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Showing results for 'golden' in content posted in Princess Cruises.
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Hello, all! The previous topic for keeping up with who is serving as Cruise Director and Entertainment Director on Princess ships was 8 years old and confusing to new users. With this new year a fresh start is in order. 🙂 The purpose of this topic is to update the list of who is serving on which ship as Cruise Director and Entertainment Director. If you have comments about individual cruise line employees, good or bad, please let Princess know directly, as that is not the purpose of this topic. Posted below is the last list of Cruise Directors and Entertainment Directors from the previous topic. Instructions on how to post updates to it are included in the post: PRINCESS CRUISES CRUISE DIRECTOR & ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR LIST: as of 1/12/2020 Dates include specific sailing dates or end dates unless not specifically deduced. CHANGES SUMMARY: - Caribbean (updated CD DuVaul Gamble's contract length) - Coral (updated ED) - Crown (ED Duke Christopher left for home prior to Christmas) - Diamond (ED Michael Kujawski left for the Ruby prior to Christmas) - Emerald (CD Aaron Hawkins replaces Kaylee Lloyd; ED Callie Smit has gone home) - Golden (CD Victor Stevenson replaces Corey Moir) - Grand (updated ED) - Island (CD Matt O'Brien takes over for the 58-day South America trip) - Majestic (updated CD Andrew Kadillac's contract length and tentative successor; ED slot filled in) - Ruby (CD/ED change) - Sea (Acting CD Andi Sanders will replace Peter-John de Kock; added Gary's note) - Sky (CD Corey Moir replaces Alexander Yepremian during his vacation) - Star (CD Micca Reitano returned home in December; ED Neil Rose replaces Matt Thompson) SHIP CRUISE DIRECTOR ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR Caribbean Princess DuVaul Gamble (leaves 2/2/2020; returns in late-3/2020) Bernie Fuentes (as of 1/3/2020 sailing) Coral Princess Fernando Cunha (as of 1/5/2020 sailing) Mark Young (as of 1/5/2020 sailing) Crown Princess John Loney (as of 1/6/2020 sailing) Diamond Princess Natalie Costa (as of 1/6/2020 sailing) Emerald Princess Aaron Hawkins (as of 1/2/2020 sailing) Enchanted Princess Golden Princess Victor Stevenson (began 1/10/2020) Matt Barnard (as of 12/20/2019 sailing) Grand Princess Steve Campbell (until 2/2020) Kevin Tugwell (tentatively returns in 2/2020) Matt O'Brien (tentatively 4/2020-7/2020) Lee C h i l d e r s (as of 12/18/2019 sailing) Island Princess Matt O'Brien (from 1/9/2020 to 3/7/2020) Susan Hastings (as of 12/30/19 sailing) Majestic Princess Andrew Kadillac (leaves in 3/2020 before Singapore dry dock) Benny Yau (tentatively scheduled to take over for Asian summer season) Tim Donovan (as of 1/8/2020 sailing) Pacific Princess Peter Tredgett (as of 12/5/2019 sailing) Regal Princess Daniel Falconer (as of 12/1/2019 sailing) Martyn Moss (as of 12/1/2019 sailing) Royal Princess Marcus Prince Juanta (until spring 2020) Ron Goodman (as of 1/11/2020 sailing) Ruby Princess Kevin Tugwell (as of 12/30/2019 sailing) Michael Kujawski (as of 12/13/2019 sailing) Sapphire Princess Matthew Baker (as of 11/26/2019 sailing) Kelvin Joy (as of 11/26/2019 sailing) Sea Princess Peter-John de Kock (until 1/2020) Andi Sanders (begins in 1/2020) Gary Golding (will be on for the 5/8/2020 World Cruise) Sky Princess Alexander Yepremian (leaves 2/1/2020; returns in late-March/early-April [will take Sky to Copenhagen]) Corey Moir (from 2/1/2020 until late-March/early-April 2020) Adam Love (as of 12/28/2019 sailing) Star Princess Neil Rose (as of 12/19/2019 sailing) Sun Princess Jody Miles (until 1/2020) Warren Smith (as of 11/13/2019 sailing) TO UPDATE THIS LIST: DO NOT push the "Quote" button. It creates a copy that the next person cannot properly update. DO select and copy ALL of the text, including the above headings AND these instructions, from the most up-to-date list (the most recent reply with the list). Go to the bottom of the latest post, to the "Post a Reply" box. Paste your copied text into that box. Make your modifications to the list. Click the "Submit Reply" button just below the list you are modifying. Confirm that everything is correct! You can edit for up to 20 minutes. -
4/13/24: Princess Rolls Out Fleetwide Dining Revolution
Coral replied to FLAlaska's topic in Princess Cruises
There were issues when they built the Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby, etc.... and had the same size dining room as Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond and Sapphire. There simply wasn't enough space in the dining room to accommodate extra passengers. Obviously after COVID, they had a difficult time with staffing. -
Princess please being back the Crew Show!
