Golden dry dock

[Hlitner]

Just back from a few days on the Golden (right after her dry dock), but have no clue as to whether anything was changed in the kids club. So what did they do in dry dock? Much of the ship was re carpeted with fuzz coming up everywhere :). The hull has been painted, the ship now seems capable of cruising at its normal top speed, and we thought the pool deck looked like it had been cleaned-up (very little signs of wear and tear). No updates to the Horizon Court and its still using that awful 2 confined area system (I call them pens). Our cabin had the latest Princess bedding...but we do not know if this had happened prior to the drydock. The ship also had a lot of work done for the future Ocean Medallion system with sensors all over the ship including 2 in each cabin (1 of which is in the bathroom). Fans of the ***** program (we are NOT) can rest well knowing that eventually Princess will be able to track exactly how long a passenger spends in their bathroom.

 

On our cruise we thought that the MDR quality was up to Princess standards and we had very few complaints with the food..although some complained that things could have been hotter. The Pizza was excellent and up to the normal Princess standard that we have enjoyed from Sitmar days. Entertainment on our ship was decent (up to Princess standards) although we were not overly impressed by the singers/dancers in the production shows. But these folks just started working together on our cruise so we expect they will quickly improve as they get used to working as a team. But nothing is going to improve the singer's voices which are simply OK (nothing to shout about). I thought that the two female singers were about Junior College quality with the males being of somewhat higher quality.

 

As one would expect, there were many complaints (norm after a drydock)...many having to do with plumbing and HVAC problems in individual cabins. There seemed to be wide consensus that the Guest Relations desk staff were among the worst encountered in the cruise industry (perhaps not quite that bad). Although we personally did not have to deal with them about complaints (we had none) we did have to deal with a personal medical emergency (which is why we are now home and not still on the ship). In our case we found the Medical Center staff to be excellent (and supportive) but we had nothing nice to say about the Guest Relations folks who did little to help our situation. We found ourselves having to work around Guest Relations instead of with them.....aided by a very helpful ship physician. The Guest Relations folks seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed with passenger issues (there were queues at their desk day and night) and slow to respond. In our case they did finally respond (which got us a phone call at 11pm the night before a medical disembarkation)....but this was perhaps too little too late. As to the complaints we heard of cabins with no hot water, cabins with no cold water (true), cabins with no water, toilets that did not flush, etc. But those of us who have done a lot of cruising know that those issues exist on all ships...although perhaps not to the extent found on the Golden.

 

Just a tip for fellow cruisers. Try to avoid dealing with Guest Relations during the first 2 days of a cruise. Starting your cruise vacation standing for an hour in a Guest Relations queue...is no fun (and they do not answer the phone). If possible, take a deep breath, enjoy, and when possible leave Guest Relations issues until a few days into a cruise after the initial surge has ended. If you do have a valid complaint about something in your cabin, try to work through your cabin steward who can often rectify the problem and save you the frustration of dealing with Guest Relations.

 

Hank

Edited April 30, 2018 by Hlitner

[moodyb1]

I too just came back from a cruise on the Golden - Singapore to Tokyo - and thought it was the worst Princess ship I have ever sailed on. I never saw such long lines at the Passenger Services desk for the first few days and couldn't figure out why at first. On the second day I found large ants in my cabin bathroom and front entryway (at least what I could see!) and had to ask 3 times for it to be fumigated. The carpet had to be shampooed to get rid of the odor from the fumigation. There were countless leaks throughout the ships and the smell of raw sewage was appalling. The service in the buffet was terrible and many of the coffee machines were not working. Huge thermos were used instead. I can't complain about the quality of the food, though. The dining room service was fine. I only used the atrium pool area and found the water in the pool very cold. One of the jacuzzis was not hot at all. My husband and I shared tables for dinner with a lot of people for whom this was their first Princess cruise. Many said they would never sail with Princess again. This was our 29th cruise with Princess and we tried to tell them to not form an opinion of Princess based on this particular ship. The itinerary was great, the ship not so. We will never sail on the Golden Princess again.

 

Arlene

[getting older slowly]

After reading the comments of the people whom were on the golden after dry dock, it sounds like they have had more problems after thing should have been fixed up than before,

 

It does make you wonder what they did for 2 weeks particularly as plumbing and hvac are important things, without them it's a no-go

 

We were on a 13-nighter Feb 2018, and no real problems except about 6-8 cabins got some water inside due to storms and rough seas.

 

So hope they get thing fixed up some for everybody sake and by November as we are sailing on her again then.

