12/5 Golden Part I

Part I (too long to post at once according to the message I received)

A little background: We are in our early to mid 40’s. This was our 6th cruise, but first on Princess. Previously sailed on Celebrity (twice) RCL (twice) and Holland (once). We booked on Princess to try a new cruise line, and because I was really interested in Anytime dining. We booked 14 months in advance and specified a particular cabin, with no upgrade (Vista Suite D736). This is an aft stateroom – I read so many good things on the Princess boards about aft cabins, and this would be our first time sailing aft. Our ticket arrived stating D736. The day before we flew out, I was on the personalizer and our cabin showed as D737 (also a Vista Suite but other side of ship). I called my TA, who contacted Princess, and were informed that D736 could not be occupied on our sailing; it was uninhabitable or something, and D737 was our only choice.

This review is my own opinion, and based on my other experiences also.

We stayed in SJ for 3 days pre cruise, at the Caribe Hilton. I have read mixed reviews about the resort, but we loved it. We booked direct through Hilton; most of the poor reviews were Priceline bookings, etc. so maybe they really do give the better rooms to those who pay more. We were on the executive level, 10th floor. Executive level receives continental breakfast, cocktails and appetizers from 5:30 – 8:00 PM, and cordials and desserts from 8:30 – 10:00, in a private room, and private check in / check out. We paid $195/night, which was a better rate than the Wyndham Condado or Marriott. We had a nice view of the ocean/gardens. They beach was never crowded, nor was the pool area. There is also a nice spa and workout facility. There is not much else to see or do (restaurants) really close by this Hotel however. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

We love walking to explore and walked into OSJ one afternoon (about 35 minutes) and took a taxi back. We also walked to the Condado area another day (about 30 minutes). We like drinking wine on the balcony and looked at the small liquor store near the hotel and in Condado but the prices were much higher than at home, for the same product. We decided to wait and purchase at the duty free shop at the terminal.

We checked out of our hotel at noon on Sunday and were to the cruise pier by around 12:30 – a really long line of taxis trying to drop people off. RCL Adventure of the Seas was also at the same pier. No check in lines at all; no need for Suite check in or Platinum check in. We went to the duty free shop for our wine. Not a big selection, and no names we’d ever really heard of. Also nothing that seemed to be a real high quality, but we went to the check out with 6 bottles. We were told buy 3 get one free, so picked up 2 more. We got 8 bottles of wine for $38! Then again, several bottles were not worth drinking and we poured down the drain, and we left 2 unopened for the cabin steward. Maybe we should have spent the extra and bought in town.

We were on the ship by 1:00 PM. Princess has little name tags outside of each stateroom, so I wandered by D736 to see if they really gave “my” cabin to someone else. There was no tag by the door. I also called the room one early one night and no one answered. I’m not sure what was wrong with this room…

They were decorating the ship for the holidays when we boarded and were finished by the time we sailed. The trees, garland, poinsettias were beautiful. The ship really looked nice.

The vista suite was wonderful and the balcony awesome! We really enjoy using the balcony a lot and this was the largest we’ve ever had. (Mike, I know you have D736 in a few months, and I promised you a review of that suite. D737 is exactly the same). The balcony had heavy wood furniture. 2 padded loungers, a table with 4 chairs, and two end tables. It is totally private, very secluded and the views from aft are fabulous. Thanks to everyone on this board who suggested aft balconies! It will be hard to ever have anything different. AOS was backed into our ship in SJ. Their “aft” balconies really don’t go to the very edge of the ship, so I don’t think you’d have the same effect – wouldn’t be able to look straight down to the water, etc.

The cabin was very large. It had 2 sliding doors to the balcony, one from the sitting area and one from the bedroom. The sitting are had a full size couch/sleeper, and chair and coffee table, the wet bar and mini fridge. The bedroom had the bed of course, a dressing table / desk, and dresser, a walk in closet and cabinet with drawers, and cabinet for safe. The closet really wasn’t walk in though – only 2 feet could fit in. The same category suite on AOS we stayed in last time had an actual walk in closet and much more storage space but the cabin size on Golden was larger. We also didn’t lack any storage space, I’m just making comparison. The bathroom could be accessed from the hall by main entrance, where you would enter the vanity / toilet area. From there you could go into the other room of the bathroom, the shower, and a separate large Jacuzzi tub. This room could also be accessed from the bedroom. The only complaint I would have about the cabin is that there were no shelves, etc. in the vanity area. There was a shelf in the Jacuzzi tub, and a shelf in the shower, but nothing by the sink. Overall, this was the nicest cabin we’ve been in. Our room steward, Danilo, was very good. My husband tipped him $50 upfront and asked him to take good care of us. We asked for 4 beach towels and 4 wine glasses each day. The pillows were so bad (2 feather and 2 other) that I hardly slept the first night. I left a note asking Danilo to see if he could find a real comfy fluffy pillow for me, and he brought 2 of those therapeutic type formed foam pillows. I generally don’t like these, but they did the trick! We tipped him another $50 on the last night.

