Golden Princess...the good vs. the bad???

Hello!

I'm sailing on Golden (Alaska) this June. I'm traveling with my parents and brother + SIL. We have 3 inside rooms booked. Dad has never cruised, mom and I only have done Disney, bro and SIL have done Disney and RCCL. The day at Glacier Bay is what sealed the deal for Princess (and price too!)

Can you tell me the good vs. the bad of Golden??

We have anytime dining booked right now but my SIL has multiple food allergies (all nuts, all shellfish, and green peppers) so we're now leaning towards choosing late dining so that we have the same wait staff. Thoughts??

Thanks!!

We haven’t sailed on her but will in late April. She goes into dry dock for scheduled service in March-early April.

It has been years since I have been on the ship but I have fond memories. I can't say anything negative.

We have sailed on the Golden and were very happy with the ship and the crew.

For your SIL's food allergies, it is the Head Waiters who will assist her with her choices. I don't think the waiters would want to get involved in such a serious matter. Usually the HW will come to her table with the menus for the next day and guide her selection. He can also order a particular dish to be made for her, eliminating whatever she needs to avoid.

Hi Folks

We were on board Golden Princess for Christmas.

She is an older ship comfortable but we did find a little crowded during the Christmas cruise

Food is good and crew seemed happy enough , many of them a long way from home and missing their loved ones treat them like human beings and they always had a smile

Buffet is the weak link in the food chain , its a little small and needs variety but other dining rooms very good we had club class / mytime and this worked real well

Shows were good bands and dancing / entertainment good

International cafe needs much more seating

pool decks very nice

if you want to sit and read and watch the sea go bye go to Skywalkers in the daytime or your own balconly

all in all a nice older ship like all of us as we age she has a few wrinkles :-)

Regards

John

There is no Thermal Suite Spa which is a big negative for me. There are window suites which make having a full suite very affordable.

The showers in the inside cabins are tiny and the placement of the soap/shampoo dispensers makes them effectively even smaller.

Note that the traditional dining room is aft on deck 6, and only accessible from above by stairs or elevators. The nearest restrooms are on deck 7.

Other than that, she's a lovely ship.

The showers in the inside cabins are tiny and the placement of the soap/shampoo dispensers makes them effectively even smaller.

Note that the traditional dining room is aft on deck 6, and only accessible from above by stairs or elevators. The nearest restrooms are on deck 7.

That being said, we have sailed on her for 42 days and have another 28 days booked in the fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We have enjoyed the golden and will be back on her in two weeks, one things is she has a promenade which goes all the way round ( noting you must go up stairs to get round the bow deck 7 to 8 ) same on the top deck but again involves stairs to to go round the stern ( deck 15 to 16 ) and providing it not to windy as they close the front section off around the spa

She is a little older, but we like the style and layout, and no real negatives except they make you get off at the end.

Cheers Don

Thank you for all the replies! It makes me feel a little more at ease. I will miss not having the "Titanic" type wooden lounge chairs on the promenade deck but I'm sure the benches will be fine. The verandah staterooms are double the price of the inside room which is why we chose 3 inside rooms so that will be a change as I've only ever had a verandah but I'm sure there is ample deck space to look around.

I'm not sure what a thermal spa is so I guess I won't be missing anything! lol As long as it has hot tubs and a pool assuming its warmish, I'm good with that!

We did 35 days on her in August and have booked again for April this year so she couldn't be that bad.

My only complaint was the International Cafe did get overcrowed so pick your times or get take away. Do avoid trying to get your coffee after morning trivia as it is just about impossible to get a seat. As Alaska is a port intensive cruise this will probably not be a problem.

We really enjoyed the quality of food and the staff were fantastic.

quote=IECalCruiser;54985264]The showers are the same tiny size in inside, oceanview, and balcony cabins.

I can think of several very nasty things I like to do to the designer of those showers! Actually they would have been OK if they hadn't put the soap/shampoo dispensers in. The position of those makes the shower even more cramped, with a greater risk of bashing an elbow. The showers on Royal, although small, were much better designed.

Also, only two of the four elevators go down to deck 6 which can create waits if you need to use an elevator.

 

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that little wrinkle. I've been on Royal since where all four elevators go down to the aft MDR. Getting an elevator down was impossible. Luckily my bad knee was in a good mood on that cruise so I managed the stairs OK.

I've done 30 cruises on DCL, 3 so far on Princess. The allergy issues are handled a bit differently on Princess. On DCL, your server is your primary line of defense with a bit of oversight from the head server and chef. On Princess, it is almost totally the head server who handles things. From there, the process is similar in that she can be presented with the next night's menu and make a selection that will be prepared for her (in order to decrease risk of cross contamination). I would feel more comfortable with an assigned seating.

I did a lengthy comparison of DCL vs. Princess after our first Princess cruise. There are things that I like better about each of the lines. The entertainment is better on DCL, but there are a lot more adult oriented activities on Princess. And the price can't be beat! In Alaska, you are really going for the scenery, the excursions, etc. We loved Alaska, and I don't regret for a minute that we went high end on the excursions and did a much less costly cruise line! The food at the International Cafe was much better than what DCL had in the Cove Cafe, and if you have a coffee card you'll have 15 punches for Starbucks style specialty coffee AND unlimited brewed coffee and tea (normal, but a much better quality than is available at the other outlets.) And you can share the punches. Palo is better than the specialty dining on Princess, but the MDR food on Princess was better. The Princess buffet was more varied and had much longer hours.

I haven't been on the Golden--sorry that I can't help with that. But we found more alike than different between the two lines.

