Just Back *Golden Princess*Alaska* July 30-Aug. 6

[j cruiser]

Just back yesterday from 7 day Alaska cruise on Golden Princess. We flew Jet Blue the morning of the cruise. Jet Blue was perfectly on time and friendly. We landed at 9:30 a.m. One stop at the restroom and our luggage was there before we were. :D

 

SHUTTLE TRANSFER

Off to the parking lot to catch out Shuttle Express transfer. (heard about Shuttle Express here on CC. (http://shuttleexpress.com) Even though we had a reservation, none was needed as they took people on a first come, first serve basis. Checked in at kiosk. Was told I'd have a 10 min wait. After 20 min. I was told it would be no longer than 30 min. Meanwhile others were arriving and just jumping on shuttles, drivers and desk help apparently not noticing. After 45 min. I asked when we'd be getting on. They managed to take some jumpers off and put us on. One other family was waiting over 50 min. and at least two other families got their money back and found other transportation. Overall decent price ($18 for adults/kids free). If you use this service, make sure you keep an eye on all who arrive as there is no line and service was disorganized. :(

 

EMBARKATION

We arrive at the pier between 12:00-1:00. (Keep an eye on your arrival time as this is how you will find your embarkation photo.) There was no line, moved through the whole process in minutes! Check in, luggage drop, walk-on, all quick and smooth. A pleasure, especially after our shuttle experience. Hello Golden Princess! ;)

 

 

THE CABIN

We had a balcony cabin on Caribe deck. Good storage space as we kept our luggage (3 suitcases, 3 carry-ons, 2 backpacks) in the closet area with just a bit of shuffling. One duffle was kept near a bed. Kids (6 and 10) liked sleeping on upper bunks. They did need egg crates for comfort. (Thanks CC folks for letting me know I could request those.) Lower beds so comfortable, no egg crates needed!:)

 

SAIL AWAY PARTY

[marym933]

Thanks for the info so far. Will there be more? I am interested in your excursions and shopping!

[TracieABD]

Nice start...

We were on the Golden 2 years ago and loved it. Looking forward to the rest of your review!:)

[j cruiser]

ROOM STEWARD

Our room steward did a great job and was always available in the hallway. He brought the egg crate for the upper bunk immediately after we asked, and gave us the ample supply of towels we asked for.

 

MAIN DINING ROOM

We had traditional seating. Our servers were sweet and did a fine job. The service was similar to most restaurants we frequent here at home.

 

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CREW

Other crew members (activity directors, photographers, etc.) all seemed to be concerned with "putting on a good show," but also seemed to lack real heart for their jobs.

 

DAILY ACTIVITIES

You can search for the Princess Patters here on the boards. Our activities were similar to the ones posted. We did the treasure hunt on embarkation day to familiarize ourselves with the area on the ship. I would have expected more smiles and welcome aboard greeting from those stamping the cards. We liked trivia and bingo, tried a slot tournament, saw the illusionist and comedian, and watched a little karaoke. There were lectures, sports tournaments, Xbox Kinect and art auctions. While the activities varied, there could have been a few more creative options.

 

ILLUSIONIST ALEXANDER

This was a fun show. He did some amazing illusions. Both the adults and kids really liked this show. On one of the days he gave an hour long magic lesson where we learned a few tricks.

 

 

COMEDIAN

Collin Moultin was the comedian onboard. While he was a bit racy, the show was still family friendly. He had some funny jokes, and played off the audience well.

 

 

KIDS CLUB

Both my kids tried an activity at the kids club, one in Pelicans, the other in Shockwaves. Neither wanted to go back. The six year old felt it was too much like preschool, which he is not in anymore. The 10 year old just preferred the time with us as opposed to the kids club.

[j cruiser]

We booked all of our excursions through Princess.

 

JUNEAU

We had booked Mendenhall Glacier helicopter and glacier walk, but it was cancelled due to low visibility. Though nobody's fault (can't control the cloud levels), it was quite a disappointment. Princess was not helpful in suggesting or helping find an alternate activity. So we took the Mt. Roberts Tramway. A few minutes ride up and looked around their gift shop. It was a rainy day and quite muddy out. We weren't wearing the right shoes for that amount of mud, so didn't get to walk the trails though some people did. It cost $27.50/adult and $13.50/child 6-12.

 

We walked around downtown Juneau for over an hour. Sorry to disappoint, but I found a majority of stores to be

touristy and kitschy. At least I had no trouble finding a shot glass for my collection. If you are looking for a jewelry store, this may be your haven. I did like the Taku fish store (http://takustore.com).

 

We finally walked up to one of the many independent tour stands and got a bus to Mendenhall Glacier (should've done this earlier). It was $18/adult and $10/child round trip. Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! Walked some trails, enjoyed the view. Made me miss our cancelled helicopter tour even more. Wish we had more time there.

[TracieABD]

Thank you for continuing your review. I hate that you had to miss the helicopter. That was a real highlight for us.

Maybe, next time!

[j cruiser]

Yeah! I'm glad someone is responding to my review. I'm off to work now. Will try to finish later this evening. The excursions were my favorite part!

