Golden Princess New Zealand 11th to 24th February 2016 - Complete Picture Review!

Hello Utahtea and anyone else.

I will be Alaska next year. I have been looking at a Princess one or that Holland America one you suggested. Boy it looks great.

Princess has the largest presence in Alaska....They have naturalists on board the whole cruise while HAL only has the rangers on during the glaciers....Look carefully .... Also, take a look at the FB page. Alaska cruises on Princess. It is a wealth of information....

Maureen,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough and enjoyable review. Loved your sense of humor. DH also is not keen on cruising, and I could relate with you...:cool:

I was riveted, took notes and is much appreciated.

Hopefully, you took your Asian cruise this year :D

Dani

Hi Dani

Thank you for your lovely comments. I loved this cruise. Actually I love cruising but Hubby doesn't and won't go on one again. People tell him he will love Alaska. We had to put the Alaska cruise on hold until 2019 as this year I took two months of work and headed to the Kimberlys with Hubby who turned 60 while we were away. It was all he wanted to do. So I feel like I am unable to ask the boss for two months off so soon after just taking such a long holiday. I want two months when we go to Alaska so we can do Canada also. I work full time. Cant wait until I retire.

Didn't get to Asia cause of our trip to Western Australia. What a big country we have. One day we traveled all day and did not see a soul - only 100's of Kangaroos, Emus, Camels and livestock.

What a lovely review. New Zealand really might be "Middle Earth"

 

 

 

The photos were lovely. MY favorite cruises..........Panama Canal. The Ten Day Princess cruise........Aruba. Costa Rica. Cayman Island. Columbia ( Green, green everywhere.) And you get to cruise part of the way up the Canal.

Favorite Ports.........Curacao and Bonaire.

 

Barbados blew me away. So lovely. We cruise a good bit, living in Florida and able to drive to five ports....and being Seniors and able to cruise in the "off" seasons...................but we have stuck to the "pond". And it never grows old.

 

Enjoyed your writing so much!!!!!!! I also enjoy seeing the New Zealand segments "House Hunters International" does on New Zealand...and the Aussie Segments too. Loved "The Thornbirds". And "Max Max" and I could go on and on........"The Sundowners" etc.

Hi Amber

Thank you for your kind comments. Middle Earth is a stunning country. Hope to go back one day. There is so much more to see.

I cant wait for the day when I can travel more as I work full time I only get 4 weeks annual holidays and cause Australia is so far from Europe, America etc.. I need to save my holidays up so I can at least travel to these places for 6 to 8 weeks.

I also love watching House Hunters International and I love Escape to the Country. I love those 300 year old stone cottages in England and Scotland.

Maureen

Hello Utahtea and anyone else.

I will be Alaska next year. I have been looking at a Princess one or that Holland America one you suggested. Boy it looks great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Princess has the largest presence in Alaska....They have naturalists on board the whole cruise while HAL only has the rangers on during the glaciers....Look carefully .... Also, take a look at the FB page. Alaska cruises on Princess. It is a wealth of information....

Hi Laughing Husky

Yes Princess is the cruise we will do of Alaska. We hope to do a cruise tour and then travel to Canada by train. Cant wait.

Hi Dani

 

What a big country we have. One day we traveled all day and did not see a soul - only 100's of Kangaroos, Emus, Camels and livestock.

Maureen,

You made me laugh:D. We have a very small country (8 hours drive from North to South :cool:). In the South, may be you'll see camels....:D:D

Enjoy Alaska with Glacier Bay. And Canada is very beautiful. Emerald Lake was astounding.

Maureen,

 

You made me laugh:D. We have a very small country (8 hours drive from North to South :cool:). In the South, may be you'll see camels....:D:D

 

Enjoy Alaska with Glacier Bay. And Canada is very beautiful. Emerald Lake was astounding.

Hi Danni

WOW!! you have done so many cruises. Lucky You!

I have decided to either go on my own or take one of my children or go with friends when I wish to cruise. I LOVE CRUISING :hearteyes:Hubby just wants to travel around our great country in a caravan. Nothing wrong with that but there is so much of this wonderful world I wish to see too.

I notice you are from Israel. Your country is on my bucket wish to visit one day along with Jordan and Egypt.

Well Australia is certainly BIG!!! you would never see the whole country in your life time. The distances is so great but that's the beauty of it I guess.

ABSOLUTELY <3 <3 <3 YOUR POST! YOU ARE TOO FUNNY!!!

