Golden Alaska - Advise on cruising with a large group

[lbryant]

Our family (14 of us between the ages of 78yrs and 14 yrs) will be on the 6/28 Golden Princess to Alaska. We have 2 balcony cabins (Carib deck port side) and 5 inside cabins across the hall. Looking for advice / insight / wisdom...

1. We have Anytime Dining and will request tables for 8 and 6 next to each other. When should I set this up (onboard? thru the travel agent?)? Is there a way to book the same table / wait staff for the entire trip so we have a chance to get to know them? I'm also looking for any suggestions on awesome ATD staff to request.

 

2. How many people can we fit on 2 Carib deck balconies? Does Golden have the "secret" deck area I've heard so much about?

 

3. The grandchildren are 14, 17, 19, 23 & 25 (all girls). Will they find much to do in the evenings?

 

4. Embarkation - our reservation says to check in at 12pm. I've heard some horror stories about embarkation in Seattle. What is the best time to get to the port to avoid massive lines? I don't mind arriving early. Also, what is the best drop off / parking strategy? We'll have at least 2 cars.

 

5. Any problem bringing Pepsi onboard (talking cases now, not 6pk)?

 

So excited! Thanks for your help

[Thrak]

Mark all rooms as NO UPGRADE FOR ANY REASON or you may well find that some people get moved to different decks

[wineforhealth]

For dining go see the Maitre D when you board and let him know your party size he can help you out with best best option.

 

The Carib Decks balconies are the biggest, it will be tight

 

Other than the shows and shipboard activities, the night life at the Disco closes down to teens under 18 after 9 or 10

 

You will have a great cruise, last time we cruised in late June the whales were everywhere.

Edited March 10, 2014 by wineforhealth

[cherylandtk]

1. With Anytime dining you will likely have to work it out each night in the dining room. Is there no way for you to book traditional dining? Do you prefer different dining times? Is traditional already booked? What you are describing works best in a traditional dining environment.

 

If you cannot book TD, once onboard you can check out the anytime dining rooms and see what tables will fit your needs, and then call the DINE line or meet the maitre' d to find out if your ship will accept advance reservations for those tables (or something similar) each night. Some ships do, some don't. Some take only two days in advance, some take the whole week. Some accept reservations at any dining time, some only accept AT reservations for before 6:30 and after 8. You will just have to find out what works on your ship your week and work within that.

 

My suggestion would be to split your group into smaller sub-groups, let those groups decide what time they want to eat and show up at the dining room as they choose. If you want everyone to interact, change the make-up of the subgroups every couple of days. If you need to place limits on just how flexible you will be with table sizes, locations or sharing, then you will likely have to wait until suitable seating is available. That will depend entirely on what your fellow pax are doing that night in the dining room.

 

I'm not suggesting you have to do this, but the absolute easiest way to get seated is to show up together at the podium and say "we have 14 people and will sit at any table combination, with or without other people". The more flexible you are with your seating requests, the easier it will be to seat your party and the faster you will be eating.

 

2. Seated on chairs or footstools, 8 total. Standing, you can get everyone on two balconies, but only about 4 at each rail. I agree with the suggestion to double check with your TA that all rooms are marked No Upgrade.

 

3. Yes. Not all ages at the same places, however.

 

5. Not so far. But you might wish to be discreet and consider having people carry on a few cans each rather than slapping a luggage tag on a case or two, or at least put it in a suitcase. Abuse of the wine policy may have caused a crackdown on Princess' generosity in that policy, and soda and water might be next.

[runnerodb83]

you will have little to no line if you arrive around 2pm or so. We've done this twice now on Alaska cruises and have had the terminal practically to ourselves.

[Colo Cruiser]

We have never had any issues with embarkation in Seattle.

We arrive around 10:30 and board around noon. ;)

 

Bring on as much soda as you want.

