Golden Review ~ 10 Day British Isles Cruise ~ Aug 10th

Hi everyone, this is a rather lengthy review but I have included pics, so sit back, grab the beverage of your choice, maybe a snack and enjoy (I hope)

Who went? Cass & Noel (12) a Mother/Daughter adventure & visit to every gift shop possible in every castle & cathedral in the UK

This cruise experience began 14 months before sailing with a roll call thread that was out of this world. 93 posters, some of the nicest folks you could ever meet chimed in to share plans & excitement for our sailing, private tours and advice and made the many months pass pleasantly - so thanks to all of the 'Golden Idols' who made this cruise a great success - even before we left!

August 9th - Morning

Flight from Toronto to Heathrow and perhaps one of my smartest decisions even - to take the daylight flight. This flight departs Toronto at 9am and arrives in London at 9pm the local time. By then, hopefully you are tired enough from flying all day to get to sleep and the next morning wake up on London time. It worked for us and we felt great the next day for our transfer to Southampton to meet the ship.

Toronto Airport at dawn!

Our plane ~ just before boarding Noel told me she thought it looked 'sea worthy'?

August 9th - Evening

I arranged for a car/driver from Krest to meet us at Heathrow and take us to the Jurys Inn hotel. It was an expensive transfer compared to the Hoppa, but with so much luggage to carry and to cut the hassle of figuring out where to go and what to do at Heathrow it was well worth it. (30 pounds)

The driver had our name on a sign in the arrivals hall and took our luggage, guiding us to his vehicle for the 15 minute drive to the Jury's Inn, Heathrow.

The Jury's Inn (Noel's first gift shop visit) was okay for a one night stay, unfortunately by the time we checked in it was after 10:00pm and all the food services had shut for the night, there was no food to be had. Luckily we had cookies that we didn't eat on the plane so we had those and a managed to get a coke to go from the bar, but the bartender wanted us to drink it there and not take it away and grumbled when I insisted I would not have my 12 year old drinking at a smoky bar full of men.

August 10th - Morning

I woke up at 7:30am and turned on the hotel television to see this!

What a miracle that we had arrived the night before and missed the horrors of arriving during the terrorist scare. The Jurys Inn was a buzz of activity with stranded people needing to stay instead of checking out and lots of worried faces.

66 pounds for the night included breakfast for two and here are the greasy offerings. (mmm... blood pudding)

Transfer to Southampton -Aug 10th

I decided to take advantage of a full day by doing some sightseeing on the way to Southampton. I booked a private transfer with Harry Norman Tours that turned out to be such fun. Harry is a sweet gentleman, great with my daughter, very professional and funny. He picked us up at 9:30am at the Jurys Inn and we drove through the countryside to Stonehenge (Noel's 2nd gift shop)

Noel listening to the Audio Tour device - included with admission.

After Stonehenge we went to a Roman fortress called Old Sarum and had fun exploring. It was on a hill above Salisbury and had some great views of the surrounding countryside. (Noel's 3rd gift shop)

After Old Sarum we drove into Salisbury and then entered Salisbury Cathedral to look around and have lunch in the Cathedral tea room. (Noel's 4th gift shop)

After Salisbury we headed for Southampton arriving around 4pm, you could fire a cannon through the terminal (not that I would recommend this due to the terror threat) but seriously, we were the only people there and we were in our cabin as quickly as we could make the walk there, and our luggage arriving shortly afterwards.

Photo I took from Harry's car as we approached the Port of Southampton

Pausing to take a quick pic as we embarked.

Full day tour with Harry was 240Pounds plus a tip

Our mini suite (D418) on the port side which I would highly recommend because we had some really nice views of the bag pipers in Greenock & Invergordon.

Strawberries on arrival

Balcony

Flower arrangement - stayed nice for about a week, then I pulled the dying flowers out, there were still roses in good shape on the day we departed.

