***Just returned off Golden***

[jcruise67]

Just returned home after sailing the Golden Princess. I will be posting a review very soon, probably by the weekend. If you have any questions, post them here. I have to say...she is a gorgeous sight and our cruise was absolutely phenomenal.

 

John

[Patt6]

John would love to hear more about your experiences on the Golden since we are leaving from NY on May 8 going to Southampton. How was entertainment, food, (everyone says coffee is terrible?since I am a coffee drinker help?) Any information would be helpful.

 

Thanks - look forward to reading your posting - patt

[maucat]

Patt6, we also just returned from Golden and had an excellent cruise in the Caribbean. Glad to hear you are coming to see us in the good old UK. Make sure you pack your woolly vests as the weather here is not too warm (cold actually) We have been freezing since we returned.

 

The coffee in the dining room is truly appalling if you are a coffee fanatic like us. We just used to pay extra for double espressos and top them up with hot water. I told the waiter that the coffee on board is legendary and a source of discussion on the message boards but he took it as a compliment.

 

Have a wonderful trip. I'm dead envious.

[Northender]

Waiting for your review. We are thinking Golden for next year. Also loved the Grand and Star. But would like to do all the Grand Class ships. I assume you are going to post it here.

 

We bring a one cup coffee maker with us for the room - it is a Black & Decker model. Makes about 9 ounces of coffee which we share while making the second cup. Then at breakfast I have water with my meal.:)

[calikak]

Any sign they're prepping the ship for installation of Movies Under the Stars?

[blackpool belle]

I am on the Golden in July. Did you have an inside cabin? We usually book a balcony but on this occasion we are in an inside cabin. How big are they? Terrified of feeling claustrophobic. How do you rate the CD out of 10? What time is first sitting? Only ever sailed RCCL before. Is the food on Princess served piping hot. That was my only critisism of RC i.e the food was only ever luke-warm.

[maggie27]

MUTS? yes or no?

[enymarsh]

Blackpool belle,

 

I have been on the Golden twice, the first time in an inside. I think the inside cabins are wonderful. I stayed in it with my daughter (then 19) and we felt there was plenty of room and it was very well lit. Our's was Caribe 512, I think, and we never felt closed in or with too much motion, etc. I brought a nightlight for the bathroom and consider it a necessity ... the room is VERY dark, making it the best place for awesome naps! I'm booked on the Golden for October and once again will be in an inside cabin, this time up on Lido, can't wait!!

 

calikak and maggie27, As far as I know, they haven't put MUTS on the Golden yet. The only Grand Class ship that has it is the Grand.

[maggie27]

Which dining room was set seating? What floor was it on?

[jcruise67]

OK People...real quick on some of your questions. As soon as I can I will post a detailed review.

 

Dinner: First seating is at 6:30 PM. Second seating is at 8:30 PM. Then there is anytime dining until 9PM. The scheduled seating for us was in the Canelletto Dining Room.

 

Coffee: Was not popular among pax. There is an afternoon tea time though.

 

Entertainment: NO MUTS!!! Sorry, not on the Golden yet. I was disappointed too. The live band on the Golden is called "DEEP BLUE". I only have one word for them...incredible!!! Steel pan and calypso all day by the pool. Gotta Love It!!!! They really knew how to get the crowd involved. I purchased their CD; you will too. The comedian was from the UK and he was absolutely hillarious. Definitely a must see.

 

Check-In: Very smooth...our group of (9) checked in at noon, and were at the pool listening to Deep Blue by 12:45 PM. We set sail a little after 11pm. We spent the entire day at the pool and then went to dinner later. The first night is casual in all areas of the ship for dinner. You will enjoy the set up at the princess cruise terminal. there is designated areas for check in by deck. there are two employees at the sail & Sign counter for each station. Very innovative and quick. Make sure you fill out your immigration forms on line prior to check in, or you will wait for those who didn't prepare accordingly. Just go to the cruise personalizer area of the princess web site and file your forms online. You wouldn't blieve the time you will save at check in.

