Golden Princess Review

Just got back from the South Caribbean on Golden Princess. I'm still in la-la land but will try to give you an honest review. This was actually my 11th cruise, but the 6th on Princess (just got my platinum card while onboard). We booked the St. Tropez suite for myself, hubby, daughter and her best friend. This was the 1st time we ever went with a suite and I'm NEVER going back! More about that later. Because we were in a suite, Princess provided platinum check in. It was truly the quickest I have ever encountered. We did fill out all paperwork on-line, so our time in the terminal was limited to checking our passports, cruise card activation and signing a new form stating we did not have any signs of illness for the last two days. We arrived in San Juan about 2:30 pm and were honestly out of the terminal within 5 minutes and on our ship. The terminal itself has undergone some reconstruction since our last cruise and it was set up much more effeciently. For non-platinum check in, you simply went to the line for your stateroom floor (aloha, baja, caribe etc.) Very fast and effecient. No waiting at all. We immediately went to our suite to drop off our carry on's and check it out. WOW!!! Was I HAPPY!!! The suite was on the dolphin deck, aft and portside. It appeared to be about the size of 2 regular staterooms with a large kingsize bed, master vanity and desk, sofabed and upper berth, coffee table, 2 tv's and the nicest bathroom I have ever seen. A beautiful arrangement of tropical flowers greeted us on the coffee table along with plates of chocolate covered strawberries, a bowl of fresh fruits, canapes and a fabulous steward named JayJay (he told us this was only his 2nd cruise). There were luxurious robes and slippers for all on our beds. The BR was all marble tile with walk in shower and whirlpooltub in 1 area (ok, I could have stayed in here all week), separated by a door leading to the wash vainty and "comfort station". This was accessible through a door off the large bedroom or from the hallway leading to the sitting area. There was a walk in closet with ample storage space for 4 people and storage throughout the suite (we didn't even use it all ). There was a stocked wet bar (1st set up complimentary) a full length privacy drape to separate the bedrooms and each bedroom had a sliding patio door leading to the most glorious balcony. The balcony had a wooden round patio table with 4 padded chairs, 2 padded loungers and a serving table. I could have stayed there for the full 7 days too , but hubby forced me to leave to explore the ship and eat. We made our way to the Horizen court for a late lunch. The food was ok, but not as good as I remembered it on other cruises. Maybe I just wasn't as hungry as before. The ship was extremely easy to navigate considering her enormous size. As we explored the ship, the one thing that jumped out to all of us was how sparkling clean everything was. Not a smudge or smear to be found throughout the entire cruise. We found out why....someone is constantly cleaning something. The pools and deck areas were fabulous. Never saw a dirty glass sit for more than two minutes. Did see plenty of chair hogs though! I guess they're everywhere. The stores and boutiques were "pricey" with a very limited selection and were somewhat of a disappointment. The price of cigarettes (cough cough) was almost $4 more than on the islands and the liquor was higher as well. Interesting side note....the cheapest price on the islands for Bombay Sapphire Gin was $13.95 in St. Thomas. We bought it in the San Juan airport for $10.95 and avoided immigration as well as carrying it so far.

We set sail at 11:15 pm without fanfare as it started to rain, but we enjoyed a sail away on our balcony for the first time, sheltered from the elements and