Can I just say now that we LOVED the mini suite, it was the perfect size for comfortable sailing, tons of room for storage and a full bathtub. We never noticed anyone 'looking down on us' from the higher balconies, but I suppose on a Caribbean cruise one would use the balcony more often. I would stay in this room again in a heartbeat. We were very close to the elevator and I found that really cut down on the walking. (Last time we had a bow cabin and felt we were always walking miles to get anywhere)

Our steward Jessie was terrific, everything in the cabin was kept spotless and the fluffy european duvets & pillow top mattresses were super comfortable. Towels I found rough to the skin and not luxurious as I had expected, toiletries were nice.

The Golden Idols Roll Call group met in the Promenade Lounge just after Muster Drill, we were all wearing our green beads and it was very nice to hug and shake hands with the people we have been posting with all these months. We had a great turn out even though some of our members had not made the ship due to flight delays.

Meals on board - we ate most breakfasts in the dining room and enjoyed everything, the pastries and breads were especially impressive on the Golden. Definately some skilled bakers on board, be sure to try the chocolate/almond pastries and Noel loved the little donuts they had at the coffee bar on deck 5.

We had most lunches at the buffet or room service and enjoyed everything we ordered/selected. Fresh, hot & quality food items, meats, fruits, sauces. Maybe I am easy going but I simply do not understand how people cannot find something to their taste at the buffet.

Dinners - we had anytime dining and usually sat at a table for 2 except for the formal nights when we chose tables for 6 and had a great tablemates that were very sweet to my daughter.

I enjoyed every meal I ordered, some more than others, the lobster tails were tasty and the crab legs as well. The spicy shrimp dish on rice was outstanding but the beef dishes were just average in my opinion. The one exception being Desert Rose steakhouse where our steaks were excellent. This restaurant is also known as the Stirling Steakhouse but the sign & menus all said Desert Rose on the Golden.

Salads in the dining room and at the buffet were good. I loved that the buffet would have a container of sliced avocado or feta. I had some great salads here.

Soups were tasty - especially the chilled ones.

Desserts generally looked nice but had very little flavour, the 2 exceptions were the pear/puff pastry tart which was delicious and the Brandy Alexander pie which I liked. Love boat dream was gross and everything else was just okay (ie) cheesecake, not much flavour at all.

Noel loved the pizza by the pool.

Lunch at the buffet was really good, I think the trick is to pick one thing and have a proper sized meal rather than taking a little of everything and feeling kinda icky afterwards for eating too much, or having odd combinations.

My daughter is a picky eater and 7 out of 10 nights had fettucini alfredo with either a chicken breast or a small steak - she cleared her plate everynight and looked forward to going back the next night. She is a pasta fiend. Even at the Desert Rose they gave her fettucini with her steak instead of potatoes or mushrooms, they made a special trip to get it for her.

For dessert Noel always had the create your own sundae but she was not overly impressed by the ice cream saying it didn't taste like home. :)

Service, I had no problems with the service, we were in and out pretty quickly except on the formal nights when our table mates were ordering every single course. Some servers were more friendly than others, talkative and friendly, some were very serious. They are all hard workers and I always felt they want you to enjoy your meal.

The Golden ~ I found the ship easy to get around and although very large it really didn't seem that way to me. Having a room by the mid ships elevators cut down on a lot of walking. (Noel's 5th & 6th gift shops visited)

The ship was very clean and well kept but there was definately some wear showing in carpets, railings, tiles with chips & cracks especially around the pool area and the elevators. None of this would interfere with a wonderful cruise experience. I am just stating what I observed, that this is not a brand new sparkling ship and some areas could be improved/refurbished.

Awesome photos, Casshew.

Thanks for posting.

Ports

Falmouth - wow we were moored way far from the shore... that was probably the longest tender ride I have ever had, well maybe the fact Noel made us sit up on top and we were being pelted by spray made it seem longer.

Tenders at Falmouth

Spray whacking Noel

Falmouth

Falmouth is a pretty town and we did not do an excursion, instead taking the free shuttle from the port to the town centre (10 minute drive) and just walked around, stopping to have a cornish pastie on the Prince of Wales Pier. So many palm trees and tropical vegetation in the parks and private gardens, it was like being in bermuda or something. Didn't feel like england. (Noel's 7th, 8th, 9th gift shop)

Prince of Wales Pier

**Warning** heard from 2 couples at dinner that the LandsEnd tour was boring and pointless and a waste of time. Basically a long drive with no stops and then an opportunity to pose at the famous sign and poor shopping - don't take this excursion.

