Our Quick Trip Upon the Golden- September 8-11

Just some quick thoughts about our time on the Golden Princess this week, I always enjoy reading other reviews so hope this might be helpful to others!

Pre-Cruise:

Air: We booked our air thru EZ Air. It was so much less expensive than anything I could find on my own and I love that you can book it early but continue to make changes up to the final payment date if better pricing becomes available.

Hotel: We stayed at the Pan Pacific after finding a great rate. I loved this hotel and cannot say enough nice things. The hotel was gorgeous, the location was perfect, the shampoo smelled great :). We had booked a city view and that is what we received at check in. However, the only city view was from the window above the tub. The two windows in the bedroom portion faced out onto Canada Place and we were able to watch the ships come in and depart- so much fun! The room was spacious and peaceful. We loved the baggage service and said goodbye to our bags around 9am on the morning of our cruise and did not see them again until they arrived at our stateroom.

Exploring Vancouver: The hotel was so centrally located it was very easy to explore. We had two days in Vancouver and tried to fit in as many sights as possible: Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, Chinatown, the Steam Clock, the Olympic Cauldron. It is such a walkable city and we walked a LOT (27K steps on our full day!) Public transportation is very easy, we took the Skytrain from the airport to the hotel and then the city bus to Granville Island. A tip for the bus: my CC would not work to get on the bus (the driver was nice and let us on anyway.) If you need to pay cash have exact change and have it as coins not as bills. Vancouver was a gorgeous city and we really enjoyed our time there.

Embarkation:

This was so simple, we literally took the elevator down from our 20th floor room to the Ground floor and walked down a hallway to embark. Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam was docked as well so they separated the HA and Princess groups into two different areas of a large exhibition hall. We arrived early (maybe 1015) but even after going through check in and customs we were on the ship shortly before 11am. Again, we had no luggage with us so were able to move about and explore easily.

They did say that staterooms would not be ready but we took a quick peek in ours and it looked good to go (we left again, just in case.) Several decks (Aloha, Baja, etc.) had the fire doors shut so you definitely would not have been able to access all of the cabins that early.

Stateroom:

Because this was such a short trip and a mini-celebration for us, we booked one of the Window Suites on Fiesta Deck. The cabin was absolutely gorgeous and we loved everything about it. I can see why they are so popular and imagine they would be lovely to have for a longer trip. There was so much storage and so much space in the bathroom. We enjoyed all the perks that came along with our suite and Sonny, our room steward, did a great job taking care of us.

The Golden Princess:

I will confess, I was a bit worried after reading all the negative reviews but we found the ship more than acceptable. There is a little bit of wear and tear and I did see a few water leaks but, overall, the ship was great (and, regardless, I am on a ship- how can I complain?? :) ) The staff was all very friendly. The cruise entertainment staff was wonderful. (If you get a chance to see Hollywood Hijinks I absolutely recommend it! So, so funny!!) We played some trivia, watched the comedian (also very funny,) listened to the piano player, and just relaxed and explored and wished that it was a longer trip.

Dining:

Because of our cabin, we were able to use Club Class dining and it was very nice. Our waitstaff (Giovanni, Ronnie, and Bobby) took great care of us. I am a fairly picky eater and I would say that the food overall was good to very good. I could always find something to eat and our waiters checked often to make sure we were happy. I think portions are smaller than they used to be but think this is probably a good thing :)

We didn't frequent the buffet often but it looked fairly typical. Pizza and fries were yummy. I had a twist cone in honor of our daughter who was not along for the ride.

As someone else was responsible for buying, cooking, and cleaning up.....I have nothing but nice things to say!

Debarkation:

Again, a really simple process. We left our cabin around 730 and were waiting outside for our Uber by 8am (after stopping for a coffee in the lounge.)

Thoughts on a short cruise:

This was my first time on such a short cruise. As it was intended for just a quick getaway, it definitely fit that bill but I did feel rushed (as if I needed to try to fit in as much as possible since I only had two full days) Many of the activities were similar to what you would find on a longer cruise, the staff did a great job of keeping everyone engaged. I would do it again if the timing worked but would prefer longer trips to be able to truly enjoy all the ship has to offer.

I would be happy to try to answer any questions you might have; it really was a great trip!

Very nice review.

That was a great idea to book a suite for a short cruise. Will you be able to go back to a "regular" cabin?

Thanks for your review.

Love the Pan Pacific!

Very nice review.

That was a great idea to book a suite for a short cruise. Will you be able to go back to a "regular" cabin?

I sure hope so! We have decided that we would rather go on more frequent cruises than to have such an awesome cabin but it was definitely nice to see how the other half lives :)

I was on this cruise too and had Sunny for a cabin steward too. Having been on more then 50 Princess cruises I found him to be sub par. We did not get our daily menu's for the MDR which is a perk of suites, to order from that menu. Our drapes were not drawn closed at night either. We did not have a spare roll of toilet paper under the counter after day 2 and had to hunt a roll down. Sunny struck me as burnt out.

These window suites are a great bargain if you don't care about a balcony.The club class dining service was excellent. There was no tableside special dish the last night. There where yellow buckets in the hallway on Fiesta deck both in the cabin corridor and in front of many shops for leaking ceilings. Other then the ceiling leaks the ship was in good shape. The new carpeting did not vary from port to starboard like other ships which I missed. Embakation and debarkation was the easiest it's ever been because we did US customs when we boarded in Vancouver so we just walked off in San Pedro. The cruise director was great and highly visible and attended most games. A new trivia type game called Hollywood Hiccups was hilarious.