redtop101 replied to Host CJSKIDS's topic in Princess Cruises
This is what used to take place. This video from Golden Princess Oct 8/2009, David Cole Cruise Director. -
Unfortunately, the phone reps are often a few 'clicks' away from being fully up-to-date and informed. Maybe they pivoted back to making it a comp benefit for suites? Doubt it, but who knows? Anyway, the ultimate arbiter is your travel summary. Go look at it online or on your app, under the "services" section. If it's listed there as zero dollars, then you're golden. If that's the case, the only way we've collectively figured out how to book it gratis, prior to boarding, is to email guest services....but if you simply go to the concierge when you board the ship, you can do the same in person.
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Many Aussies remove tips without giving it a second thought. It's not the customer who is cheap, it's the company who should pay a decent wage straight up. Hasn't it been proven in previous threads that tips, other than the ones you give directly in cash to staff, just go in to general revenue as the staff now are on a contracted wage? I have broken my golden rule to not comment on a tipping thread as there are no winners in a discussion like this.
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Not if you arrive early. We don't eat at Golden Corral either.😄
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It’s not the variety but the quality. Also never knowing who has picked things up and put them back. I might do buffet once in awhile for lunch but for dinner I want 3 courses plated at a decent temperature. After all at home I would never go to Golden Corral
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Is there a problem with strong smoke smell with these cabins? They are located next to the casino. We have stayed in window suites on the Golden Princess, but they were not next to the casino. I know there is a hidden hallway with a door. I am hoping that is enough of a barrier to keep most of the smoke out of the staterooms. Thanks so much. jan
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We were there on the Sun Princess in 2004 and later on the Golden Princess in 2007. I really enjoyed the little village with the cobblestone streets. We ate at a good restaurant right on the little main walking street. Also took a small boat over to Playa Las Gatas Beach. Nice area with clear, smooth water. I sure wish Princess would bring it back. In 2004 Acapulco was nice. We saw the cliff divers. In 2007 we didn’t very far from the ship when we were in Acapulco. There had been some cartel violence and we just didn’t feel as comfortable.
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Request for a Cruise Meal Box for Excursions
Senga replied to akaCruiser's topic in Princess Cruises
Independent, Golden Circle. -
Request for a Cruise Meal Box for Excursions
EDVM96 replied to akaCruiser's topic in Princess Cruises
Is that a Princess ShorEx or independent? I would like to know what tour that might be. Is it the Golden Circle? It's long, yes. -
Alaska on Ruby Princess: Newbies looking for pro-tips
jeromep replied to Nily D's topic in Princess Cruises
You will be very busy and likley exhausted by the end of your cruise. That is fine. And since you have already put in 2 weeks in Alaska on your own, you may be disappointed at the port stops. the time in port can be very limited and you may be getting back on the ship at the end of the port day thinking, "if I just had one more hour." That is the biggest complaint I hear about cruising Alaska... or just cruising in general. We sailed on the Ruby many years ago when she was home ported in Ft. Lauderdale. It was my favorite of the Grand class ships, although I have a warm spot in my heart for Golden and Star Princess with their shopping cart handle location of the Skywalkers lounge (since transferred to P&O Australia and having water slides grafted onto their top decks). That said, you do have Skywalkers on board. It is not up in the shopping cart handle, but down behind the stack. It is by far the best observation platform on board. This may be the best place for you to be on Glacier Bay day. You have nearly 360 degree views and it is all warm and cozy and they are usually running the bar, too. Some folks really like being up in the Sanctuary for Glacier bay, but bookings for Sanctuary for Glacier bay book up fast on embarkation day. The Sanctuary is semi-open air, so it will not necessarily be very warm, but it is fairly secluded and on the Grand class ships, the location is excellent. It also has access to the Lotus Spa pool, which is generally a very subdued place nestled down on the first level of the spa. The Sanctuary is just a relax and hang out space with some Sanctuary only dining options, snack-like, and they have their own stewards to wait on you. It has never been a draw for me, but we've done more cooler weather cruising than warm weather cruising, so that impacts how much I want to lay around outside. Live music is all over the ship at night, and in many places during the day. Check the daily schedule to see where different groups are playing and what their music type is like. Ruby has a Crooners Lounge, think piano bar. The piano singers are generally very good. Production shows are also generally very good. Some folks think they need to be Broadway