 

Alcohol: IN PR I purchased 3 six packs of miller light and a bottle of Grey Goose and walked right on the ship with it in a duty free shopping bag. Did the same thing at each port we docked in. Saved a bit of money having my own alcohol in my stateroom. I would also purchase beer in port and bring it to the pool deck in my collapsable cooler that I packed with me. I bubble wrapped other bottles of alcohol in my checked luggage and that also made it to my cabin. I had a pre cruise stay, so I packed it prior to going to the cruise terminal.

 

Overall cruise experience: After 12 cruises this was by far the best cruise DW and I ever had. Our group of (9) had a memorable time. One we will never forget. 19 bars, a fantastic casino, all which were open quite late. The age of the Pax's on Golden was very diverse. No need to worry, there are pax of all ages. The kids mostly are at camp all day and have their own section of the ship. DW and I did not even see a lot of the ship in 7 days. She was absolutely enormous as well as exquisite.

 

Motion of the ship: Didn't feel a thing.

 

Weather: According to many people of the island ports, it was abnormally warm, reaching 100 degrees by 3PM. Gotta Love It!!!

 

I will post a more detailed review in a few days when DW and I get situated. We are back to work this week. Look for my review by the ladder part of the week. Thanks.

 

John

[goldencruiser]

Hi,

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise! Do you remember the name of your cruise director and perhaps how much longer he/she will be on the ship. We are scheduled to cruise the Golden 7/31.

 

Thanks

[blackpool belle]

Just found this thread again.

 

Enymarsh, thank you for the info re inside cabins, really helpful.

[jcruise67]

Just found this thread again.

 

Enymarsh, thank you for the info re inside cabins, really helpful.

 

DW and I had a mini suite on the Dolphin Deck, midship. It was much larger than the average mini suites we're used to. The inside cabins on the Golden are your run of the mill inside staterooms; similar in size to other cruise lines. Then again, my nephew and three of his friends shared an inside cabin, but I'm sure they are very well suited for two pax.

 

Patty6: DW and I had the time of our lives. We sailed with a group of nine and we all had a blast. We met many wonderful people during the cruise which makes for even a better experience. Thats what it is all about. I coordinate all the arrangements for our group; air, pre & post cruise stays at the hotels, dinner, etc. We already have 15 for next year. Several people we met asked if they could join our group for our 2nd annual reunion cruise. It seems that every year now is a reunion cruise. (LOL) We always seem to pick up more in our group from year to year. I enjoy being the coordinator of our cruises. I'm still receiving calls and emails thanking me for their great time. I told them any time is what you make it. Being with a large group always helps the situation though.

 

I have to say, the decor of the ship was absolutely exquisite. The atrium/purser's area was especially exceptional. What I enjoyed was how convenient each deck is set up. Dinner and several bars were on the promenade (deck 6), our cabin was only up two decks (Dolphin deck), and the lido (pool Deck) was on the 14th deck; all were in close proximity, either above or below each other. The casino is off to the right and left of the purser's desk, and the excursion desk is directly above the purser's deck on deck 7. The shops are all in the same area as well. (decks 6 & 7)

 

For those of you that drink soda: The soda sticker is adhered to your sail & sign card, which is also your room key. It costs $22.50 and definitely worth it, especially if you have a wife like me who drinks litres of diet coke at a time. (LOL) Being on 12 cruises, DW and I sometimes anticipate minor problems from time to time. I can honestly say, we didn't have one. Oh...We didn't have such a great experience in Sabatinis Restaurant. 6 of us wanted to give it a try, but it was our opinion that the staff just doesn't have it right yet. For a specialty restaurant you think you would be showered with food, but on the contrary. There are 16 courses, but after two hours and 6 courses down, we were all starving. The portions were very small and it dampened our dinner experience. It didn't dampen our good time though, we just went to the formal dining room and were served without a problem. The food in the formal dining room was excellent. Our group ate together every night and had a great time. Our head waiter and asst. waiter were awesome, never hesitating at all. The two formal nights were absolutely amazing. The satff really went above and beyond for us during dinner. They were sure worth every dime of the tip we gave them at the end of the cruise during the Captain's Farewell Dinner.

