Live from the Golden

[richardgail]

Does Princess host a reception/cocktail party for Captain's Circle members? What night is it?

 

Was anyone waitlisted on tours booked online? Did you get those tours? We have two tours booked but are waitlisted. I was hoping I would see them confirmed in the on-line booking before we left on 7/16. I have alternative tours booked, but need to cancel them if the waitlisted tours are confirmed. I think I can cancel up to 24 hours before the tour departs. Can anyone confirm that. Thanks!

[lkmamom]

Gail, I can answer the questions about the Captain's Circle party:) . That usually happens the second formal night. You and Dick should go, it is very nice.

Are you getting excited? Not long now. And yes, you can cancel a tour 24 hours prior to the date of the tour.

Linda

[hobein]

Your welcome...I just tell it like it is. And I do agree that our family as well would have benefited from the same ole' port talks with real people involved, the kind where you can ask questions and you get answers. As with you, we loved our cruise, I just noticed that the areas I mentioned were ones that really consistently had issues: buffet, tour desk....oh and be sure to bring coins for the laundry (1.00 per each machine). After I lugged all my laundry down there, because our steward said it had a change machine....only to find the change machine light blinking, out of service. I notified the purser who promptly told me that someone would fix it. Later that evening with change in hand, I went to load the machine and noticed the change machine light was OFF! Yay! they fixed it....until a poor old woman came in and tried to get it to take her dollar....we BOTH tried...with no luck...then I asked the steward in the hall about it. He said they didn't fix it, but the light was off for some reason. I told them to please post a sign so others would know. They didn't, but I took my trusty post it notes with me and stuck a note to the machine to tell others not to waste their time. It wasnt' fixed the entire cruise by the way..You should have seen me lugging that laundry bag back and forth and when I showed up at the purser's desk with it and told them the situation, I also told them that I was gonna leave the bag there for them to wash for me :D ! The gentlemen laughed and told me that he was gonna give me his room card and when i finally made it to the washer, could I pick up his and do it also!!! Atleast we could laugh about it...but it still wasn't funny everytime I drug that bag down the hall :p ! You know, there is always something on every cruise that could, if I let it, ruin everything! As far as the dining room went, our waiter was great! We usually were the first table to arrive in his area so we were served very promptly...maybe that is the secret, I'm not sure!

Would we cruise the Golden again? Maybe to another port of call....would we cruise The Golden again to Europe...No...Even though I had fun, I would love to see more cruise ships! She was a beautiful ship and I will never forget our vacation!

June

 

The change maschine in the laundry room on the Dolphin Deck wasn't working on our sailing (June 11th) either. My husband got tokens from the Video Game Room and they worked. The Purser Desk confirmed that Casino Tokens work too!

happy cruising!

[cinnamon]

We docked this morning from the 1st July cruise. I am off to work in half an hour, but will check in later this evening and try to answer any questions. Most other members of the group are flying back Transatlantic.

We had a wonderful group of CC people and a great cruise.

 

Cinnamon

[DrFUN]

DH Dave and I (and two new CC friends--our wonderful group organizer 'Roo' and her DH Jerry) just shared a limo to London for a few days here before returning home to North America (they're in Toronto; our home is Phoenix)--and I have only limited email until I get home after July 20--but promise to post a report in thanks to all who shared their super info before us and for those who come after. Keep the LIVE FROM live! :)

 

I echo dear Cinnamon's post: Our CC group was absolutely terrific!

 

Hugs for now,

Mary-Lou ('DrFUN')

[lkmamom]

Thanks everyone! Glad that you are home cinnamon and Dr Fun....glad that you are still having fun! We all await your views....:D articularly interested in the usual embarkation, and if your group had a cruise critic party with the cruise director, how did you plan for that? Thanks in advance!

