Golden Princess Review 7/11-18 - LONG!

TRIP REPORT – GOLDEN PRINCESS JULY 11 TO JULY 18 – CLASSIC SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

Sorry it has taken me a while to get this trip report posted. I just got back Monday night (7-19-04) and after being away for 13 days, it took me a while to get caught up on things.

I was on the July 11-18th Classic Caribbean sailing. First let me say it was a joy to meet Jon and Amy and Bernie and Mary. You guys are delightful and I really enjoyed my brief time with you.

Here are my impressions of the trip

Pre-Cruise - I used frequent flyer miles to fly to San Juan. What a headache! Since I flew out of Baton Rouge, LA and Delta has very few FF seats available out of my city, I ended up having to fly out Wednesday the 7th and returning Monday the 19th. At first I was concerned but it all turned out really well. I took lemons and made a nice lemonade and used the extra time to do a short pre-cruise trip to Dominica. Dominica is not very developed in terms of resorts, and duty free shopping, and it is NOT the place to go if you are looking for white sand beaches. However, it IS the place to go for very good snorkeling and diving and great rainforests with pristine rivers. I am glad that I was able to visit the island for more that just a few hours on a cruise stop. I was able to see all the normal tourist attractions such as Champagne Beach, Emerald Falls (very beautiful!), Trafalgar falls, etc, but I was able to snorkel with divers staying on the island, thus go to some really great snorkel spots. I also got to enjoy the island without being rushed and I got to see much of the island, including the Carib Indian Territory. I definitely plan to go back to Dominica.

I flew to Dominica Thursday morning and returned to San Juan Saturday afternoon. After the cruise, spent an extra beach day in San Juan. Helped ease post cruise let down.

Embarkation – Got to the ship around 10:30 am. This was the earliest I have ever gotten to a ship, but I was glad I did because by 11 the lines to get on were quite long. It seemed to be hurry up and wait. We early birds waited outside until about 11:40, then we were allowed to come inside to sit in chairs…to wait for another 45 minutes. We were instructed to have the correct documents out. The actual process of registering was very quick, then we went through security ….to wait again. Didn’t get on the ship until about 1:00 pm.

Once on the ship, however, was able to go directly to my cabin which was nice. The cabin was clean and all ready. I went to have lunch in the Horizon Court, booked a pedicure and by the time I got back to my cabin, my bags were there! So, despite the slow start, Princess really did well.

Cabin – I booked an inside and got a surprise upgrade to an outside with an obstructed view. I really liked how the cabin was laid out with the open closet facing the bathroom - it created a separate mini room.

I did the single share with Princess. This is where they match solo travelers with someone of the same sex so that each person can avoid the 200% single supplement. It is my understanding that Princess does not do this very often - I did book this cruise over 6 months in advance – maybe that helped.

I have done single shares with other cruise lines and with Club med. I ended up with a roommate on this trip. Although she was a very nice woman, and neither of us smoked, she was twice my age and really did not have this trip planned well. This cruise was her first cruise and I think the first time she had really traveled alone. I, on the other hand am an avid snorkeler and had my own excursions planned months in advance. I felt guilty about leaving her during the day, so I made sure that I spent time with her in the evenings and explained how cruises worked (her travel agent did a lousy job!)

I think for my next cruise, I may have to save extra pennies to get my own cabin.

Food – good to very good. I REALLY, REALLY LOVED ANYTIME DINING. I have always been a late seating person and I used this cruise to experiment and eat at various times. I loved being able to go anytime I wanted. I enjoyed meeting new people each night and I would run into some of my past dinner companions on the islands and we would strike up conversations. I met some wonderful people. It will be hard to go back to set dining on another cruise line. Guess I have to stick to Princess!!!

Only complaints – limited drink selections in the Horizon Court – only iced tea and water. Last year on the Carnival Conquest, they did have apple juice and lemonade. Princess did have a nice selection of herbal teas. Also, breakfast items such as grit and oatmeal tended to get cold by the time you got to your table. However, I told one of the head waiters about this, and he said to ask one of the servers to heat it up for you. They did. They also make custom omelets by request – very good.

Afternoon Tea was delicious!! Be sure to try it.

Entertainment – I didn’t really go to many of the shows – I did see Lights, Camera, Action and the comedian Sarge. Sarge was great – very funny and he is a very talented entertainer.

What I REALLY REALLY LIKED about this ship – 1)Muster Drill – instead of making the passengers wait outside in the steamy heat, we did the muster drill inside seated in the lounges. You could have a drink! 2) Aft pool – very nice 3) Debarkation – very organized – they had a list of all the colors and the order in which they would be called – really liked this – have not experienced this on RCCL or Carnival

Most of all – I liked the overall atmosphere of the cruise – no pirates running around trying to take your picture at dinner time, no dancing waiters, etc. I felt as if Princess really tried to honor any request I had.

Ports of Call – thank you thank you Cruise Critic!!! I booked all my excursions as independent and loved every one!! I used Thriller in Barbados, Eli in Antigua, Frank Connolly in St. Lucia – each of these tour operators were EXCELLENT – the tours were more intimate and the price was much better than the ships excursion. I went to the beach and snorkel on my own on St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Only problem with this itinerary – I wished there was one more sea day. I really would have liked to have more time to enjoy the ship.

Please feel free to post any questions, especially about the ports of call.

