Sad Golden Princess!

[tmcauban]

First Time on Princess, and first time on the Golden Princess, for a Mexican Riviera cruise, Feb. 2-9, 2008.

Very dissapointed: The ship is getting old and tired.

Overall, there was a huge pressure put on you at all times to buy tons of stuff, things and services, all of them of poor or mediocre quality; the Spa was a joke, with only tiny little giggling girls as masseuses, no real masseur on board!; the service was overfriendly in the restaurant, almost intrusive.

so we were legitimately very dissapointed.

[cjpj]

If you want to cruise on a new ship -- don't book a cruise on an older ship! To me the Golden has some character and is well loved - just like the Velveteen Rabbit. I was on the Golden in January and they are in the processes of refurbishing the rooms. Of our party of 4 cabins - two were redone and two weren't - luck of the draw. Too bad you only whined about the bad in your post and didn't mention you liked the food, like you did in another post. I don't know if you have a right to be "legitimately" disappointed at "over friendly service". I don't think you'd be happy no matter what.

[bdjam]

I always find it interesting - a week ago there was a glowing review of Golden Princess from another poster - I guess it all depends on how you look at things.

Golden Princess old? :confused:

[Colo Cruiser]

only tiny little giggling girls as masseuses

 

 

:eek: :rolleyes: :eek:

[leahsdad]

First Time on Princess, and first time on the Golden Princess, for a Mexican Riviera cruise, Feb. 2-9, 2008.

Very dissapointed: The ship is getting old and tired.

Overall, there was a huge pressure put on you at all times to buy tons of stuff, things and services, all of them of poor or mediocre quality; the Spa was a joke, with only tiny little giggling girls as masseuses, no real masseur on board!; the service was overfriendly in the restaurant, almost intrusive.

so we were legitimately very dissapointed.

 

 

I've never sailed that ship so I can't comment--but I do appreciate the fact that you took the time to search the entire ship for a masseuse---lol

I have had service where the staff was "trying too hard" to please and did become almost bothersome. As far as "huge pressure" to buy--did they like follow you to your cabin or what ---if you said "no" did they bring out the "closer" to work on you?

 

Paul

[cherylandtk]

Its always an unfortunate situation when expectations do not match the reality. Having looked at your previous posts and trips, I suspect you would be happier if you remain on the luxury cruiselines.

 

Thank you for trying Princess and giving it a chance--but since you feel legitimately very disappointed I do not think you will find your expectations to be met on this cruiseline, even on a brand new ship.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I feel bad for you that your experience on the Golden Princess was not what you had hoped for. I really can't imagine anything worse than spending your vacation time and money and coming home dissatisfied. I understand what you're saying about the spa staff...at one point during our cruise, they had a products table set up in the atrium with a sign saying "Free Teeth Analysis". All I could think of was, "Sure, my dentist's not around right now so why don't you, a stranger I just met with no O levels, analyze my teeth for me instead?" Is there a single person on the ship who would not be told they needed teeth whitening?

 

The ship is getting old and tired.

Overall, there was a huge pressure put on you at all times to buy tons of stuff, things and services, all of them of poor or mediocre quality.

Now, here, I have to honestly state that I just didn't get the same impression. I had read some of the criticism about the condition of the ship, so I used my most criticial eye (my right one) and tried to find issues, and I just couldn't. The mattress in our cabin was horrific, but it was replaced with a new one when we complained about it (ok, it took two days of complaints, but it got done).

 

As for the stuff sold being junk...I assume you meant the Bijoux Terner items. Yes, they are junk, and they are now charging $15 for this junk, and people are still standing in line to buy it, so good for Princess. And, unless this was your first cruise (not just first cruise on Princess, but first cruise, period), the sales pitches should not have been unexpected. Or, if you have previously cruised on a mainstream cruise line that was without sales pitches of any kind, I really want to know that line it was.

[gooch47]

Oops ... wrong thread.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

It went into service in 2001! LOL

 

OLD? Is this a joke? Are you being fesecious?

 

Granted its not the Ruby Princess, they cant build new ships for us every year...

 

That being said, im sorry that you did not enjoy your cruise. I would hate to spend money on a vacation that is not worthwhile.

[LETS PARTY]

I disagree, the golden is in excellent contion!!