 

Linda

[ppythag]

Our group (the 6/21 cruise) had a party with Rich Joseph, the CD, and his staff. I mentioned to him that I have friends going on the 8/10 cruise, but that they had not received a response to their email (which was how we reached him). He said the BEST THING TO DO is to CONTACT HIM AFTER YOU GET ON BOARD THE SHIP ----and if you can't reach him, try Frankie, his deputy or Tim, the 'senior assistant'.

ENJOY!

 

phyllis

[lkmamom]

Thanks so much Phyllis!!! Did you have a wonderful cruise? Did you make it to Wimbledon, we were thinking of you:) I guess, not to be full of questions but what was your cruise critic party like? I have offered to organize this and is it better to just do it on our own or did the cruise staff make it kind of special. Thanks for your help

Linda

[halj]

Does anyone who recently sailed know if the computers in the internet cafe (or whatever you want to call it) on the Golden Princess will allow you to attach a document from a disk to an e-mail:confused:

[calikak]

halj, I'm pretty sure that you couldn't. I don't remember seeing a CPU of any kind, just the monitor and keyboard, so I'm not sure where you'd pop in the disk. While you're in Greenock, you could pop into the museum there (can't think of the name of it, but it's pretty much the only museum in the town) and use their free internet service, I think you could probably put a disk into a computer there. At least, it was free when we were there in May!

[ppythag]

Hi Linda -

 

the CC party was originally scheduled for the first sea day, in Skywalker's ----

as if happened, Rich was not able to make it, so he rescheduled it for the next sea day, in the the Wheelhouse -

we had champagne, mimosas, canapes, and some 'nibbles' [all on Rich], and after some remarks to the group, as well as some introductions, he did say that if anyone wanted anything else to drink, it was available

 

he also arranged for the photographer to take some group pictures, in the Atrium - [available from the Photo Studio, for $21.95!]

 

the members of the Cruise Staff are really great [and, I guess having sailed on the Golden just 6 weeks earlier, made it like 'old home week'] (and please say 'hi' to them from me!)

 

and yes, I did get to Wimbledon! -

----- and now that I 'have queued' and had the experience [as well as the experience of being on 'the hallowed grounds'], I can honestly say that I would NOT go back ---- UNLESS I have tickets!

we stood on line for over three hours -------

then walked for several MILES ----

then got inside, where the only places we could sit were the food court [no tennis] and Henman Hill [which was 'part of the experience', but unlike what I thought it was (being able to overlook the COURT) - we simply watched on big screen TV! THAT I could have done at home!!]

BUT IT WAS A THRILL TO FINALLY BE THERE!!

 

HAVE A WONDERFUL CRUISE -

and a WONDERFUL CC PARTY

 

(and, if you have any other questions about the party [or the cruise], please just let me know)

 

phyllis

[cinnamon]

Well last night I just crashed out, so am just checking in briefly before going back to work again!

The CC party was on the Kirkwall day, at 5.15pm in the Wheelhouse bar. In attendance were many of the CD's staff, including Rich himself, Frankie his deputy, (who we knew from the Sapphire) Tim, his senior assistant, Ivo and some others.

The gathering lasted about 45 minutes with free champagne, bucks fizz (mimosas) or other drinks if requested. We were also given a voucher to exchange for a travel alarm clock which retailed at $7.95 from the onbaord shop. We then had a group photo on the atrium stairs. Yes it cost $21.95, which I think is pricey, but I bought one as it was the only way of having the whole group together.

 

Linda, our embarkation was a breeze. We had completed all the forms online before sailing, arrived at the terminal just after 11.30, dropped off our luggage, walked through, went straight up to check-in, signed the credit card form and health disclaimer and walked on the ship at 11.50am! I think we were particularly fortunate, others arriving earlier were sent to a lounge to wait and we did no have to do that. We had only left home, 50 miles away, at 10.30, so it was very painless for us.

Our group 'organiser' Roo made all the contact with Rich for the party, so she will be the best person to ask about how to do that. She is in London for a few days before returning to Toronto.