I just booked this cruise for Feb 2019! I had to cancel the cruise with the Majestic Princess because of soooo many bad reviews.(n)

I did not want to take a chance on the Sun Princess because the battle with the Norovirus:eek:

I am now trying to figure out what the best way is to get to Sydney from Melbourne..... we really want to visit the Great Barrier Reef (I'm planning on making my husband take scuba lessons with me and I have a funny feeling he will not be happy :halo:)

Our first cruise was the Alaskan cruise out of San Francisco and it was so much fun. I loved the salmon fishing excursion, my only regret was not doing it with the cruise ship where the fabulous chefs would have prepared the FRESH salmon for us (The staff was sad too, because they said they get to enjoy the yummy leftovers) Oops, I forgot you don't like fish, smiles.

Again, thank you so much for posting a wonderfully funny post. With all the time you spent, you should really think about starting a BLOG. Most of the blogs I read are so dry (winky face).

ABSOLUTELY <3 YOUR POST! YOU ARE TOO FUNNY!!!

 

I just booked this cruise for Feb 2019! I had to cancel the cruise with the Majestic Princess because of soooo many bad reviews.

I did not want to take a chance on the Sun Princess because the battle with the Norovirus:eek:

I am now trying to figure out what the best way is to get to Sydney from Melbourne..... we really want to visit the Great Barrier Reef (I'm planning on making my husband take scuba lessons with me and I have a funny feeling he will not be happy :halo:)

Our first cruise was the Alaskan cruise out of San Francisco and it was so much fun. I loved the salmon fishing excursion, my only regret was not doing it with the cruise ship where the fabulous chefs would have prepared the FRESH salmon for us (The staff was sad too, because they said they get to enjoy the yummy leftovers) Oops, I forgot you don't like fish, smiles.

Again, thank you so much for posting a wonderfully funny post. With all the time you spent, you should really think about starting a BLOG. Most of the blogs I read are so dry (winky face).

Hello Mombosombo

Thankyou for your kind words. I am sure you will enjoy your cruise to NZ in February. It is a wonderful cruise. Its so hard choosing a cruise line and ship. Sometimes I think that having too much information does not help. In deciding what cruise line to choose, I decided to forget everything I had learnt and read about each cruise line and just pick which one felt right for us. There is never going to be a perfect cruise line or cruise. I went with an open mind I loved our cruise, the Golden Princess and Princess Cruises. After all its your holiday and its what you make of it.

I went to the Barrier Reef about 30 years ago and loved it. Good luck with getting your hubby to take those lessons. Mine would never do it. Now if you oftered him a ride on a new tractor he would be there in a heart beat.:mad:

Alaska - Now there is a place I want to go to. I have just found out that Alaskan Cruises on Princess are opening up here in Australia in December for 2019 cruise season. :D<3 I have it all worked out which month we wish to go and where we want to visit and what excurisions to do...LOL

Hubby will love the fishing in Alaska. Decided to book a fishing trip for him at Mt McKinley as we are going to do a cruise tour stopping at Denali and McKinley. I then a few days in Seward as well.

Once again thanks for your kind comments.

Hi Maureen, just found your review and found it to be one of the most comprehensive, informative and enjoyable reviews I have ever read. My wife and I will be doing this cruise in a few weeks and you have given me so many ideas of what to do.

We did the reverse of this cruise last year (from Auckland to Sydney) and we were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful country NZ is, it reminds me of my home in Scotland. Australia is also amazing as we stayed in Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane post cruise. This time we have time booked in Melbourne and Sydney.

Like your husband I would love to drive round Oz in a camper for a couple of months. Thanks again for all your time and effort in your reports.

Graham

Hi Maureen, just found your review and found it to be one of the most comprehensive, informative and enjoyable reviews I have ever read. My wife and I will be doing this cruise in a few weeks and you have given me so many ideas of what to do.

 

We did the reverse of this cruise last year (from Auckland to Sydney) and we were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful country NZ is, it reminds me of my home in Scotland. Australia is also amazing as we stayed in Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane post cruise. This time we have time booked in Melbourne and Sydney.

 

Like your husband I would love to drive round Oz in a camper for a couple of months. Thanks again for all your time and effort in your reports.

 

Graham

Hello Graham

Thank you so much for your kind comments. I loved our cruise to New Zealand and can finally say that we are off again in May 2019 to Alaska on the Coral Princess. Looking forward to this cruise so much.

Yes New Zealand is a wonderful country and would love to go back and hire a camper and spend a couple of months travelling around. Graham I hope you enjoy your trip to NZ.

I would love to visit the UK one day, especially Scotland. Just a beautiful country.