If your thinking of booking her, go you it

did b2b in oct and will be back on her 1 week from today

princess does a good job of keeping there ships up

rob

[dcsam]

There certainly is a lot of pressure to purchase things on board. Do what we do: walk right on by or don't read the fliers. We realize the cruiseline is trying to make a buck. But we don't let their presence influence us. We buy what we want - when we want. As for the poor condition of the ship: My favorite ships are the old ones. It's so important to research the ship prior to booking and make sure it meets your needs. Read reviews. Read more reviews and look at the countless pictures now available online.

[ocean.queen]

We were on the Golden last month and had a wonderful time. Yes, a few chairs need new cushions and the salt air has done some damage on the balconies but so what! The ship is clean, the service was excellent, the food was VERY good...best of all...the crew were all smiles. Only problem we had was with the Capt Circle Hostess...oh boy...no smile on her face!! We just avoided her and had a very nice cruise.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We were just on the Golden Princess in January and I must say that I was amazed at what wonderful shape she was in! Our cabin must have been one of the refurbished ones because it looked like new. OK - the mattress was as hard as a rock, but a note left for our steward and one egg crate later it was fine. I didn't like the set up as well in the Horizon Court as the RCCL buffets, but besides that I think it was an absolutely wonderful ship. Maybe we were on a different Golden Princess!:D :rolleyes:

[DrivesLikeMario]

I'm interested in hearing both points of view, but I do appreciate the ones that are more reasonable.

 

Why would you book a ship that is seven years old and and expect everything to be brand new?

 

The sales pressure is nothing on Princess compared to other cruise lines, believe me! I've never, ever had a problem with a high-pressure sales pitch with any cruise line. A simple, "No thank you. I'm not interested." puts a stop to it right away.

 

I've not had good luck with any of the spa treatments with Princess either. :o

 

I do think some of your expectations were unrealistic. I hope you find a cruise line that is more to your taste in the future. There are plenty of cruise lines out there to chose from - I'm sure there's one for you. :)

[bhopal21]

We just returned from The Golden today and found it to be just as nice as the first time we sailed her in 2003.

 

And I honestly don't remember anyone trying to sell us anything during the entire week.

 

ColoCruiser:D :D :D Thanks for encouraging us to take the earlier 1020 flight. We were at LAX at our gate at 0815.

 

We were in the first 10 to get off the ship at 725 and had no problems at all grabbing a van and getting to LAX.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mike:)

[newmexicoNita]

First Time on Princess, and first time on the Golden Princess, for a Mexican Riviera cruise, Feb. 2-9, 2008.

Very dissapointed: The ship is getting old and tired.

Overall, there was a huge pressure put on you at all times to buy tons of stuff, things and services, all of them of poor or mediocre quality; the Spa was a joke, with only tiny little giggling girls as masseuses, no real masseur on board!; the service was overfriendly in the restaurant, almost intrusive.

so we were legitimately very dissapointed.

 

We were on the Golden a few weeks ago and though we didn't find the service what we had hoped for, we didn't find the ship showing signs of being tired. No, she isn't new and no, Princess is in the luxury class. I can't comment on the spa, we didn't use it. Overall we were satisfied, would be do Princess again in the near future? Probably not and yet I certainly didn't come away with the feelings you did. I guess it has to do with what you expect from a cruise. As for pushing us to buy, the only time I got a little tired of hearing buy, buy, buy was the last day at sea when they had the BIG sale, yes the announcements were a little much and the first day they pushe soda cards and drinks pretty heavily, but we just said "no thank you" and everything was fine.

 

Nita

[karatemom2]

Sorry to hear your cruise on the Golden didn't live up to your expectations. In looking at your other posts it appears that most of your cruises in the past have been with Cunard so I was just curious if you think some of your disappointment might be because you are used to a different style of cruising? I always find it interesting to compare lines as it seems most people settle on a particular line that seems to suit them best. I'm just wondering if perhaps you were more critical in your situation than others might be because of your affinity for Cunard.

[rdsqrl]

Sorry to hear your cruise on the Golden didn't live up to your expectations. In looking at your other posts it appears that most of your cruises in the past have been with Cunard so I was just curious if you think some of your disappointment might be because you are used to a different style of cruising? I always find it interesting to compare lines as it seems most people settle on a particular line that seems to suit them best. I'm just wondering if perhaps you were more critical in your situation than others might be because of your affinity for Cunard.