We enjoyed the suite amenities and used the free internet every day to keep in touch with my daughter who is at her first year in college. We also used the free laundry service twice and they did a fine job. The flowers included in a suite were so beautiful and lasted the entire week.

To be continued,,

Here's the rest:

We booked any time dining and went to the Donatello the first evening around 9:00 PM. The service we the worst I’d ever experienced and I was concerned about the week. We were placed near a bussing station at a table for 4 (but only the two of us). They never removed the extra place settings and glasses – at one time we had 6 extra empty glasses plus our own, plus the extra plates, silverware. I finally asked them to remove the excess. The waiter and assistant dropped dishes and never served our salads. I called the dining reservation number around 6:30 the next evening and explained our poor experience and asked if I could get something better the second evening. The lady wasn’t too terribly helpful (you’re supposed to call this number by 5PM I think). I mentioned I was in the Trieste suite and was really looking for a nice, quiet table, with good servers. She then connected me to the Maitre‘d in the Bermini dining room. He was so pleasant and hooked us up with an 8:30 reservation with the best servers we’ve ever had. We went ahead and sat at this table every evening at 8:30. So much for “any time” dining! But they really were great.

We ate at Sabatini’s twice. It was a very pleasant experience and worth the money.

I was not impressed with Horizon Court. Breakfast was basically the same each day, and nothing too exciting. We only had lunch there once. We ate in the main dining room for breakfast a couple of times. They menu doesn’t change except for the “special”. The French toast is very good. Main dining room lunch was very good.

Over all dining, I would rate as: Main dining room: Holland/Princesses – 1st; Celebrity – 2nd; RCL – 3rd. Buffet: Celebrity – 1st, Holland – 2nd, RCL – 3rd, Princess last place.

No problem ever getting a pool lounger, even on sea days. You could probably even find one right by the main pool, but we chose the upper deck, overlooking the pool.

I went to the spa twice. Overpriced based on land prices of course, but as usual, very good services.

The ship has a nice selection of shops, but nothing compared to the RCL Voyager class ships. I collect Llardo’s and Princess had a nice choice. They were priced the exact same as port stores, however Princess was running a special. If you purchased a combination of Llardo and Swavorski (sp?), depending on total price, you could save up to 20%. I ended up saving $95 on my Llardo, which was great!

Yes there were a large number of Puerto Ricans on board, but what do you expect if you’re sailing from PR? I know people have complained about this on this board. If you were sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, I bet you’d find a large number of Floridians, and likewise, from Galveston, a large number of Texans. The Puerto Ricans really didn’t want to socialize with anyone but themselves, but that was OK – I wasn’t on board to make lifelong friends. There were also a large number of NY/NJ residents and passengers from England. We met many nice people and had great conversations.

I really enjoyed Princess and the Golden. The crew was probably the friendliest I’ve ever encountered at Sea. The ship is beautiful and service was overall exceptional. I would have no problem booking Princess again. I still think Celebrity has them beat on service and ambience, but I really enjoyed not having traditional dining. Even though we ate at the same time/table every evening, it was nice not have to eat with other people if you did not want to.

I’ll post a port review a little later. Let me know if there are any questions or if I’ve missed anything (don’t know how I could have missed something - this is so long!)