We sailed the Golden a few years ago, also her sister ship the Star a couple of times, never had the inside room but the ship is very nice and the crews have been great, Alaska is a great cruise. You might be a little disappointed in the inside rooms as there's a lot of cruising and site seeing from ship. Was really nice sitting and watching from Balcony and watching the wild life,. Take binoculars!!!

The Golden is, indeed, an older ship but is well maintained and you will enjoy your trip to Alaska. We’ve sailed the Golden to Alaska and we loved it. Since you don’t have a balcony be sure to find a nice spot on the promenade or other open deck to sit and enjoy Glacier Bay (if that is in your itinerary. Also, if they offer the shore tour including the train tour from Skagway into the Yukon, we loved it and thought it was well worth it. Alaska is wonderful. You and your family will have so much fun!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I love the Promenade for viewing glaciers. Everyone goes to deck 14/15 but deck 7 has the best viewing and is less crowded.

Even when I have a balcony, I am on deck 7 for glacier days.

Thank you! I was up until 2am watching videos of our ship! Can someone explain to me the purpose of the Sanctuary and the cost? Also I noticed afternoon tea...is that complementary or an extra charge?

My mom's 60th birthday is during the cruise and she would like to eat at one of the special dining rooms...which do you recommend: the steak or the Italian one?

The sanctuary in an area on the top deck under cover at the front of the ship but open at the back with lounges and chairs for relax away from children with food and drink service, the cost I think is $20 per day per person.

The speciality restaurants are Sabatinis and the Crown Grill cover charge of $29 per person. Both we think are very nice, the big difference is that you have your own table. and you must book. Food is a very objective thing. Some people don't feel it is worth the extra money, where we on the other hand dinner at speciality restaurants 9 nights out of 13 on our last cruise. Look at the menus and decide which you suit you better, also they are some what flexible and you ask for something a little different.

Cheers Don

Hello!

I'm sailing on Golden (Alaska) this June. I'm traveling with my parents and brother + SIL. We have 3 inside rooms booked. Dad has never cruised, mom and I only have done Disney, bro and SIL have done Disney and RCCL. The day at Glacier Bay is what sealed the deal for Princess (and price too!)

 

Can you tell me the good vs. the bad of Golden??

We have anytime dining booked right now but my SIL has multiple food allergies (all nuts, all shellfish, and green peppers) so we're now leaning towards choosing late dining so that we have the same wait staff. Thoughts??

Thanks!!

My DW and I have been on the Golden in 2015 (28 days Hawaii/Tahiti) and found her to be very good.

For more up to date information especially about special dining requirements I suggest you read Pescado Amarillo's blog at http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/ as they just spent the about 80 days on the Golden cruising Australia and New Zealand area and she covered very extensively how Princess handles special food requirements.

Hope you have a great trip.

Thank you! I was up until 2am watching videos of our ship! Can someone explain to me the purpose of the Sanctuary and the cost? Also I noticed afternoon tea...is that complementary or an extra charge?

My mom's 60th birthday is during the cruise and she would like to eat at one of the special dining rooms...which do you recommend: the steak or the Italian one?

The Sanctuary is basically a deck area with food service where you pay and are guaranteed a deck lounge chair in an adult only area. Kids on Princess are NOT like kids on Disney...and I say that even though there were 2 good sized groups of young people on our last cruise (school group???) On our last cruise, the Sanctuary was $35 or 40 for a full day, $20 for a half day. We had no trouble getting a lounger in other areas, so did not use this service.

Afternoon tea is complimentary--no reservations needed--you just show up at the appointed restaurant at the designated time (I think 3pm). Again, it wasn't as fancy as the tea on Disney or Celebrity (yes, I know DCL's doesn't exist any more), but it was free while the others had a charge attached. If all you really want is the scones, they make extras and put them out at the buffet at about the same time.

I'd make my dining room choice based on the type of food you want. The Grill was nice, but not "super special." It isn't Palo, and it certainly isn't Remy.

Again, I have not been on the Golden. I've done 3 Princess cruises on other ships (total 27 nights).

I would not recommend the Sanctuary for Alaska. There is no need. You will want to move around the ship for the best views.

We have also sailed on Disney and Royal. We absolutely LOVED the Golden Princess.

It’s a beautiful ship, elegant and understated. We considered the cuisine superior to what we’ve encountered on most other cruise lines. Service was great, although not as good as on Disney (its hard to beat Disney in that department).

We sailed on the Golden for our 10th wedding anniversary and have absolutely wonderful memories from that cruise. With that said, we sailed on her without kids, and Princess delivered a great cruise for that special occasion. Although we did see plenty of kids onboard, and we walked around to check out the kids facilities, we felt that Princess isn’t as well geared towards families as Royal or Disney are.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We will be on Golden this July/August to Alaska. Is the pool enclosed? It's hard to tell from their website. Thanks.

We just did several cruises on the Golden Princess. They were our best ship experiences on Princess, aside from the Pacific Princess. Loved the ship. Is it perfect? No. Plumbing seems to be the largest issue. But there are so many offsets. Pools are great. Crew is fantastic. Food was good. Service was excellent.

I have special dietary needs too, and they were more than exceeded. I address what was done for me several times on my blog.

The Calypso Pool is covered.

Lots of information and photos on my blog starting here:

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2017/10/season-8-exploring-wonders-down-under.html

We liked it so much we’re considering trying to get to Alaska on the ship this summer too.

Was wondering about Club Class Dining and which dining room is it in on the Golden Princess? Has anyone dined there and is it the same dress code as other dining areas?