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Great itinerary, disappointing ship

Coral Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5
Coral Princess

15 Night Panama Canal - Ocean To Ocean Westbound (Ft. Lauderdale To San Francisco)

Sail date: January 31, 2019

Ship: Coral Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This ship does not execute well. Poor “show” with many departments trying to up sell guests. Dress code (formal nights) a total joke. We felt stupid bringing tuxedo and gowns. Cunard (also Carnival owned) does a great job enforcing their dress code. Passenger demographic older, and unsophisticated. Observed many people starting to drink at 9AM with buckets of beer. We would consider Princess again only based on itinerary. Balcony value no more than $100-125 per person per night.

Embarkation

2 out of 5
Ship arrived from dry dock hours late, embarkation was 4-5 hours late. Many dry dock items not fully completed.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food was not memorable. Great service by dining room and bar staff.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Pool area okay, but constant loud inappropriate music in public areas.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Only a few stage shows, which were good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Outstanding room steward and wait staff. Ships officers were invisible.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5
Arrived from drydock poorly cleaned. Carpets were replaced every day during the cruise, including the carpet in our room.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Standard balcony cabin. Small bathroom but excellent water pressure.

Ship tip

Do NOT bring formal wear!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5
Did ship excursion, which was wonderful.
Thumbs Up

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5
Excellent commentary during the transit.
Thumbs Up

Fuerte Amador, Panama

5 out of 5
We will return to Panama City!
Thumbs Up

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2 out of 5
Poor, sad port.
Thumbs Up

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua Did not visit port

Did not get off the ship.
Thumbs Up

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5
We had a private driver, and visited San Jose de Cabo.
Thumbs Up

San Francisco, California

5 out of 5
One of our favorite cities.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Off the ship and through customs in five minutes!
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