 

Hope this helps. Bon Voyage you lucky people on Golden now.

Cinnamon

 

PS I put on 5lbs, so it is a good thing I am not on a B2B!!!!!

[GottoCruise]

Cinamon --Well I am on b3b (July 31 & Aug. 20) so I guess that means 10 lbs:eek: (which is about right - I usually gain about 1/2 lb. per cruise day - so 20 days = 10 lbs.!!! (I still haven't taken off the 10 lbs. gained on the sapphire April/May - that too was 20 days!!! I am in BIG TROUBLE...I went out and bought all new slacks with elastic in the waist so at least they should fit to the end of the cruise!!.......Just wanted to pop in and say Thank You to all again for keeping this thread alive - I will try to do my part when I get aboard. We are getting our CC lists ready and hopefully we wil enjoy a nice party too! Did you give Richard Joseph (or assistants) your names and cabin listings?? We have a pretty large group - will the Purser's Desk deliver the "invitations" to each cabin or will we have to do that on our own?? ...will they put it in the Patter??? Did you all wear something to be recognized??? - (Red Ribbons - some said they did Hawaiian Leis?? ) We are trying to get everyone's full names and cabins on a list for the CC party.

[rimisk]

Could you share any experiences you had with transportation at any ports that you did not book an excursion through Princess? I'm on the July 21st cruise (same itinerary as yours) and have only booked the Paris side trip. Also, if you have any tips on things to see (or not see).

Thanks,

Richard

[insidecabin]

Hi to you all, A quick summary now we are back from 1-11(july) trip. I won't remember all the details but this should give a flavour of what to expect.

(started this yesterday but work got in the way)

 

Overall a great cruse, the weather has been variable with the best 3 days Kirkwall, South Q, and the day at sea back to Southampton. This was our first Princess cruise and we had put Princess(in our minds) somewhere above RCI,NCL but below Celebrity but after this trip we have downgraded to the same level as RCI,NCL. This is based on our experience so far, others may rate differently as we are likely to do after more trips.

 

Food : Breakfast buffet is usual cruise fare with some daily changes nothing special but something for everyone. Took a while(2 days) for them to put out TRAD ENGLISH tea at the drink station and english bacon was available but some mornings you had to ask. Lunch in the buffet was good plenty of cold cuts,salads,and fruit, we prefered the dinning room lunch food. Did not try the Pizza or burgers but heard a good report on the pizza but bad burgers. Only ate in the dininng room at night(PersonalChoice) and there was something we liked every night so did not try Sabitinis or the Rose. For some reason the Donatello would get queues but the Bernini was always a walk in every night whatever time we went. Eat after 9.00pm and they can still have you finished by 10.00pm but it is much more difficult to get a shared table since fewer people eat that late. Service was pretty good most nights.(menues same as previous posts so not repeated here)

 

One nice thing about the Buffet is they keep one section open while the other is being re-set for the next meal so no gaps in service handy for a snack when returning to the ship at a changeover time.

 

The main entertainment was overall good but some nights you have to eat very early to get to do everything, Usual daytime stuff, quiz,shuffle board etc, but the BINGO and ART auctions get the big push the rest you have to make sure you check the "Princess patter" for timings. Free drinks at the Art auctions flow freely.

 

Computer classes(a few free) are $25 which is very expensive.

Golf Sim $20 for 1/2 hour.

Spa seemed expensive.

 

I felt bar prices a little high(compared to UK ships) but I am cutting back so less of a problem, charging for Special coffee at dinner seems a bit mean.

We had no problem with wine box and some beer in the luggage(travelled by car so weight not a problem). Full bottles from the bar were good value(eg: absolute 1lt $20) for cabin use great if you wanted to have a party.