Here's the rest:

We booked any time dining and went to the Donatello the first evening around 9:00 PM. The service we the worst I’d ever experienced and I was concerned about the week. We were placed near a bussing station at a table for 4 (but only the two of us). They never removed the extra place settings and glasses – at one time we had 6 extra empty glasses plus our own, plus the extra plates, silverware. I finally asked them to remove the excess. The waiter and assistant dropped dishes and never served our salads. I called the dining reservation number around 6:30 the next evening and explained our poor experience and asked if I could get something better the second evening. The lady wasn’t too terribly helpful (you’re supposed to call this number by 5PM I think). I mentioned I was in the Trieste suite and was really looking for a nice, quiet table, with good servers. She then connected me to the Maitre‘d in the Bermini dining room. He was so pleasant and hooked us up with an 8:30 reservation with the best servers we’ve ever had. We went ahead and sat at this table every evening at 8:30. So much for “any time” dining! But they really were great.

 

We ate at Sabatini’s twice. It was a very pleasant experience and worth the money.

 

I was not impressed with Horizon Court. Breakfast was basically the same each day, and nothing too exciting. We only had lunch there once. We ate in the main dining room for breakfast a couple of times. They menu doesn’t change except for the “special”. The French toast is very good. Main dining room lunch was very good.

 

Over all dining, I would rate as: Main dining room: Holland/Princesses – 1st; Celebrity – 2nd; RCL – 3rd. Buffet: Celebrity – 1st, Holland – 2nd, RCL – 3rd, Princess last place.

 

No problem ever getting a pool lounger, even on sea days. You could probably even find one right by the main pool, but we chose the upper deck, overlooking the pool.

 

I went to the spa twice. Overpriced based on land prices of course, but as usual, very good services.

 

The ship has a nice selection of shops, but nothing compared to the RCL Voyager class ships. I collect Llardo’s and Princess had a nice choice. They were priced the exact same as port stores, however Princess was running a special. If you purchased a combination of Llardo and Swavorski (sp?), depending on total price, you could save up to 20%. I ended up saving $95 on my Llardo, which was great!

 

Yes there were a large number of Puerto Ricans on board, but what do you expect if you’re sailing from PR? I know people have complained about this on this board. If you were sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, I bet you’d find a large number of Floridians, and likewise, from Galveston, a large number of Texans. The Puerto Ricans really didn’t want to socialize with anyone but themselves, but that was OK – I wasn’t on board to make lifelong friends. There were also a large number of NY/NJ residents and passengers from England. We met many nice people and had great conversations.

 

I really enjoyed Princess and the Golden. The crew was probably the friendliest I’ve ever encountered at Sea. The ship is beautiful and service was overall exceptional. I would have no problem booking Princess again. I still think Celebrity has them beat on service and ambience, but I really enjoyed not having traditional dining. Even though we ate at the same time/table every evening, it was nice not have to eat with other people if you did not want to.

 

I’ll post a port review a little later. Let me know if there are any questions or if I’ve missed anything (don’t know how I could have missed something - this is so long!)

How lovely, I can't wait until you post your port review.

I have a few questions... Okay, a lot of questions.

You ate at Sabatini's twice, wow, was it really that good. Can you tell us about it?

We have anytime dining also, who was your waiter? Are there any tables for two by a window looking out to the sea?

Did you order room service, how was the menu?

How were formal nights, and how much did the pictures cost? I have no idea what pictures cost and i'm trying to figure out how much to budget for them?

How much is wireless internet? Were there good connections?

Is the rumor true about items in the gift shop going on sale the last day?

What was wrong with breakfast?

How was the wheelhouse bar?

What did you do in San Juan for 3 days? We are staying 5 days post cruise and haven't figured out what to do, and as of now, we have not planned to rent a car.

Your review was lovely and thanks in advance for answering my many questions.

Thanks so much for the super review. It provides us newbies with lots to dream about for the coming weeks. I plan to try the Sterling Steakhouse but don't think that I could sit for 2+ hours in Sabatini's.

I hope that whatever the problem was with D736 that it has been repaired.

I too, am interested if you tried room/cabin service and your experience.

Thanks again,

Mike :D :D

How lovely, I can't wait until you post your port review.

 

I have a few questions... Okay, a lot of questions.

 

You ate at Sabatini's twice, wow, was it really that good. Can you tell us about it?

 

We have anytime dining also, who was your waiter? Are there any tables for two by a window looking out to the sea?

 

Did you order room service, how was the menu?

 

How were formal nights, and how much did the pictures cost? I have no idea what pictures cost and i'm trying to figure out how much to budget for them?

 

How much is wireless internet? Were there good connections?

 

Is the rumor true about items in the gift shop going on sale the last day?

 

What was wrong with breakfast?

 

How was the wheelhouse bar?