 

Cheers Don

[ssbeagle]

Having been on board the Golden since Singapore, I have noticed a few changes since previous sailings. But this ship has had a lot of problems and the maintenance crew has been very busy fixing them. Cabins have had leaks. One two doors down from us has had soaking wet carpet for the first two weeks until they finally found the leak and fixed it. Toilets are constantly not flushing in various parts of the ship. Our bathtub (minisuite) is not draining well. By the time I finish a shower the water is halfway up my lower leg like I took a bath and not a shower. Chairs in many of the lounges and dining rooms have been replaced. Our bathroom was redone, no more cracked tiles. Carpeting was replaced and it keeps leaving little fuzzballs around. Carpeting in the hallways has also been replaced. This ship is old, but she still sails quite nicely. She will be leaving the Princess fleet in the next year or so.

[waltd]

Not sure when this was added but now notice 2 hand washing stations at either end of the buffet on both sides. Don't see long lines at the Pursers station. We boarded in Yokohama. I guess some of the issues have been resolved. I'm not crazy about the new beds. A bit to soft for me. But better then the worn out bedding before.

[juliethecruiser]

Not sure when this was added but now notice 2 hand washing stations at either end of the buffet on both sides. Don't see long lines at the Pursers station. We boarded in Yokohama. I guess some of the issues have been resolved. I'm not crazy about the new beds. A bit to soft for me. But better then the worn out bedding before.

 

Good update. We're on the Golden in about a month. Was getting really concerned by some of the recent reports. Hopefully, all the bugs will be worked out by the time she reports to Alaska!

[moki'smommy]

Thank you! I was becoming seriously concerned about our upcoming cruise.

[getting older slowly]

Not sure when this was added but now notice 2 hand washing stations at either end of the buffet on both sides. Don't see long lines at the Pursers station. We boarded in Yokohama. I guess some of the issues have been resolved. I'm not crazy about the new beds. A bit to soft for me. But better then the worn out bedding before.

 

Hi Waltd, the hand washing stations and new bed were already on in Feb 2018 on our last cruise.

 

and with others problems, they better get things fix quickly for the sake of the passengers . considering the only real issue in Feb 18 was the lack of speed.

 

Cheers Don

[waltd]

Hi Waltd, the hand washing stations and new bed were already on in Feb 2018 on our last cruise.

 

and with others problems, they better get things fix quickly for the sake of the passengers . considering the only real issue in Feb 18 was the lack of speed.

 

Cheers Don

Trust me there is still some complaining going on. I think hold outs from the previous cruise. We had a toilet issue for about 2 hours yesterday and the air conditioning is ok. When we are traveling it's cold, when we are in port a bit stuffy. Even with the dry dock its an old ship. BUT we are still enjoying ourselves. We have found the crew extremely happy and for the most part the passengers are friendly. No complaints about the service and hey we are on vacation. :):D

[2018AGP]

WOW! This will be my first time on Princess and I'm concerned about selecting the Golden. I hope they resolve all the issues prior to our Alaska sailing in June. Has the ship arrived in Alaska and is anyone cruising Alaska now? Are issues resolved and/or getting better? This is a very expensive trip and I hope the ship is in good order. Please advise. Thank you!

[IECalCruiser]

WOW! This will be my first time on Princess and I'm concerned about selecting the Golden. I hope they resolve all the issues prior to our Alaska sailing in June. Has the ship arrived in Alaska and is anyone cruising Alaska now? Are issues resolved and/or getting better? This is a very expensive trip and I hope the ship is in good order. Please advise. Thank you!

She departed Tokyo on April 27th and is currently sailing to Whittier (Anchorage) and will arrive on May 12th. Her first southbound Voyage of the Glaciers will depart from Whittier that day.

 

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[Hlitner]

WOW! This will be my first time on Princess and I'm concerned about selecting the Golden. I hope they resolve all the issues prior to our Alaska sailing in June. Has the ship arrived in Alaska and is anyone cruising Alaska now? Are issues resolved and/or getting better? This is a very expensive trip and I hope the ship is in good order. Please advise. Thank you!

 

The Golden does not arrive in Alaska until around May 12. And yes, we saw the staff working through various issues on the leg from Singapore to Yokohama. But the vessel cannot totally hide its age and the plumbing (and leak) problems seem to be like playing whack a mole. For those of us who had no problems with our cabin it is just something you hear about over cocktails. For those with cabin plumbing or HVAC problems it is not good. Every cruise ship has its share of problem cabins....but it does seem like the Golden has more than its fair share.