enjoying room service. Day 1 on St. Thomas: our tour of Jost Van Dyke was cancelled for some unknown reason so we caught a local guide who took us on an "insiders" tour of the island. The cost was $16.00 per person and was well worth it. After all my trips to St. Thomas, I did not want to wander Havensight mall again. We went into the residential areas, shopped the "local's" stores and saw so much more than we usually do. We were well pleased. Hung out at the pool the rest of the day till it rained again, then got ready for dinner. We had early seating and the wait staff was wonderful. This night I had steak which was cooked just perfect. The fettuccini alfredo was probably the best I have ever had! Couldn't do dessert, but went back to balcony with coffee and a tired body. One thing I must say is I am a true coffee lover. Strong, flavored, hot, cold, you name it...I love it. Except here. Princess has the worst coffee I have ever had. The charge for a fountain soda card was $25.00 and individual sodas were $2.00 ea without the card. My daughter bought the card, but only ordered about 6 sodas. The only other cold beverage available was plain iced tea. When I inquired about lemonade, they looked at me like I had been in the sun too long. Princess needs to spice up there beverage interest a little. Juices are only available in the morning too. Day 2: St. Kitts, did the Island Safari tour. Very ,Very knowledgable guide but somewhat boring seeing sugar cane field after sugar cane field. Fun in an open air jeep though. Can be a little scary on those narrow, sharp turning roads. Day 3: Greneda, This island sure suffered damage from the hurricane. It was heartbreaking to see shells of homes and churches that were destroyed. The ones that did survive are almost all covered with blue tarps for roofs. Some of the locals told us they lost literally everything...homes, family members, pets. Tragic. We found the huts at the pier to have wonderful prices on spices. I got some vanilla and almond extract, nutmeg and nutmeg syrup at unbelievable prices and from what I've been told, it's the best quality available anywhere. Day 4 was a surprise. We were supposed to be in Caracas,Venezuela, but the Captain changed the port to Isla de Margarita. We arrived about 8:30 am and left at 12:30. What a waste of time. Plus we were notified that our shipboard accounts would be charged an additional (I think it was $2.95) in port charges for this stop. Unless they did this to refuel, I think they should have skipped this altogether and just extended the next port of call which brings us to day 5: Aruba. the best of them all. If you're not happy in Aruba, something is wrong. We did the Depalm Island tour and just loved it. We were ferried to DePalms private island. The tour was only $39.00 pp and included snorkeling equipment, lessons, all you could drink, alchohol and non-alchohol, a buffet lunch and beach. We did stay 2 hours longer in Aruba than planned so did a ton of shopping as well. Day 6: at sea was relaxing and I think you really need that. Spent some time at the casino...donating. Hubby said the casinos are tight. Didn't do many shows but what we did do was average sea fare quality. Something I must point out that I truly appreciated was a lack of barstaff asking you if you wanted a drink every 5 minutes. There were staff available to get your drinks if you wanted them, but you had to call them. They didn't approach you. And...no corney pirates wanting to take a picture with you. Photogs were very low key and only approached us once at dinner. Also, we did try personal choice on two nights instead of early seating. I loved it. Will definately go that way next cruise. No rush to get back and ready by a certain time. Well, overall, I would rate this cruise at a 9 out of 10 honestly. I could go on and on but you would hunt me down and kill me so, if my incessant rambling hasn't answered any questions, just let me know and I'll do my best to help. Star

Thanks!

Wow, thanks for the review. Now I am really excited since we have the same suite (D736) for our cruise in March.

 

Is there really a king-sized bed? All of our paperwork says queen configuration.

 

Get your breath and tell us some more details please.

 

Thanks

 

Mike:D

Get so excited to see a Golden Review.

Your review was great, thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

Can you tell me more about the tour to DePalma? Beach size?, crowded? Activities? Why was your time extended in Aruba?

I love hearing good things about Golden Princess as we count down towards our next visit to that ship. Thanks!:)

Thank you so much for the review, leaving 2/6 on a B2B and can't wait!

Your review was fabulous- We're sailing on 2/13/05!!!! Thank you!!!

 

Debbe:D

Thanks for the nice review! I did this cruise back in November, and will be returning in 4 short weeks with my husband! Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Nice to hear about JayJay being a good room steward. We were in D732 and had Joey. He was awesome, but told us he was going up to work on the Caribe deck after the first of the year. Looking forward to meeting JayJay! (Will be in D732 once again)

 

Janet

Star, Thanks for the review. Don't hesitate posting more about the ship and ports. It's too bad that you didn't enjoy Isla Margarita. What did you do there? Do you remember what excursions were offered?

When did they let you know that the Jost Van Dyck tour was cancelled? I've booked that for Valentine's Day and I want to know if I need a back-up.

Tkubi7

 

"Day 4 was a surprise. We were supposed to be in Caracas,Venezuela, but the Captain changed the port to Isla de Margarita."

 

Not sure why Caracas was a surprise, I'm not sure when the Golden actually stopped there. They have been substituting Isla de Margarita for quite some time.

 

So if they really don't plan on stopping in Isla de Margarita, does that mean that no shore excursions can be booked? After all, if the decision to change ports is made at sea the day before the scheduled stop, how can they plan excursions to be ready?

 

Also, you stated that "we got to spend more time in Aruba", when did the ship leave Aruba? I was watching the web cam, and it seemed that they left the usual time. Would be great if that time were extended.

 

All my documents for March cruise still list Caracas, why do they do this when it seems obvious to me that they do not plan on stopping there for quite some time?

Tkubi7

 

"Day 4 was a surprise. We were supposed to be in Caracas,Venezuela, but the Captain changed the port to Isla de Margarita."

 

So if they really don't plan on stopping in Isla de Margarita, does that mean that no shore excursions can be booked? After all, if the decision to change ports is made at sea the day before the scheduled stop, how can they plan excursions to be ready?

 

I read recent cruisers saying that the La Restinga lagoon excursion is offered. And a review on another board said they did the dolphin encounter. So am I right figuring that the the excursions listed on Princess' site are all available. Another question is whether they can be booked for that port on-line before sailing?

 

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We thought about getting a suite for four of us adults but I wasn't sure where the second couple would sleep. Is there enough privacy for two couples or do you need a slightly closer relationship then we maybe would think of normally?

Another question is whether they can be booked for that port on-line before sailing?

I read in another thread that you either get informed immediately - like when you arrive at your cabin, or the day prior to going to La Guaira. I'm hoping it's upon embarkation so that we can reserve any excursions right then and there. I agree that the Lagoon tour sounded really great!