 

Formal Nights: I will tell you from our experience that the majority of the men wore tuxedos and the women wore beautiful cocktail dresses or evening gowns. DW and I felt like we were at our prom again.(LOL) We really enjoy the formal nights and it makes for a very special addition to our already great cruise experience. Don't expect any dancing or entertainment during dinner though like on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. The staff is very focused on serving your courses and entrees and ensuring your dining experience is all about you. DW and I enjoy both, but either way, it ws phenomenal.

 

There is no doubt that you will enjoy the Golden Princess. On a scale of 1 to 10, our cruise experience was truly an 11. I only hope you all will have the time of your lives and a very special experience.

 

John

[taterules]

I remember on the Grand Princess last year, most of the food choices from the main dining menu were available at the buffet at dinner. From looking at the Princess website, it seems that the Golden closes down the buffet at dinner and instead takes table orders like a regular restaurant. Is that true?

[cynbar]

We were also on last week's Golden cruise, and we agree with everyone that it was a wonderful week. I thought the Golden was in excellent shape, no signs of wear that I could see, and the ship is 4 yrs old now. The weather was great all week, and I loved all the ports (St Kitts and Greanda were new to us -- we were amazed by the devastation in Grenada form the hurricane -- what a shame. ) Jcruise, we were also on the Dolphin deck in D626, so we probably passed in the halls or at least met at the elevators. By the way, the elevator service was much better than we've found on other Princess ships. Here's a link to our webshots:http://community.webshots.com/user/cynbar101. We stayed pre cruise at the Caribe Hilton, which was wonderful --- the first fews shots are from the hotel. All in all, a great week -- I wish we were back there right now!!

[Coolmama_1]

We were on the Golden last July and St Kitts and Grenada were our 2 favorite ports. We were saddened by the devastation that the islands suffered last hurricane.

 

We also had a min suite and loved it! We loved that cruise and glad that you did too.

[whatsnext]

We're going to take a 10 day cruise out of Southampton on June 11. Anyone have any idea what the weather is like in that area at that time of year? You can contact me directly, if you'd like. BRochevot@aol.com

[chefajax]

What time did you get off the ship in southampton.

[cruissett]

John & everyone,

Thanks for the great information on the Golden. Looking forward to our sailing in October. Have sailed on Carnival & RCI, will be the first trip with Princess. Can you let me know about Lobster night. DH really looks forward to the Lobster. Carnival's were excellent, ate 3 each. Not so good on RCI.

 

Thanks, Nancy:)

[cynbar]

I really think that Princess has the best lobster on the seven seas -- we have also sailed Carnival,Celebrity, NCL and RCI, and I don't think those lines can compare --- at least on the lobster!! Last week. we had 2 delicious tails, with drawn butter, so sweet and tender you could cut them with a fork. I swear I don't know how they do it --- we live on the shore here in Massachusetts, and we're accustomed to great, fresh lobster, but we still think Princess does a great job. The four of us all also had lobster in Sabatini's, and that was tremendous too but done differently -- also 2 tails, but they were split and grilled, then served with butter. My mouth is watering now---

[chefajax]

PLEASE!!!!

Can anyone on that trip tell me what time did you get off the ship? We booked a flight out of Heathrow at 11:50 because of the huge discount. The ship is scheduled to dock at 5 am, so is 7:30-8:30 AM a realistic time to get off?......Dennis

[sunprincess]

Hi,

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise! Do you remember the name of your cruise director and perhaps how much longer he/she will be on the ship. We are scheduled to cruise the Golden 7/31.

 

Thanks

 

Cruise Director should be Peter O'Loughlin :)

[cruise182]

Thanks for the report!

[jcruise67]

John & everyone,

Thanks for the great information on the Golden. Looking forward to our sailing in October. Have sailed on Carnival & RCI, will be the first trip with Princess. Can you let me know about Lobster night. DH really looks forward to the Lobster. Carnival's were excellent, ate 3 each. Not so good on RCI.

 

Thanks, Nancy:)

 

Nancy...Lobster night was the third night. Twin brioled lobster tails out of the shell. It was amazing.

 

John

[blackpool belle]

Dennis,

The nearest thing I can equate to your query is that last year on the Jewel of the Seas (RCCL) we docked in Southampton at 7.am and we was off by 8.30am so I am pretty confident that you would be off by that time as well.