Maureen

What a wonderful travel review. Your pictures were amazing and I love the fact that you didn't have hoards of people in every photo. I keep trying to get my husband to look through the lens at what he is shooting and if there are too many people in the frame, wait it out! We are about to embark on a cruise to Tasmania and New Zealand, with many of the same port stops in New Zealand as what you visited and it was fun to read your reviews and see the photos before we set off. This will be our first time venturing so far from home (Canada) and to this gorgeous area of the world and after reading about your adventures, we absolutely can't wait to get started. Thanks for taking the time to post all of this!

Barb

Hello Maureen

Very glad to read that you and hubby plan to cruise Alaska in 2019 !

I hope you both enjoy that cruise and trip “up North”.

As I recall writing to you in a previous post,Alaska is a beautiful place and your hubby may enjoy some fishing while on your trip.

My DH and I are thinking about a return cruise to Alaska in May or June of 2019.

We are considering a round trip cruise from Seattle,visiting Glacier Bay on the Ruby Princess.

We are mindful of a travel budget,and while DH likes to spend some of the winter in Florida,we may have to curtail our time there in 2019 so that we can enjoy a vacation on the other side of the US.

It is always good to have something to look forward to and enjoy the planning of it as well as the actual event !

Hoping that all goes well for you and hubby and that we will be reading a review written by you after the cruise !

Old but nice review.

What a wonderful travel review. Your pictures were amazing and I love the fact that you didn't have hoards of people in every photo. I keep trying to get my husband to look through the lens at what he is shooting and if there are too many people in the frame, wait it out! We are about to embark on a cruise to Tasmania and New Zealand, with many of the same port stops in New Zealand as what you visited and it was fun to read your reviews and see the photos before we set off. This will be our first time venturing so far from home (Canada) and to this gorgeous area of the world and after reading about your adventures, we absolutely can't wait to get started. Thanks for taking the time to post all of this!

 

Barb

Hi Barb

Thankyou for your kind remarks. New Zealand is a beautiful country. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

We are going to spend at least 2 weeks in Canada before our cruise to Alaska next year. I am so excited and busy researching...researching...researching...:D;p I love reading everything I can on Alaska and Canada. Having so much fun.

Maureen

Hello Maureen

Very glad to read that you and hubby plan to cruise Alaska in 2019 !

I hope you both enjoy that cruise and trip “up North”.

As I recall writing to you in a previous post,Alaska is a beautiful place and your hubby may enjoy some fishing while on your trip.

My DH and I are thinking about a return cruise to Alaska in May or June of 2019.

We are considering a round trip cruise from Seattle,visiting Glacier Bay on the Ruby Princess.

We are mindful of a travel budget,and while DH likes to spend some of the winter in Florida,we may have to curtail our time there in 2019 so that we can enjoy a vacation on the other side of the US.

It is always good to have something to look forward to and enjoy the planning of it as well as the actual event !

Hoping that all goes well for you and hubby and that we will be reading a review written by you after the cruise !

Hi MJSailors.

I know! Can you believe it that I am finally going on another cruise and to Alaska..Its only taken 3 years.;p:eek: James keeps telling every one that he is not going on another cruise...but when the time comes he will go as Canada is a place he has wanted to visit and Alaska and the great outdoors is his 'cup of tea.'

We have booked the Coral Princess for May 29th 2019. So at the moment I have been spending every waking moment researching Alaska and Canada. I am in heaven!! The only thing is that I am doing so much reading about what we hope to do that I am finding it hard to go to sleep at night. My mind is so active...just thinking about Alaska.

I am planning one or two fishing trips for James...Seward and Talkeetna..We plan on doing a land tour ourselves after the cruise...just a little scared of competing to hiring a car - what with the left hand driving side thing ;) Before the cruise we will spend at least a week in Canada. So exciting.

I hope you do get to Alaska again next year. I think we will be eating rice and baked beans for the next year...:o;p The amount of money this holiday is going to cost us. But then again I want to do a sled ride in the snow, fly in a float plane, visit beautiful Seward and spend a couple of days there, explore Denali NP and its funny but one of the things I want to do most is sit outside a cafe in Talkeetna and watch the world go by. Don't know why that small town has torn at the heart strings. I just like the pictures of it.

Take care

Maureen

Sometimes the planning and anticipation if a trip is half the fun of it !

You have a good idea about combining the Alaskan cruise with a visit to Canada. It is quite a distance for you and hubby to travel,so it is an advantage to see as much as you can.

I say that we could eat peanut butter sandwiches for a month to help the travel budget. My hubby laughs at that thought !

If we book a cruise, I think it will be on the Ruby Princess. As it sails from:Seattle, I hope we can get to see the glass exhibit of Chiloulie’s (spelling?) work displayed near the Space Needle.

We have not seen Glacier Bay which is on the itinerary. Also, I do like the town of Skagway. We took the train to the Yukon from there on the previous cruise. I would like to take a walking tour if the town this next time.

