Island vs Coral – How they Compare

1/12/26

For those of you who are joining our wonderful adventure in LA, there’s a great chance you’ve been on another Princess World Cruise and if so, you were likely on the Island Princess.  If you’re following my blog for another reason, let me give you some context.  In 2023 we did the World Cruise aboard the Island Princess.  It was a nice ship but older and in need of some renovation and improvement.  Having a windowless fitness center, for example, was a bummer for 4 months.  I don’t love working out.  Few do.   Doing it in a room that resembles a dungeon doesn’t help.  The Coral, it’s sister ship built the same year,  is a breath of fresh air in so many ways and I’m excited to share some of the reasons I think this ship experience will be so much better than 2023’s Island Princess.

(Courtesy of A.I.)

Overview of the Ships

•             Construction and Renovation: Both the Coral Princess and Island Princess were built in 2003 and underwent renovations in 2024. They are part of the Coral Class, making them identical in size and layout, but with some differences in features and amenities.

Size and Capacity

•             Dimensions: Both ships are approximately 965 feet long and 122 feet wide, accommodating a similar number of passengers based on double occupancy. However, the Coral Princess has a slightly better space ratio, offering more space per passenger.   This is due, at least in part, to the Coral having the Universe Lounge, a 2-story venue perfect for comedy shows, magicians and any show that relates better in a more intimate setting.  On the Island, this lounge was converted into staterooms and the dungeon…..um…I mean the fitness center.

Dining Options

•             Coral Princess: Offers ten dining venues, including the International Cafe and World Fresh Marketplace, with eleven complimentary options and three that require an additional fee. This variety allows for a more diverse dining experience.

•             Island Princess: Features nine dining venues, with nine complimentary options and three paid options. While it has fewer choices than the Coral Princess, it still provides a good selection of dining experiences.

Onboard Amenities

•             Public Spaces: The Coral Princess retains more open public spaces, including a promenade that goes all around the ship, while the Island Princess has had some of its outdoor areas converted into cabins, limiting access to certain viewing decks.

•             Fitness Facilities: The Coral Princess has a gym with windows, providing natural light and views, whereas the Island Princess's gym is located in an interior space without windows.

Passenger Experience

•             Popularity: The Coral Princess is often favored by passengers for its layout and amenities, ranking as one of the more popular ships in the Princess fleet. It is noted for its well-maintained facilities and overall guest satisfaction.

Conclusion (by AI)

In summary, while both the Coral Princess and Island Princess offer similar experiences as sister ships, the Coral Princess generally provides a more favorable experience due to its greater dining options, better public spaces, and overall passenger satisfaction. If you prioritize variety in dining and open spaces, the Coral Princess may be the better choice. However, if you have a specific itinerary on the Island Princess, it can still offer a pleasant cruise experience.

So that’s what AI had to say about the differences, though I edited it a bit.  But here’s my take.  The Coral is so much better, not just because of the physical differences but because the Coral has simply been taken better care of over the years.  I remember seeing so many spaces on the Island that needed some attention.  Not horrible things, let me be clear.  Just 100’s of little things like missing tiles, frayed carpets, stains, rust, poor lighting, marred and damaged wood etc.  Again, not horrible.  Taking care of a floating (in salt water) city with practically full occupancy 100% of the time is infinitely more complicated and expensive than a stationary hotel.  It may seem like I’m retroactively complaining about the Island, but I’m not.  I’ve just had a sip of a better wine and now it would be hard to go back.

The Coral is unbelievably well maintained.  In fact, I see them working on issues I didn’t even know were issues.  The Island had in excess of 20 rooms flooded at different times by pipe issues during our 111 days, not the least of which was to poor Angela, a well-healed widow from Alaska in a Deluxe Balcony room she specifically selected because of its huge balcony.  She loved to read out there most days…..that is until her room flooded and she was “upgraded”  to a mini-suite.  Bravo for Princess but candidly, she preferred her huge balcony and insisted on going back once it was fixed and dry.  I’m cautiously optimistic based on other maintenance excellence aboard the Coral, pipe issues will be minimal.