I missed not having the Thermal Spa on the Golden, a perk on other ships when you're in a suite. I haven't done many of these mini cruises and much prefer at least a full week cruise. There was many differences between this 3 night cruise and ones that are a week long.

I organised a cabin crawl after we all met at the Outrigger for sail away and we had a lovely time. We always had a shared table for 6 in the CC dining room with our new friends. Those of us who met for the sail away and crawl had instant friendships which made for a warm and happy cruise.

I have also heard that the aft elevator is out of commission. I sure hope it is fixed by the time we embark on our cruise, as my hubby has a knee problem which means that he can't walk too far. I picked the back of the ship for the access to all the aft services which also includes Skywalker's Lounge. Princess needs to get on this!

Scotchick :o:o:o

Thanks for the report.

Thanks for sharing.:)

Tony

I have also heard that the aft elevator is out of commission. I sure hope it is fixed by the time we embark on our cruise, as my hubby has a knee problem which means that he can't walk too far. I picked the back of the ship for the access to all the aft services which also includes Skywalker's Lounge. Princess needs to get on this!

 

Scotchick :o:o:o

There are multiple aft elevators, only one of which is out of order. Unfortunately, it is one of the two that go up the highest when going to Skywalkers.

It isn't as if you don't have elevators. You just have one of the 4 out of order and sometimes have to wait longer than you otherwise might.

Thanks moki'smommy. I was really getting worries there.

It isn't as if you don't have elevators. You just have one of the 4 out of order and sometimes have to wait longer than you otherwise might.

If you want to go to the deck 6 dining room or up to Skywalkers, you have one out of two out of order. And at the start or end of dinner, that can mean a very long wait.

If you want to go to the deck 6 dining room or up to Skywalkers, you have one out of two out of order. And at the start or end of dinner, that can mean a very long wait.

Exactly and around 5 PM it took a long time to get to the elite suite happy hour up in Skywalkers.

Those 2 are already slow at peak times.

I can only imagine with one down. :rolleyes:

Those 2 are already slow at peak times.

I can only imagine with one down. :rolleyes:

Another thread says both are down now. Imagine that!

I’ve never been n a Princess ship before. Do you have to take elevators to go from deck to deck, or are there stairs available?

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There are lots of stairs available. We use the stairs whenever we can (both to avoid crowds and to make up for the yummy pasta :) )

Hotel: We stayed at the Pan Pacific after finding a great rate. I loved this hotel and cannot say enough nice things. The hotel was gorgeous, the location was perfect, the shampoo smelled great :). We had booked a city view and that is what we received at check in. However, the only city view was from the window above the tub. The two windows in the bedroom portion faced out onto Canada Place and we were able to watch the ships come in and depart- so much fun! The room was spacious and peaceful. We loved the baggage service and said goodbye to our bags around 9am on the morning of our cruise and did not see them again until they arrived at our stateroom.

Sounds lovely! How did you get the great rate?

We are doing a Vancouver to San Pedro cruise next month, just wondering if you self carried off, and if so, around what time did self carry off start?You have me very excited- our first princess cruise and a little kid free getaway for the husband and I- woohooo! Ours is 4 nights though, with a day in Astoria :)

I was on this cruise too and had Sunny for a cabin steward too. Having been on more then 50 Princess cruises I found him to be sub par. We did not get our daily menu's for the MDR which is a perk of suites, to order from that menu. Our drapes were not drawn closed at night either. We did not have a spare roll of toilet paper under the counter after day 2 and had to hunt a roll down. Sunny struck me as burnt out.

These window suites are a great bargain if you don't care about a balcony.The club class dining service was excellent. There was no tableside special dish the last night.

.

Interesting comment--we were also in a window suite in August and found Sunny to be a bit odd. He brought us 2 bottles of water each night, even when we had 10 bottles sitting on the counter (14 night cruise). He removed the empty shampoo and conditioner from the shower, but didn't leave any more till we asked. Same with the toilet paper--had to ask him to please make sure there was an "extra." There were two TP holders in the bathroom, so not sure why there wouldn't be a roll on each one. We never got the MDR menu. He was a good guy, but I wasn't ever sure we were communicating.

Thanks very much for your report ! Sounds like a great idea to stay in a hotel where it is so easy to get to the ship. :) - EBC

Interesting comment--we were also in a window suite in August and found Sunny to be a bit odd. He brought us 2 bottles of water each night' date=' even when we had 10 bottles sitting on the counter (14 night cruise). He removed the empty shampoo and conditioner from the shower, but didn't leave any more till we asked. Same with the toilet paper--had to ask him to please make sure there was an "extra." There were two TP holders in the bathroom, so not sure why there wouldn't be a roll on each one. We never got the MDR menu. He was a good guy, but I wasn't ever sure we were communicating.[/quote']

I was brutally honest on my end of cruise survey. Sunny does not belong servicing suites.

Thanks for the review! Sounds like you really enjoye your short cruise.

We are doing a Vancouver to San Pedro cruise next month, just wondering if you self carried off, and if so, around what time did self carry off start?You have me very excited- our first princess cruise and a little kid free getaway for the husband and I- woohooo! Ours is 4 nights though, with a day in Astoria :)

Astoria is one of our very favorite ports. We've visited there several times on driving trips, too. Be sure to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, then have fish and chips at The Bowpicker across the street. There are several good brewpubs in town; our favorite is Buoy Beer Co., right on the water. Don't miss it! And if it's a nice day, visit the Astoria Column.