Thanks for the review, it wasn't that LONG, and thanks for the paragraph breaks, so many people post one long page that I get lost and read the same line over and over again.

Great review! It was nice of you to spend time with your roommate and try to help her have a good cruise!

Meg

"Only problem with this itinerary – I wished there was one more sea day. I really would have liked to have more time to enjoy the ship."

..wouldn't we all?

Thanks for the review. On the heels of your Conquest cruise I BET you'd like one more sea day....But I've always been of the impression that is why people sail out of San Juan anyway, to get more ports because those cruises spend less time getting to the goodies than ones sailing from Florida...or New Orleans.

Finally, my question: Having experienced both, do you think it's worth the trade? Would you take an itinerary like that again or opt for one with more sea days?

CruisingisLife, you are right - I did pick this cruise based on the itinerary - and I loved going to all the islands. The very first cruise I took was a southern Caribbean cruise with an itin. liked this. My problem is that I am the type of person who loves to get the most out of visiting an island - I have to see as much of the island as I can and participate in whatever unique activities are there, so I am the first one off the boat and I won't reboard until the last possible minute. So this cruise was 5 days of getting up early to get going.

Because my life is so hectic, I have really come to appreciate sea days. I don't worry about the many activities on the ship - I absolutely love relaxing in a deck chair and reading and watching the world and the sea go by.

I guess my perfect cruise would be a balance of sea days and ports. I love seeing new destinations but I also like some time to relax and do nothing. I would definitely do an itinerary like this if it went to islands that I had not been to or it went to islands that ships don't often go during the summer when I can cruise. My very next cruise , however, will probably be a sailing with no more than 3 or 4 ports.

We had a great time with you on St. John!

Great review! I wish I would have asked about the omelette thing...I would have loved that. I agree about the grits, too. They cooled down pretty fast.

One more note about the entertainment: AVOID VENTRILOQUIST JOEL LEDER. Sorry if you read this Joel, but you are not very good...at least not when I saw you. Amy and I were both falling asleep. Watch for Nick Pike, though. I think that he will become one of the best comic jugglers on Princess: very, very talented.

See you later lacruisecat!

Thanks Jon! I am thinking about posting some more details about Barbados, Antigua and St. Lucia on the Port of Call board when I get a chance. After I left St. John, I checked out what was new on St. Thomas and found the neatest little "shave ice" place in Royal Dane Mall in Charlotte Amalie. Shave ice is like a snow cone except the ice is very fine textured.

The name of the store is Shiver Me Timbers and the flavors are excellent - not too sweet like typical snow cones. This is a shop with shave ice very much like the little shop on the north shore of Oahu - same excellent quality and flavors.

Oh to be back in the USVI.....(heavy sigh...)

We were the family on the St lucia Frank Connelly Tour with you. Glad to hear you made it home safe.

Anni in MD

We went on Eli's tour last year. We also thought it was fantastic! Francis operated the tour because Eli was picking up his new boat. You must have had the chance to go on it. Glad you enjoyed Antigua,

I don't know if this has been asked somewhere or not, BUT, who was the CD? Was he/she very good?

Neil was pretty good. I actually enjoyed his deputy Kelly and the Senior Assistant Sly alot more. They were both a hoot.

Lacruisecat - We are booked for the same itinerary in Septermber. When are the formal nights?

Thanks,

Bernie

PS - Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

Bernie

I am booked on the same cruise as you are in September! I am arriving in San Juan on Saturday and staying at the Wyndham Old San Juan. This is my fourth cruise. I have all our trips already booked with Princess but I'm rather unhappy with the selections in St Lucia. Do you have any trips booked?

Happy sailing!

Jan T

Lacruisecat - We are booked for the same itinerary in Septermber. When are the formal nights?

 

Thanks,

Bernie

 

PS - Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

If you like horseback riding, that excursion is great. Contact me by emailing me (click on my name) and I can show you how to get it cheaper by booking directly.

As you exit the the ship in the port building, you can obtain day passes for Sandals Grande resort. They are only about $40 for the day and all food, drinks and water sports are included. This is a beautiful location but you must be an adult (although not a couple). You can view the info at http://www.sandals.com.

The downside is that you will not explore the Pitons area of St. Lucia. Have fun!

We contacted Frank Connelly via internet in St Lucia and he took us from 8:15 in the morning till 4:pm. He had a ice chest filled with local beer,rum punch,coke,water etc. And it was unlimited. He took us everywhere we wanted to go. The Pitons,valcano,old fishing villages , A private resort for the beach and snorkling,waterfall etc. Kept asking us if there was anything special we wanted to do. The cost was $50 + tip per person.

It was wonderful day. We had a van,air conditioned, for 6.but he had other size vehicles available.

franktax@hotmail.com

Anni in Md

:D Jan T - Welcome Aboard!:D

We‘re also flying in to San Juan on Saturday the 18th and staying at the El Canario Inn, a small hotel in the Condado area. We decided not to try and fight the crowds coming home on Sunday either so we’re also staying over on Sunday the 26th.

I didn’t find anything that interested me from Princess in either St. Lucia or Antigua so I started to look to other tour providers. After reading several reviews on the boards I chose the Double Fun Falls trip from Jungle Tours in St. Lucia and Antigua Seafaris in Antigua. Check them out!

Please join us: Golden Princess September 19, 2004 Southern Classic

Bernie