 

 

What did you do in San Juan for 3 days? We are staying 5 days post cruise and haven't figured out what to do, and as of now, we have not planned to rent a car.

 

Your review was lovely and thanks in advance for answering my many questions.

I'm not the OP, but we cruised on the Golden on 10/24 so I figured I could give you some of the answers.

Sabatinis was great. It's a lot of small courses, so don't get overwhelmed when you hear how many courses you get. It's just a small taste of everything with the exception of your main course. We really enjoyed it and plan on eating there twice when we go on the Golden on our 7/11/05 Europeon cruise.

We also ate at the Steakhouse and we'll be skipping in on our next cruise. While our service was exceptional here, even better than Sabatini's, the steaks were okay. Frankly I grill much better steaks at home and we have a lot of top steakhouses here in Naples so I'm spoiled.

We also had anytime dining and loved it. OUr ship was full, but we had no problems getting a table every night. We actually never made reservations, just showed up. We had a great table for 2 by the windows on the first night. We have our kids with our next time so we'll make ressies every day as we'll be 5 people.

We also disliked the buffet and only ate lunch here on the first day and one other day. We do tend to eat in the ports because we enjoy trying different foods. We ate breakfast here only once and it was okay. We ate breakfast on the last morning in one of the dining rooms and the service was slow. I did really love the french toast and can't wait to have it again!

We ordered room service every morning for breakfast. I simply put whatever I wanted on the menu, eggs, etc. They never gave me a problem and brought whatever we asked for. I don't know if they made an allowence since we were in a minisuite as they wouldn't do this for my girlfriend in August on the Caribbean Princess and she tried more than once.

Wireless internet was great, there was only one afternoon that I couldnt' use it. It cost $.35 per minute. WE never had a problem getting a computer no matter what time of day it was.

The wheelhouse was was nice. We didn't care for the entertainment but we did spend alittle bit of time here.

Carolyn

Thanks for the review...you know how we crave them!

It certainly wasn't too lengthy for me!:D:D

Part III – The ports of call

ST. Thomas: St. Thomas is one of our favorite ports and this was our fourth visit. Early AM we took a taxi to Red Hook and took the ferry over to St. John. We then took a taxi to Cinnamon Bay (we’d been to Trunk’s two other times). I’d read many wonderful comments about Cinnamon Bay on the St. Thomas Cruise Critic board. We really enjoyed Cinnamon Bay. We rent a couple of chairs. They also have showers, locker rentals, and snacks. The beach was almost deserted. We brought along our snorkeling gear and swam WAY out toward the little island area. I thought the snorkeling in that area was actually better than Trunk’s Bay, which is so overcrowded too. We took the ferry back to Charlotte Amaile from St. John around 2:00, freshened up on the ship, and headed out shopping. My husband’s favorite store in the Caribbean is Down Island Traders in St. Thomas. They have a nice selection of spice and hot sauce.

St. Kitts: This was our second visit to St. Kitts. They now have a new pier area which is really nice. Last time we toured the whole island by taxi; it is a lovely island. This time we took the Princess excursion, Nevis Sail away, again based on posts from this site. What a marvelous day! We took a catamaran over, stopping about ½ way for snorkeling. I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. There were so many different varieties of fish. What a beautiful spot. We snorkeled for about 45 minutes (they had those long tube things to float on too if you wanted). Then continued on our way to Nevis where we were dropped off at a secluded beach. This was a very pretty spot. We were treated to a barbeque lunch, lots of rum punch (or other drinks) and hung out on the beach for about 2 hours. There were no facilities or chairs available, but there were restrooms back on the catamaran that were available on the sail back to St. Kitts. The crew on the catamaran were so great, really had a great time with the passengers.

Grenada: I was really looking forward to this port. We’d been to all of the islands on the itinerary before except for Grenada and Caracas. However, this is the one part of the trip that I was quite disappointed in. We love to walk and explore on our own, going past the “tourist” areas and into the real local culture. We did so in Grenada. All of the locals that were in the tourist areas were very pleasant however once we got off into the areas where we were the only tourists, the locals didn’t appear too friendly. The streets were still loaded with people, all Grenadians (?) but they really seemed displeased that we were there. Granted they’ve been through a recent disaster, but they made it pretty clear that tourists weren’t welcome there. I also had the impression that the island was not much of a tourist spot prior to the hurricanes. We then took a taxi to Grande Anse beach which I’d heard so many good things about. I was really not impressed. We stayed about 45 minutes and took the water taxi ($2 each) back to the pier area to tender back to the ship. Please remember this is only my opinion of Grenada; I know others’ enjoyed the stop.

Caracas: as mentioned in another post, we did not end of stopping but spent the day at sea. We were so looking forward to this port, realizing that we’d probably never get there again. We’d booked one of the Princess tours. I fully support Princess and the captain’s decision to not stop for safety reasons. While some passengers were noticeably angry, I realize that Princess is much more experienced in these matters and I’d rather be safe. One thread said they did this to save money, however by not stopping somewhere, they had to use fuel all day (while I’m not sure how much since we were sailing so slow!), plus they had to feed all of the passengers, most of who would have been in town during lunchtime. Granted they probably had huge revenues at the bars that day since it was SO hot out, but I sincerely believe it was not a money saving scheme. Yes it would have been nice to stop elsewhere when Caracas was cancelled (Curacao comes to mind!) but with such short notice, it was probably not possible.

Aruba: This was our third visit to Aruba. We were allowed an extra 2 hours, not sure if it had something to do with not going to Caracas or what, but it was certainly appreciated. We rented a Jeep from Super Car Rental prior to the cruise. It was supposed to be a hard top Jeep Wrangler. I don’t think they even have actual “Jeeps”. It was a Chevy Tracker and looked quite used. No problems though, it ran just fine. We paid $89 plus an extra $15 for insurance (not required). There was only ¼ tank gas when we got it. Make sure you get gas right away as there are not many stations around. We drove up along the Eagle Beach and Palm Beach areas and up to the lighthouse. As I’d read on the boards, there really aren’t any road signs (or very few) in Aruba. We had quite a time trying to find the Natural Bridge area, but finally spotted a tour bus in what we thought was the general vicinity and followed it. The Natural Bridge area is very rugged and pretty, however very many tourists there. Plus the area around was quite littered with trash, etc. We then 4 wheeled to Alto Chapel (?). You really should have a 4 wheel drive for that route as it was quite rugged in spots. It was a lot of fun though. We then headed to Baby Beach. Not the most scenic spot which I knew from the posts (view of the refinery), but I was actually pleasantly surprised with how clear the water was and the many schools of fish (again we brought our snorkeling gear). We stayed only about an hour and had the Jeep back around 2:30. Then went to the ship to freshen up and out to shop.

Hope my review has helped answer some questions. Again only my opinions as others’ will vary. We really enjoyed our trip and Princess Cruises. I think next time will try a different itinerary since we’ve been to these islands so many times. But I just love the Southern Caribbean and have no desire to go the Mexico route. I can get there cheap enough on an Apple or MLT vacation, why waste a cruise on it? If anyone has any other questions just let me know. Happy sailing, and I hope you have as much fun as we did!

Kelly

Sounds like you really had a good time on your cruise. Your review was lovely.

The stores that you went to in St. Thomas, was it easy to get to off the ship or is a taxi required?

I can't wait! I fly out tomorrow night.

Thank you so much for the details, Kelly. I can hardly wait until we are onboard the Golden.

I am sorry that your experience in Grenada was not the best, I am looking forward to that port also.

cheers,

Mike :D

Great review! I really appreciate all those who take the time to write these detailed reviews upon their return. As you know, some of us can't get enought details!

How lovely, I can't wait until you post your port review.

I have a few questions... Okay, a lot of questions.

You ate at Sabatini's twice, wow, was it really that good. Can you tell us about it?

We have anytime dining also, who was your waiter? Are there any tables for two by a window looking out to the sea?

Did you order room service, how was the menu?

How were formal nights, and how much did the pictures cost? I have no idea what pictures cost and i'm trying to figure out how much to budget for them?

How much is wireless internet? Were there good connections?

Is the rumor true about items in the gift shop going on sale the last day?

What was wrong with breakfast?

How was the wheelhouse bar?

What did you do in San Juan for 3 days? We are staying 5 days post cruise and haven't figured out what to do, and as of now, we have not planned to rent a car.

Your review was lovely and thanks in advance for answering my many questions.

