Sept. 26 - Golden - Our Honeymoon - Suggestions

[AJ_HM_Cruiser]

Hi - This is my first cruise and my first post. We booked the above cruise last week and I was hoping to get some excursion suggestions and maybe some spots on the ship that would be off the beaten path. The ports of call incluse San Juan(leave), St. Kitts, Aruba, Grenada, Isla Marguerita, and ??. ITs the Southern ROute.
TIA
Amanda

[sammiedawg]

You'll love this cruise, I'm going next month. Generally we book excursions through Princess, their prices are reasonable and if the trip runs late the ship will not leave without you. You can save a few dollars by booking independently. I dont think the savings is that significant. The generic island bus tours are always good if nothing jumps out at you. . We're doing one thing on our own next month, we rented a 4 by 4 through Hertz to tour Aruba, We're a family of 4 so the cost savings is pretty good.

[melcoug93]

Welcome to the boards!

We'll be sailing the week right before you. As the other poster said, you can often get more value for your money if you do a little research and go out on your own instead of going on just the ship's excursions. However, some people aren't comfortable with it, so you may want to try both ship's and independant excursions during your first cruise and see where your comfort level is. If you go to the Ports of Call section of the board, you can find detailed information on things to at each port you'll be visiting.

As for spots on the ship that are off the beaten path, that's a little harder. The most popular area is the main pool (the one that does not have the retractable roof). It's usually fun and pretty lively. For a quieter pool experience, you might want to try the Adult only pool all the way at the front of the ship where the Spa is. Of course, your cruise is fairly port intensive, so you won't be spending too much time during the day on the ship, unless you decide not to get off the ship during a port day.

As for the interior of the ship, I think Princess does a pretty good job of building intimate spots into some of its bars/lounges. The Wheelhouse Bar tends not to be too crowded and a lot of people just miss the Sports Bar (Players) altogether.

I wouldn't worry if I were you, you're going to have a great honeymoon. (Ours was on the Star) Be sure to get into cruise personalizer on the Princess website and let them know it's your honeymoon. Your room steward will decorate your door with a sign and balloons (helps to find your cabin in those long hallways) and they'll bring you cake during dinner one night...not that you'll need more food! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Congratulations!

http://animatedgif.net/food/wine_e0.gif
98 Destiny
01 Century
02 Star Princess
03 Golden Princess
03 Canival Pride
Anniversary Cruise on the Golden 9/19/04
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[sue d. miller]

Hi Amanda. Welcome to Princess and welcome to the boards. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I could give you some ideas, but they are inapropriate here. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I can tell you that you will love the Golden. She is a beauty. The aft at nite is quiet and the views are amazing. Congratulations!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Have a wonderful time.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[mcbrides]

Hi Amanda-
My fiance and I will also be on the same itineray for the Golden for our honeymoon in Jan 05. I am anxious to hear about your experience and get advice about your favorite romantice spots!
Stasha

[woodofpine]

Assuming that you are reasonably fit and active (***-U-Me)... well, check the ports of call boards... But, a couple of super experiences that will saveU $$ over cruise line excursions... (Caveat Barbados)

Aruba - www.ranchodaimari.com (http://www.ranchodaimari.com) or www.ranchodelcampo.com (http://www.ranchodelcampo.com) for an awesome horseback ride through the Atlantic coast national park for a swim in the Aruba's landmark "Natural Pool". Do it in the morning (they provide pier to pier transit) then hit Palm Beach by cab in the PM.

St. Kitts - a REALLY fine place. Hook up with a group taxi at the pier to Brimstone Fort a historic site of extraordinary views the trip traverses a good hunk of the island), then return to town and taxi south to South Fiars Beach (views toward Nevis) for the afternoon hours. IMHO S. Friars of the nicest beaches in the Carib. The above day with cabs/fort entry/2 beach loungers/umbrella runs $25 pp, beach BBQ and beer is a reasonably priced additional.

If you hit Barbados, then a ship turtle swim-kayak trip is worth it - IF YOU GO EARLY AM. The turtles are hungry in the AM and abundant but MUCH more sparse in the post feeding PM [being a big marine animal fan; I've done this myself in 3 different permutations ship excursion-kayak; car rent (Harrison Cave) then self-shore swim (major Huff-Puff swim); "Heatwave" catamaran snorkel then turtle swim. Saw turtle close every time but the (justified) popularity of this deal prompts the preliminary recommendation. Early Early Early... In the PM do Brandon-Malibu beach - rum distillery [tours] light industrial neighborhood with an excellent beach (ship excursion or cab [cheaper but firmly $$commit at the outset; Barbados cabbies can be Nasty] - too bad - a great island otherwise)

IMHO

Make Love Not War - Enjoy! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif