This highly anticipated
ship to the Princess fleet entered service in early 2003.
She will be cruising the Panama Canal in the wintertime and
then sail within Alaska in the summer.
Excerpts from Princess' Website
about the
Coral Princess
One of cruising's most advanced passenger vessels, Coral
Princess departed today on its inaugural Panama Canal
voyage from Ft. Lauderdale.
The 88,000-ton, 1,970-passenger ship offers the same vast array of public room
space as Princess' renowned larger"Grand-class" ships
but, in a twist, spread over two decks and with fewer passengers aboard.
Previously, in order forships to feature the
necessary space for the new option-filled cruise experience, the vessel had to
be built wider thancould transit the Panama Canal.
Coral Princess combines all the options of Princess's other ships, plus morestaterooms with private balconies than any other ship in its fleet, while
still possessing the ability to pass through the
Panama Canal, ensuring flexibility in deployment.
"Coral Princess represents an entirely new class of ship," noted Dean Brown,
Princess' executive vice president ofcustomer service
and sales. "Its innovative design and unique propulsion system placement have
allowed for anunprecedented range of facilities and
public spaces throughout the ship -- something never thought possible on a
vesselbuilt to navigate the Canal."
Continuing the growth of Princess' trademark choice and variety, Coral Princess
breaks new ground with several cruisingfirsts,
including the Bayou Café, the only New Orleans-style restaurant at sea,
featuring traditional Cajun and Creolespecialties and
live jazz; as well as the Universe Lounge, a dramatic two-deck performance venue
equipped with thelatest lighting and digital sound
and video systems. This elegant space will feature everything from Las
Vegas-styleextravaganzas to yet another Princess
innovation, the new ScholarShip@Sea program, offering passengers theopportunity to participate in a variety of enrichment programs during the
course of their voyage. Topics include the culinary
arts, photography, web design and ceramics, among others.
Additional features unique to Coral Princess include the Churchill Lounge, a
haven for cigar aficionados; Crooners, a1960s-era
martini bar, and a London-themed casino, all firsts for Princess.
"This vessel embodies the Princess ideal of providing big-ship choice with
small-ship feel," noted Brown. "Multiple dining
options, an expanded Lotus Spa and fitness center, a larger children's center,
tremendous public room spaces, and anunprecedented
percentage of balcony cabins are just some of the features that Coral Princess
passengers can lookforward to."
In addition to a long list of all-new features, many old-favorite passenger
gathering places are in evidence, with some new
twists. The Wheelhouse Bar houses an impressive collection of P&O memorabilia,
while Explorers Lounge, a lively spotaboard Grand
Princess-class ships, will continue the adventure with décor that celebrates the
essence of Egypt, Moroccoand Bali.
As on the line's largest ships, the new vessel also offers a wedding chapel, a
nine-hole putting course, a 24-hour Interne Café, and
an extensive children's center.
Coral Princess' inaugural season features of a series of Panama Canal sailings
roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.Passengers will enjoy
calls at the ports of Limón in Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Princess'
private islandPrincess Cays, as well as the Panama
Canal transit and cruising of the Canal's Gatun Lake. Beginning in May, the shipmoves to Alaska for a season of cruises on Princess' famed "Voyage of the
Glaciers" Gulf of Alaska route.