The 1,974-passenger Coral Princess (and her identical sister ship, Island Princess) were designed exclusively to transit the Panama Canal, indeed they are the largest ships that can currently navigate this impressive waterway that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was the first of a new design for Princess Cruises, incorporating the extensive Personal Choice Cruising features of the company's larger ships. Recent enhancements include popular signature elements such as 'Movies Under the Stars' and the serene, adults-only Sanctuary area on deck. While Coral Princess is big, the experience is intimate and service is personalised.
With a stepped design like a big, white wedding cake, more than 83 per cent of ocean-view accommodation on Coral Princess has balconies. With six types of staterooms, even the least expensive inside categories have good storage and a small seating area. Mini-Suites at 323 sq ft provide substantially more space and have larger balconies and sizable sitting areas with sofa beds and two televisions. Bathrooms in these have bathtubs and more space than in standard staterooms. There are 16 Suites with the added benefits of complimentary Internet access, laundry, shoe polishing, afternoon tea and evening canapés, priority embarkation, disembarkation and priority for the ship's tenders. An extended room service menu is also available, as are priority reservations for dining and shore excursions.
To accommodate Princess's Personal Choice concept, two similar dining rooms - Provence and Bordeaux - are dedicated to traditional fixed-seating dining and to anytime Personal Choice dining respectively. There are two speciality restaurants aboard Coral Princess: Sabatini's for eight-course Italian extravaganzas and the Bayou Café and Steakhouse whose menu and décor has a New Orleans theme. If you've overindulged, then the Balinese-themed Lotus Spa offers deep-tissue massages and beauty treatments, plus a thermal suite.