Holyhead, Wales - The Captain skipped this port due to the ship not being able to tender in safely. Instead having a sea day which felt like a Caribbean cruise, it was sunny and warm and many folks enjoyed the pools. Noel and I went to ceramics at sea and created an 'octopus dish'

Then to Bingo which would prove to be our routine if it was scheduled. It was really a lot of fun and took place in the sunny & cheerful vista lounge, we had some good laughs at bingo, quite often at the expense of people from Tennessee who kept screwing up and calling Bingo when they didn't really have it.

Formal night & 'the dress'

Dublin - Noel is crazy for horses and one of the Golden Idols (thanks Roz) had told us the Royal Dublin Society Horse Show was on the day we were in port, so I was able to buy tickets on the internet in advance and we attended to see the jumping. (Noel took all these photos - she was in charge of the camera that day) (10th gift shop)

Belfast

Marie-Claude, one of the Golden Idols arranged a private tour which was to include Giant's Causeway, Carrick rope bridge, a distillery and a Belfast City tour - all for 26 pounds each. What a deal.

Docking at Belfast

Unfortuately the distillery was closed for 2 weeks and we were unable to make the bridge because of crowds and timing. So we did Giant's Causeway (Noel;s 11th gift shop) & a fairly lengthy city tour instead and our cost was reduced to 18pounds each.

Giant's Causeway is something to see, all you future cruisers try to make it if you can.

On the way up the beautiful irish coast we stopped at a 'haunted' inn and a vantage point for photos of carrick from a distance.

Belfast was a mixture of old and new from both sides of the wall and plenty of murals.

We were all pretty tired after this tour, thanks MC for bringing it all together for us, we had a great group that day.

Greenock

We took the 3 hour tour and to Glasgow and I would NOT recommend it, we had one brief stop at the People's Palace (12th gift shop) and basically the whole time we were stuck in Glasgow traffic with a couple of photo opportunites at the University- which was really uninteresting (to me).

Piper at Greenock

People's Palace, Glasgow

Tattoo - This excursion was outstanding, people - please, if your cruise does the Tattoo - BOOK IT. The drive from Greenock was about 2.5 hours with a comfort stop. Our bus parked just at the bottom of the street that leads to the castle (13th gift shop) and it was a short walk up to the stands. (other busses were farther away, but we were lucky)

The tattoo was fabulous, it is a do not miss show. Tight seating, you are packed in like sardines but well worth it. The streets of Edinburgh are also packed with people and the cobblestones are uneven so wear appropriate shoes.

Crowds waiting to get in

Stands filling up

The Tattoo

The drive back to Greenock was much quicker (light traffic) and we were back before 1:00am. The buffet was open but we went straight to bed.

Sea Day - so nice to relax onboard the beautiful Golden Princess on a sunny sea day. The Golden Idols met at 2pm in Skywalkers and Chris the CD attended, with complimetary champagne. Very impressive and a good time had by all.

Edinburgh - this was our one bad weather day, we awoke to thick fog and drizzle and an announcement that tenders were not going until the fog lifted a bit. We had booked "Edinburgh on your own" and our departure was not until 10:00am - so we were unaffected by the weather delay for the most part. I will say though when we left the tender it was a good 20 minute wait in the blowing rain until our bus arrived at the bottom of Hawes Pier.

The ride was only about 25 minutes to Edinburgh and we were dropped off right at the castle to save us the walk up. it was still raining and still foggy so it put a Damper on our visit (literally) We walked down to prince's street and did some window shopping and then had lunch. It was only 2:30pm and we decided to head back to the ship instead of waiting for our coach back at 5:15pm.