 

The ship layout is good, the photo's and casino conveniently(for the ship) seperate the main bars and show lounges, but it is a long walk front to back so midship cabins may have the edge and if you are a night owl and want to use skywalkers aft cabins would be better, we were inside forward on deck 12 which was very quiet but 240paces from aft elevators. Elevators seemed to have a mind of there own and were slow. Even with over 2600 passengers the ship does not feel crowded at all and there were plenty of seats wherever we went.(did not use outside pool areas due to weather)

Actualy thinking about it this the first cruise where I have not heard anyone complain about a cabin. Our inside cabin was spacious and the big mirrors give that extra spacious feeling. Plenty of hanging space and this area seperates the shower room from the rest of the cabin which is nice.(robes and fruit available by asking). The main cabin light switches are duplicated next to the beds. The fridge acomodates a wine box along side the ice bucket. Safe big enough for most valuables and is 4digit code so no keys or cards required

 

Cruise Critic meets(4 of them) went well and Richard put on a great party on the Kirkwall day with cruise staff and a couple of the entertainers showing up. (THANKS if you guys read this).

 

We really enjoyed meeting up with everyone and hopefully our paths will cross again one day. A special thanks to Nancy for pulling it all together.

 

Our minicoach trip went well, even with a late start we still managed the Belfast mini tour at the end of the day(or shop if prefered), well worth the £22 so book this and forget the $144 Princess want for the equivilent trip.(see 1july and other rollcalls for details.)

 

Thanks to the Inverclyde tourist group(Greenock), great tours and well worth supporting so of you take advantage of the free tours PLEASE donate. This is a volunteer group so if you book PLEASE show up.

 

Security was pretty good at the ports except they only wanted a cruise card to let you back on the ship the pictures were hardly ever checked.

 

We arrived later(13:10) than planned(12:00) on the 1st day due to problems at home. There was a queue but it moved quickly so it took us about 40mins to get to the cabin and our bags arrived a few minutes later as we were just about to go get some food and explore. A lot come in by coach so it can be a bit hit or miss on the length of the queue, 11:30-12:00 seems to be the best time, arrive earlier and you have to wait in the lounge anyway.

Leaving the ship we chose the 7:30am and were driving out the port gates at 8:00am most groups were being called ealier than on the schedule

 

They have a cash change machine which was giving us £1->$1.88 but not so good for the americans changing $1->£0.51.

BRITS take £ and change to $ to pay the on board account and for casino money(if rate in the machines stays good). IF you use CC make sure you get billed in $ if a £ CC they will change and the rate is not so good. IF you want to change from CC to cash for your account watch out on the last evening they close the cash payments around 10:00pm and if you have not changed the balance WILL go on you card.

 

Princess will stay on our list and we may consider similar cruise for one of our trips next year since they are such good value.

[cynbar]

I'm just curious -- why did you downgrade Princess after this cruise ? I didn't notice any complaints in your review.......what were they ?????

[ppythag]

Could you share any experiences you had with transportation at any ports that you did not book an excursion through Princess? I'm on the July 21st cruise (same itinerary as yours) and have only booked the Paris side trip. Also, if you have any tips on things to see (or not see).

Thanks,

Richard

 

Hi Richard,

 

Actually, we did book some excursions with the ship -----

Basically, we did the following:

Dublin - took the Princess shuttle bus to 'downtown', and did a great deal of walking

Greenock [Glasgow/Edinburgh] - took the ship's "Edinburgh on Your Own" -

in retrospect, I probably should have taken an actual tour of just what I wanted to see -

since I had been there before, I didn't think it would be necessary, but ---- after the walk to Edinburgh Castle, the lines were just SO long [and the tours probably did not have to wait] -

'prowled around' a little more, but after about 3 hours, my feet [i had Achilles' tendon surgery last year, and I'm still not 100%], my asthma, and the rain, made me ready to go back [a tour would have driven to all the attractions, rather than having to walk!] ----- but we were supposed to have 5 1/2 hours, and the bus didn't come until about 15 minutes before the assigned meeting time!

