Princess is the perfect “fit” for the Panama Canal

The Coral Princess was first introduced back in 2003 with its sister ship the Island Princess.  The unique thing about these two ships is that they were deliberately built just big enough to squeak through the Panama Canal.  And, squeak through they do, with barely inches on each side and a new paint job required after each transit. 

For those that want to experience one of the great marvels of the 20^th Century, a transit through the Panama Canal is truly something you must do and the Coral Princess is the perfect ship to do it on.

The Coral Princess is a mid-sized ship that holds only 1,970 passengers and 900 crew members which makes for a very intimate and up-close experience.  You get the best of both worlds with big ship amenities on a smaller scale.

The most popular itinerary is Ft. Lauderdale through the Caribbean to Panama, into the canal, turn around and back to Ft. Lauderdale which is generally a 10 day trip starting in the fall thru spring months.  They also make a few full transits all the way through the canal starting in Ft. Lauderdale and going all the way up the west coast of Latin America and ending in LA.  The ship tends to attract mostly Americans travelers with some Canadian and British passengers.  The age group is skewed to the 50 and 60’s baby boomers, but there tends to be more kids during school holidays. There are great kids programs and facilities onboard during these periods, but the canal segment is definitely a highlight that kids will remember for a lifetime.

In 2009, the Coral Princess was given a facelift.  Princess added its signature Movies Under the Stars® screen on the lido deck and an adults only two deck Sanctuary.  Here you will find a very soothing spa-like atmosphere with complimentary juices and fresh fruit, chilled towels and Evian misters.  All the staterooms also received flat screen TV’s and luxury bedding.  Another nice feature is the self-service Laundromats on decks 8 to 12.  They come in very handy on 10 day cruises allowing you to pack a little lighter.

The Coral Princess cabins are nicely appointed with large closets and efficient bathrooms.   83% of all outside cabins are balconies which I highly recommend when traveling through the Panama Canal.  Princess makes the process one to remember with signs that you can create and display from the balcony on the day of the passing. The ships photographers are allowed to be on shore where they walk along the ship photographing passengers on their balconies for a great and fun picture.  During the canal transit park rangers are on board to comment on the process and explain the history, technology and the difficulty in building the canal back in 1904.  If it is too hot to watch from outside, something fun to do is to sit in one of the many lobbies on a lower level and watch the walls of the locks go up and down by the window.  This will give you a good sense of just how much the ship is being raised or lowered.  Since there are several locks, you can experience it several ways; from your balcony, from the deck and from a lower lobby window.

The Coral Princess’s two main restaurants are the Bordeaux and the Provence which offer dinner seating at 6 pm and 8:15 pm.  The ship does offer “anytime dinning” for those who would like more flexibility.  We chose one night in Sabatini’s, Princess’s specialty restaurant.  Make sure you come hungry because the food is wonderful and plentiful for a modest $20 charge per person. The Bayou Café and Steakhouse is another option for a $15 fee.  It has a New Orleans theme and serves up gumbo, shrimp and premium steaks with jazz playing in the background.  Then there is always Princess’ buffet in the Horizon Court where you have a huge choice of foods almost any time of day.  The Horizon Court is conveniently located near the main pool, so it is easy to enjoy your meal on deck in the open air.

The Coral Princess has many great entertainment options onboard.  They run from your usual Vegas style shows to casinos and first run movies under the stars.  One of my favorite options was to participate in their Scholarship at Sea® program which provides lessons that range from history lectures to computer instructions, dance lessons and fitness just to name a few.

For those who want to be pampered, the Lotus Spa® is just the place.  It is a very calming atmosphere with a Balinese theme throughout and a variety of treatments to choose from.  My favorite part of the spa was the thermal sanctuary with the thermal grotto, aromatic steam chambers and hot stone loungers that melted away my stress and aching muscles from our excursions.  This was by far the best place to take an afternoon nap.

Overall our trip thru the Panama Canal was very enjoyable, educational and memorable.  We’ve sailed with Princess many times and Princess never seems to let us down.  The Coral Princess scored high with us as it does with cruisers in general.  This was made evident by all the returning passengers we met on this cruise.