Coral Princess Cabin C627 Wheelchair Accessible Balcony 8th Nov 2016

So, this Cruise was a very special cruise for one main reason, I was proposed to ❣️This was 10 nights Caribbean, Costa Rica and Panama Canal (Partial transit) cruise on the beautiful Coral Princess 8th November 2016.

We stayed in cabin C627 wheelchair accessible balcony and on C deck the balconies are larger but are also partially looked over.

Our stops were Aruba, now there is plenty to see just off the cruise ship without having to take an excursion, there are plenty of shops around and a short taxi drive is a beautiful beach. Aruba like a lot of Caribbean islands are not fully wheelchair accessible but with some negotiating to find a dropped kerb we got around ok bearing in mind on this cruise I’m in a manual wheelchair.

On this actual cruise we didn’t have too long in port so we just mooched around and got my engagement ring! Carl had proposed the night before while having the ultimate balcony dining experience.

Our next stop was Cartagena Colombia, this place is NOT geared up for wheelchairs at all, the kerbs are roughly 1.5 feet high no dropped kerbs and narrow, very 3rd world. We did our best to navigate around and looked around a local market but you feel vulnerable and it was hard work. It’s a place we can say we have been to but unless you book an excursion there isn’t anything you can really do from the cruise terminal with ease.

Next stop was going through the Panama Canal locks (old locks this was in 2016) it was a good experience and we had a narrative talk us through while we sat chilled out on the balcony, once we were in the canal you had the option to get off and go to Colon via tender, there was no wheelchair accessible excursions offered and it didn’t look like a place you could just go and do your own thing, so we explored the ship.

We love the Coral she so far is my favourite on the Princess fleet, I find her very easy to get around, almost everything is wheelchair accessible even the viewing decks which is nice. The pool is lovely and easy to get too as is the buffet and bars.

Our next stop was Puerto Limo, Costa Rica, again this place is not wheelchair accessible or friendly, I would strongly advise that you take an excursion for this destination unless your happy to just nip off the ship and look at the birds in the port and get back on ship, which is what we done, it’s not a safe place here and it was a little unnerving.

Our last stop was Jamaica Ocho Rios, we loved it here. We got off the ship and just went approximately 300 yards to Margaritaville and went swimming in the little bay where you can see the ship. There is lots to do either yourself or excursion wise here and it’s more wheelchair accessible and friendly than the last few ports of call.

Overall the itinerary is wonderful but not overly wheelchair accessible and was difficult and frustrating at times. The ship however is marvellous and as your see in my other blogs once I get round to doing them we have been back onto the Coral.