 

But, there was much to like on this ole lady (sorry if the "L" word offends some). As we posted, the food in the MDR was pretty good, the pizza up to Princess standards, and even the burgers were pretty decent. If you win the good cabin lottery...all will be fine.

 

By the way, I will hand everyone a Golden and also Princess rant! Cabins have so-called refrigerators which only are there for looks because they do not chill (or even cool) anything! If Princess wants to provide cabins with a small fridge...why not have a model that actually cools something....or anything! The cabin stewards are trained to put your ice bucket into the fridge....which seems to be a way to guarantee that all the ice will melt within a few hours.

 

Hank

[caribill]

By the way, I will hand everyone a Golden and also Princess rant! Cabins have so-called refrigerators which only are there for looks because they do not chill (or even cool) anything! If Princess wants to provide cabins with a small fridge...why not have a model that actually cools something....or anything! The cabin stewards are trained to put your ice bucket into the fridge....which seems to be a way to guarantee that all the ice will melt within a few hours.

 

The Fridge has a dial to set the temperature although even at the lowest setting it is very cool and not cold. Did you check to be sure your dial was at the low end and not the high end?

[svcalum07]

Concerned as well. We leave on the 16th for the Alaska cruise. As it's past our final payment date and flights have been booked, I guess we will make the most of it and cross our fingers. My mom and I have have only sailed on Disney...brother and SIL on DCL and RCCL...My dad has never sailed. Now I'm wishing we had done more ship research....

[getting older slowly]

Concerned as well. We leave on the 16th for the Alaska cruise. As it's past our final payment date and flights have been booked, I guess we will make the most of it and cross our fingers. My mom and I have have only sailed on Disney...brother and SIL on DCL and RCCL...My dad has never sailed. Now I'm wishing we had done more ship research....

 

I am sure you will have a great time, we have been on the golden a few times most recently in Feb 18 and are on her again Nov 18, the ship has a good layout, and the crew in great, overall it is a good ship particularly with 2600pax it's not too crowded, and plenty of outdoor viewing places for Alaska,

 

good place to go its skywalkers ( deck 17 ) during the day, you get a great view almost 360 deg .

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy yourselves

 

Cheers Don

[moki'smommy]

Concerned as well. We leave on the 16th for the Alaska cruise. As it's past our final payment date and flights have been booked, I guess we will make the most of it and cross our fingers. My mom and I have have only sailed on Disney...brother and SIL on DCL and RCCL...My dad has never sailed. Now I'm wishing we had done more ship research....

OK, the Golden was launched in 2001. That makes her several years newer than the Wonder or Magic. Maintenance on Princess....3 years ago was not on the same level as DCL, but on our 2018 cruise I was actually impressed that they were cleaning and painting on a level that would have satisfied Lloyd (hotel manager) on DCL. The size of the ship is comparable to the Magic and Wonder. She was built in Fincanteri shipyard--again, same as Magic and Wonder.

 

There is more difference among the various Princess ships than you'll see among the Disney fleet. The Golden Princess has some nice features (covered pool) that aren't on all ships, but there is no "thermal suite" (Princess equivalent of Rainforest.) The International Cafe is a great feature, unlike anything on DCL.

 

I don't know how much you have cruised DCL...I have 30 cruises on their various ships. Overall DCL service is great, but we've had a couple of downright bad serving teams and a couple where one of the duo was not so hot....to the point that we still joke about them. We've had an occasional dud as a stateroom host. You'll find the same on Princess--overall the service is good to great, but there are some crew members who aren't up to snuff. No, towel animals are not routine, but I've seen people request and get them. We've had cabin problems on DCL to the point that on 2 occasions, I had a serious talk with Guest Services, and in both cases they chose to move us. One time, I took the approach of "Fix it or replace it, but get the repair guys out of my cabin" after they'd been there for 2 days. The other time it was a leak in a ceiling pipe (or possibly condensation on a pipe)...in either event, it was water in our cabin on a regular basis. We were doing a B2B, so I insisted on a different cabin for the second leg. My point is that you can have the same problem on one of the Disney ships that people complain about on Princess.

 

My suggestion--go into it with the attitude that you're going to love Alaska and that it will be a good cruise. Don't compare each thing to the ships you are used to. Each line is different. We find Princess to be a good line, although not quite as good as DCL. BUT on Princess, we are not overwhelmed with children lacking in parental supervision, and the price, for the cruises we choose is half or less the price of a similar cruise on Disney. For that difference, I'll tolerate Princess level entertainment.

 

And again, on our most recent cruise, we found the food and the service to equal or exceed that on recent DCL cruises.