Reply:

My husband is Italian and loves long drawn out fine dining experiences. I could've settled with one time, but either way, it was good. They say "16 courses" but really you just try a bit of everthing on the menu, expect you choose between a salad or soup, and choose one entree. I think the entrees consist of Lobster (very good -- much better than what you'll get in the main dining room), scallops, a chicken dish, oh, a few more but I can't remember. For the other "courses", you start with about four cold appetizer, then they bring about 4 hot appetizes, (of course, items you would normally not prepare yourself, but all very interesting), then your soup/salad, then about 4 different pastas, then your entree, then dessert (which you also choose). Service was quite good.

I think there are a few tables for two by the window, but I think they may have had drapes/curtains covering them. We weren't by a window but still enjoyed ourselves. We had table 53 in Bernini with Enrique and Ramil. I believe it was Ramil's last week. Again, they may have been the best wait staff we've experienced out of 6 cruises.

We only had room service for breakfast, and just ordered off of the standard card left in the room (two times). We did have coffee and juice delivered most days. I would write in Pineapple juice, which wasn't on the card, but it was always delivered.

We didn't to any formal pictures this time around. Maybe should have though, they had one station set up by the Christmas trees which would have been nice. There were about 4 different stations each formal night so lines didn't look too teribbly long.

I didn't notice any particular "sales" in the shops on the last day. I do remember that on other cruises though, where they had Tshirts, etc. on "sale". They did have various cheaper jewlery, and the gold by the inch set outside of the shops a couple of days; I don't think you can just get these items in the shops expect on the days they set it out.

Wireless connection in 35 cents per minute, but we were credited for all of our use since we were in a suite. I looked at the bill and we would have paid about $40, which I thought was quite reasonable. I was on at least once or twice a day with my daughter and with my parents. Much more reasonable than a phone call. I never had a connection problem, even on the days at sea.

I'm not a big breakfast person, so maybe I'm not a real good judge of that. But I know for some (my husband) he prefers it when they have an omlet station, etc. where you can create your own (not available on Princess). It just didn't have a lot of pizzaz, and some of the fruit (which I do like) wasn't real ripe etc. Again, the french toast in the main dining room is great (different than that in the Horizon court).

We only went to the wheelhouse bar to wait for embarkation (used for suite guests and platinum members). Most evenings it had Latino entertainment in it, maybe due to the guest ratio from Puerto Rico during our sailing. It did notice that it was a very nice lounge with very nice decor.

San Juan: We got to the hotel about 8:30 Thursday night; found a little local dive about 2 block from the hotel for dinner (but very good food!). The next day we layed at the beach for several hours, and snorkelled off shore. We then walked into OSJ, had a very late lunch (4:30) at Tio Danny's (Puerto Rican food). We walked all over OSJ (again to some of the residential areas where there are no tourists) and took a taxi back.

Saturday, beached it again, then walked to the Condado area (again venturing off the beaten path). We mapped it out when we got back and estimated we walked almost 8 miles! We originally pre-reserved a car for Saturday and were going to tour around the island since we'd been to SJ several times, but we really just wanted to hang out, plus the driving is crazy there, and all signs are in Spanish. We may have never made it back.

Anything else just let me know. These boards helped me out so much, and I asked so many questions prior to our trip!

Sounds like you really had a good time on your cruise. Your review was lovely.

 

The stores that you went to in St. Thomas, was it easy to get to off the ship or is a taxi required?

 

I can't wait! I fly out tomorrow night.

You could probably walk to the downtown shopping area (we walked back a few years ago). There is a sidewalk along the busy road. It will take you about 30 minutes. A open air taxi will cost $3 per person each way I believe.

There is also a mall type area right near the ship that you can certainly walk to. There are quite a few stores too, but not as many as downtown.

Thank you so much for the details, Kelly. I can hardly wait until we are onboard the Golden.

 

I am sorry that your experience in Grenada was not the best, I am looking forward to that port also.

 

cheers,

 

Mike :D

Mike:

When are you sailing?

March 13th.

Mike :D

How lovely, I can't wait until you post your port review.

 

I have a few questions... Okay, a lot of questions.

 

You ate at Sabatini's twice, wow, was it really that good. Can you tell us about it?

 

We have anytime dining also, who was your waiter? Are there any tables for two by a window looking out to the sea?

 

Did you order room service, how was the menu?

 

How were formal nights, and how much did the pictures cost? I have no idea what pictures cost and i'm trying to figure out how much to budget for them?

 

How much is wireless internet? Were there good connections?

