Coral Princess

The 2002-built Coral Princess cruise ship is the first of the two Coral-class Princess Cruises liners, with sistership Island Princess.

The vessel (IMO number 9229659) is currently Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310376000) and registered in Hamilton.

History - construction and ownership

Princess Cruises is a USA-based passenger shipping company headquartered in Beverly Hills CA. A former subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (1977-founded), in 2003, the company merged with Carnival Corporation - the world's largest cruise shipowner. Among Princess Cruise Lines Ltd's assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays (on Bahamas Eleuthera Island's southern end), located approx 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.

The 2000-passenger ship Coral Princess, together with sister ship Island Princess, is an aberration for Princess Cruises. The line launched only two cruise vessels of this size before joining the rest of the industry in building ever more massive ships (like those in the Grand-class). Not part of either the group of biggest-in-fleet ships or the mid-sized Sun-class vessels, Coral Princess falls somewhere in the middle and in many ways, it represents the best of both.

Coral Princess mixes the exotic (international crew members, stylish Italian dining venues, celebrity-style spa treatments) and the familiar (cruising's ubiquitous buffets, poolside umbrella drinks, cocktails and bingo).

Decks and Cabins

Most Coral Princess staterooms (1000 total, in 34 grades) are 170-ft2 balcony cabins (581). Almost 80% of the ship's outside staterooms have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 20. The largest accommodations are the Balcony Suites (470 ft2 / 44 m2, including the terrace).

The boat has 15 decks, of which 12 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The two main restaurants onboard Coral Princess serve up traditional 5-course evening meals. The line offers set seating at 6 and 8:15 p.m. in the Bordeaux and flexible anytime dining in the Provence Restaurant. The menus in both venues are the same with favorites, such as Executive Chef Martial Diffor's fettuccine alfredo, beef wellington, deep-sea cod in coriander butter sauce, twin broiled lobster tail. All meals are prepared to order. Menus in the main restaurants also offer vegetarian choices and Lotus Spa innovative dishes, with healthier options like chilled yogurt and tamarind soup with grated lemon zest, filet of baby turbot with fennel Pernod sauce and tropical fruit smoothie with lime.

Guests who prefer more formal fare can choose the sit-down service in the Bordeaux dining room for breakfast and lunch.

Follows the complete list of Coral Princess restaurants and food bars.

• Bordeaux Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room; dinner only)
• Provence Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 a.m., Lunch 12-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; features Anytime Dining for Dinner between 5:30-8 p.m. or 8-10 p.m. and "Chef's Table" private dining)
• Sabatini's Restaurant (Italian specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse (specialty restaurant)
• The Bar & Grill (complimentary fast food)
• Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary)

In April 2024 Princess Cruises announced that starting September 14th (2024) fleetwide would be introduced 3 distinct main dining/dinner table service options – Traditional, Reservable, and Walk-in Anytime. By the new program (introduced with Sun Princess) on each ship are allocated 3 separate dining rooms - one for Traditional dining (offering early and late dinner seating), one with Reservable times, and one for Walk-in Anytime (open-seating). The new options are integrated with the OceanNow service, allowing anything to be ordered anytime, and delivered anywhere onboard.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

On either side of the Fiesta and Promenade Decks are the two grandest venues of Coral Princess: Princess Theater and Universe Lounge. Tucked between the two are the majority of lounges and bars, including the clubby Explorers Lounge, the Wheelhouse Bar which is more sedate, the retro Crooners martini bar, Churchill's cigar lounge and the casino, with its various table games like blackjack, poker, roulette and state-of-the-art slots. By day, ScholarShip@Sea program focuses on enrichment with a wide range of programming. There are dance classes, lectures on bridge and fashion, computer instruction. When Coral Princess gets to the Panama Canal, passengers are provided with a lecture about the canal's history and how it works.