The Golden in the Firth of Fourth fog, South Queensferry

Edinburgh Castle

We walked to Waverley Station and bought tickets for the 3:45pm train to Dalmeny station - the train was packed, fortunately it was only a 15 minute ride and then the real adventure started and that was our walk through the woods on a mud path and down dozens and dozens of wet wooden/mud steps in the pouring rain. If you have mobility issues, small children or strollers **Do not attempt** to walk to/from the train station in Dalmeny, take a taxi.

Invergordon/Inverness This was one of our favourite days, first of all the weather was glorious and the port/town was picturesque as well. I hired a private guide/car for the day and Elaine was waiting for me at the bottom of the pier with our name on a sign.

Docked at Invergordon

First stop - Urquhart Castle/Loch Ness

A coke and a castle? what more could a girl want (14th gift shop)

Thankfully they don't sell these in the gift shop.

Next Stop - Cawdor Castle (lost count on gift shops but trust me, we were in there)

More Cawdor

Next Stop, lunch at a beautiful pub in Inverness, a quick walk round the shopping area (more gift shops) and a visit to my Aunt's house. (My dad's sister)

The Snow Goose Pub

Then Elaine took us back to Invergordon, we arrived at about 4:45pm and there was no line up to get back on board the ship. Soon there was huge lines up of passengers snaking their way down the pier to the ship. Noel took advantage of this captive audience to advertise our horse for the Owner's Derby. She had it out on the balcony which was right about the gangway, waving to the crowds and showing off her horse "Hoof Hearted"

Soon some bagpipers and drummers appeared and gave us a great send off as we departed Invergordon, it was really a great end to one of the nicest days.

Sunset after departing Invergordon

The next day was a sea day, nice and relaxing - our last day onboard. The Owners Derby horse race ran and we came in second to #5, sorry about that to all who bet on us.

Hoof Hearted

Much appreciation to our room steward Jessie who was vacuuming up sparkles for days in cabin D418.

We did have some luck in bingo though, winning $250.00 but sharing the pot with other winners. Kids are not allowed to buy tickets or claim Bingo, but they can sit with you and pop the holes in the card.

Entertainment - we only made one show, I know, pathetic - and it happened to be the weird magician/illusionist Gaetano or something like that, he was sweaty and not really good at all but his last trick saved him from being a complete disaster.

We did however, have fun in the explorer lounge with Jacki & the gang. We watched the not so newlywed game, participated in Jeopardized and Passenger Fued, a good time had by all.

Casino - I got lucky there a a few times - the best being I went in with 115.00 and later when I counted my cash had 930.00. I even had witnesses (Pat & Joe) who will confirm I am not making this up :D

Disembarkation. This process was extremely smooth and very well organized, we were the last to go Gold 3 and we left at 9:15ish after breakfast. Very civilized and non stressful. Our luggage was right there and Harry was there to meet us within a few minutes.

Again we used Harry Norton Tours, (240 pounds) this time going to Hampton Court Palace (great gift shop) for several hours.

Harry knows all the English History, the kings, the queens, the scandals, everything there is to know and he was great at Hampton Court. He got into his 'character' which was someone that wanted to make a request of the King and he went through the whole proceedure - in character of how he was going to accomplish this.

We loved our day with Harry at Hampton Court, from the moment we walked through the gates to the moment I made him take Noel through the Hedge maze for me :D it was perfect.

You might think 240UKL is a steep price for a day, but for the personal attention, beautiful vehicle, informative and fun comentary and peace of mind it was a bargain. (also have you seen the price of gas in the UK?) I highly recommned Harry and his wife Pat who runs the office/reservations for private touring inside or outside of London.

London

We booked the Savoy for 6 nights. The Savoy is pretty expensive but it is part of the Fairmont Chain of which I am a club member and I had enough points for one free night.

Also it is close to the theatre district and we were seeing 4 shows - so it was very handy for walking to/from shows. It is also just a 5 minute walk from Charing Cross station and about 8 minutes walking from Trafalgar Square. It was a great location for us and the room & service were top notch. (209pounds a night and a gift shop)

Our room was very comfortable and roomy at approx 450 sq feet

Treats on arrival: berries & a Fairmont cookie.