[lbryant]

Thanks for the info. We wanted Traditional dining - early seating, but that is not available (late seating is too late for some people). We do want to eat as a family, even if it's at 2 tables. It sounds like advanced reservations for the entire cruise is iffy. Can we reserve on the DINE line or do we need to meet with the Maitre D on the first day?

 

Sounds like the balcony can fit at least 8. 5 or 6 people will want to be out there most of the morning and others will come and go. Are there other decks on Golden that are less well known (ie - not as crowded or full by early morning)?

 

Does anyone know where I can see Teen club Patters?

[ggprincess2004]

If you have adjacent balcony cabins on Caribe deck, you can have the cabin steward unlock the door between the balconies, which will allow your group to still be "together" but use both balconies.

 

I suggest you make sure your TA has linked all your bookings, not just marked your bookings "do not upgrade".

 

Finally, do not wait until later in the day to board. You will want to meet with the Maitre'd the first afternoon. There is a notice in the Princess Patter which will be waiting in your stateroom. The maitre'd will hold "office hours" the first afternoon in one of the dining rooms - usually around two o'clock, to address issues with dining room table and time assignments. Try and get in that line early-just one of you - have all the cabin numbers - and arrange an early seating so that you can be at nearby tables. Not only is the main dining room (aft, Deck 6) used for early traditional seating, so is one of the other two dining rooms midship. There should be an opportunity to arrange for large tables closeby in that dining room. I think it is the one on deck 5, but that could change. The first evening you may not have tables together, but you should on the second evening.

 

During the cruise, if you find that on some evenings you will not be using one or both of those tables due to late excursions, other activities, etc., you should be kind enough to let your waitstaff or head waiter know asap, preferably the day before, but at least as soon as the dining room opens that evening. They will be able to use them for seating anytime diners who wish to dine early.

 

Enjoy the cruise and having the family altogether!!!

[ggprincess2004]

Secret deck areas: I am not sure they are really "secret" but some underused spaces on Glacier Bay day and other scenic cruising days are the forward area on deck eight (go out on deck 7, walk forward and go up the stairs), and the area above the bridge. You get to that by going all the way forward on Lido Deck, and through the doors, they may be locked at times due to winds or bad weather, but it is a great place for scenic viewing.

 

A few other thoughts, assuming this is the first time in Alaska: have a really good set of binoculars for each person in your group, and make sure to bring warm gloves, a warm hat and scarf, just in case it is uncomfortably cold/windy. We found those items to be welcome more than a few times.

[Maddle]

Two summers ago, we were on the Sapphire in Alaska with seven people (four adults, three children.) On the first night we went to Anytime Dining. Close to the end of dinner, the waiter told us if we liked we could make a standing reservation for the WEEK with the Head Waiter of the Dining Room (perhaps it was the Maitre D'?) I said, "oh I didn't think that was possible" - and his response was that it was possible if you had more than six in your party.

 

It was wonderful. We had a standing dining time - but it was not the usual Early or Late traditional time (I think it was at 7 pm.) We got to know the waiter and his team. When we needed to make a change, we let him know. One night it was just going to be me and my husband. I thought we would have to release the table - and they told us, "no - we will use the magic table - we'll see you tomorrow." The next night "our" spot was set with a small two-top, and we were treated like Royalty.

 

So - it can be arranged. I hope you have as wonderful an experience as we did.

 

Maddle

[RickEk]

Secret deck areas: I am not sure they are really "secret" but some underused spaces on Glacier Bay day and other scenic cruising days are the forward area on deck eight (go out on deck 7, walk forward and go up the stairs), and the area above the bridge. You get to that by going all the way forward on Lido Deck, and through the doors, they may be locked at times due to winds or bad weather, but it is a great place for scenic viewing.

 

 

Actually, on the Golden, the bridge wings are accessed by going forward outside on Sun deck.

[beg3yrs]

you will have little to no line if you arrive around 2pm or so. We've done this twice now on Alaska cruises and have had the terminal practically to ourselves.

 

We have never had any issues with embarkation in Seattle.