Follows the complete list of Coral Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
• La Patisserie Bar (specialty coffee bar)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Photo Kiosk; Platinum Studio
• International Cafe (24-hour specialty coffee bar and patisserie)
• Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour); Card Room
• Princess Coral Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
• The Universe Lounge (2-level second show lounge, also used for dance lessons)
• Churchill Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
• Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
• Princess Coral Casino
• Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars)
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
• Wedding Chapel
• Princess Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
• Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
• The Sanctuary (adults-only open-air area)
• Lido Pool area; Lotus Pool area
• Central Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Shuffleboard; Deck Chess; Princess Links/mini-golf course.

Itineraries

Coral Princess itinerary program is based on Australian voyages leaving roundtrip from homeports Sydney NSW and Brisbane QLD. The ship also operates World Cruises from Australia.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Coral Princess ship was paused for 2+ years (March 2020 thru June 2022) and World Cruise 2022 (107-night roundtrip from Sydney-Brisbane-Auckland NZ) was canceled. The liner restarted operations on June 16, 2022, out of Sydney.

The ship's winter 2022-2023 schedule featured 3-4-day "Australia Getaways" (cruises-to-nowhere from Brisbane and Sydney), 7-day "Queensland" (roundtrips from Brisbane to Cairns, Port Douglas, Airlie Beach), one new 7-day "New South Wales Coast" (roundtrip from Brisbane (to Eden, Sydney, Newcastle NSW), one new 12-day "Queensland and New South Wales" (roundtrip from Brisbane to Eden, Sydney, Newcastle, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, Willis Island), one new 12-day "Queensland and the Conflict Islands" (roundtrip from Sydney to Brisbane, Conflict Islands Papua New Guinea, Cairns, Port Douglas, Airlie Beach).

The vessel (STX France/Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard/hull number C32) has volume 91627 GT-tons, DWT-deadweight tonnage 8015 tons, max draught 8,3 m. The powerplant is based on 2x Wartisla marine diesel engines (model 16V46C) plus a gas turbine (model General Electric LM2500) with combined output 62,7 MW (84055 hp). The propulsion is CODLAG (combined diesel-electric and gas). The registered shipowner is PRINCESS CRUISE LINES LTD, while the registered manager is BRITTANY SHIPPING CORP LTD.

Princess Cruises Coral ship is the first of the company's two Coral-Class liners, with sistership Island Princess. Ship's christening ceremony was held on January 18, 2003. Its godmother was Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodriguez de Arias - Panama's first female president (mandate 1999-2004).

The boat has environmentally-friendly engines - more silent and fuel efficient, and with fewer vibrations and lower emissions. The engines are mounted in the funnel, freeing space for more public places and facilities.

During summer, the ship offers 7-day Alaskan itineraries from homeports Vancouver BC Canada and Whittier Alaska. Being one of the "Princess Panama Canal cruise ships", Coral Princess spends autumn, winter and spring on Panama Canal transition voyages. The ship offers 10-days or 2-week itineraries visiting ports in Aruba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico Riviera. The two Princess ships Coral and Island are the fleet's only Panamax vessels that cover all standards for transiting through the Panama Canal.

In 2017, Coral Princess did its maiden season of Panama Canal cruises through the new locks (inaugurated on June 26, 2016).

During drydock refurbishment 2019, all Coral Princess staterooms were upgraded with the company's "Princess Luxury Bed". The new "cruise bed" was developed in collaboration with PhD Michael Breus (commonly known as The Sleep Doctor) and the designer Candice Olson. The new cabin beds feature a luxury pillow-top mattress, individually wrapped coils (reducing surface sway) and hypoallergenic duvets.

The ship's last drydocking was in 2024 (September 26 through October 17) conducted at Sembawang Shipyard (Singapore). The project was for routine maintenance works, safety/classification inspections, machinery and system overhauls, hull cleaning/repainting.

Coral Princess World Cruise 2026

In early-May 2024 was opened for booking Coral Princess' World Cruise 2026. In early-November 2024, the itinerary was revised to avoid the Suez Canal transit and navigation in the Red Sea.