caliber, however, this is a cruise ship, there are physical limitations on what you can do on a cruise ship stage, and the shows are meant to be glitzy, and sparkly. Sometimes there is a good story line behind the show, sometimes there is no story line behind the show and it is just a series of song/dance/acrobatic routines. But they are worth going and seeing, and if you don't like one, well, you didn't pay extra for it. Generally 2 per evening. I don't recall the exact times. Ideally, you could go to the early show and eat late, or eat early and go to the later show. Sometimes a show is a comedian or musician or soloist. You'll want to be looking at the daily schedule for specifics. I covered that above, but you could hang on your balcony, I think that is the best possible place. After that I recommend Skywalkers as it is enclosed and warm. The top deck will have a lot of people hanging out on the railing, and of course if you pay for time in the Sanctuary, there is good viewing from there. Some folks will camp out on the railing on the promenade deck. You will get good views anyplace because in Glacier bay the ship swings around about halfway through the time it is at the the glacier face, before returning to the mouth of the bay and sailing on. The NPS puts Rangers aboard for the day and they do many presentations and interpretation, so look for their presentations on the schedule. Also, they will do narration when they are at the glacier face, that will be broadcast on the bridge cam channel on TV. Generally 2 formal nights, usually sea days. It is supposed to be fancy dress, suit and tie, black tie, but that is relaxed quite a bit over the years. Princess calls the casual nights Resort Casual, but business casual is an ok interpretation. You'll find it much more casual than that on most sailings. What you wear to fine dining at home will be just fine on all nights, to be honest. If you haven't read more of the boards, you'll find that "dress code" is a hot button issue. Buffet is open for all meals. The MDR is open for Breakfast all days and lunch on sea days. If you happen to be aboard for lunch on port days, you'll be limited to the buffet, along with the grill and pizza on the Lido deck (which is always a good choice), food from the International Cafe (also a good choice). But you aren't really limited even on port days. You will never starve on board and you never need to visit the buffet for any meal, even on port days, since there are other options. If you have Plus or Premier you can also order room service at no extra charge. I'm not a big buffet fan, however there are times they do put up some things that look good and taste just as good. You'll find MDR menu selections in the buffet most nights, although the buffet also has theme nights for dinner. In all our cruises we have only had dinner in the buffet once, and that was after a long port day and we were just exhausted. We had no desire to get even slightly dressed up for a long dinner in the MDR, so we put on casual stuff, and had a fast meal in the buffet, and then went back to the cabin to chill. All of your questions are very good. You are going to get a million different opinions... on everything. -
A game changer coming for Florida cruising
cr8tiv1 replied to PescadoAmarillo's topic in Princess Cruises
They brought the Golden Princess down to LA for short cruises. Couldn’t sell the cabins. Not only did they offer short cruises (to reach elite) but offered 100% back as FCC for a 7 day or longer cruise. -
April 8 2024 Solar Eclipse - Sapphire Princess
cr8tiv1 replied to Gaynors's topic in Princess Cruises
If you do a quick google search: Solar Eclipse 2024 Hawaii...you will pull up quite an assortment of links. Here is just one example: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/honolulu?iso=20240408#:~:text=Eclipses visible in Honolulu%2C Hawaii,Apr 8%2C 2024 Solar Eclipse Keep in mind that there will be a three hours difference between California PDT and Hawaii Standard Time. You will be setting your clocks back an hour each day for 3 out of the 5 days (I think that's the correct direction). In UTC-8: Pacific Standard Time (PST). It covers the western region of the country: California, Washington, part of Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. This time zone also covers part of Mexico and Canada. It belongs to one of the four time zones in the contiguous United States. The reference city for PST is usually Los Angeles. In UTC-9: Alaska Standard Time (ALKS). This time zone is shared with the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia. In UTC-10: Hawaiian-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST), also known as Hawaii Standard Time (HST). And then you have to factor in DST Give yourself a good buffer of time. The one thing in your favor is that it doesn't happen quickly. You might just hit it correctly. These are some local news channels that my cover it: KITV 4 KHON 2 Hawaii News Now The Star Advertiser KGMB I was on the Golden leaving San Francisco when I happened upon a partial solar eclipse. It was SOOOOO cold on the Lido Deck. Another passenger was prepared with a welder's glass. We were the only two interested in the event. Good Luck -
I am so thankful that you chimed in! Mahalo Nui Loa for confirming some of my experiences. WHEW. And to be on the Grand...my favorite ship since they got rid of the Golden.