We arrive around 10:30 and board around noon. ;)

 

 

Here's the thing. Some people don't like waiting at all so they arrive late. Others don't consider a 90 minute wait in the terminal to be a burden at all. You've got to make the choice for yourself. Everyone is different.

[sherryf]

Sounds like the balcony can fit at least 8. 5 or 6 people will want to be out there most of the morning and others will come and go. Are there other decks on Golden that are less well known (ie - not as crowded or full by early morning)?

 

Does anyone know where I can see Teen club Patters?

 

Realistically, most of the "kids" will not be up in the early morning anyway. When I took my teens a few years ago (ages 12, 15, 18) the older two weren't up until 10 AM - noon most days, unless we had an early excursion.

 

The decks don't tend to be crowded, except on glacier sailing day. Then you will want to be up on deck instead of crowded onto the balconies anyway. Get up early to find a good spot.

 

You can see the teen (Remix) patters here: http://s204.photobucket.com/user/cruisinmama06/library/Princess%20Patters?sort=3&page=1

They are the second set, after the more colorful Shockwaves set. This is from our Alaskan cruise on the Golden Princess with Glacier Bay in 2011. I can't imagine that they change much.

[Paula_MacFan]

During the cruise, if you find that on some evenings you will not be using one or both of those tables due to late excursions, other activities, etc., you should be kind enough to let your waitstaff or head waiter know asap, preferably the day before, but at least as soon as the dining room opens that evening. They will be able to use them for seating anytime diners who wish to dine early.

 

Especially since in Juneau you leave port at 10pm, Skagway at 8:15, and Victoria at midnight. Some people in your group may still be on excursions or just in port, and may not want to plan their day around the set dining time.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Paula_MacFan

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our last two cruises were on the Golden on the Hawaiian itinerary on holiday sailings. Our girl was 13 and 15 on them.

 

We had anytime on the first of those (our first and hopefully last time with anytime dining) and were first given early traditional on the second, but we went to the "meeting the head waiter" session the first afternoon and requested a switch to late traditional. We got a letter the next morning with our new assignment.

 

Not sure how easy it'll be to get tables the whole week that are next to each other with anytime -- it'll depend on who's doing the arrangements.

 

It could be possible too, that some in your party might not always want to have dinner with the group (the adults with a specialty restaurant, the kids might plan their own dinner with kids their age...on our last cruise my daughter sometimes ate with her group of 15-year olds). And it's probably best not to assume that everyone wants to be glued at the hip the whole time. Share port ideas but make it clear if part of the family wants to do something different, they certainly can without any hard feelings.

 

There will be a Remix packet in the cabin for the 14 and 17 year olds when they arrive. It'll have the day-by-day listing of scheduled activities. They should plan to go to the room (with an adult who will need to register them -- just in case they want to participate in any activities there) and they'll get to meet the other teens. That's when most of the pairing and grouping happens, and undoubtedly the 14 year old will join up with a group her age while the 17 year old will find teens her age. My daughter says she didn't spend much time in the Remix center -- her group will meet there or another designated spot and they'll end up hanging around elsewhere like in the pool area to watch movies on MUTS or setting up table tennis tournaments. I did post the pages with the schedule on my review for the most recent cruise, but I would imagine it wouldn't help you as it was for the 12/19/12 sailing -- so many holiday activities and many Hawaiian activities for a two-week cruise with many sea days.

 

Basically many of the activities on the ship are open to all ages. As others have said, the exceptions would be the casino and the disco in Skywalkers after 10pm. They can go to all the shows (there could be comedians that do a late night show for "mature audiences" so it'll be more for the older girls to decide if that's their kind of entertainment).

 

Our last cabin was an aft inside on the Aloha deck. There's a door at the very end of the hall that you can exit onto an outside deck area, with a set of stairs that go up to the Lido deck and the back door for the Horizon court. Might be a nice place for your family to gather (even though you might get competition from other passengers who discover it too). And if your group decides to eat in the Horizon court for any meals...there are actually four rooms. Some passengers think there's just the dining areas by the serving area, but if you go to the back on either side -- there are two separate sides of the buffet -- and through the door, there are more tables.