I agree with you. I've sailed both Cunard and Princess, and while I really do love Princess, I gotta say, they're no Cunard! You simply can't compare the experience at all -- especially not if you sailed Grill-class on the Queens (heavenly!) -- and it really sounds as though the OP went in expecting Queen Mary 2 luxury and service. Not gonna happen. And really, he should have known that in advance, or his TA should have advised him. I'm very sorry he had a bad time on vacation -- vacation time is precious, as we all know -- but it really seems that someone didn't do their homework . .

[kikiwik]

we just got off the golden today and had a great time. Our full review will follow shortly. but i will say we never had anyone try to sell us anything.

[SLCcruiser]

Just got back from the golden today - did not notice the selling as a problem. I liked having waiter poolside so I didn't have to get up! We ate dinner late and as it slowed down we were approached about the two different wine tastings, but could have easily said no as others at our table did. (But I did both and they were very nice)

 

The only complaint I have is that the service was poor at dinner time (anytime dining - usually around 8) at least compared to what we have experienced previously with Princess. Felt rushed. Did not experience "intrusive or over friendly service" , more like "auto pilot".

 

But loved my cruise. My massage/facial special deal package on a port day was very good. Not hard to say no to products. Enjoyed the quiet of the spa pool area and the aft pool. Enjoyed the balcony breakfast and a great stewart who actually made towel animals.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I guess it just goes to show that 2,000 people on the same sailing can have 2,000 different experiences!

 

We were on that same sailing, along with my mother and her husband who were first-time cruisers. All four of us had an absolutely marvelous time. :) I would guess that we had renovated cabins, because they were absolutely lovely. Personally, I find the Princess cabin interiors to be prettier than any of the other lines we've tried.

 

I can't comment on the spa, as I didn't use any of their services. But I truthfully can't recall a single instance of being pressured, or even requested, to buy anything. Our servers were always delightful, professional and knowledgeable.

 

To the OP: I'm sorry that you were disappointed. You mention a handful of things that didn't meet your approval--were there any positive aspects to your cruise? And you mentioned being pressured to buy goods of mediocre quality--did you purchase something that you found to be sub-par?

 

To any other readers considering the Golden: certainly, you want to read lots of different points of view and weigh the good & the bad. But I would not hesitate to recommend this ship. :)

[daveco58]

I too just stepped off the Golden. My staterooms, on Aloha deck were near-new. The public areas were for the most part well maintained. I did notice the hallway on Lido deck, from the forward elevators to the Pool were a bit banged up, but this is a very high traffic area, and the crew was up there as I was leaving, shampooing the carpet and such.

 

As far as sales pressure, I never seem to have a problem with this. There were a dozen stations were they were selling soda cards at embarkation, but they were much less obnoxious than the kids selling cell phones in my local mall. By the end of the first day, all the waiters around the pools seem to know I don't drink. I was never approached by anyone else to buy anything, not a massage, not an excursion, not a specialty restaurant, not an internet package, nothing. And when all the tables full of stuff are out in the Atrium, I usually just keep walking.....

 

And when I think Princess is not as good as Cunard, I just remind myself that 75 bucks a day for a balcony is not the same as 150 a day for an inside. hmmm, imagine that.

[chasetf]

.....First Time on Princess, and first time on the Golden Princess, for a Mexican Riviera cruise, Feb. 2-9, 2008. Very dissapointed: The ship is getting old and tired..

.................The Golden Princess is a beautiful ship, well maintained, nicely laid out, and too big. But that's just my opinion.

It is amazing how opinions differ. :D Wonder if these folks were on the same ship. :rolleyes:

[daveco58]

It is amazing how opinions differ. :D Wonder if these folks were on the same ship. :rolleyes:

 

Same ship, same day, different expectations...And you will note from my review, I saw some problems, so I am not exactly a cheerleader...but it is often the way, when 2800 people look at something, they are all going to have a different angle.

[Times Prince]

Overall, there was a huge pressure put on you at all times to buy tons of stuff, things and services, all of them of poor or mediocre quality;

Interestingly enough the Emerald Princess did not have the usual tables in the aisles selling merchandise. We did get flyers which are easy to ignore.

 

I hope you find a cruise line that matches your expectations for quality and such - perhaps you should try the QM2.