 

Is the rumor true about items in the gift shop going on sale the last day?

 

What was wrong with breakfast?

 

How was the wheelhouse bar?

 

 

What did you do in San Juan for 3 days? We are staying 5 days post cruise and haven't figured out what to do, and as of now, we have not planned to rent a car.

 

Your review was lovely and thanks in advance for answering my many questions.

 

 

Reply:

 

My husband is Italian and loves long drawn out fine dining experiences. I could've settled with one time, but either way, it was good. They say "16 courses" but really you just try a bit of everthing on the menu, expect you choose between a salad or soup, and choose one entree. I think the entrees consist of Lobster (very good -- much better than what you'll get in the main dining room), scallops, a chicken dish, oh, a few more but I can't remember. For the other "courses", you start with about four cold appetizer, then they bring about 4 hot appetizes, (of course, items you would normally not prepare yourself, but all very interesting), then your soup/salad, then about 4 different pastas, then your entree, then dessert (which you also choose). Service was quite good.

 

I think there are a few tables for two by the window, but I think they may have had drapes/curtains covering them. We weren't by a window but still enjoyed ourselves. We had table 53 in Bernini with Enrique and Ramil. I believe it was Ramil's last week. Again, they may have been the best wait staff we've experienced out of 6 cruises.

 

We only had room service for breakfast, and just ordered off of the standard card left in the room (two times). We did have coffee and juice delivered most days. I would write in Pineapple juice, which wasn't on the card, but it was always delivered.

 

We didn't to any formal pictures this time around. Maybe should have though, they had one station set up by the Christmas trees which would have been nice. There were about 4 different stations each formal night so lines didn't look too teribbly long.

 

I didn't notice any particular "sales" in the shops on the last day. I do remember that on other cruises though, where they had Tshirts, etc. on "sale". They did have various cheaper jewlery, and the gold by the inch set outside of the shops a couple of days; I don't think you can just get these items in the shops expect on the days they set it out.

 

Wireless connection in 35 cents per minute, but we were credited for all of our use since we were in a suite. I looked at the bill and we would have paid about $40, which I thought was quite reasonable. I was on at least once or twice a day with my daughter and with my parents. Much more reasonable than a phone call. I never had a connection problem, even on the days at sea.

 

I'm not a big breakfast person, so maybe I'm not a real good judge of that. But I know for some (my husband) he prefers it when they have an omlet station, etc. where you can create your own (not available on Princess). It just didn't have a lot of pizzaz, and some of the fruit (which I do like) wasn't real ripe etc. Again, the french toast in the main dining room is great (different than that in the Horizon court).

 

We only went to the wheelhouse bar to wait for embarkation (used for suite guests and platinum members). Most evenings it had Latino entertainment in it, maybe due to the guest ratio from Puerto Rico during our sailing. It did notice that it was a very nice lounge with very nice decor.

 

San Juan: We got to the hotel about 8:30 Thursday night; found a little local dive about 2 block from the hotel for dinner (but very good food!). The next day we layed at the beach for several hours, and snorkelled off shore. We then walked into OSJ, had a very late lunch (4:30) at Tio Danny's (Puerto Rican food). We walked all over OSJ (again to some of the residential areas where there are no tourists) and took a taxi back.

 

Saturday, beached it again, then walked to the Condado area (again venturing off the beaten path). We mapped it out when we got back and estimated we walked almost 8 miles! We originally pre-reserved a car for Saturday and were going to tour around the island since we'd been to SJ several times, but we really just wanted to hang out, plus the driving is crazy there, and all signs are in Spanish. We may have never made it back.

 

Anything else just let me know. These boards helped me out so much, and I asked so many questions prior to our trip!

Oh goodness! Sabitini's sounds so awesome, of course it will be difficult to convince my SO to go saying it takes 2 + hours to eat AND it will cost $40 for two of us when we have free food on the trip, but I'll try to give it a try.

Thanks for answering my questions, I'll be adding this advice to my list of things.

:)

Thanks for the port review....enjoyed all of it.:):):)

You're welcome. I enjoyed reading reviews so much; they really helped me out and helped me plan for our trip.

kelfly---great review! thanks for taking the time...i was on the golden in may, i'm going again jan 23rd...would you happen to have remembered who the cruise director was?

The cruise director on our sailing was Omar Lugo. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about his job and it appeared that everyone enjoyed him.