Just back - Golden

[du4mch]

I’ll try to keep it short.

Left our house to head for the airport at 4:30 am for a 7:30 flight from Boston to San Juan. There were 6 of us. We arrived in San Juan at 11:30 am. Airport was busy but nothing to bad. Took a van to the pier, we did not use transfers. I think it was $6 each, not sure exactly. Took about 15 - 20 minutes to get to the pier from the airport. We were amazed at the size of the ship. Line outside to check bags was kind of long, moved along ok. Another line outside to get in the building. Then get a seat inside and wait to be called for check in. From the time we landed to the time we were on board was about 2 hours give or take a bit.

Ship is outstanding. We had 3 inside rooms. Room was small but fine for 2 people. 4 pools we used them all. Hot tubs never to crowded. Paddle ball court we liked to use later in the evenings. Ping pong tables in the back of the ship. We played ping pong as we left each port. Coke card was $22.50 all crew service members sell the coke card the first day. The shows were ok. Did not do formal nights, next time we will. Looks fun to dress up for a night and get your picture taken. Don’t worry they take your picture all during the cruise not only during formal nights.

We had PC dining. I made reservations the first 2 times but found out there was no need. The longest we waited was 10:00 minutes. That was with the reservation! Food was ok, nothing that stands out. Trident grill had hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches,fries. The pizzeria had plain and pepperoni. Horizon court had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like I said earlier, ok

Disembarkation was a breeze. They give you colored tags for your bags. When you enter the terminal after customs the luggage is lined up by color. Very easy. We booked a tour to the Bacardi factory back in San Juan because we had a late flight back to Boston. San Juan airport at 2:30pm was not busy, no long lines to get checked in.

Had a great time on all the islands. To must typing for me to give you a break down of all the ports. (I’m a two finger typist)

As I sit here over a full day after I left the ship I'm a little dizzy. It's like I'm on the ship and its making me sway back and forth. My Daughter and Wife fell the same way.

I will answer any questions I can.

[Ethan1960]

Thanks for the trip report! Glad you had a good trip.

[KatieKat]

Does the Golden offer the Movies under the stars program?

[du4mch]

No movies under the stars. They do have movies in the Princess Theater daily.

[cruzfiend]

What ports did you go to? What port day is the second formal night? Thanks

[BethKel]

Thanks for the report - me and DH (by then) will be sailing this Sunday for our honeymoon!

 

Just wondering what movies they had on board. Curious to know whether they change each week or not.

 

thanks much!

 

Beth

[du4mch]

We went to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Marteen, and St Thomas

Second formal night was on Friday evening. Had a great time on each island.

Movies were - Master and Commander, Seabiscuit, Lord of the Rings, Intolerable Cruelty, Something's gotta give, Big Fish,

You might think all I did was watch movies by this list. Truth is we didn't watch any, I have my princess patters in front of me. Showtimes vary each day.

[jakedoc]

What was your favorite port and excursion? Did you take a ship excursion or do it by yourself? Thanks.

[stevel45]

Also just back from the Golden, and we had a great time. Everything from

the food to the entertainment was great (didn't care to much for the last

show, words and music) but can't complain. Their were five in our party and

we had first seating at a table for eight and they removed the other three

chairs. Our waiter Edwin was great. It didn't take him long to realize what

we liked. When our son for example ordered shrimp cocktail the first two nights, from then on no matter what my son ordered for an appetizer Edwin

would bring him a shrimp cocktail also.

Went to a few beaches on the islands, and visited downtown areas but the

highlight was the excursion we took with Lawrence of Antigua. Lawrence

drove to some scenic areas such as through the rain forest, Shirley Heights,

and Nelson Dockyard, then he dropped us off at Turner Beach for a couple

of hours. Lawrence is very eager to please, and his modern van is spotless.

He doesn't take his fee of $25 until he picks you up and drops you off at the

ship.

I ran on the jogging track every morning early around 6:30AM before the

walkers, which could become congested, (10 times around = 1 mile).

We ate in the dinning room for for all our meals. Checked out the buffet

a couple of times and it looked good also.

I can't stress this enough, if you are going to take a cab you must get a

voucher before you can take a cab. If there is a 1000 people in line and you

are last but have a voucher, you will be first on.

I rate this cruise line right up their with Celebrity with much better entertain-

ment.

Any questions I will try to answer.

[stevel45]

Forgot to add that we had a mini-suite cabin c729 on Emerald deck.

Extra large balcony and completely covered. My daughter came with us

and her bed pulled down from the ceiling above the couch. You could still

sit on the couch with the bed down if you were under six feet tall.

[PaulnBetts]

Stevel45

 

Thanks for the review!! One question - you say to make sure you have a cab voucher. Where is this voucher for (San Juan??) and where do you get them. We are staying in San Juan night before and night after on our own so will take cab to hotel.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Paul

[jduals]

First time on Princess. We are in an AA minisuite -- do they have CD players in the rooms? Also interested in the cab voucher question from PaulnBetts.

 

Thanks. Glad to hear you had a good time -- we have the same itinerary.Sept. 19

[jduals]

Also, forgot to ask about Lawrence of Antigua's tour. Where did you find him and how to arrange in advance??

 

Thanks

[mringenoldus]

We are on the Golden Aloha deck (A211) in October. We took your route last year and did a tour with Eli's Ecotours ($about $80) It was a highlight of the trip.

 

I never get seasick but always get that swaying motion you have for a couple of days following. The first time it kind of freaaked me out - now I just expect it.

 

Glad you had fun!