Bergen - took the Princess shuttle bus to 'downtown', and then took a 4 hour boat tour of the fjords -WONDERFUL! -

I hadn't seen anything like it on the Princess list, so I booked that [made reservations, that is ----- and they weren't absolutely necessary ---- but I felt 'safer', knowing we had space] from home. I can give you the email address of the company if you like - just email me [same 'name' @ aol]

Rotterdam - hired a car and driver [privately] to take us to Amsterdam, because we felt the Princess tours didn't really take in everything we wanted to see ---- [the closest was a canal boat tour that 'passed' everything ----

and we were also hoping to have time for the Hague AND Madurodam! Very unrealistic! -

Some people took a train to Amsterdam and saved much time.

Zeebruge - we took the ship's Historic Bruges and Canals [or something like that] - WONDERFUL!

Le Havre - we opted for the ship's tour to Normandy and its Beaches - I would highly recommend that one too.

 

Hope I've been of some help.

If you have any questions, please just let me know.

 

phyllis

[rimisk]

Phyllis,

Thanks, that was helpful. As far as the fjord cruise, I've already cruised up and down the sognefjord on prior trips and am familiar with the company that runs them. Which fjord were you able to see in just four hours? Also, just where did the ship dock in Bergen that required you to take a shuttle bus?

Richard

[sultan_sfo]

Phyllis:

How often is the shuttle back to the ship? Is there a huge line for the shuttle on the way back? Thanks. /Sultan

 

Partial Quote

...

we did the following:

Dublin - took the Princess shuttle bus to 'downtown', and did a great deal of walking

...

 

Hope I've been of some help.

If you have any questions, please just let me know.

phyllis

[ppythag]

Phyllis,

Thanks, that was helpful. As far as the fjord cruise, I've already cruised up and down the sognefjord on prior trips and am familiar with the company that runs them. Which fjord were you able to see in just four hours? Also, just where did the ship dock in Bergen that required you to take a shuttle bus?

Richard

 

I had also done longer fjord trips, and been able to go deeper into the fjords, but the people I was with hadn't, and I really thought this would be a nice, relaxing thing to see/do. I'll tell you the name of the fjord as soon as I look at my papers, to refresh my memory.

 

Actually, I was rather surprised by the need for the shuttle bus! That was one of the reasons I wanted the reservations before we got there. I thought it would just be a short walk from the ship to the boat ----- and that there would be many people rushing for it! I'll check that out for you too.

 

and to sultan:

(couldn't figure out how to quote two of you!)

 

I believe [i'd have to check to make sure] the shuttles ran quite often ---- perhaps every 15 or 20 minutes ----------

and there really wasn't a long line; we all got on the same bus (and I think there was another behind it, 'in case').

[insidecabin]

I'm just curious -- why did you downgrade Princess after this cruise ? I didn't notice any complaints in your review.......what were they ?????

 

Remember this is very subjective since we all like different things and many lines are going through changes particularly those owned by Carnival corp

 

Before you use a cruise line or ship you have to use reviews, sifting through the good and bad you set your expectations in your own mind. I had just set my expectations a little higher than reality. The point is that now we have rated Princess on level with RCI and NCL we need to look at other factors when choosing a cruise and Princess would not command a price premium all other factors being equal.

 

This is just one Princess cruise ship and having done 2 NCL trips one on the Dream and one on the Sun we know how much things can vary within a fleet. Our RCI experience is based on the Grandeur.

 

(Just remembered we did watch the Princess promo DVD and it does a great sales job which may have helped.)

[cinnamon]

The organisation of getting us all together was left to us, i.e. Nancy. She had a list compiled before the cruise from those who had emailed her. Princess did not put it in the patter, nor deliver invitations. By the time we had the party, most of us had already met up at least twice, again organised by ourselves. You do really need someone who is prepared to take this on and then liase with Richard.