[NRG]

Yeah! I'm glad someone is responding to my review. I'm off to work now. Will try to finish later this evening. The excursions were my favorite part!

 

I"m reading and enjoying your review! Looking forward to the rest.

[azdmelani]

What cabin were you in? We're sailing two weeks from Sat (OMG!) and also have a Caribe Balcony Cabin!

 

For late night eating options, which one out of Horizon Court or International Cafe was open past 11?

 

Looking forward to more of your review.

[Northender]

Another interested CC member here.:)

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Belle]

Horizon Court is open 24 hours.

Past 11pm there is less food but

a little bit of everything.

[mishdoob]

we're enjoying your review as well - we're on the Golden in 3 weeks!!

we have late seating - wondering if we should have gone for anytime, but we like having the same staff - thanks again for the review!

[j cruiser]

Horizon Court is open 24 hours. Past 11pm there is less food but a little bit of everything.

 

Also, I believe the Trident Grill and pizzeria are open until midnight.

[j cruiser]

Happy to post more! Continuing with the ports and excursions . . .

 

SKAGWAY

We took the White Rail Pass. Loved it. Excellent photo opportunity. Beautiful scenery. Clean train (we had the first ride of the day). Fun ride. We went on a clear day so we were able to stand out on the platform for a large amount of the trip. The kids enjoyed it, but the ride was a bit long for them. There was no complaining, but you could see less interest in them on the way back. For me, the train ride is something not to be missed. I could have gone for more.

 

 

After the train, I went to see if I could book a helicopter for another glacier, but alas, it was not to be. Princess helicopter tours were cancelled again due to low visibility.

 

We were quite hungry after the train ride so we chose one of the restaurants right across from the train called The Skagway Fish Company, overpriced and mediocre food. We should have gone back onto the ship for lunch.

 

Walked around the town for a bit. But again, mostly kitsch and jewelry (not that I have anything against jewelry, I just don't buy much of it :o ). I picked up another shot glass, an AK sweatshirt, and a notepad.

[tootsie7]

Thanks for your great review. We leave on the Golden in 4 weeks and also have a Caribe balcony. What was your cabin #?

[j cruiser]

KETCHIKAN

We took the Neet's Bay Bear Watch. This excursion was also excellent, the favorite of the whole family! Float plane ride was terrific. It was a short walk to the bear viewing area. Across the stream we saw 8-10 black bears roaming, hunting, and eating salmon. My favorite was when one bear ripped open a salmon and her bright orange eggs came spewing out.

 

The viewing area was right next to a salmon hatchery. You could watch the process of diverting the salmon, separating males from females, and slicing the salmon open to remove their eggs. It was definitely an added bonus to this excursion. Our tour guide, Brig, was excellent. She was knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

 

The road to and from the viewing site was littered with partially eaten fish that the bears leave around. So if you take this excursion, watch where you step. ;)

[4cats4me]

Very nice pictures!

[j cruiser]

Very nice pictures!

Thank you! I must credit my husband for all of them except the fish head. He's quite an avid photographer, and he was the first to load his photos onto the computer. :)

[erewhon]

Thank you for your reports and photos.

 

Last year in Skagway we were pleased to find a shop with items made in Alaska, which were good for gifts.

[GweninTX]

Thanks for the review. We leave on the Coral on 8/20 and cannot wait!

[azdmelani]

Horizon Court is open 24 hours.

Past 11pm there is less food but

a little bit of everything.

 

Generally it is! The reason why I ask is there was a thread going around saying the IC is now open late and HC was closed. I would actually prefer IC be open as their food is generally better.

[pmjnh]

HI, I am new here and I have enjoyed reading your review. We are doing our first Alaskan cruise next summer..it is good to know that they have egg crates available as my hubby packs one in a suitcase every trip we do! One less thing to carry!

[Chuckwick3]

Thank you for taking you time to post a review. We are on the Coral in September and are trying to get an idea of what to do in port, etc. Can't wait for the next section!!

[j cruiser]

VICTORIA

Our excursion here was to Butchart Gardens. We left the pier at 7:20. It took us 40 minutes to arrive at the gardens as our driver gave us a city tour. I enjoyed the tour because with the short port time in Victoria and Butchart Gardens, there is no time to see anything else. I am still debating if a tour on the way was a good idea though, because it shortened our already minimal daylight hours at the gardens.

 

The gardens themselves hold up to their reputation and are gorgeous. But, by 9:00, there really wasn't enough daylight left to see the true beauty, and it was definitely too dark for photographs. The gift shop at the gardens was quite a change from the other ports and had some unique items. If you like the shopping part, I would suggest no less than half an hour for the gift shop. Our tour bus was leaving at 10:00. The gift shop was open until 11:30.

 

 

We took 40 minutes to return to the dock as our bus driver gave us another (but different) tour of the city. It was better this time as we were in no rush to get anywhere. He was able to stop for about 10 minutes across the street from the Empress Hotels and the Victoria Legislature for people to exit the bus and take photographs. So again, this excursion had a bonus--Butchart Gardens and a city tour. If you have never been to the gardens, I would recommend this excursion despite the limited daylight hours.