[stevel45]

First of all you should stand in line for a cab, then have someone go look for

the voucher person. He or she will be wearing a white shirt and have a thick

pad in hand. At the airport they walked down the line handing them out (not

a very long line). But at the cruise terminal it was very unorginized, hundreds

of people lined up with very few vouchers. When you did find a voucher

person they were reluctant on writing one out unless you persisted. I got the

voucher and my wife went to the front of the line where the cabs first enter

the terminal and got a cab right away. I can't imagine how long we would

have been there if we did not know about the voucher.

My mini suite didn't have a CD player.

I found out about Lawrence of Antigua because he gets talked up quite abit

on cruise critics. Here is a link to get in touch with him.

Hope this was helpfull.

http://lawrenceofantigua.com/

[reverendbon]

We're taking this cruise Aug 22 - just wondering what the kid/adult ratio was on board? Is there enough to keep a 13 year old busy?

[stevel45]

My daughter is 23 so I couldn't tell you about the kids program. But I can

tell you there were kids on this cruise and didn't see too many during the day.

The kid program must be pretty good.

[Tina0922]

This voucher for the cabs....is it from the airport to the pier or from the pier to the airport on the return????? Do you pay for the voucher as well as the cab fare? How do we get these vouchers at the airport and the pier if needed? I am used to just walking outside the terminal and flagging a cab down!!! I am also concerned about 3 adults with at least 2 bags a piece and a carry on....will we all fit? Anybody with more info on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Tina

[stevel45]

The voucher is free, it is a piece of paper that tells the driver where you

are going, how many pieces of luggage, and the price.

You need a voucher at the cruise terminal, and the pier.

There were five of us and we had eight pieces of luggage and it all fit in

one cab.

The problem was not at the airport getting a voucher, the problem was

at the cruise terminal at debarkation with hundreds of passengers trying

to get a cab.

[du4mch]

We found getting a cab very easy from the airport to the pier. There were 6 of us and had no problems fitting into the van ( all they had for vehicles was vans and suv as far as I could see). They were walking up and down the line filling out the vouchers for your ride. Line was about 15 minutes long to wait for the taxi. Ride to pier was less than 1/2 hour. We had an excursion back at San Juan on disembarkation. They took us to the airport. Very easy, no hassles at all.

[Tina0922]

Thank you so much for making the voucher system more clear. I feel better now that I know what to expect and how to handle the whole thing on the return. You guys on this board are great!

 

Tina

[paguy]

Was on the Golden also and had a great time. Food good, service excellent, pool at the rear of the boat was great, traditional dining was excellent, and entertainment was great for the most part. Urber Rossi was the best. No scheduled tours, rented cars in Barbados and St. Maarten. On Antigua, just walk off the pier and the drivers are waiting to take you wherever you want. We had a driver named Llewellyn. He took us on a 3 hour tour of the island, dropped us at the beach of our choice, and came back 3 hours later to pick us up. This cost $25 per person. Look him up outside the pier, well worth the money. (Tell him Bob says hello.) St. Lucia was a beach day and the water was great. Taxi to the beach was inexpensive. We made some really good friends at traditional dining. On St. Maarten we rented a car and toured the french and dutch sides. Stopped at some cafes and also some nice beaches. St Thomas was a shopping island. I can't say enough about the Princess staff and the boat was fantastic. The pizza on the boat is better than any I get at home. Since I was on the island everyday I did not have a need for all the shorts I brought, I just wore my bathing suit and a pullover shirt. Before you buy anything, ask if they will give you change in American money (anyone need any East. Carribean dollars) There are towels for the pool in your room and if you need more, just ask your room steward. We took them to the beach everyday. It was no problem carrying them from the room to the pool when we wanted to go for a swim. Early seating allows plenty of time to eat, then go the first show at 8 or 8;30, then get to the second show at one of the other venues. It was also nice to just sit in one of the lounges after the shows with some of our new friends. I can't wait till my next Princess cruise.

[boblerm]

Paguy, What beaches did you go to on Antigua and St. Lucia? How were they?

[rhecker]

Also just back from the Golden, and we had a great time. Everything from

the food to the entertainment was great (didn't care to much for the last

show, words and music) but can't complain. Their were five in our party and

we had first seating at a table for eight and they removed the other three

chairs. Our waiter Edwin was great. It didn't take him long to realize what

we liked. When our son for example ordered shrimp cocktail the first two nights, from then on no matter what my son ordered for an appetizer Edwin

would bring him a shrimp cocktail also.

Went to a few beaches on the islands, and visited downtown areas but the

highlight was the excursion we took with Lawrence of Antigua. Lawrence

drove to some scenic areas such as through the rain forest, Shirley Heights,

and Nelson Dockyard, then he dropped us off at Turner Beach for a couple

of hours. Lawrence is very eager to please, and his modern van is spotless.

He doesn't take his fee of $25 until he picks you up and drops you off at the

ship.

 

 

 

I ran on the jogging track every morning early around 6:30AM before the

walkers, which could become congested, (10 times around = 1 mile).

We ate in the dinning room for for all our meals. Checked out the buffet

a couple of times and it looked good also.

I can't stress this enough, if you are going to take a cab you must get a

voucher before you can take a cab. If there is a 1000 people in line and you

are last but have a voucher, you will be first on.

I rate this cruise line right up their with Celebrity with much better entertain-

ment.

Any questions I will try to answer.

 

Is the jogging track all on one level or do you have to go up and down stairs. If so how many steps are involved.

 

thanks

[Casshew]

Hi du4mch, glad you enjoyed your cruise. :)

 

Was that Omar guy the CD? and if so how was he?