The next table shows the revised 131-day "Circle Pacific Voyage 2026" itinerary (the company's longest) leaving roundtrip from Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA on Jan 5th, and ending in Los Angeles on May 16th, 2026. The itinerary groups 60 ports (in 19 countries). A shorter (115-day) roundtrip departs from LA on Jan 21st.

(table TBA)

The original 115-day itinerary was scheduled to visit 52 ports (45 UNESCO sites) in 28 different countries (on 6 continents), and featured 35000+ NM (~65000 km/~40300 mi) of global navigation.

The original "World Voyage 2026" had 2 departure options (both roundtrips) - one from Fort Lauderdale, (on January 5th) and the other from Los Angeles (on January 21st).

The itinerary (the following table) included first-time ports for the company (Boracay Philippines, Puerto Chiapas Mexico, Ponta Delgada Azores), and 13 extended port stays (late-night departures).

Prices started from USD 26500 (Fort Lauderdale roundtrip) and USD 23400 (Los Angeles roundtrip).

Coral Princess World Cruise 2024

In late-November 2021 was announced Coral Princess' "World Cruise 2024" leaving out of Australia and New Zealand.

The 111-day itinerary visited 32 countries (15 UNESCO sites) and went on sale on December 1, 2021.

World Voyage 2024 departed on April 26, 2024 (from Auckland NZ), April 30th (from Sydney NSW) and May 2nd (from Brisbane QLD).

Alternative departures were also offered from Melbourne, Fremantle-Perth, Adelaide.

Prices started from ~USD 20670 (EUR 18230 / GBP 15440) per person with double occupancy.

Early bookings (made by April 30, 2022) received AUD 1000 pp in OBC (onboard credit).

Coral Princess World Cruise 2023

On March 2, 2021, Coral Princess' World Cruise 2023 went on sale.

The 107-day itinerary departed roundtrip from New Zealand and Australia - from Auckland NZ (May 31st), from Sydney NSW (June 4th) and out of Brisbane (June 6th).

The voyage featured 32500 NM (37400 mi/60200 km) of global cruising, a Panama Canal full transit (passing through the old locks), a total of 44 ports/destinations (26 countries, 6 continents), 20+ UNESCO sites, 6 first-time for Princess World Cruises ports (Portoferraio, Elba Italy, Marseille France, Malaga Spain, Tangier Morocco, Belfast Ireland, Invergordon Scotland), 10x late-night port departures, 3 overnight port stays (Dubai, NYC, Callao-Lima).

Prices started from USD 17770 per person with double occupancy.

Princess World Voyage 2023 was also available for booking in shorter segments (50 to 73 days/departures out of Brisbane, London UK, Sydney NSW, Auckland NZ) and 21 to 34 days (from other ports).

Coral Princess World Cruise 2022 (canceled)

In mid-August 2020, the company revealed details of its 107-day / 108-night world circumnavigation itinerary. In November 2021, the voyage was canceled due to uncertainties regarding Australia's travel restrictions.

The voyage featured a full Panama Canal transit (passing through 3 locks - Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, Gatun), Suez Canal transit, visiting 21 UNESCO sites, 27 countries (6 continents), 43 ports (4 maiden ports - Sibenik, Olden, Isafjordur, Falmouth UK), 12 late-night port departures, 4 overnights (Dubai, Venice, NYC, Callao-Lima), optional land tours from Callao (to Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands), Easter Island (cruising).

World circumnavigation 2022 voyage included 14 segments/itineraries ranging between 19-107 days. Roundtrips were offered from 3 homeports - Auckland NZ (May 14, from $14670 pp), Sydney NSW (May 18, from $18270 pp), Brisbane QLD (May 20, from $14670 pp).

108-day itinerary roundtrip from Sydney

The voyage's total mileage was 34000 nm/nautical miles (63 km / 39130 mi).