The main Coral Princess cabins to avoid are the Aloha deck (deck 12) rooms that sit directly below the Lido deck pool, buffet and spa, the Emerald deck (deck 8) oceanview rooms whose windows look onto lifeboats, cabins next to the self-service launderettes and service doors, and forward cabins if you get seasick. The best picks are midship balcony cabins on Dolphin, Caribe and Baja decks (9 to 11), aft-facing balconies if you like a wake view, and the mini-suites, which give you a lot more room for a modest step up in price.
Free: get the printable cabin cheat sheet: 7 spots to check on any ship before you book →
Coral Princess is a fairly easy ship to choose a cabin on, because she is smaller and simpler than the newer Princess ships. Her decks are a little different from those ships, so the usual rules about which cabins to avoid don’t always apply. This guide goes through the problem spots deck by deck, explains the cabin grades and gives a short list of rooms worth booking.
Coral Princess at a glance
Coral Princess entered service in 2002 and is the lead ship of the Coral class. Her sister ship is Island Princess. At about 92,000 gross tons, 965 feet long and only 106 feet wide, she was built to fit the original Panama Canal locks. She carries around 2,000 guests in 1,000 staterooms. Her last drydock was in October 2024, and an earlier refit (2019) put the Princess Luxury Bed in every stateroom.
She spends a lot of time on long voyages. In summer 2026 she sailed 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruises between Vancouver and Whittier in Alaska. In January 2027 she leaves Fort Lauderdale on a 129-night Grand Circle Pacific voyage, which goes through the Panama Canal and on to Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Alaska. Shorter segments, including a 114-night roundtrip from Los Angeles, are also sold. On voyages that long, your cabin matters even more than usual. Itineraries change, so check the current schedule on the Princess Cruises website.
Island Princess has almost the same layout, so most of this advice also applies to her. Our guide to the best and worst cabins on Island Princess covers her in detail.
Coral Princess cabin types and grades
About 80% of the outside cabins on Coral Princess have a balcony, which is a high share for a ship of her age. The figures below are approximate and come from published deck plans.
| Cabin type | Category codes | Approx. number | Approx. size | Where on the ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | IA to IF | 112 | 156 to 166 sq ft | Decks 5, 8, 9, 11, 12 |
| Oceanview | OB to OE, O5, O6; obstructed OV, OW, OY, OZ | 153 | about 162 sq ft (larger O5/O6 about 215 sq ft) | Decks 5, 8, 9, 11 |
| Balcony | B1, B2, BA to BF; obstructed BY, BZ | 527 | about 173 sq ft plus balcony | Decks 8 to 12 |
| Mini-suite | M1, MB, MD, ME; MY (window, no balcony) | 192 | about 240 sq ft plus balcony | Decks 9 to 12 |
| Suite | S5, S6 | 16 | up to about 470 sq ft | Decks 9 and 10 |
Cabin numbers begin with a letter for the deck: P for Plaza (5), E for Emerald (8), D for Dolphin (9), C for Caribe (10), B for Baja (11) and A for Aloha (12). For example, a cabin numbered B7xx is on Baja deck. There is no deck 13, so Aloha deck sits directly beneath the Lido deck (14).
Coral Princess cabins to avoid
No cabin on Coral Princess is truly bad. The rooms below have a known drawback, so it’s worth knowing about them before you choose one.
1. Aloha deck cabins under the Lido deck
Because there is no deck 13, Aloha deck (12) is directly beneath the busiest deck on the ship. The Lido deck has the Horizon Court buffet forward, the Lido and Lotus pools, bars, the pizzeria, and the spa and fitness center. Crew set out and stack loungers early in the morning and late at night, buffet carts roll across the floor, and people use the gym from dawn. Light sleepers should look at the deck plan and pick a cabin that isn’t under the pool, buffet or gym. Other cabins on Aloha deck can be fine, and the deck also has popular mini-suites.
2. Obstructed-view oceanview cabins on Emerald deck
The lifeboats hang beside the Promenade deck. Many oceanview rooms on Emerald deck (8) look straight onto them, and some have equipment in front of the window. These obstructed rooms are sold as OV, OW, OY and OZ and cost less. Some have only a partial blockage and others mostly see a lifeboat. If you need daylight but don’t care about the view, they can be good value. If you want to watch glaciers or the Panama Canal from your room, pay a little more for a clear view.
3. Obstructed-view balcony cabins (BY and BZ)
A small number of balcony cabins are sold as obstructed (categories BY and BZ). The obstruction can be part of the ship’s structure or equipment. Read the category description on the booking page before you buy, and ask your travel agent exactly what the cabin looks onto.
4. Cabins next to the launderettes and service areas
Coral Princess has self-service launderettes on the cabin decks. Published deck plans show them on Dolphin deck (9), for example. The rooms beside them get people coming and going late into the evening, doors closing and dryers running. Some passengers on forums have also reported plumbing smells in places. These reports are occasional and not tied to one specific room. The same applies to cabins beside crew doors and pantries, where carts move around early in the morning. Look for these areas on the deck plan and choose a cabin at least a few doors away.