 

Cinnamon

[djheart007]

Hello - My family of 4 are traveling on the Golden in Nov. Southern Carribean.

Anyone know or stayed in cabin C519 - Caribe deck? Looking to see how the balcony is- if it is covered by the overhang of the deck above. Any info about the cabin or ship would be appreciated - Thanks!

[cinnamon]

Could you share any experiences you had with transportation at any ports that you did not book an excursion through Princess? I'm on the July 21st cruise (same itinerary as yours) and have only booked the Paris side trip. Also, if you have any tips on things to see (or not see).

Thanks,

Richard

The transport was very variable.

 

Dublin: Ship's shuttle, $4.00 each way from the dockside to centre of the city. This is the best way. However, although we had no problems, I did hear of people being made to wait in the rain for the return busses. There is no shelter. Pack a brolly!

 

Holyhead: Tender worked well, but on return from trip there was a long line to re-board. All the tours seem to arrive back at the same time, i.e. in the last hour. Again no shelter, although the weather was fine for us.

 

Belfast: We took Minicoach tour as mentioned by Phil (insidecabin). Again there was a log-jam at the dockside on returning. We had to wait in the coach for 20 minutes, then join a 10 minute queue.

 

Greenock: Excellent dockside facilities. We walked into town (about 7 minutes) and took the free tour in the afternoon. In Greenock, if you walk through the shopping mall there is the Town Library which offers free internet access.

 

Kirkwall. Tender right to lovely small town. Free internet at Library again.

 

South Queensferry: BEWARE. Tender takes you to just outside the small town. There is a difficult uphill walk to the railway station. It involves crossing a road on a blind bend (a passenger was knocked down!) walking up many steep, muddy and slippery steps and then along an overgrown path with stinging nettles either side. The local taxi refused to take people to the station, hoping for longer fares.

Princess should run a shuttle to the station but this is unlikely when people pay $59.00 just for a bus ride to the city. The train fare was £3.10 return right into Edinburgh Waverley. That is only about $5.50! The trains are clean and very frequent on weekdays. I have the timetable for anyone needing details.

 

Hope this helps. Must return to work, having popped home for a long lunch!

 

Cinnamon

[kaleighsgram]

Finally got back home last night, having spent a night in Boston before traveling on. It was actually cheaper to get a hotel room and leave our car at the hotel than it was to leave it at the airport. We had asked to switch our "stay" night to the last night night and it worked out perfectly as we climbed into bed at the hotel at 3:30 a.m. London time. Yesterday morning we finished the 2 1/2 hr trip home. Boy was it good to sleep in my own bed!!!

 

First off, the CC group was great, always helpful and willing to share whatever they had in the way of advice and information. Some worked harder than I, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you. Everybody, however, made you feel welcome.

 

Corinne gave some really good advice (above). Some cc members had organized renting busses on their own, and then offered seats up to anybody who wanted them. Advice: Keep the groups small. The smaller groups seem to have more fun. One the one trip in Wales to the castles, there were only 11 of us on the Busy Bus with Peter. We laughed the whole day. The next day we were on a larger bus to the Causeway, and suddenly we were a number, not as much fun. Also remember that Fred@busybus was willing to collect credit card info so that no one member had to do it. The same went for Caroline at info@minicoachni.co.uk. so be brave. We actually had one couple rent the bus on their own and then collected money from the individuals who signed on. They had no problem selling the seats.

When Corinne said the steps in S Queensferry were steep, you felt like you were climbing 121 steps to heaven. However, with two bad knees, I'm here to tell you it's doable. However, halfway up, I asked myself how I had gotten myself into this predicament.

The only other advice I can give, that hasn't been given, is to get to the Dublin show early. We had gotten to the theater at 8:05 just to see what it was like. By 8:15 all seats were practically gone. At 8:30 people were lining the walls, some even sitting on the stairs. The word is now out there, and people know it's worth seeing, so beware.

Enjoy!

Pat