We have missed cruising so much. The last few years we did some caravaning - we were lucky to be living in Queensland and were able to travel all states except 'naughty' New South Wales and Victoria. And that's what we did, but........ we really missed cruising. 32 months since our last cruise and when a 5 day Coral Princess cruise came up, and it was my birthday and Jonnie's, it would be our birthday presents.
Booking
We booked online. Had a few little problems and had to call customer service, who wanted to refer us to customer service 😏and then to Princess - both times I said 'Aren't you customer service? Aren't you Princess? Both times she replied yes. Some of the booking conditions are misleading so question everything. Online customer service really can't help. Princess Cruises includes premium drinks and wifi for one device each. We queried item 7 and wanted a soda package included for Jonnie. Customer service said they could do it for $200 - not going to happen, especially when we could get it on board for $50.
That's what we planned to do but the guest services was always so busy with 'no social distancing' queues so we ended up just letting Jonnie buy what he wanted. His total bill for the 5 days was $18.75. Guess we will be doing that again. On checking the Princess website tonight, I see that they now clarify on their website that it is only for the first two passengers.
Once going through the booking process one is offered a standard price, which in our case for 5 days was $250 less. We thought for a premium drinks package and wifi it was worth the extra $50 a day each.
Embarkation
After doing the required RAT tests and uploading all required vaccination information prior to embarkation day, embarkation was quick and easy. From the time we dropped off the bags to the time we boarded the ship, was less than 30 minutes. We took photos of the RAT test for proof, but there were no health officials to check. Guess it is a honor system! After dropping our carry-on in the cabin we explored the ship. WOW. A new to us ship is always wonderful. So much to see.
Our CabinWe chose deck 12, and noticed when we first found our cabin that a couple of cabins further towards the back of the ship must have been in isolation, - with tables outside their rooms for room service delivery and pick up.
We chose a balcony cabin because there were three of us and we were surprised how small the balcony cabin was - definitely not what we are use to on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We have never been in a balcony cabin on P&O - that comes in September 😄. In looking on the Princess website and their mini-suite seems to be the same as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean standard balcony cabin. However, a balcony is always nice especially when it is affordable and the seas are flat.
The cabin was clean and well appointed. Being on deck 12 and under the Lido (pool) Deck we thought there may have been some noise, especially when cleaning and readying the Lido Deck for the day, but our room was quiet at all times. We were pleasantly surprised to see an Australian power point and two USB ports. We were also surprised that there was no kettle in the room. We do like our cup of tea when we wake up.
The queen bed was split into two singles with a pull down from the ceiling bunk bed for Jonnie. We tried a few positions for the bunk ladder, but no where one put it was it out of the way. The beds were comfortable and warm. We did like the bunk set up on P&O window cabin better, but we did have a balcony on Coral Princess.
There was no lounge to sit on and only one chair. All balcony cabins we have had so far have had a lounge that converts into a bed. No room for that in this cabin.
The bathroom was compact like most other ship cabins but the shower, with a shower curtain, was very tiny. The hot water was hit and miss, especially in the mornings. The only concern, other than the tiny size, was this protruding piece of metal that was easy to get caught on when walking pass through the narrow doorway.
There was no art work in the room, but there was a big TV, and one wall was almost all mirrors. We watched the safety drill on the TV before heading to our muster station and getting our medallions scanned. There were a few news channels including ABC News and CNN, and a sports channel that I watched the Wimbledon men's final on, and we watched the State of Origin footie game as we left Sydney. There were free movies and TV shows, including The Love Boat. As far as ship and room information, that was limited. There wasn't any paper/hard copies of any information in the room, other than the daily paper planner - which we requested. There was limited information on the TV as many screens referred one to the Medallion App, which wouldn't work on my phone.
The medallions we wore however, worked really well. We are platinum level, thanks to our P&O cruises. We get no benefits on P&O, all the benefits come when one cruises with Princess. Well, we had priority boarding, I think that's all we used. Platinum includes access to the Captains' Circle Help Desk, and access to a Platinum and Elite Disembarkation Lounge with complementary pastries and tea or coffee. On board there are discounts in the Lotus Spa, for photos and internet packages.
The medallion 'logs' you in where ever you go on the ship. Crew carry machines that tell them who is near. Also when walking up to the cabin door it recognizes you and unlocks the door for you. On my birthday the door had a Happy Birthday picture for me.
The cabin was ok. It was clean, and we were not in a lot, only for sleeping and getting ready for dinner.
Back cruising again, I know you love it! What a great way to spend your birthday.
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