But let me tell you what I love about the Coral. 

1)       It’s so clean, every inch.  Staff with dust mops even wipe down the walls.  The public bathrooms, excellent.  I’ve yet to even see a full garbage.

2)       The windowed fitness center.  It was especially appreciated when I worked out the afternoon of the Panama Canal transit and was able to see so much while I was exercising.  That’s efficiency at its best and I’ve already divulged that I love efficiency.

3)       The promenade (deck 7) goes all the way around.  My lovely wife says it did on the Island too.  It did not.  The deck 7 rooms that replaced the Universe Lounge had balconies that prevented an unobstructed lap.  In that area, you had to ascend and then descend stairs to/from deck 8 to complete a lap.  She’ll be reading this blog with me declaring I’m right and it will NOT surprise her.  After 38 years of marriage, you’d conclude she’s a saint, and she is…….but I’m still right 😉.  Every marriage has one..

4)       The Universe Lounge – we’ve only been there once so far and that’s where we met our Canadian friends.  It’s just that kind of place.  I cannot wait for Scott and Anita to join us there for a show.  Did I mention there’s a bar there too?.  They’re going to run out of Buffalo Trace for sure.

5)       The buffet is laid out just a little bit better.  There are two schools of thought when it comes to buffets and dietary restrictions.  Some segregate vegetarian and gluten-free items into such distinct areas of the buffet that it’s inconvenient to pair common (gluten-free/vegan) options like rice with other non-restricted items. 

Before the gluten police bring charges, I get it, I really do.  If you’re medically gluten free or religiously vegan or kosher, cross contamination is a REAL problem, physically, spiritually or both.  I acknowledge that AND I support you.  My point is simple, however.  If I were so diet-specific that cross contamination would cause me harm, I wouldn’t eat at any buffet, ever, no matter how far apart they kept the offending items.  Being Jewish by birth, I understand the laws of Kosher pretty well.  I can relate.  But the fact is most people don’t understand gluten-free, vegan or kosher rules and innocently cross-contaminate, without malice or intent.  

SO, if we assume that anyone who is diet-compromised and is eating at the buffet, we then can assume they likely won’t be harmed by a small infraction of, say, gluten, from unintentional cross contamination.  If all that’s true, then it makes more sense to spread out those items WITH clear signage.  For example, rice can be placed by chicken, stir-fried veggies can be placed by the sesame pork.  I know many won’t agree with this; I’m just expressing that the buffet structured this way is more efficient for 90% of the passengers.  And that’s how the Coral has it.   One more thing about the buffet.  They always have 100% Bran in the cereal dispensers on the breakfast buffet.  A small step for man, a giant step for …. (enough said).

Moving on from the food issue, I like the vibe of the Coral better too.  It might be the demographic of the passengers on this Panama Canal Segment.  It’s a wonderful mix of ages and cultures, almost eclectic.  That could change after LA but we’ll see.

Even our room is a bit nicer.  Same size but our closet has an extra rod where I can hang my pants, giving my wife more room on the main rod.  It’s in better condition too.  I remember having a frayed carpet seam the whole 4 months in 2023.  Our 2026 Coral carpet looks new.

Our folio has been perfect, what a relief.  We’ve had the Premier Package on both 2023 and 2026.  But for the first month on 2023, charges appeared for drinks I’d ordered and for drinks I hadn’t ordered.  Regardless, drinks are included in our package so we shouldn’t have been charged.  Everyday, I made a daily trek to guest services to get them removed.  But on 2026, our folio has been PERFECT, not a single issue.

Lastly, (maybe I saved the best for last, you decide), the elevators are new and fast.  I hardly wait for an elevator, even at 5pm when the initial surge of passengers head for the MDR. 

So all in all, this ship will make our 2026 experience even better.  I’m so excited for the next 4+ months.

It was a normal sea day by all accounts. Good food, nice people, ample relaxation, good workout. Finished my first audio book. I hope to play pickleball tomorrow after a brief time in puntarenas.