impossible due to the 'winds over deck'). No pool games held during the cruise; which made sense--given the guest demographics (mostly elderly).
Gymnasium
2 out of 5
Fitness instructors were almost non-existent. They conducted no spinning classes in 10 days (the bikes stayed locked up the entire time). The only other 'upright' bike was broken. My wife said yoga class was sub-par. The rest of the fitness equipment was OK; cardio equipment was either treadmills or elliptical machines. Free weight area small; made it difficult to lift weights.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Stage shows were mostly boring; however, the 'bayou' show was outstanding. Dancers (especially female) looked like they hadn't been in a gym in a few years; one male dancer almost dropped a female dancer during a 'lift' due to her weight and girth. Princess orchestra was very good. Band was mediocre; especially their music selections. DJ was the worst we've had; his selections were terrible--whatever venue he 'played' at would empty within 30 minutes of him starting. Overall entertainment was pretty boring; Princess needs to take some hints from other cruise lines (especially Royal Caribbean).
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward was outstanding; same for waiters and other ship personnel.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Coral Princess desperately needs a 'facelift'; especially in the cabins. Our cabin had rust throughout; and our cabin flooded while departing Ft Lauderdale port (a storm came upon the ship while sailing out of the port area; the wind drove the rain through our sliding glass balcony door; flooded the balcony; and flooded our cabin). Most cabins on 'Port' side suffered same (talking to other guests). It took 2 days for our cabin floor to dry out (and this was after the steward used a 'floor vac' to get most of the water out of the carpet). After that, I asked for 'duct tape' to seal our balcony sliding glass door; used it every night. No problems after that.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
As stated earlier, cabin, bathroom and balconies need to be refurbished. Lots of rust; frayed edges; water damage; etc evident. Room didn't have the normal 'audio-visual' entertainment we've seen on other Princess ships in recent years (i.e.; the selections were very limited). Good thing we both had good books with us. Bed was spongy; made sleeping more difficult.
Ship tip
This ship needs an overhaul. The Princess website stated the ship had been refurbished in 2016; this must have been select portions of the ship (which didn't include many of the areas we frequented).
We did 'resort for a day' here; had a great time. Ocho Rios has seen improvements and capital investment since our last visit; folks there were very friendly; whole area much cleaner than previous years.
We were on that cruise as well and I agree the ship needs updating - loved Panama but will not be choosing to sail on the coral again - plus the sail away was shocking and only heard the ships horn twice in 2 weeks !!!
Could not disagree with you more. Was on the same cruise with a port cabin as well. No water issues. We found the cruise to be excellent and the ship to be in excellent shape. We were amazed at how empty the ship felt in all areas. Thought the itinerary was excellent, ship quality excellent, entertainment above board, eating venues beyond excellent, customer service gracious and attentive. It was the best cruise experience of out 10 princess cruises. Simply can not understand how anyone could not have a great time on a 10 day Caribbean cruise to the Panama Canal ?
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