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Do Princess production shows tell a story?
Strauss1020 replied to thermal's topic in Princess Cruises
If you need to pay the royalties for a current Broadway hit, you're absolutely correct. Those costs can be enormous. However, there are many shows from the "golden age" of Broadway that wouldn't have those prohibitive costs. Just as RCL is currently staging "The Wizard of Oz", and staged "Grease" in the past there are many, many shows of Rogers and Hart, Lerner and Lowe, Rogers and Hammerstein, Frank Loesser, Jerry Herman, Kander and Ebbs which could be adapted into a 45 to 60 minute show. -
Do Princess production shows tell a story?
Strauss1020 replied to thermal's topic in Princess Cruises
I have to reply to the "disrespect" comment. I don't truly mean to be disrespectful. I've worked in the fine arts area for 39 years now. I used to be a performer and though it's difficult to believe nowadays, I once used to be young. I've known several dancers who have worked on cruise ships and many other venues working on Broadway with productions of Phantom of the Opera, Newsies, Will Roger's Follies, Jersey Boys..... I simply want a story!! Both Princess and Celebrity seem to be willing to spend a great deal on sets, designs, costumes, lighting effects and the theaters themselves. I don't mind at all if Disney is "rehashing" the stories that they made popular in their animated cartoons. Also, Disney put out some original productions for their cruises i.e. Disney Dreams - An Enchanted Classic, Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story, The Golden Mickeys, Disney's Believe and Disney Seas Adventure. Of course it takes some money to hire a writer and a composer/lyricist. However, I can think of a dozen or more associates who would jump at the chance to write an original story that could be adapted to a musical. Any young singer worth his or her salt is going to have to learn new material and learn it quickly. If they don't have those abilities, they won't get the job. I don't think it's asking an unreasonable request. As it is, the production shows on Princess and Celebrity seem to be about as entertaining as old Lawrence Welk shows except the music on Lawrence Welk was better. -
Hi, Everyone! Day 2 of our voyage is a sea day as we're heading up to San Francisco. The sea is a tiny, wee bit roll-y and ya just have to chuckle when you hear a new cruiser express their concern and saying things like, "Please tell me it doesn't get worse than this!!" and their partner respond, reassuring them with "facts" like, "If it get's any worse than this, the Captain won't sail." Again, this ship is barely rocking. So I started my day with a trip to the gym. I saw on the Medallion App that my wife and the couple we're traveling with are seated in the World Market buffet, so I thought I'd swing by and say hello. In our many dozens of cruises, I've never encountered a more crowded and confusing buffet area. Rather than having a nice big open area for all of the food stations to be easily seen, perused and accessed, this ship has multiple little aisles and vestibules where the food can be found. There's no readily apparent system of what you're likely to find where and because of how narrow these aisles are, they get very clogged with people, who, after weaving in and out of the maze emerge to discover that they now have food but no idea where they were sitting. Once you're seated and eating, you think twice before getting up to just go and grab something else. I didn't eat, but my friends said that the food and the selection were good. They also said they're just going to go to the MDR for breakfast to avoid the chaos of the buffet. Yet again, this ship has SERIOUS design and layout issues. Anywho, I went to the gym and had a great workout. Wifey and our friends went off to attend various events happening on board and I went back to the cabin, where I remained until time to get ready for dinner. You probably should know now that I am reclusive by nature and find tremendous joy in sitting quietly on our balcony, away from the craziness. That said, the ship's schedule is jam-packed with activities, so if you are more social and curious than I am, you'll have plenty to do. I needed to iron a shirt and I was thrilled to find that Princess stills provides passenger laundromats. Definitely not something you'd ever find on Celebrity. Princess wins in this department. It's one of the fancy nights, so there are photographers everywhere. (LOT's of fancy dresses and quite a few tuxedos, we were very pleased to see! Some parents took advantage of the opportunity to teach their children how to behave in and enjoy a fancy event. The little boys in