 

All my documents for March cruise still list Caracas.

If you're sailing on the 3/13 trip, come on over to our roll call and introduce yourself. We've got a bunch of great people there. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=72511.

 

~Paul

Thanks for the Review! I did that cruise last May (as a first timer), and I believe it will ultimately be the benchmark for all my future cruises.

 

For others considering this cruise and/or those ports, I would suggest snorkelling at St. Thomas and St. Kitts (Nevis Sailaway). The Jeep Safari on Aruba was a lot of fun, and the Jewelry shopping there was good too.

 

I highly recommend PC dining. We missed it on our last cruise with our young adult kids on Carnival.

 

I envy those of you getting ready to leave soon.

 

Bill

I'll try to answer everyone's questions, but if I miss one, just let me know. Jost VanDyke was cancelled prior to embarkation. We were notified via a message on the phone. No specific reason was given, just that the tour operator had cancelled it. Given the circumstances, if you want a structured tour, I would definately have a back up plan though we just went with the moment and had a great time. As for Aruba, our stay was extended from 5pm to 7 pm as we had lost an engine during the night and the captain felt we would arrive about 2 hours late. Well, we arrived only about 15 minutes late, so that was a bonus.Regarding Caracas, we had called Princess the day before we left and were told YES we would be going to Caracas. Now, I understand there has been some political and civil unrest in the past, and yes, I have read on the boards that Isla de Margarita has been the port of call recently, but you would think that if Princess says YES then it was planned. I have a queen size bed at home and this bed was much larger, so I feel pretty safe in assuming it is a king size. DePalm Island was very nice. There is a small beach area with swings and slides for children too( though we didn't see any children)on the front of the island, snorkeling, snuba, wind surfing and some type of catamaran is available. We only did the snorkeling and that was free. I don't know if there was a charge for the other things or not. As I said before, I think Isla de Margarita was a waste of time. My husband thinks they stop there for cheaper fuel. There is a small beach at the end of the pier with some jet skis and chairs. We didn't go down there but another couple told us the chair rentals were $5.00 Many, Many straw huts with lots of local crafts. That's about all we saw, then it was time to get back. Only a few hours in this port. I'm sorry but I can't remember the excursions at this port but, there were some posted. Excursions can be booked online through www.princess.com about 4 weeks before departure and up to one week before, then you must book on the ship. As for the suite, yes two couples could share this room but keep in mind only one bed can be shared. the other is a sofa bed and a drop from the ceiling bed. Hope this helps. If not, holler! Star

Thanks again!

I'll second Marcia (mmsoko) in thanking you for your review.

 

Can you tell us when you found out about the Isla Margarita change in itinerary? Did you find out when you got aboard, or was it last minute?

 

Interesting that there was an engine loss. Any clue how it happened? I wonder how this will effect future cruises.......:confused: .

 

~Paul

Thanks Star, I can hardly wait to check out this suite.

 

Did you try the Sterling Steakhouse or the Ultimate Balcony Dinner?

 

Pleased to hear that Jay Jay was a very attentive steward.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mike :D :D :D

tkubi7, it was interesting reading your review as I am taking the same cruise in March. We have not planned anything for Grenada. It sounds as though you just checked out the places by the pier. Do you think it would be worthwhile to book a tour?

..I am taking the same cruise in March.

If you're taking the 3/13 cruise, come join the roll call over at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=72511.

 

~Paul

We found out about Isla de Margarita at the embarkation desk so I would definately make plans for tours on Isla ahead of time though you can't book them on line if the itinerery still says Caracas. We were given a printed note indicating the change when we checked in. I'm sure it's a beautiful little island, but with such a short stop, you couldn't plan anything. On Greneda, my hubby and the girls did do the Rhum Runner Party Boat and Beach tour. I opted out and thank goodness I did. I do get seasick and they said it was very rough, but alot of fun. We never tried the specialty dining. We did do PC dining though and that was great. As for the engine, we actually saw them taking it off the ship in San Juan on a pallet. I don't believe this was a major impact. They probably had another one ready to be installed.

We were on the Golden for Christmas. We booked a tour with Mandoo and really enjoyed seeing the beauty of the island. Go to the ports of call threads under Caribbean-Other. I have posted info there about my excursion with Mandoo as have others. Here is a link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=120312

 

As for Isla Margarita, I've posted elsewhere that Princess still said Caracas was our stop up until we headed out for our precruise stay in San Juan. The only notification was the note left in our stateroom. We took that opprotunity to head over to the Excursion desk and booked the La Restinga Lagoon tour which I've said over and over since I've been back was WONDERFUL! I had looked at a review prior to sailing when Princess changed itinerary (on a monthly basis it seemed) from Caracas to Isla Margarita, back to Caracas, and then ultimately Isla Margarita. Here is the link to the review written by Cruiseayear http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=96615&page=2

 

A recommendation for Aruba was the ostrich farm. Everyone in my family's favorite and most memorable stop.:D