There are so many places we would like to see! I started travel8ng when I was in college,but I don’t think I will ever catch up to all the places on our list.

Enjoy planning and reading about Alaska and Canada.

It is always a good thing to have something to look forward to!

Regards

Mary of MJ Sailors

Hi Maureen, just found your review and found it to be one of the most comprehensive, informative and enjoyable reviews I have ever read. My wife and I will be doing this cruise in a few weeks and you have given me so many ideas of what to do.

 

We did the reverse of this cruise last year (from Auckland to Sydney) and we were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful country NZ is, it reminds me of my home in Scotland. Australia is also amazing as we stayed in Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane post cruise. This time we have time booked in Melbourne and Sydney.

 

Like your husband I would love to drive round Oz in a camper for a couple of months. Thanks again for all your time and effort in your reports.

 

Graham

Thank you for bringing this review back to page one of CC. Thanks too to hopestotravelmore for posting it. It’s fantastic. Great narrative and pictures. One of the best review threads I have read on CC. I’m taking lots of notes on tours etc. as will be doing a similar cruise on the Majestic in March 2019.

Fingers crossed for a hopestotravelmore Alaska review next year :D

Thank you for bringing this review back to page one of CC. Thanks too to hopestotravelmore for posting it. It’s fantastic. Great narrative and pictures. One of the best review threads I have read on CC. I’m taking lots of notes on tours etc. as will be doing a similar cruise on the Majestic in March 2019.

 

 

Fingers crossed for a hopestotravelmore Alaska review next year :D

Hi Geoffa

Sorry have taken so long to thank you for your kind words. It’s been awhile since I have checked on here as I have been very busy planning our Alaskan cruise ;p:D 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻oh boy! I’m sure am having a wonderful time 😂😂

I hope my review has been a help for your coming cruise to New Zealand.

You will love New Zealand and I hope you have lovely weather and don’t miss any ports.

And I promise there will be another cruise review next year!

On 4/17/2016 at 1:38 PM, hopestotravelmore said:

I JUST READ YOUR REVIEW FOR A SECOND TIME! EXCITED THAT YOU WILL BE TRAVELING MAY 8TH TO ALASKA!

I can't wait to read your Alaska review. You should also post in C R U I S E L I N E . C O M... their site is a little easier to use (not so archaic). Just an FYI for the glacier. When we went on our cruise we booked helicopter/dog mushing excursion through ERA. They go to a different glacier from Juneau (I GUESS THERE ARE MANY). We later found out that the same type of excursion through Princess to the Mendenhall Glacier was cancelled due to fog. They also said that they frequently have to cancel due to fog and the glacier they go to (NORRIS GLACIER) is rarely cancelled. We got a significant discount with AAA membership in 2014. HAVE A GREAT TRIP AND HOPE THE HUBBY IS CHIPPER!

Thank you for bumping this!!  I'm doing this cruise on the GOLDEN in November 2019 and have not begun planning for it yet. Love the ship pics & port print review

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

Thank you for bumping this!!  I'm doing this cruise on the GOLDEN in November 2019 and have not begun planning for it yet. Love the ship pics & port print review

No problem. I didn't realize that things got bumped. We are going on our trip next month. Flying out of SFO and spending some time in Melbourne before cruise.

On 1/23/2019 at 3:18 AM, Mombosombo said:

 

I can't wait to read your Alaska review. You should also post in C R U I S E L I N E . C O M... their site is a little easier to use (not so archaic). Just an FYI for the glacier. When we went on our cruise we booked helicopter/dog mushing excursion through ERA. They go to a different glacier from Juneau (I GUESS THERE ARE MANY). We later found out that the same type of excursion through Princess to the Mendenhall Glacier was cancelled due to fog. They also said that they frequently have to cancel due to fog and the glacier they go to (NORRIS GLACIER) is rarely cancelled. We got a significant discount with AAA membership in 2014. HAVE A GREAT TRIP AND HOPE THE HUBBY IS CHIPPER!

Hi Monbosombo. Thanks for your tip on booking with Era. I will check them out. My Alaska cruise country just got to double figures. So exciting. I’m leaving the hubby behind on this Cruise. I’m going to have so much fun doing all the things I love and not having to worry about hubby wanting to go back to the ship to rest 😱🤪🤪 the poor old dear...lol

On 1/23/2019 at 3:49 AM, Ombud said:

Thank you for bumping this!!  I'm doing this cruise on the GOLDEN in November 2019 and have not begun planning for it yet. Love the ship pics & port print review

Hi Ombud. You will love this cruise and the Golden. I’m glad you liked my review. You can do so much planning but It’s so much fun.