the little tuxedos gave us hope for the future of humanity.) We would normally skip all of the photo ops, but since our Premiere package includes ALL of the photos taken of us onboard, we thought we might as well let them do their thing. We stopped by the Platinum/Elite lounge for a drink and some hors d'oeuvres before heading to the Crown Grill for our first of the two specialty dining experiences included in the Premiere package. The food was fantastic (one of the best steaks I've ever had) and the service was upbeat and personable. From our previous voyages with Princess, we were expecting a more upscale sorta vibe and a more refined dining experience, but it seems like that style of dining went the way of mandatory dress codes long ago. That said, our ONLY issue with the meal/experience was where we were seated in the restaurant. It was ok ... until the band in the Crown Grill Bar started playing and then it was so loud, you couldn't talk to your companion. Had we known this was going to happen earlier in our meal, we could have asked to be moved and I'm pretty sure they would have at least tried to accommodate our request to be moved. Again, this is a design flaw and it was problematic for us. So, great food, great service .. but choose your table carefully. Specialty dining on Celebrity is considerably more expensive and far more upscale and formal in the service aspect of things, but Princess wins yet again when it comes to the food. DELICIOUS!! After dinner, we joined up with our friends to see the Rock Opera production show. Great singers and dancers and musicians ... wonderful song selections. A bit too loud for my wife, but I thought the volume was just fine. My only issue with the theatre is there's no place to set down your drinks (or your empty glasses) so you have to hold onto your beverage, making it challenging to deliver appropriate applause for the cast and crew -- and on the way out, there's no place to deposit your empties. I guess you could just leave them sitting on the floor in front of your seat, but that seems gauche. The ship was noticeably rocking and rolling throughout the night -- still barely a level 1 sea experience for people who've cruised a bunch -- but the first timers were rather weirded out. Tomorrow, we'll be passing under the Golden Gate Bridge at about 6:30AM. I shall be asleep. More later. -
On one my first cruises to Hawaii, they had a “most adventurous duck” photo contest. It was either Diamond or Golden, I think. They gave us a duck and we took it around the ship and ashore and photographed it. The group that received the ducks got together and shared their photos, and there was a prize of wine or something else like you get at trivia games.
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Makes me quite nostalgic to see her. Golden was our favorite and still the ship on which we have the most days. -
Well if it is the Golden Princess that is a VERY old photo since that ship was sold to P & O in 2022, which still makes me sad. We spent a lot of great days aboard and I miss that ship!!
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It’s the Golden Princess. Put the image in 3D mode and zoom in.
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Our 9th Hawaiian cruise is in a couple of weeks on Discovery. The 8 previous cruises were on Diamond, Ruby, Star, Emerald twice, Golden three times. All Princess, all out of Los Angeles. Not a bad trip among them. Love Hawaii, love lots of sea days, love not flying anywhere, love Eula…I mean what’s NOT to love? Sailed the Grand to Alaska in 2022, when a two week round trip got an extra week added to it when DH tested positive and Canada would not let us fly to the states. The Grand crew took care of everything, and the Inside Passage was spectacular even from an isolation balcony room. I’ve never sailed from San Francisco, so nothing to contribute there, sorry. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we have enjoyed ours. -
Here is a link to a scooter that was specifically designed for cruising. It folds down to 12 inches in height once the seat is removed. We have had it for a few years now and have taken it on many cruises. We gate check it when we fly and we take the seat into the plane with us. https://mobilitymartplus.com/products/golden-technologies-buzzaround-carryon-folding-travel-scooter?variant=47265762771222#9038909243670-5 This is available at many dealers, I just pulled up the first one I saw. It runs about 2000.
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I thought the pool on Grand was covered but when I investigated more, it looked like it wasn't. That's a consideration ... but so is sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.