5. Cabins near elevators and stairwells
Being near a stairwell is handy, but the cabins right beside the lift lobbies hear more corridor chatter and passing traffic. A cabin about 4 to 8 doors away is still a short walk and much quieter.
6. Forward cabins if you get seasick
The front of the ship moves the most in a swell. This matters on Coral Princess because of her routes: open-ocean days in the Gulf of Alaska, long Pacific crossings, and the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. If you get seasick, avoid the forward cabins on the higher decks. Choose a cabin midship on a lower deck, ideally Emerald or Dolphin, where you feel the least movement.
7. Lower-deck aft cabins if you are sensitive to vibration
The cabins at the back of the ship, nearest the propellers, can feel some vibration when the ship is maneuvering in and out of port. This is more noticeable on the lower decks. Most passengers barely notice it, but it’s worth knowing if you are a very light sleeper.
Balcony privacy on Coral Princess: a common mix-up
On the larger Grand-class Princess ships, the balconies on some decks step out in tiers, so people on the deck above can see down onto your balcony. Advice about this is often repeated for Coral Princess, but it mostly doesn’t apply to her. Her side balconies are largely stacked straight on top of each other, so privacy is generally good. If being overlooked worries you, check the deck plan for your cabin. In particular, look at the balconies around the aft corners and on the lowest balcony deck before you book.
Does Coral Princess have connecting cabins?
Coral Princess has relatively few connecting staterooms compared with newer ships, and they sell out quickly on school-holiday sailings. Connecting doors also let through a little more sound from next door, so couples who want quiet may want to avoid them. If you’re traveling as a group, an alternative is to book neighboring balcony cabins. On many Princess ships the crew can open the partitions between adjoining balconies on request, making one long shared balcony. Confirm that with Princess for your specific cabins before you rely on it. Also confirm any connecting rooms directly with Princess, because the deck plans on third-party sites aren’t always up to date.
Best cabins on Coral Princess
- Midship balconies on Dolphin, Caribe or Baja deck (9 to 11). These have the least motion and clear views, with cabins above and below them rather than public rooms. For most people they are the best overall choice.
- Mini-suites. At about 240 square feet, a mini-suite is much larger than a standard balcony cabin. You also get a sitting area, a bathtub and a few extra perks. On a 30-night or longer voyage, the extra space is often worth the cost.
- Aft-facing balconies. The rooms at the very back of Dolphin, Caribe, Baja and Aloha decks look out over the wake and are very popular. Book early, and accept that you may feel a little more vibration or motion in rough seas.
- Suites (S5/S6) on decks 9 and 10. There are only 16 suites. They are the most spacious rooms on board and come with the most perks, including complimentary laundry, so they suit long voyages well.
- Interior cabins in a quiet location. The best interior rooms are midship on Emerald, Dolphin or Baja deck, with cabins above and below and away from service doors. They are a sensible budget choice if you spend most of the day out of the cabin.
Which side of the ship is best?
For an Alaska cruise in one direction, the general rule is starboard (right) going northbound and port (left) going southbound, so the coast is on your side. In Glacier Bay and College Fjord, the ship usually turns so that both sides get a view. For the Panama Canal and the long Pacific voyages, it doesn’t matter much which side you are on. Choose by where the cabin is and how quiet it is, not by which side it’s on.
Tips for choosing a Coral Princess cabin
- Look one deck up and one deck down. Open the Coral Princess deck plan and check what is directly above and below your cabin. The quietest rooms have cabins on both sides.
- Read the category code. The OV, OW, OY, OZ, BY and BZ codes tell you a room is obstructed, even when the booking page doesn’t mention it.
- Weigh guarantee fares carefully. A guarantee fare is cheaper, but you could end up in one of the rooms described above.
- Book early for long voyages. Mini-suites and aft balconies go first on the Grand Circle Pacific voyage and its segments.
- Compare across ships. If you are also looking at newer Princess ships, read our guide to Sky Princess cabins to avoid, and look out for fares in our roundup of cruise deals for 2027.
Comparing Princess ships? See our guide to the best and worst cabins on Regal Princess.
FAQs
What cabins should I avoid on Coral Princess?
Avoid Aloha deck (12) cabins directly under the Lido pool, buffet or gym, obstructed-view rooms on Emerald deck (8), and cabins next to launderettes, service doors or elevators. If you get seasick, avoid forward cabins as well.
What is the best deck on Coral Princess?
For most people, the best decks are Dolphin, Caribe and Baja (9 to 11), choosing a cabin midship. These decks have cabins above and below, the ride is steady, and the views are clear.
Are Coral Princess balconies private?
Mostly, yes. Unlike some larger Princess ships, Coral Princess has her side balconies stacked straight on top of each other rather than stepped out in tiers, so few are overlooked from above.
Which Coral Princess cabins have obstructed views?
Mainly the oceanview categories OV, OW, OY and OZ, many of them on Emerald deck facing the lifeboats, plus a small number of balcony cabins sold as BY and BZ.
Is a mini-suite on Coral Princess worth it?
On longer cruises it often is. A mini-suite is about 240 square feet, which is roughly 40% larger than a standard balcony cabin, and it has a sitting area and a bathtub.