[Paula_MacFan]

The grandchildren are 14, 17, 19, 23 & 25 (all girls). Will they find much to do in the evenings?

 

Not sure about scheduled ship activities, but again, you're in port three evenings so they may want to do an excursion or shore activity. Juneau until 10 pm, Skagway until 8:15 pm, Victoria until midnight.

[lbryant]

Thanks for the advice and insights. We'll try and scope out the less well known areas early. I doubt we'll try and cram everyone on 2 balconies, but it's nice to know what it will hold.

 

Surprisingly, having dinner together is one of the things everyone looks forward to most. This is our 3rd family cruise and we've always eaten together as a family, even the kids really like being with their cousins and aunts & uncles. I'll meet with the Maitre D and see what arrangements we can make.

 

Thanks again

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the advice and insights. We'll try and scope out the less well known areas early. I doubt we'll try and cram everyone on 2 balconies, but it's nice to know what it will hold.

 

Surprisingly, having dinner together is one of the things everyone looks forward to most. This is our 3rd family cruise and we've always eaten together as a family, even the kids really like being with their cousins and aunts & uncles. I'll meet with the Maitre D and see what arrangements we can make.

 

Thanks again

 

Enjoy.

[Bufferash]

Our family (14 of us between the ages of 78yrs and 14 yrs) will be on the 6/28 Golden Princess to Alaska. We have 2 balcony cabins (Carib deck port side) and 5 inside cabins across the hall. Looking for advice / insight / wisdom...

 

1. We have Anytime Dining and will request tables for 8 and 6 next to each other. When should I set this up (onboard? thru the travel agent?)? Is there a way to book the same table / wait staff for the entire trip so we have a chance to get to know them? I'm also looking for any suggestions on awesome ATD staff to request.

 

 

 

2. How many people can we fit on 2 Carib deck balconies? Does Golden have the "secret" deck area I've heard so much about?

 

 

 

3. The grandchildren are 14, 17, 19, 23 & 25 (all girls). Will they find much to do in the evenings?

 

 

 

4. Embarkation - our reservation says to check in at 12pm. I've heard some horror stories about embarkation in Seattle. What is the best time to get to the port to avoid massive lines? I don't mind arriving early. Also, what is the best drop off / parking strategy? We'll have at least 2 cars.

 

 

 

5. Any problem bringing Pepsi onboard (talking cases now, not 6pk)?

 

 

 

So excited! Thanks for your help

 

 

We were a group of 42 last year and was able to arrange to all eat together. It was arranged so that we ate in the anytime dinning room but had a fix time for dinning. As we were such a large group a cousin was able to arrange this with Princess before we left. If you used a travel agent they should be able to help.

 

 

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[lbryant]

We were a group of 42 last year and was able to arrange to all eat together. It was arranged so that we ate in the anytime dinning room but had a fix time for dinning. As we were such a large group a cousin was able to arrange this with Princess before we left. If you used a travel agent they should be able to help.

 

I asked my travel agent and she said I needed to make arrangements on board. I will ask her again. 42 is quite a bit different than 14 but its worth a try. Can I contacted Princess myself or will they refuse to work with me directly?

[Colo Cruiser]

We were a group of 42 last year and was able to arrange to all eat together. It was arranged so that we ate in the anytime dinning room but had a fix time for dinning. As we were such a large group a cousin was able to arrange this with Princess before we left. If you used a travel agent they should be able to help.

 

I asked my travel agent and she said I needed to make arrangements on board. I will ask her again. 42 is quite a bit different than 14 but its worth a try. Can I contacted Princess myself or will they refuse to work with me directly?

 

 

Best to meet with the MD at the time/place listed in the Patter on Embarkation day. If its possible he is the one to make it happen.